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by William Dunbar (1465 - 1520?)

Done is a battell on the dragon blak
Language: Scottish (Scots) 
Our translations:  ENG
Done is a battell on the dragon blak, 
Our campioun Chryst confountet hes his force; 
The yettis of hell ar brokin with a crak, 
The signe triumph all rasit is of the croce, 
The divillis trymmillis with hiddous voce, 
The saulis ar borrowit and to the blis can go, 
Chryst with his blud our ransonis dois indoce: 
Surrexit dominus de sepulchro.

Dungin is the deidly dragon Lucifer, 
The crewall serpent with the mort all stang, 
The auld kene tegir with his teith on char 
Quhilk in a wait hes lyne for us so lang, 
Thinking to grip us in his clowis strang: 
The mercifull lord wald nocht that it wer so, 
He maid him for to felye of that fang: 
Surrexit dominus de sepulchro.

He for our saik that sufferit to be slane 
And lyk a lamb in sacrifice wes dicht, 
Is lyk a lyone rissin up agane, 
And as a gyane raxit him on hicht: 
Sprungin is Aurora radius and bricht, 
On loft is gone the glorius Appollo, 
The blisfull day depairtit fro the nycht: 
Surrexit dominus de sepulchro. 

The grit victour agane is rissin on hicht  
That for our querrell to the deth wes woundit; 
The sone that wox all paill now schynis bricht, 
And, dirknes clerit, our fayth is now refoundit: 
The knell of mercy fra the hevin is soundit, 
The Cristin ar deliverit of thair wo,
The Jowis and thair errour ar confoundit: 
Surrexit dominus de sepulchro.

The fo is chasit, the battell is done ceis, 
The presone brokin, the jevellouris fleit and flemit, 
The weir is gon, confermit is the peis, 
The fetteris lowsit and the dungeoun temit, 
The ransoun maid, the presoneris redemit, 
The feild is win, ourcummin is the fo, 
Dispulit of the tresur that he yemit: 
Surrexit dominus de sepulchro.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with William Dunbar - Poems, edited by James Kinsley, Oxford University Press, 1958, page 1.


Text Authorship:

  • by William Dunbar (1465 - 1520?), no title [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, Sir (1891 - 1975), "The lord is risen", F. 52 no. 1, published 1975 [ soprano, baritone, SATB chorus, and organ or orchestra ], from Shield of Faith, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (Iain Sneddon) , "Done is the Battle with the Black Dragon", copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2018-11-21
Line count: 40
Word count: 298

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