The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas

      Beyn oft vsyt, ful towartly and meik,

      To draw the cart, and thoil brydill and renȝe,

      It is gude hope pace follow sal, says he.

      Than wirschip we the godhed and gret mycht

      Of Pallas, with clattering harnes fers in fyght,

      Quhilk heth ws first ressauyt glaid and gay:

      Our hedis befor the altar we array

      With valys brown, eftir the Troiane gys,

      And, onto Juno of Arge, our sacryfys

      Maid reuerently, as Helenus vs bad,

      Obseruyng weil, as he commandyt had,

      The serymonys leill. Syne, but langar delay,

      Fra that perfurnyst was our offerand day,

      Onon the nokkis of our rays we writh;

      Down fallys the schetis of the salys swith:

      The Gregionys herbry and fronteris suspek

      We left behynd, and efter, in effek,

      Of Taurentum the fyrth we se, but les,

      Biggit, as thai say, by worthy Hercules;

      And, our forgane the tother syde alsso,

      Rays vp Lacynya the tempill of Juno;

      Of Cawlon cite eik the wallys hie,

      And Scyllacium quhar schipbrokyn mony be.

      Syne, far of in the flude, we gan aspy

      The byrnand Ethna into Sycilly,

      And a fell rage rowting of the sey

      Alang way thens, and on the rolkis hie

      We hard the jawpys bete, and at the cost

      A hyduus brayng of brokyn seys vost:

      Apon schald bankis boldynnys hie the flude:

      The stowr vpbullyrris sand as it war wode.

      My fader than cryis, how! feris, help away,

      Streke aris atanys with all the fors ȝe may;

      No wondir this is the selkouth Caribdis:

      Thir horribill rolkis and craggis heir, I wys,

      Helenus the prophete ful weil dyd ws declare.

      The sammyn wys as thai commandyt ware

      Thai dyd onon, and Pallynurus fyrst

      Hard halys the schete on syde, and fast gan thryst

      The forschip to the wallis and the tyde,

      Saland on bawburd towart the left syde;

      Towart the left, with mony heys and haill,

      Socht all our flot fast baith with rowth and saill.

      The swelland swyrl vphesyt ws til hevyn;

      Syne wald the waw swak ws doun ful evyn,

      As it apperit, vnder the sey to hell.

      Thrys the holkyt craggis hard we ȝell,

      Quhar as the swelch had the rolkis thyrlyt;

      And thrys the fame furth spowt, that so hie quhirlyt

      It semyt watir the starnys, as we thocht.

      Be this the son went to, and ws forwrocht

      Left dissolat; the wyndis calmyt eik:

      We, not bekend quhat rycht cours mycht we seik,

      War warp to seywart by the outwart tyde

      Of Ciclopes onto the costis syde.

      The port, quhamto we cappit, wes ful large,

      And, fra al wyndis blast, for schip or barge

      Sovir al tyme: bot netheles, fast by,

      The grisly Ethna dyd rummyll, schudder and cry;

      Sum tyme thrawing owt, heich in the skyis,

      The blak laithly smoke that oft dyd rys

      As thunderis blast, and rekand as the pyk,

      With gledis sparkand as the hail als thik;

      Vpspring the blesis and fyry lumpis we se,

      Quhilk semyt forto lik the starnys hie;

      Sum tyme it rasyt gret rochys, and oft will

      Furth bok the bowellis or entralis of the hyll,

      And lowsyt stanys vpwarpys in the ayr

      Rownd in a sop, with mony crak and rayr:

      The stew of byrnand heyt law from the grond

      Vpstrikis thar, that doith to hevyn rebound.

      The rumour is, doun thrung vndir this mont

      Enchelades body with thundir lyis half bront,

      And hydduus Ethna abufe his belly set;

      Quhen he lyst gant or blaw, the fyre is bet,

      And from that furnys the flambe doith brist or glide:

      Quhou oft he turnys our his irkit syde

      All Sycil trymblys, quaking with a rerd,

      And vgly stew ourquhelmys hevyn and erd.

      That nycht, lurkand in woddis, we remane,

      Of feirfull monstris sufferand mekil pane;

      Bot quhat causyt syk noys na thing we saw:

      For nowthir lycht of planetis mycht we knaw,

      Nor the brycht poyll, nor in the ayr a starn,

      Bot in dyrk clowdis the hevynnys warpit darn;

      The moyn was vndir walk and gave na lycht,

      Haldyn ful dym throu myrknes of the nycht.

      CAP. IX

      Of the Greik clepit Achemenydes

      Rehersyng Ene the natur of Ciclopes.