The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas
quhais monicioun als vp biggit was
This bustuus form, in lyknes of a hors,
For Palladium, and to appeis the fors
Of the goddes, and into recompens
Of thar wrachit and dolorus offens.
And mairatour, of sa huge quantite
Calcas commandis beld this statw of tre,
Thus large and gret, weil neir the hevyn on hycht,
So at the portis it ne entyr myght,
Nor ȝit be brocht within ȝour wallys wyde,
Nor ȝour pepill favour, help, nor gyde
Eftir the auld relligioun and vsage.
For gif ȝour handis had violet, in ȝour rage,
This haly presand of the god Mynerve,
Gret wraik suld follow that al suld ȝe sterve,
Priamus ryng distroyit, and al ȝour pelf;
Quhilk destany goddis turn rather in hym self!
Bot gif this ilk statw, standis heir wrocht,
War with ȝour handis into the cite brocht,
Than schew he that the pepil of Asya,
But ony obstakill, in fell batale suld ga,
Bet down the townys of Arge that regioun,
And the sam fait happyn our successioune.
By sik wylis and slychtis, mony one,
Of fals controvit and maynsworn Synone,
The mater is belevit with all it heris;
And takyn ar, by dissait and fenȝeit teris,
Tha pepil quham the son of Thedeus,
Nor fers Achilles, clepit Larysseus,
Nor Grece ten ȝheris in batale mycht ourcum,
Nor ȝit the thousand schippis al and sum.
CAP. IV
Quhou stranglit was the prest hecht Laocon, And how the hors clam our the wallis of stone.
Betyd, the ilke tyde, a fer grettar woundir,
And mair dreidful to catyvis be sik hunder,
Quhilk of Troianys trublit mony onwarnyt breste.
As Laocon, that was Neptunus prest,
And chosyn by kavill onto that ilk office,
A fair gret bull offerit in sacrifyce
Solemnytly befor the haly alteir,
Throw the styl sey, from Tenedos, infeir,
Lo! twa gret lowpit edderis, with mony thraw,
Fast throu the flude towart the land gan draw.
My spreit abhorris this mater to declare;
Abufe the watir thar hals stude euermare,
With bludy crestis owtwith the wallis hie;
The remanent swam al ways vnder see,
With grysly bodeis lynkit mony fald;
The salt fame stowris from the fard thai hald:
Onto the grund thai glaid with glowand eyn
Stuffit full of vennom, fyre, and fellon teyn,
Wyth tongis quhislyng in thar mowthis red
Thai lyk the twynkland stangis in thar hed.
We fled away al bludeles for affeir;
Bot, wyth a braid, to Laocon infeir
Thai start atanys; and hys twa sonnys ȝyng
First athir serpent lappit lyke a ryng,
And, with thar cruell byt and stangis fell,
Of tendir membris tuke mony sary morcell;
Syne thai the prest invadit, baith twane,
Quhilk with hys wapynnys dyd hys byssy pane
His childryng forto helpyn and reskew.
Bot thai about hym lowpit in wympillis threw,
And twys cyrkyllit his myddil rownd about,
And twys faldis thar sprutlit skynnys, but dowt,
About hys hals; bath nek and hede thai schent:
As he etlys thar hankis to haue rent
Of with his handis, and thame away haue draw,
Hys hed bendis and garlandis all war blaw
Ful of vennom and rank poyson atanys,
Quhilk infekkis the flesch, blude, and banys.
And tharwith eik sa horribilly schowtis he,
His cryis dynnyt to the sternys on hie;
Lyke as a bull doith rummysing and rayr,
Quhen he eschapis hurt from the altair,
And charris by the ax with his nek wight,
Gif on his forhed the dynt hyttis nocht rycht.
Syne thir twa serpentis hastely glaid away;
Onto the cheif tempil fled ar thai,
Of stern Pallas to the hallowit place,
And crap in vnder the feit of the goddes,
Hyd thame behynd the boys of hir bukleir.
Than trymlit thar mony stowt hart for feir,
The onkowth dreid into thar brestis crap:
All said, Laocon justly, sik was his hap,
Has deir ybocht his wikkit and schrewit deid,
For he the haly hors or stalwart steid
With violent strake presumyt forto deir,
And tharintil to fessyn his cursit speir.
Onto the hallowit sted bryng in, thai cry,
The gret fygur, and lat ws sacryfy
The haly goddes, and magnyfy hyr mycht
With orysonys and offerandis day and nycht.
Quhat wil ȝe mair? the barmkyn down we rent,
And wallis of our cite we maid patent;
Onto that wark al sped thame bissely;
Turnand quhelis thai set in, by and by,
Vndir the feit of this ilke bysnyng jaip;
Abowt the nek knyt mony bassyn raip:
This fatale monstre clam our the wallis then,
Gret wamyt, and stuffit ful of armyt men;
And tharabout ran childer and madis ȝyng,
Syngand karrellis and dansand in a ryng;
Ful weil war thame, and glaid was euery wight,
That with thar hand anys twich the cordis mycht.
Furth drawyn haldis this suttell hors of tre,
And mannysand slydis throu the myd cite.
O natyve cuntre, and rial realm of Troy!
O goddis hows Ilion ful of joy!
O worthy Troiane wallis chevalrus!
Four tymys stoppyt that monstre peralus,
Evin at the entre of the portis wyde,
And four sys the armour, that ilk tyde,
Clynkit and rang amyd the large belly;
Bot netheles, intil our blynd fury,
Forȝetting this, instantly we wirk,
And forto drug and draw wald neuer irk,
Quhil that myschancy monstre, quently