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

schippis, or this, ful weil we gart adres,20

      And lay almaist apon the dry sand:

      The ȝong men fortil laubour thar new land,

      And in honour of wedlok, as is the gys,

      Makkis thar offerand and thar sacryfys,

      And I thar statutis and seyr lawis thame tawcht,25

      Assyngnand ilkane propir howsis and aucht.

      Quhen suddanly a cruel pest and traik,

      So that cornys and frutis goith to wraik,

      Throu the corruppit ayr and cowrs of hevyn,

      A dedly ȝeir, far wers than I kan nevin,30

      Fell on our membris with sik infectioun,

      Was na remeid, cure, nor correctioun;

      The sweit sawlis lefis the bodeis ded,

      Or seik thai ly gaspand in euery sted.

      And forthir eik, Syryvs, the frawart star,5

      Quhilk clepit is the syng canicular,

      So brynt the feildis al was barrand maid;

      Herbis wolx dry, wallowyng, and gan to faid;

      The seik grond denyis hys fruyt and fudis.

      My fader exortis ws turn agane our fludis10

      To Delos, and Apolloys answer speir,

      Besekyng hym of succurs ws to leir,

      Quhat end ontil our irksum panys he sendis,

      And be quhat way we mycht assay amendis

      Of this turbacioun, or quhidder and quhar that he15

      Wil at we seik or set our cowrs our see.

      CAP. III.

      Quhou Troiane goddys apperis tyll Enee,

      And how that he was stormstad on the see.

      Cummyn is the nycht, that euery beist on grond

      Desiris rest by kynd, and slepis sovnd;

      Quhen that the figuris of our goddis blist,

      And the Phrigiane Penates, or I wist,20

      Quhilkis from amyd the fyris of Troy I brocht

      Thidder with me, quhar I lay and slepit nocht,

      Gan to appeir standyng befor myne eyn:

      With ful gret lycht graithly I haue thame seyn,

      Quhar as the ful moyn schawing bemys brycht

      Inthrou the tyrlyst wyndo schane by nycht.

      Than said thai thus, with wordis to asswage5

      My thochtis and my hevy sad curage;

      That thing, quod thai, quhilk Apollo wald sa

      And thou war brocht onto Ortygia,

      Heir he the schawis, and eik, as thou may se,

      Onrequirit hes send ws hidder to the.10

      Quhen Troy was brynt, we followit thi prowes,

      Vnder thi gward to schip we ws addres,

      Ourspannand mony swelland seys salt;

      And to the starnys eik we sal exalt

      The childryn for tocum of thine ofspryng;15

      Thi cite sal we geif empyre to ryng

      Our al the erth: tharfor to goddis grete

      Begyn to graith gret wallis and ryal sete;

      Leif not thi langsum lavbour, bot fle away;

      This duelling place thou mon change, we the say:20

      Delyvs Apollo, certis, as thou thocht,

      Tocum onto this cost perswadit nocht,

      Nor chargit neuer in Crete thou suld remane.

      A land thar is, in Grekis langage plane

      Hesperya clepit, a bald cuntre in weir,25

      A fructuus grond of corn and riches seir,

      By kyng Onotryvs inhabit first with wyne,

      Bot in our days laitly, the fame is syne,

      Eftir thar duke it is namyt Italy:

      Thar beyn our propir setis and our herbry;30

      Tharof com Dardane and his brothir Jasyvs,

      And from that ilk prince, Schir Dardanus,

      Is the discens of our genealogy.

      Get vp onone, tel thi ald fader blythly

      Thir tythyngis, quhilk beyn trew and certan thing.5

      Seik to Coryce, and Italy the ryng;

      For the feldis in Crete neyr Dycteus

      Jupiter denyis to granting onto ws.

      Of this visioun estonyst quhar I lay,

      And of tha wordis quhilkis the goddis gan say,10

      (For this wes nowthir dreym nor fantasy;

      Thar propir vissage befor me stand knew I,

      With garlandis and thar cirkillettis on thar hair;

      Thar figur saw I present to me thair;

      The cald sweit our al my body ran;)15

      Furth of my bed on fute son sprent I than,

      And, strekand vp my handis towart hevyn,

      Myne oryson I maid with devote stevyn;

      A cleyn sacrifyce and offerand maid I syne,

      Into the fyris ȝettand sens and wyne.20

      The serymoneis endit, blyth and glaid

      To my fader per ordour al I said

      As ȝe haue hard, quhat nedis tell agane?

      And of this mater maid hym ful certane.

      Onone he knew our elderis dowtis ilk deill,25

      And of our clan the dowbill stok full weill:

      He grantis the unkouth errour hym dissavit

      Of ancyant placis, quhilk he not persavit.

      Syne said he, son, thou irkit art al gatis

      By the contrarius frawart Troiane fatis;30

      Now I remembir only quhou Cassandra

      Ful oft maid mensioun of Hesperya,

      And oft als of the realm hait Italy,

      Thir materis me declaring by and by.

      That land now knaw I destinate to our kyn:5

      Bot quha wald haue belevit at euer within

      The realm of Itail Teucrus blude suld cum?

      Or quha wald than, mair than scho had bene dum,

      Set by the prophetes wordis Cassandra?

      Lat ws obey Phebus, and wend awa,10

      As we bene monyst, follow our chance, but pleys.

      Thus said he, and we glaid al hym obeys:

      A few folkis thar left to kepe the town,

      This sted alsso leif we, and sail maid bown;

      In bowit bargis throu the large streym we slyde.15

      Quhen sycht of land was tynt on euery syde,

      Sa that na