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

thar empty mawis

      Dryvis furth of thar den to seik thar pray,

      Thar litil quhelpis left with dry throtis quhil day;

      So, throw the wapynnys and our fays went we,

      Apon the ded ondowtit, and wald nocht fle.10

      Amyd the cite we held the master streit,

      The dyrk nycht hyd ws with cloys schaddowis meit.

      CAP. VII.

      The woful end, per ordour, heir, allace!

      Followys of Troy, and gestis of Eneas.

      Quha sal the harmys of that woful nycht

      Expreme? or quha with tong to tell hes mycht

      Sa feil ded corsis as thar lyis slane?15

      Or, thocht in cace thai weip quhil teris rayn,

      Equaly may bewail tha sorowis all?

      The ancyant, worthy cite down is fall,

      That mony ȝeris held hie senȝeory:

      Stekit in stretis heir and thar thai ly,20

      Feil corsis ded of mony onweldy wyght,

      Dung down in howsis, fey thai fal all nycht.

      In sanctuarys and templis of goddis eik;

      Na quhar mercy nor succur mycht thai seik.

      And not only of Troianys, throu owt the town,

      The blude is sched, thus marthyrit and slane down,

      Bot sum tyme eik to thame, ourcummyn and schent,5

      Agane returnys in brestis hardyment,

      So that sum Grekis victoris war smyte ded.

      Cruel womenting occupyit euery steid;

      Our alquhar dreid, our alquhar wo and cayr,

      And of the deth feil gastly schaddowis thair.10

      Bot first enconteris ws Androgeus,

      With a gret cumpany of the Gregyus,

      Onwarly wenyng his fallowis we hadbe;

      In haymly wordis to ws thus carpis he:

      Haist ȝou, matis, quhat slewth tareit ȝou thus lait?15

      Our other feris rubbis, tursyng away, fut hait,

      The spreith of Troy, quhilk now is brynt to gledis,

      And ȝe, fyrst from ȝour schippis now ȝou spedis.

      Thus said he, quhen that, suddanly and onone,

      He felt hym self happynnyt amyd his foyn,20

      For we hym gave answer not traist enewch.

      Estonyt with the word, abak he drewch:

      As quha onwar tred on a rowch serpent

      Lyggyng in the bus, and for feir bakwart sprent,

      Seand hir, reddy to stang and to infek,25

      Set vp hir vennamus ȝallo boldyn nek;

      On the sammyn wys, Androgeus, of our syght

      Gretly effrayt, fled in al his mycht.

      On thame we schot, and in thar myd rowt duschit,

      Hewit, hakkit, smate down, and al to fruschit30

      Tha fey Gregionys, on ilk syde heir and thair,

      With dreid ourset, and wist not quhar thai war.

      The first lawbour thus lukkit weil with ws.

      Joyus in hart of this chance Chorebus,

      O ȝe feris, hald furth this way, quod he,5

      Quhar forton first has schawyn ws sik supple;

      Hald thidder quhar our manhed has ws taucht;

      Now lat ws change scheildis, sen we beyn sawcht,

      Grekis ensenȝeis do we cowntyrfeit;

      Quhidder by slycht, or strenth of armys gret,10

      A man ourcum his ennemy, quha rakkis?

      Thai sal ws rendir thir harnes of thar bakkis.

      And sayand thus, Androgeus cristit helm

      He hynt in hy, and our his hed gan quhelm;

      His schynand scheild with his bawgy tuk he,15

      And hang a Gregioun swerd down by his the.

      Syklyke dyd Rypheus, my self eik, and Dymas,

      And all the other ȝong men at thar was;

      Ful glaidly in that recent spulȝe warm

      Belyfe ilk man dyd thame self enarm.20

      Amang the Grekis mydlit than went we,

      Not with our awyn takyn nor deite;

      Mony debatis and onsettis haue we done,

      And, throu the silens of the nycht, ondone

      Feil of the Grekis, and send to hell adown.25

      Ane other menȝe fled fast out of town

      To thar schippis, and tha traist costis nyce;

      Sum part alsso, for schaymfull cowartyce,

      Clam vp agane in the gret horssis maw,

      And hyd thame in that belly weilbeknaw.30

      Allace! onleifull is ony man to weyn,

      Contrar the plesour of goddis, ocht may sustene.

      Lo! Priamus dochtir, the virgyne Cassandra,

      Was, from the tempill and sete of Mynerva,

      Drawyn forsabilly bairhed, with hayr down schake,5

      Reuthfully invane behaldand hevyn, alake!

      With glotnyt eyn; for baith hir tendir handis

      War strenȝeit sayr, ybondyn hard with bandis.

      This dolorus syght Chorebus mycht nocht se,

      Bot ruschit with furyus mynd in the melle,10

      Reddy to de, and we all followit fast,

      Amang glavys and armour in we thrast.

      Heir war we fyrst to fruschit and hard byset,

      With dartis and with stanys all to bet

      By owr awyn feris from the templis hycht;15

      A miserabil slauchtir thar begouth that nycht.

      The portratour of armys was mysknaw,

      All war bot Grekis tymbrellis at thai saw.

      Als quhat for walyng of irus wordis fell

      Agane reskewit said by the damycell,20

      Grekis flokkis togidder heir and thar,

      And ombesettis cruelly and sayr;

      The fellon Aiax, and athir Atrides,

      And al the rowtis clepit Dolopes.

      Lyke as, sum tyme, the fers wyndis ȝe se,25

      Ȝepherus, Nothus, and Eurus, all thre

      Contrarius blaw thar bustuus bubbys with byr,

      The woddis rerdis, bath ayk, elm, and fyr

      Ourturnys to grond, and Nereus the fomy

      From the sey grond wod wraith is cachit in hy:30

      On siklyke wys the Grekis ws invadit.

      For than thai alls that fled war and