The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Volumes 1 & 2. Virgil

man alyve30

      Gan hir dolf spreit forto preveyn and steir,

      Had beyn dysvsit fra luf that mony ȝeir.

      Eftyr the first pawse, and that cowrs neir gane,

      And voduris and fat trunschuris away tane,

      The goblettis gret with myghty wynys in hy5

      Thai fill, and coverit set in by and by.

      Than rays the noys quhill dynnyt rufe and wallis,

      So thik the vocis fleys throu the large hallys.

      From the gilt sparris hang down mony a lycht,

      The flambe of torchis venquyst the dyrk nycht.10

      The queyn than askis of gold, for the nanys,

      A weghty cowp, set all with precyus stanys,

      Bad fill it full of the rych Ypocras,

      Into the quhilk gret Belus accustomyt was

      To drynk vmquhile, and fra hym euery kyng15

      Discend of hys genology and ofspring.

      And, quhen silens was maid our all the hall,

      O Jupiter, quod scho, on the we call,

      For this rayson, that by wys men is said,

      To gestis thou grantis the herbry glaid;20

      We the beseik, this day be fortunabill

      To ws Tyrryanys, happy and agreabill

      To strangearis cummyn fra Troy on thar vayage,

      In tyme cummyng remembrance of our vsage

      To our successioun and posterite;25

      The gevar of glaidnes, Bachus, heir mot be,

      And gentil Juno to ws fauorabill and meik;

      And ȝou, myne awyn Tyrryanys, I command eik

      Hallow this fest with blythnes and with joy,

      Bair frendly falloschip to thir noblis of Troy.30

      This beand said, the cowpe with the rich wyne

      Apon the burd scho blyssit, and eftir syne

      With hir lyp first tharof tuke bot a taist,

      And, carpand blythly, gaif it Bythyus in haist.

      He merely ressavis the remand tays,5

      All owt he drank, and quhelmyt the gold on his face:

      Syne al the nobillis tharof drank abowt;

      I wil nocht say that ilkman playt cop owt.

      Bot on his gylt harp berdyt Jopas,

      Playand the gestis of the gret Atlas,10

      The monys change and oblique cowrs sang he,

      And quhy the son eclipsis, as we se;

      Quharof mankynd is maid he schew ful plane,

      Quharof bestis, and quhat engendris rayn,

      Quharof cummys thundir and fyry levyn;15

      The rany Hyades, quhilk ar the sternys sevyn,

      And eik Arcturus, quhilk we cal the laid stern,

      The dowbill Vrsys weil couth he decern;

      And quhy the son, into the wyntir tyde,

      Hastis in the sey sa fast his hede to hyde;20

      Quhy makis the nycht that tyme sa large delay,

      And in somyr quhy sa lang is the day.

      The gyld and ryot Tyrryanys dowblit for joy,

      Syne the rerd followit of the ȝonkeris of Troy:

      Onhappy Dido alsso set all hir mycht25

      With sermondis seir forto prolong the nycht,

      The langsum lufe drynkand inwart ful cald.

      Full mony demand of Priam speir scho wald,

      And questionys seir twichyng Hector alswa;

      Now with quhais armour the son of Aurora30

      Come to the sege; and now inquir wald sche

      Quhat kynd hors Diomede had in the melle;

      Quhou large of statur was fers Achillis.

      Haue done, my gentill gest, sone tell ws this

      Per ordour, says scho, fra the begynnyng, all5

      The dissait of the Grekis, and the fall

      Of ȝour pepill, and of Troy the rewyne;

      Thi wandring be the way thou schaw ws syne;

      For now the sevynt symmyr hyddir careis the,

      Wilsum, and errant, throu euery land and see.10

      CAP. XII.

      Eneas first excusys hym, and syne

      Addressis to rehers Troys rewyne.

      Thai cessit all atanys incontinent,

      With mouthis clos, and vissage takand tent.

      Prince Eneas, from the hie bed, with that,

      Into hys sege ryall quhar he sat,

      Begouth and sayd: Thi desyre, Lady, is15

      Renewing of ontellabill sorow, I wys;

      To schaw how Grekis dyd spulȝe and distroy

      The gret ryches and lamentabill realm of Troy:

      And huge mysery quhilk I thar beheld,

      Quharof my self a gret part bayr and feld:20

      Quhat Myrmydon or Gregion Dolopes,

      Or knycht wageour to cruel Vlixes,

      Sik materis to rehers or ȝit to heir,

      Mycht thame conteyn fra weping mony a teir?

      And now the hevin ourquhelmys the donk nycht,

      Quhen the declynyng of the sternys brycht

      To sleip and rest perswadis our appetite:5

      Bot sen thou hast sic plesour and delyte

      To knaw our chancis, and fal of Troy in weyr,

      And schortly the last end tharof wald heir,

      Albeit my spreit abhorris, and doith grys,

      Tharon forto remember, and oft sys10

      Murnand eschewis tharfra with gret dyseys,

      Ȝit than I sal begyn ȝow forto pleys.

THE PROLOUG OF THE SECUND BUKE.

       Table of Contents

      Dyrk beyn my muse with dolorus armony.

      Melpomene, on the wald clerkis call

      Fortill compyle this dedly Tragedy,

      Twiching of Troy the subuersioun and fall;

      Bot sen I follow the Poete principall,5

      Quhat nedis purches fenȝeit termys new?

      God grant me grace hym dyngly to ensew!

      The drery fait with terys lamentabill

      Of Troys sege wydequhar our all is song;

      Bot followand Virgil, gif my wit war abill,10

      Ane othir wys now sall that bell be rong

      Than