Hugh MacDiarmid used the phrase "Back to Dunbar" as a rallying cry to encourage Scottish poets in the twentieth century to transform Scottish verse away from its traditional rustic image, and towards sophistication.
On the Resurrection of Christ
Done is a battle on the dragon black,
Our champion Christ confoundit has his force;
The yetis of hell are broken with a crack,--yetis=gates
The sign triumphal raisit is of the cross,
The devillis trymmillis with hiddous voce,--trymillis=tremble
The saulis are borrowit and to the bliss can go,--borrowit=ransomed
Christ with his bloud our ransonis dois indoce:--indoce=endorse
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.--(He is risen from the grave)
Dungan is the deidly dragon Lucifer,--dungan=overcome
The cruewall serpent with the mortal stang;
The auld kene tiger, with his teith on char,--on char=snarling
Whilk in a wait has lyen for us so lang,
Thinking to grip us in his clawis strang;
The merciful Lord wald nocht that it were so,
He made him for to failye of that fang.--fang=plunder
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.--(He is risen from the grave)
He for our saik that sufferit to be slane,
And lyk a lamb in sacrifice was dicht,--dicht=prepared
Is lyk a lion risen up agane,
And as a gyane raxit him on hicht;--gyane=giant raxit=reached
Sprungen is Aurora radious and bricht,
On loft is gone the glorious Apollo,
The blissful day departit fro the nicht:
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.--(He is risen from the grave)
The grit victour again is rissen on hicht,
That for our querrell to the deth was woundit;
The sun that wox all pale now shynis bricht,
And, derkness clearit, our faith is now refoundit;
The knell of mercy fra the heaven is soundit,
The Christin are deliverit of their wo,
The Jowis and their errour are confoundit:
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.--(He is risen from the grave)
The fo is chasit, the battle is done ceis,
The presone broken, the jevellouris fleit and flemit;
-----------------------------(jailers frightened into flight)
The weir is gon, confermit is the peis,
The fetteris lowsit and the dungeon temit,--temit=emptied
The ransoun made, the prisoneris redeemit;
The field is won, owrecomen is the fo,
Dispuilit of the treasure that he yemit:--yemit=kept
Surrexit Dominus de sepulchro.--(He is risen from the grave)
Entry written by D.S. Martin. His latest poetry collection, Conspiracy of Light: Poems Inspired by the Legacy of C.S. Lewis, is available from Wipf & Stock as is his earlier award-winning collection, Poiema.
Posts
