The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas
the holtis, belyve,
The wild beistis doun to the dail thai dryve.
Lo! thar the rays, rynnyng swyft as fyre,
Drevyn from the hyghtis, brekkis out at the swyre:
Ane othir part, syne ȝondyr mycht thou se
The herd of hartis with thar hedis hie,
Ourspynnerand with swyft cours the plane vaill,
The hepe of duste vpstowryng at thair taill,
Fleand the hundis, levand the hie montanys.
And Ascanyus, the child, amyd the planys,
Joyus and blith hys startling steid to assay,
Now makis his rynk ȝondir, and now this way
Now prekis furth by thir, and now by thame;
Langyng, amang faynt frayt beistis ontame,
The fomy bair, doun from the hyllis hycht,
Or the dun lyoun discend, recontyr he mycht.
In the meyn quhile, the hevynnys al about
With fellon noys gan to rummyll and rowt.
A bub of weddir followyt in the tayll,
Thik schour of rayn myddillit ful of haill.
The Tyriane menȝe skales wydequhar,
And al the gallandis of Troy fled heir and thar;
And eik with thame the ȝong Ascanyus,
Nevo to kyng Dardan and to Venus.
For feir, to diuers stedis throu the feildis,
Thai seik to haldis, howsis, hyrnys and beildis:
The ryveris rudly ruschit our hillis bedene.
Within a cave is entrit Dido queyn,
And eik the Troiane duke, al thame alane,
By aventur, as thai eschewyt the rane.
Erth, the first moder, maid a takyn of wo,
And eik of wedlok the pronuba Juno,
And of thar cuplyng wittering schew the ayr:
The flambe of fyreslaucht lychtnyt heir and thar
And on the hillys hie toppis, but les,
Sat murnand nymphis, hait Oreades.
This wes the formaste day of hir glaidnes,
And first morrow of hir wofull distres.
For nother the fasson nor the maner sche
Attendis now, nor fame, ne honeste;
Ne, from thens furthwart, Dido ony mor
Musis on lufe secrete, as of befor,
Bot clepis it spousage; and, with that fayr name,
Clokyt and hyd hir cryme of oppyn schame.
CAP. V
Of Fame that monstre, and kyng Hyarbas fury, And how fra Jove wes send the god Mercury.
The fame heirof, belyve, gan walx and spreid
Throu cheif citeis of all Affrik on breid:
Fame is myscheif, quham na harm vndyr the lyft
In motioun nor sterage is mair swyft.
Movand scho growis, and, passand our alquhar,
Hir strenth encressis and walxis mair and mayr.
Lytil, for feir, the fyrst tyme semys sche;
Sone eftir rysys to the starnys on hie;
Apon the grond scho walkis fra sted to sted,
And vp amang the clowdis hydis hyr hed.
Throu greif of goddis commovyt, and nocht glaid,
Erth, the gret moder, bayr this child, as is said,
Last systir to Ceyos and Enchelades,
Ane huge, horribill, and strange monstre, but les,
Spedy of fut, and on weyngis swyft as wynd.
Quhou mony fedderis bene on hir body fynd,
Als mony walkryse eyn lurkis thar vndir,
Als feil tongis, that for to tell is wondir,
With als feil mouthis carpis sche and beris,
Als mony hes scho prik vpstandand eris.
By nycht scho fleys amyd the hevyn throu owt,
Circuland the schaddow of the erth about
With huge fard, nother cuyr gevand nor keip
Hir eyn anys to rest nor tak a sleip:
Al day scho syttis, wachand byssely,
Apon the top of nobillis howsis, to spy,
Or on thir princis palyce with towris hie,
And with hir noys gret citeis affrays sche;
Als weil ramembring fenȝeit and schrewit sawys,
As scho the treuth and verite furth schawis.
Thys ilke wensch, that tyme, with mony a taill,
Glaidly this rumour gan throu the pepill skaill,
Telland the thing wrocht, and not wrocht, togiddir:
Quhou of the Troiane blude wes cummyn thiddir
Ene, with quham the fair Dido be wed
Dedenyt, and as husband go to bed;
And how the wyntir sesson betwix thame tway
Thai spend in lang reffell, lust, and play,
Of thar realmys na thing remembring,
In fowle delyte ybond be Cupyd kyng.
Thys menskles goddes in euery mannys mouth
Skalys thir newis est, west, north, and sowth.
Hir cours, onon, but langar tarying,
Addressys scho ontill Hyarbas kyng;
With hir sawis his mynd inflambyng as fyre,
Prouokand hym to wreth and fellon ire.
To Amon he wes son, beget alswa
Apon the maid revist Garamantida:
Within his large realmys huge braid
Ane hundreth tempillis to Jupiter he maid;
Ane hundreth altaris, quharon the walkryfe fyre
He dedicate, al tymys byrnand schyre;
Set wachis in honour of goddis perpetuelly;
Of beistis blude the fat grond nevir dry,
Strowit with garlandis and flowris of diuers kynd.
This ilke kyng, wod wroith, half owt of mynd,
And for thir schrewyt rumouris for ammovit,
In presens of the goddis quhilk he luffit,
Befor the altar, to Jupiter, as thai say,
Hevand vp handis, devotly thus gan pray:
Almychty Jove, quod he, quhamto, feill sys,
On brusyt beddis hie fest and sacryfys
Of Mawrusya the pepill hantis thus,
Offeryng to the the honour of Bachus,
Consideris thou this? or quhidder, fader, gif we
For nocht the dredis, quhen thou lattis thundir fle?
Or gif thi fyreslauch, the blynd clowdis within,
To fley our myndis, in vane makis noys and dyn?
Ȝone woman, lait exile and vagabund
Com to our boundis, that by pryce bocht the grund
A litil village