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

      Al wery beyn we yschit furth of schip

      The cite of Apollo to wirschip:

      The kyng tharof, yclepit Anyvs,

      Prince of the men, and preste eik to Phebus,

      With bendis baith and haly lawrer crown

      Set on his hed, met ws withowt the town;

      His agit frend Anchises knew this kyng.

      Handis we schuke with hartly welcumyng,

      And to his palyce al with hym we went,5

      Quhar that I wirschip, as wes myne entent,

      The god Appollo, within his hallowit hald

      Or tempil beldyt al of stanys ald.

      O thou, quod I, Appollo Tymbreus,

      Sum propir dwellyng place thou grant to ws;10

      We the beseik that schaw alsso thou wald

      To ws irkit sum strenth and stalwart hald,

      And at thou grant ws eik successioun,

      And for to dwel in a remanand town.

      Salve ws, lattir wardis of Troy, that we ne spill,15

      Levyngis of Grekis and of the fers Achill.

      Geif ws thine answer quharon we sal depend;

      Quhidder wilt thou, fader, at we now wend?

      Quhar sall we set our lugyng to remane?

      Condiscend in our myndis, and schaw this plane.20

      Scars war thir wordis said, quhen that I se

      Al thingis trymmyl and schaik neir abowt me,

      The durris and the lawrer tre, but dowt,

      And al the montane movit rownd about:

      A murmur or a rumysyng hard we haue25

      Within the courtyng and the secret cave;

      The quyet closettis oppynnyt with a rerd,

      And, we plat law gruflyngis on the erd,

      A voce com til our erys, sayand thus;

      O ȝe dowr pepil discend from Dardanus,30

      The ilke grond, fra quham the first stok cam

      Of ȝour lynnage, with blyth bosum the sam

      Sal ȝou ressaue thidder returnyng agane:

      To seik ȝour ald moder mak ȝou bane.

      Thar sal Eneas lynnage haue senȝeory5

      Our al realmys and landis vndir the sky,

      And thar sonnys, and sonnys sonnys syne,

      And al that evir succedis of thar lyne.

      Thus said Phebus; and than, our folkis amang,

      Mixt with blithnes a fellon dyn vpsprang:10

      Quhat place was this, euery ane fast gan frane,

      Quhidder callis Phebus? byddis he ws turn agane?

      My fader than, revoluyng in his mynd,

      The discens of forfaderis of our strynd,

      Nobillis, quod he, harkis quhat I sal say,15

      And leyr at me ȝour weilfair, I ȝou pray.

      The ile of Crete lyis amyd the see,

      The native land of Jupiter maist hie;

      Thar is the first hyll, yclepit Ida,

      Thar our forbearis first in thar credlys lay;20

      The land maist plentevs of wyne, oyl, and quhete,

      Inhabyt with a hundreth citeis gret,

      Quharfra thar com, gif I remembir rycht,

      Our gret forfader Teucrus the wycht,

      First to the cost of Rethea in Phrygy,25

      And for his cite chesit the set fast by:

      For ȝit than was not Ilion vpbeld,

      Nor the strang wallis of Troy; bot on the feld

      Thai dwelt in lugys and mony litil cave.

      The adornar eik of our realm we haue30

      From that land, the moder of goddis Cybele,

      And blast of brasyn trumpettis, as ȝe se:

      From thens com eik the wod of Idea,

      And the traist serymonys of sacrifice alswa:

      The fasson eik and gys we lernyt thar5

      Quhou the lyonys suld draw the ladeis char.

      Haue done onon, tharfor, and lat ws wend

      Thidder quhar the goddis oracle haith ws kend.

      The wynd first lat ws meys, or that we ga,

      Syne seik the realm of Crete and Gnosia:10

      It is not thens lang cowrs nor vyage far;

      Our navy sall, with help of Jupiter,

      The thrid morow be at the cost of Crete.

      This beand said, ganand offerandis ful mete

      Befor the altaris he slew in sacrifyce;15

      A bul first to Neptune, as is the gys,

      A bull to brycht Appollo for his beheist,

      And to the god of tempestis a blak beist,

      And to the chancy wyndis ane mylk quhite.

      The fame was than, of Crete the cost stude quyte20

      Dissolate, but prince; for Idomeneus the kyng

      Was by the pepil expellit from his ryng,

      The lugyngis voyd and reddy to thar fays,

      The sete left waist til ony it vptais.

      The porte tharwith, Ortygia, leif we,25

      And with swift cowrs flaw throu the salt see;

      By the iland swepit we onon

      With hillis ful of wynys, hait Naxon,

      By Donysa quhar growis the marbill greyn,

      And by Paron with his quhite marbill scheyn,30

      By Olearon, and mony ilis, but les,

      Skatterit in the sey, yclepit Cyclades;

      We slyde throu fludis endlang feil costis fayr.

      The noys vpsprang of mony marynar

      Byssy at thar wark, to takilling euery tow,5

      Thar feris exorting, with mony heys and how,

      To speid thame fast towart the realm of Crete,

      With thar forfaderis and progenitouris to mete.

      The followand wynd blew strek in our tail,

      Quhill finaly arrive we, with bent saill,10

      Apon the ancyant cost of Curetanys,

      A kynd of pepill quhilk into Crete remanys.

      And sone I me enfors with diligence

      To byg a wallit cite of defens;

      Pargamea I namyt it, but baid:15

      Our folkis than, that warryn blyth and glaid

      Of this kowth surname of our new cite,

      Exort I to graith howsis, and leif in le,

      And rays on hycht the strenth and fortales.