The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas

      Dyrk beyn my muse with dolorus armony.

      Melpomene, on the wald clerkis call

      Fortill compyle this dedly Tragedy,

      Twiching of Troy the subuersioun and fall;

      Bot sen I follow the Poete principall,

      Quhat nedis purches fenȝeit termys new?

      God grant me grace hym dyngly to ensew!

      The drery fait with terys lamentabill

      Of Troys sege wydequhar our all is song;

      Bot followand Virgil, gif my wit war abill,

      Ane othir wys now sall that bell be rong

      Than euer was tofor hard in our tong.

      Saturn, thou auld fader of malancoly,

      Thyne is the cuyr my wofull pen to gy.

      Harkis, Ladeis, ȝour bewte was the caws;

      Harkis, Knychtis, the wod fury of Mart;

      Wys men, attendis mony sorofull claws;

      And, ȝe dyssavouris, reid heir ȝour proper art;

      And fynaly, to specify euery part,

      Heir verifeit is that proverbe teching so,

      All erdly glaidnes fynysith with wo.

      The Grekis chiftanys, irkit of the weir

      Bypast or than sa mony langsum ȝeir,

      And oft rebutyt by fatale destany,

      Ane huge hors, lyke ane gret hil, in hy

      Craftely thai wrocht in wirschip of Pallas;

      Of sawyn beche the ribbis forgyt was;

      Fenȝeand ane oblacioune, as it had be

      For prosper returnyng hame in thair cuntre:

      The voce this wys throu owt the cite woyk.

      Of choys men syne, walit by cut, thai tuke

      A gret numbyr, and hyd in bylgis dern

      Within that best, in mony huge cavern;

      Schortly, the belly was stuffit euery deill

      Ful of knychtis armyt in plait of steill.

      Thair standis into the sycht of Troy ane ile,

      Weil knawin by name, hecht Tenedos vmquhile,

      Myghty of gudis quhil Priamus ryng sa stude;

      Now is it bot a fyrth in the sey flude,

      A raid onsikkyr for schip or ballyngare.

      In desert costis of this iland thar

      The Grekis thame ful secretly withdrew;

      We wenyng thame hame passit and adew,

      And, with gude wynd, of Myce the realm had socht.

      Quharfor al thai of Troy, blyth as thai mocht,

      Thair langsum duyl and murnyng dyd away,

      Kest vp the portis and yschit furth to play,

      The Grekis tentis desyrus forto se,

      And voyd placis quhar thai war wont tobe,

      The cost and strandis left desert al cleyn.

      Heir stude the army of Dolopeis, sum wald meyn,

      Cruel Achil heir stentit his pailȝeon;

      Quhar stude the navy, lo the place ȝonder down;

      Heir the ostis war wont to joyn in feild.

      And sum, wondring, the scaithfull gyft beheld

      Suldbe offerit to the onweddit Pallas,

      Thai mervellit fast the hors samekil was:

      Bot Tymetes exortis first of all

      It forto leid and draw within the wall,

      And forto set it in the cheif palyce;

      Quhidder for dissait, I not, or for malyce,

      Or destany of Troy wald sa suldbe.

      Bot Capis than, with are othir menȝe

      Quhilk bettir avys thar myndis set apon,

      Bad cast or drown into the sey onone

      That suspek presand of the Grekis dissait,

      Or kyndill tharvndir flambe of fyris hait,

      Or forto rype that holkit huge belly,

      And the hyd hyrnys to sers and weil espy.

      Quhat nedis mair? the onstabill common voce

      Diuidit was in mony seir purpos.

      Quhen thidder come befor thame al onone,

      Followand a gret rowt, the prest Laocon

      From the cheif tempil rynnand in ful gret hy;

      On far, O wrachit pepil, gan he cry,

      Quhou gret wodnes is this at ȝe now meyn,

      Ȝour ennymyis away salit gif ȝe weyn,

      Or gif ȝe traist ony Grekis gyftis be

      Withowt dissait, falshed and subtelte!

      Knaw ȝe na bettir the quent Vlixes slycht?

      Owder in this tre ar Grekis closit ful rycht,

      Or this engyne is byggit to our skaith,

      To wach our wallis and our byggynys bath,

      Or to confound and ourquhelm our cite;

      Thar lurkis sum falshed tharin, trastis me;

      Lippyn nocht, Troianys, I pray ȝou, in this hors;

      Quhow euer it be, I dreid the Grekis fors,

      And thame that sendis this gyft always I feir.

      Thus sayand, with al his strenth a gret speir

      At the syde of that bysnyng best threw he,

      And in jonyngis of the thrawyn wame of tre

      Festynnyt the lance, that trymlyng gan to schaik;

      The braid belly schudderit, and with the straik

      The boys cavys sowndit and maid a dyn.

      And had nocht beyn that owder his wit was thyn,

      Or than the fatis of goddis war contrary,

      He had assayt, but ony langar tary,

      Hyd Grekis covert with irne to haue rent owt;

      Than suld thou, Troy, haue standyn ȝit, but dowt,

      And the prowd palyce of Kyng Priamus

      Suld haue remanyt ȝit ful gloryus.