ubi sunt

American  

[oo-bee soont] / ˈu bi ˈsʊnt /

noun

1. a poetic motif emphasizing the transitory nature of youth, life, and beauty, found especially in Medieval Latin poems.

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Etymology

Origin of ubi sunt

1910–15; < Medieval Latin Ubi sunt ( quī ante nōs fuērunt? ) Where are (those who were before us?)

Example Sentences

Here we have Seidel’s ubi sunt poem, pondering where the titans go when the dawn breaks.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 8, 2016

Zeune would have it mean "illuc, in illum locum ubi sunt Pisidæ;" and Krüger thinks that "towards Sardis" is intended.

From The First Four Books of Xenophon's Anabasis by Watson, John Selby

Signa peregrinis ubi sunt alterna columnis, Belides, & stricto barbarus ense pater.

From The Lovers Assistant, or, New Art of Love by Fielding, Henry

O grex, � nimium tanto Pastore beatus; O ubi sunt tanto pascua digna grege?

From The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume II (of 2) by Crashaw, Richard

Sed ubi sunt vestimenta eorum qui post vota nuncupata perierunt?

From From a Cornish Window A New Edition by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir