The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas
is kend a grayn of that ryver
In Latyn hecht Danubium or Hyster,
Or gyf it be Tanais he clepis sa,
That flude diuidis Europ from Asia.
In lyke wys eik this Caxtoun, all invane,
Crispina clepis Sibilla Cumane,
That in the text of Virgill, trastis ws,
Hait Deiphebe douchtir of Glawcus,
Quhilk was Eneas convoyar to hell.
Quhat suld I langar on hys errouris dwell?
Thai beyn so playn, and eik sa mony fald,
The hundreth part tharof I leif ontald.
The last sax bukis of Virgill all inferis,
Quhilk contenys strang batalis and werys,
This ilk Caxtoun so blaitly lattis ourslip,
I hald my tung for schame, bytand my lyp.
The gret afferis of athir host and array,
The armour of Eneas fresch and gay,
The quent and curyus castis poeticall,
Perfyte symylitudis, and exempilis all
Quharin Virgill beris the palm of lawd,
Caxtoun, for dreid thai suld hys lippis scald,
Durst nevir twich. Thus schortly for the namys,
A twenty devill way fall hys wark atanys,
Quhilk is na mair lyke Virgill, dar I lay,
Than the nycht owle resemblis the papyngay.
Quharfor ȝou gentill redaris I besich
Traste on na wys at this my wark be sich,
Quhilk dyd my best, as the wyt mycht atteyn,
Virgillis versys to follow and no thing feyn.
Ȝhe worthy noblys redis my wark for thy,
And cast this other buke on syde far by,
Quhilk, vndir cullour of sum strange Franch wycht,
Sa franchly leys, oneith twa wordis gais rycht.
I nold ȝhe trast I said this for dispyte;
For me lyst with nane Inglis bukis flyte,
Na with na bogill nor browny to debait,
Nowder ald gaistis nor spretis ded of lait,
Nor na man will I lakkyn nor dispys,
My warkis till authorys be sik wys,
Bot twichyng Virgillis honour and reuerens,
Quha euer contrary, I mon stand at defens;
And bot my buke be fundyn worth sik thre,
Quhen it is red, do warp it in the see,
Thraw it in the fyre, or rent it euery crum,
Twichand that part lo heir is all and sum.
Syne I defend and forbiddis euery wight
That can nocht spell thar Pater Noster rycht,
Fortill correct or ȝit amend Virgill,
Or the translatar blame in hys wlgar stile;
I knaw quhat payn was to follow hym fut hait,
Albeit you think my sayng intricate.
Traste weill, to follow a fixt sentens or mater
Is mair practik, deficill, and far strater,
Thocht thyne engyne beyn eleuate and hie,
Than forto write all ways at liberte.
Gif I had nocht bene to a boundis constrenyt,
Of my bad wyt perchance I couth haue fenyt
In ryme a ragment twys als curyus,
Bot nocht be twenty part so sentencyus.
Quha is attachit ontill a staik, we se,
May go na ferthir bot wreil about that tre,
Rycht so am I to Virgillis text ybund,
I may nocht fle, les than my falt befund;
For thocht I wald transcend and go besyde,
His wark remanys, my schame I may nocht hyde;
And thus I am constrenyt, als neir I may,
To hald hys vers and go nane other way,
Les sum history, subtell word, or the ryme
Causith me mak digressioun sum tyme.
So thocht in my translatioun eloquens skant is,
Na lusty cast of oratry Virgill wantis;
My studyus brayn to comprehend his sentens
Leit me nevir taist hys flude of eloquens;
And thus forsuyth becaus I was nocht fre,
My werk is mair obscur and gros per de,
Quharof, God wait, Virgill has na wyte,
Thocht myne be blunt, hys text is maist perfyte.
And ȝit persave I weill, be my consait,
The kyng of poetis ganys nocht for rurall estait,
Nor hys fresch memor for bowbardis; he or scho
Quha takis me nocht go quhar thai haue ado:
The sonnys lycht is neuer the wers, traiste me,
All thocht the bak hys brycht bemys doith fle.
Greyn gentill ingynys, and breistis curageus,
Sik ar the pepill at ganys best for ws;
Our werk desiris na lewyt rebalddaill,
Full of nobilite is thistory all haill,
For, euery vertu belangand a nobill man,
This ornate poet, bettir than ony can,
Payntand discryvis in person of Eneas;
Not forto say, sikane Eneas was,
Ȝit than by hym perfytly blasons he
All wirschip, manhed, and nobilite,
With euery bonte belangand a gentill wycht,
Ane prynce, ane conquerour, or a valȝeand knycht;
In luffis cuyr eneuch heir sall ȝhe fynd;
And schortly, Virgill left na thing behynd
That mycht hys volume illummyn or crafty mak;
Reid quha hym knawys, I dar this vndertak,
Als oft as ȝe hym reid, full weill I wait,
Ȝhe fynd ilke tyme sum mery new consait.
Thoght venerabill Chauser, principal poet but peir,
Hevynly trumpat, orlege, and reguler,
In eloquens balmy, cundyt, and dyall,
Mylky fontane, cleir strand, and roys ryall,
Of fresch endyte, throu Albion island braid,
In hys legend of notabill Ladeis, said
That he couth follow word by word Virgill,
Wisar than I may faill in lakar stile;
Sum tyme the text mon haue ane expositioun,
Sum tyme the cullour will caus a litill additioun,
And sum tyme of a word I mon mak thre,
In witnes of this term oppetere;
Eik, weill I wait, syndry expositouris seir
Makis on a text sentens diuers to heir,
As thame apperis, according thar entent,
And for thar part schawis ressonys euident.
All this is ganand, I will weill it swa be;
Bot