Like Wendy, I too thought of the ubi sunt genre as derived from
classical sources as well as early medieval Germanic poetry, such as the
Old English poems Wanderer and Seafarer. On the other hand, the label
"ubi sunt" may refer more strictly to a particular genre development in
the High Middle Ages.
On a broader, and entirely disconnected note, the sentiment exists
in medieval Japanese literature, based on the Buddhist mappo concept of
an age of decline.
Karen
--
Dr. Karen Jolly
Associate Professor, History
University of Hawai`i at Manoa
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http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kjolly
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