The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas

      Syne, kempand with aris in al our mane,

      Vp weltris watir of the salt sey flude.

      He persauyt the sownd, quhar that he stude,

      And towart the dyn movis hys pays onon:

      Bot quhen he felt at we sa far war gone,

      Sa that his handis ws areke ne mycht,

      Nor the deip sey Ionium, for all hys hycht,

      Ne mycht he waid equale ws to arest,

      A fellon bray and huge schowt vp he kest,

      Quharthrou the sey and al the fludis schuke;

      The land alhail of Itail trymlyt and qwoyk;

      And holl cavernys or furnys of Ethna rownd

      Rummyst and lowyt, fordynnyt with the sound.

      Bot than, furth of the woddis and hillys hie,

      Walkynnyt with the cry, a huge pepill we se

      Of Ciclopes cum hurland to the port,

      And fillyt all the cost sydis at schort.

      Tha elrych bredyr, with thar lukis thrawyn,

      Thocht not avalyt, thar standyng haue we knawyn;

      Ane horribil sort, with mony camscho beik,

      And hedis semand to the hevyn areik:

      Syklyke as quhar that, with thar hie toppis,

      The byg akis strekyng in the ayr thar croppys,

      Or than thir cipressis berand heich thar bewys,

      Growand in the woddis or hie vp on hewis,

      In schawys ald, as men may se from far,

      Hallowyt to Dyane or ȝit to Jupiter.

      The scharp dreid maid ws so to cach haist,

      Withdrawand fast, as thocht we had bene chaist,

      And for to set our sail quhidder we best mycht,

      To follow the wynd, and hald na courssis rycht.

      Aganys the counsale of Helenus, our feris

      Perswadis to hald furth evyn the way that steris

      Mydwart betwix Charibdis and Scylla,

      A litil space fra ded by athir of twa:

      For, bot we hald that cours, for owtyn fail,

      Bakwartis, thai said, on Ciclopes mon we saill.

      Bot lo! onon a fair wynd, or we wist,

      Rays of the north, blawing evyn as we lyst,

      From the strait bay of Pelorus the mont

      And sone we swepyt by, at the fyrst bront,

      The mouth of flude Pantagyas ful of stanys,

      The sownd Megarus, and Tapsum ile atanys.

      The namys of thir costis, Achemenydes,

      The companȝeon of onhappy Vlixes,

      Raknys to ws, as we past ane by ane;

      For we return the sammyn went agane

      Quhar thar navy had waverit by thar rays.

      Within the fyrth of Sycill, forgane the face

      Of the flude Plemyrion full of wallis,

      Thar lyis ane Iland, quhilk our elderis callis

      Orthigia; quhar that the fame is so

      That Alpheus, ane of the ryveris two

      Of the cite of Elys in Archaid,

      Vndir the sey gan thyddir flow and wayd

      Throu secrete cundytis, and now eik, as thai say,

      Arethusa, at thi mouth or ischay,

      It entris rynnyng in the Sycill see.

      The gret goddis of that place wirschip we,

      At command of my fader; and fra thyne

      The fertill grond of Helory passyt syne,

      Quhilk flude watyris al the feild about.

      Thar on the craggis our navy stude in dowt;

      For on blynd stanys and rolkis hyrslit we,

      Tumblit of mont Pachynnus in the see:

      And far from thens the loch Cameryna,

      Quham the fatis forbyddis to do away,

      Apperis to ws, and of Geloy the feildis,

      Quhar that the gret cite Gela vpbeild is,

      Havand the surname fra the flude fast by:

      Syne heich Agragas far of we gan aspy,

      A hyl and cite with large wallys of fors,

      Quhar vmquhile bred war the maist weirlyke hors:

      And the alsso, Selynys, I left behynd,

      For al thi palm treys, with the followand wynd.

      The dangerus schaldis and cost vppykyt we,

      With al hys blynd rolkis, of Lylibe.

      Thar the port of Drepanon, and the rayd,

      Quham to remember my hart may nevir be glaid,

      Ressauyt me, quhar that, allace, allace!

      I leys my fader, al comfort and solace,

      And al supple of our travell and pane;

      Thar, thar allaik! sa feill dangeris bygane

      And tempestis of the sey. O fader most deir,

      Anchises, desolate quhy left thou me heir

      Wery and irkyt in a fremmyt land?

      O weilaway! for nocht wes all, I fand,

      That thou eschapit sa mony perrellis huge.

      Helenus the dyvyne, as we with hym gan luge,

      Quhen horribill thingis seir he dyd aduert,

      Schew not befor to me thir harmys smert,

      Nor ȝit the fellon and akwart Celeno.

      This wes extreme laubour of pane and wo;

      Thys was the end of all hys lang vayage:

      And hyddir syne, warpyt with seys rage,

      Apon ȝour costis, as I fra thens was dryve,

      Sum happy chance and God maid me arryve.

      The Prynce Eneas, on this wys, alane

      The fatis of goddys and rasys mony ane

      Rehersyng schew, and syndry strange wentis;

      The queyn and all the Tyrryanys takand tentis.

      And at the last he cessyt and said no moir,

      Endyng his tayll as ȝe haue hard befor.

      THE PROLOUG OF THE FERD BUKE