The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas

      Be this Aurora, leifand the purpour bed

      Of hir lord Titan, heth the erd ourspred

      With new days licht: and quhen the queyn

      The first grekyng of the day hes seyn,

      And fra hir hie wyndoys gan espy,

      With bent sail furth caryand, the navy;

      The costis and the schor al desolate

      Behaldis eik, but owthir schip or bate;

      Hir fayr quhite breist, thar as scho dyd stand,

      Feil tymys smate scho with hir awyn hand,

      And, ryvand hir bricht haris petuusly,

      Jupiter, quod scho, sal he depart, ha, fy!

      And leful tyll a vavengeour stranger

      Me and my realm betrump on this maner?

      Sal not my menȝe to harnes ryn in hy

      Our al the town, and follow bissely?

      Speid, tak ȝon schippis, on burd fast to the raid,

      Haist sone, and kast on thame fyre blesis braid,

      Schute dartis thik, and qwel thame with ȝour glavys.

      Quhat said I? or quhar am I? now thou ravys;

      Quhat wodnes, fey Dydo, movis thi mynd?

      Now art thou hyt with frawart werdis onkynd?

      Sa til haue done than had bene mair ganand

      Quhen thou hym gave the ceptour of thi land.

      Ha! now behald hys gret prowes, quod sche,

      Hys reuthful piete, and faith! is not ȝon he,

      Quham, as thai say, the goddis of hys land

      In hys navy careis our sey and sand?

      Is not ȝon he, quhom on his schulderis, thai say,

      For reuth his agit fader bair away?

      Mycht I not caucht and rent in pecis his cors,

      Syne swak the gobbettis in the sey by fors

      Of hym and all hys fallowys? weill I mocht:

      And eik ȝone sam Ascanyus mycht I nocht

      Haue trynschit with a sword, and maid a meys

      To his fader tharof to eyt at deys?

      Forsuyth, in cace the aventur of bataill

      Had beyn doutsum; wald God it war assaill!

      Quham sall I dreid, now reddy for to de?

      Wald God I mycht, in ȝon navy I se,

      The hait fyre brandis set, and euery boyr

      Fyll all with flambys red, and forthirmor

      Baith fader and son, with hail generacioun,

      That I had brynt, distroyit, and bryttynyt doun,

      And thame abuf syne ded my self had laid!

      O thou brycht son, that, with thi bemys glayd,

      All erdly laubour clengis, circuland about;

      And thou Juno, mediatrix, but dout,

      Of al thir hevy thochtis, and weill thame knawis;

      And thou Proserpyne, quhilk, by our gentile lawys,

      Art rowpit hie, and ȝellyt lowd by nyght,

      In forkyt ways, with mony mudy wight;

      And ȝe infernale fureys, that wrekis al wrang;

      And ȝe goddis eik, quham now amang

      Dido standis reddy to cum in poynt to de;

      Ressaue thir wordis quhilkis I sal say, quod sche,

      Withdraw fra hyne ȝour gret mychtis, quharby

      Schrewis awcht be punyst for thar cryme, and not I;

      And thir our prayeris accept, we ȝou beseik.

      Gyf it be necessar, and determyt eik,

      Ȝon wikkit hed in portis of Itale

      To entir and cum, or to thai boundis saill;

      And gyf the fatis and Jove wil it be so,

      And hes decreit he fynaly thyddir go;

      Ȝit, at the lest, thar mot he be assail,

      With hardy pepill ay trublyt in bataill;

      By fors of armys expellyt hys boundis eik,

      Far from Ascanyus help, constrenyt beseik

      Ayd and supple; and als that he behald

      Feil cayrfull corsys of hys folk ded and cald:

      And quhen alsso hym self submyt hes he

      Vndir payce and lawis of iniquite,

      That he bruke nowthir realm, nor gude lyfe led,

      Bot fal fey or his day, and sone be ded,

      And ly onerdyt in myddis of the sandis.

      Thys I beseik ȝou, hevand vp my handis:

      This is my lattir word at I conclude,

      Furthȝettand it togidder with my blude.

      And forthirmor, O ȝe, my Tyrianys,

      Quhilk now in Affrik at Cartage remanys,

      Ȝone clan, with thar successioun and kynrayd,

      Persew with haitrent perpetual, and invaid:

      Onto my assys grant this a gift, quod sche.

      Nevir luf nor payce betwix thir pepill be:

      Of our levingis sum revengar mot spryng,

      With fyre and sword to persew and doun thryng

      The lauboreris discend from Dardanus.

      Now fra thyne furth, all that succedis til ws,

      Quhen euer thai may fynd tyme, with strenth and mycht

      Batail to batail mot thai debait in fyght:

      Thir costis mot be to tharis contrar ay,

      And to thar stremys our seys frawart, I pray,

      Thar ofspring eik amang thame self mot debate.

      Thus said scho, and with that word, God wate,

      Hir