Timor mortis conturbat me

Timor mortis conturbat me

Timor mortis conturbat me is a Latin phrase commonly found in late medieval English poetry, translating to "fear of death confounds me" or "upsets me". The phrase comes from a responsory of the Catholic Office of the Dead, in the third Nocturn of Matins:

:"Peccantem me quotidie, et non poenitentem, timor mortis conturbat me. Quia in inferno nulla est redemptio, miserere mei, Deus, et salva me." :"Sinning daily, and not repenting, the fear of death disturbs me. Because there is no redemption in hell, have mercy on me, O God, and save me."

Medieval poetry

Since the phrase "timor mortis conturbat me" was popular in medieval literature, and was frequently repeated in poetry, there are numerous poems that are conventionally titled "timor mortis conturbat me" because they contain the phrase.Fact|date=April 2008

In terms of genre, poetry in this tradition frequently appears in the form of a meditation, or a sermon that employs exempla. In some cases, the poetry also took the form of a list (e.g. a list of different famous people appears within the poem). Although the list is not technically a form of genre, it is a common medieval literary convention.

Several themes appear in "timor mortis" poetry which are also frequently found in other medieval poems on the subject of death. A common theme is death's triumph over people no matter how great or powerful a person was in life. Another common theme is the uncertainty of when one's life will end. Poets invariably pointed out that there is no guarantee that a person will live from one moment to the next, and that death could strike suddenly and without warning. This naturally led to the theme of the immediate need for penance and good works. It was stressed that a person should not delay in seeking penance or doing good works, lest they should perish and suffer eternally in hell for it.

William Dunbar's "Lament for the Makars", written around the end of the 15th century, employs the phrase at the third line of each verse. As its title indicates, the poem refers back to the titular medieval Scottish poets.

The phrase is used in the poem "Thou Shalt Not Kill" by the Beat poet Kenneth Rexroth, as a refrain.

It is also used as the title of Chapter 46 in "Dragonfly in Amber", by Diana Gabaldon, before Jamie Fraser leaves to fight at the Battle of Culloden.

External links

* [http://www.lib.byu.edu/~english/WWI/influences/lament.html Online version of "A Lament of the Makers", which repeatedly employs the phrase "timor mortis conturbat me"]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • William Dunbar — This article is about the Scottish poet, for other people of this name see William Dunbar (disambiguation). William Dunbar (c. 1460 ndash; c. 1520), Scottish poet, was probably a native of East Lothian. This is assumed from a satirical reference… …   Wikipedia

  • Office of the Dead — The Office of the Dead is a prayer cycle of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Roman Catholic Church, said for the repose of the soul of a decedent. It is the proper reading on All Souls Day (normally November 2) for all souls in Purgatory, and can… …   Wikipedia

  • Lament for the Makaris — I that in Heill wes and Gladnes, also known as The Lament for the Makaris , is a poem in the form of a danse macabre by the Scottish poet William Dunbar. Every fourth line remorselessly repeats the latin refrain timor mortis conturbat me (fear of …   Wikipedia

  • Dunbar, William — (ca. 1460–ca. 1515)    Perhaps the most notable of the Scottish “makars” or poets writing under the influence of CHAUCER, Dunbar was a master of a great variety of poetic forms, themes, and styles, varying his technique from the formal, courtly,… …   Encyclopedia of medieval literature

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”