The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas

      And elyke mony of the sam age ȝong swanys,

      The cowrsis and the mesys, for the nanys,

      To set on burdis, sik as we call seweris,

      And to fill cowpys, goblettis and eweris.

      And mayratour, the Tyrryanys halely

      At the blith ȝettis flokkis to the maniory;

      And as thai come, thai war down set onone

      On brusyt or payntit tapetis eueryone.

      Thai mervellit the rich gyftis of Eneas;

      Apon Ascaneus feill awondrit was,

      The schynand vissage of the God Cupyte,

      And hys dissemblit slekit wordis quhite,

      The precyus mantill and quent garmond also:

      Bot principaly the fey onsylly Dydo,

      For the myscheif to cum predestinat,

      Mycht not refreyn nor satisfy hir consait,

      Bot ardently behaldis all on steir,

      Now lykand weill the child, and now the geir.

      As Cupyd hyngis about Eneas hals,

      Enbrasit in armys, fenȝeand luf full fals,

      By semlant as he his fader had beyn,

      Full slely than he blent apon the queyn.

      Scho, with hir sycht and all hir mynd, rycht thar,

      Hym to behald, sat musand in a stayr;

      Sumtyme onwar hym in hir bosum held sche,

      Mysknawand, allace! by fals subtilite,

      Quhou the gret god of luf, with all hys mycht,

      Wachit forto dissave hir, wofull wight:

      Bot he, remembring on his moderis command,

      The mynd of Sycheus, hir first husband,

      Furth of hir thocht peys and peys begouth dryve,

      And with scharp amouris of the man alyve

      Gan hir dolf spreit forto preveyn and steir,

      Had beyn dysvsit fra luf that mony ȝeir.

      Eftyr the first pawse, and that cowrs neir gane,

      And voduris and fat trunschuris away tane,

      The goblettis gret with myghty wynys in hy

      Thai fill, and coverit set in by and by.

      Than rays the noys quhill dynnyt rufe and wallis,

      So thik the vocis fleys throu the large hallys.

      From the gilt sparris hang down mony a lycht,

      The flambe of torchis venquyst the dyrk nycht.

      The queyn than askis of gold, for the nanys,

      A weghty cowp, set all with precyus stanys,

      Bad fill it full of the rych Ypocras,

      Into the quhilk gret Belus accustomyt was

      To drynk vmquhile, and fra hym euery kyng

      Discend of hys genology and ofspring.

      And, quhen silens was maid our all the hall,

      O Jupiter, quod scho, on the we call,

      For this rayson, that by wys men is said,

      To gestis thou grantis the herbry glaid;

      We the beseik, this day be fortunabill

      To ws Tyrryanys, happy and agreabill

      To strangearis cummyn fra Troy on thar vayage,

      In tyme cummyng remembrance of our vsage

      To our successioun and posterite;

      The gevar of glaidnes, Bachus, heir mot be,

      And gentil Juno to ws fauorabill and meik;

      And ȝou, myne awyn Tyrryanys, I command eik

      Hallow this fest with blythnes and with joy,

      Bair frendly falloschip to thir noblis of Troy.

      This beand said, the cowpe with the rich wyne

      Apon the burd scho blyssit, and eftir syne

      With hir lyp first tharof tuke bot a taist,

      And, carpand blythly, gaif it Bythyus in haist.

      He merely ressavis the remand tays,

      All owt he drank, and quhelmyt the gold on his face:

      Syne al the nobillis tharof drank abowt;

      I wil nocht say that ilkman playt cop owt.

      Bot on his gylt harp berdyt Jopas,

      Playand the gestis of the gret Atlas,

      The monys change and oblique cowrs sang he,

      And quhy the son eclipsis, as we se;

      Quharof mankynd is maid he schew ful plane,

      Quharof bestis, and quhat engendris rayn,

      Quharof cummys thundir and fyry levyn;

      The rany Hyades, quhilk ar the sternys sevyn,

      And eik Arcturus, quhilk we cal the laid stern,

      The dowbill Vrsys weil couth he decern;

      And quhy the son, into the wyntir tyde,

      Hastis in the sey sa fast his hede to hyde;

      Quhy makis the nycht that tyme sa large delay,

      And in somyr quhy sa lang is the day.

      The gyld and ryot Tyrryanys dowblit for joy,

      Syne the rerd followit of the ȝonkeris of Troy:

      Onhappy Dido alsso set all hir mycht

      With sermondis seir forto prolong the nycht,

      The langsum lufe drynkand inwart ful cald.

      Full mony demand of Priam speir scho wald,

      And questionys seir twichyng Hector alswa;

      Now with quhais armour the son of Aurora

      Come to the sege; and now inquir wald sche

      Quhat kynd hors Diomede had in the melle;

      Quhou large of statur was fers Achillis.

      Haue done, my gentill gest, sone tell ws this

      Per ordour, says scho, fra the begynnyng, all

      The dissait of the Grekis, and the fall

      Of ȝour pepill, and of Troy the rewyne;

      Thi wandring be the way thou schaw ws syne;

      For now the sevynt symmyr hyddir careis the,

      Wilsum, and errant, throu euery land and see.

      CAP. XII

      Eneas first excusys hym, and syne

      Addressis to rehers Troys rewyne.