‘Philip Sparrow’
“
For the soul of Philip Sparrow,
That was late slain at Carrow
Among the Nunnes Black,
For that sweet soul’s sake
And for all sparrows’ souls
Set in our bead-rolls,
Pater noster qui
With an Ave Mari.
— John Skelton
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "For the soul of Philip Sparrow,
That was late slain at Carrow
Among the Nunnes Black,
For that sweet soul’s sake
And for all sparrows’ souls
Set in our bead-rolls,
Pater noster qui
With an Ave Mari." in the context of "‘Philip Sparrow’" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "John Skelton" (Quotes, Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations: Quotes reported in Susan Ratcliffe, Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, online ed. (2022), no. 7.101)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About John Skelton
John Skelton (c. 1460 – June 21, 1529) was an English poet, variously asserted to have been born in Armathwaite, Cumberland, or Yorkshire. Many of his works included scathing indictments of the church or church figures, and although they were likely circulated in his day, they were not officially published until some time after his death.
About John Skelton
John Skelton (c. 1460 – June 21, 1529) was an English poet, variously asserted to have been born in Armathwaite, Cumberland, or Yorkshire. Many of his works included scathing indictments of the church or church figures, and although they were likely circulated in his day, they were not officially published until some time after his death.
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