III.

The Makars

Some of the most notable Scottish poetry was the work of the medieval makars (literally makers), professional poets generally attached to the court. The tradition is considered to have begun with King James I, the probable author of The Kingis Quair (The King's Book, 1423?), a dream allegory in the courtly love tradition of Le Roman de la Rose, a medieval French poem written in the 13th century that explores the nature of love. Because of their supposed imitations of the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, the makars have often been referred to as Scottish Chaucerians. However, this term is inaccurate; the similarity stems from their use of the same French models that inspired Chaucer.

The next great makar was Robert Henryson, a 15th-century cleric of Dunfermline, whose masterpiece was The Testament of Cresseid. Henryson's version forms a sequel to Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde and tells of Cressida's punishment for violating the courtly love code. William Dunbar, a Franciscan prelate attached to the court of King James IV, is Henryson's rival to the title of greatest of these 15th-century poets. Dunbar was essentially a lyric poet, however, notable for his versatility and craftsmanship. His most famous poem is the Lament for the Makaris. Apart from its value as a roster of names of Scottish poets, his predecessors and contemporaries, the Lament is a poignant expression of his own fear of death. In contrast are The Twa Maryit Wemen and the Wedo, a rollicking satirical debate on various forms of love, and his stately hymn on the resurrection of Christ.

The fourth of the makars, Gawin Douglas, member of a noble family and bishop of Dunkeld, made the first translation in Britain of Virgil's Aeneid. His version, not superseded until the translations of the English poets John Dryden and Alexander Pope, is valuable also for its role in developing the Scots vocabulary. Each book of Douglas's Aeneid is prefaced by an original prologue; the seventh prologue is particularly notable for its realistic description of a Scottish winter scene.