The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Gawin Douglas

      Rycht our forgane the forret of a bra,

      Vnder the hyngand rolkis, was alswa

      Ane coif, and tharin fresch watir springand,

      And satis of stane neuer hewyn with manis hand

      Bot wrocht by natur, as it ane hows had beyn

      For nymphis, goddessis of fludis and woddis greyn.

      Perbrakit schippis but cabillis thar mycht ryde,

      Nane ankyr nedis mak thame arest nor byde.

      Of all his navy thidder Eneas brocht

      Bot sevin schippis. With gret desyre and thocht

      Tobe on grund Troianys sped thame to land,

      As thai desyrit set softly on the sand;

      Thare lethis and lymmys in salt watir bedyit,

      Strekit on the cost, spred furth, bekit and dryit.

      Bot first Achates slew fyre of the flynt

      Keppit in dry leiffis, as tunder, quhil thai brynt;

      Syne stikkis dry to kyndil thar about laid is,

      Quhil al in flambe the bles of fyre vp bradis.

      Than was the quhete with fludis chaffit and wet,

      And instrumentis to purge it, swith out set.

      For skant of vittal, the cornys in quernys of stane

      Thai grand, and syne buke at the fyre ilkane.

      In the meyn quhile, Eneas the bank on hie

      Has clummyn, widequhar behaldand the large see,

      Gif ony schip tharon mycht be persavit

      Quhilk lait tofor the wyndis had bewavit,

      Or ony Troiane galay, bark or barge,

      Antheus, Capis, or Caicus stremeris large

      Wavand or schawand from thar top on hycht.

      Na schip he saw; bot sone he gat a syght

      Of thre hartis waverand by the cost syde,

      Quham at the bak, throu out the gravis wide,

      The mekil herdis followit in a rowt,

      And pasturit all the large valle about.

      Tharat he styntis, and hynt his bow in hand;

      Swift fleand arowis fast by him had berand

      The traist Achates: and first the ledaris thre,

      Quhilk on thar hedis bair the tyndis hie,

      Smertly he slew, syne all the rangald persewis

      With grundyn arowis amang the thik wod bewis;

      And styntis not with dartis thame to bete

      Quhil he to grond had brocht sevin hartis grete,

      And with his schippis thar nowmyr equale maid.

      Syne to the havin sped him for out abaid,

      And thame distribut amangis his feris all.

      The wyne tharwith, in veschell gret and small,

      Quhilk til him gave Acestes, his ryall host,

      At his departing from Sycilly the cost,

      To thame he byrlis and skynkis fast but weir,

      And with sik wordis comfortis thar drery cheir:

      O ȝe my feris, and deir frendis, quod he,

      Of by went perrellis not ignorant bene we;

      Ȝe haue sustenyt grettar dangeris onkend,

      Lyke as heirof God sal mak sone ane end.

      The rage of Silla, that huge swelth in the see,

      Ȝe haue eschapit, and passit eik haue ȝhe

      The euer rowtand Charibdis rolkis fell,

      The craggis quhar monstruus Ciclopes dwell

      Ȝhe ar expert: pluk vp ȝour hartis, I ȝou pray,

      This dolorus dreid expell and do away;

      Sum tyme heiron to think may help perchance.

      By diuers cacis, seir perrellis and sufferance,

      Onto Itale we ettill, quhar destany

      Has schape for ws, in rest and quiet, herbry.

      Predestinat is thar Troy sal rys agane;

      Beis stowt, on prosper forton to remane.

      Syk plesand wordis, carpand, he has furth brocht,

      Set his mynd trublit mony grewous thocht,

      With fenȝeit comfort by his cheyr outwart

      The dolorus payn hyd deip gravyn in hart.

      Hys feris has this praye ressauyt raith,

      And to thar met addressis, it to graith;

      Hynt of the hydis, maid the bowkis bair,

      Rent furth the entralis, sum in tailȝeis schare,

      Syne brochit flykerand, sum gobbettis of lyre

      Kest in caldronys, and othir sum bet the fyre,

      Thame to refresch: thus all, the cost on lenth,

      Sped thame with fude to recover thar strenth;

      On the greyn gers sat doune, and fillit thaim syne

      Of fat venyson and nobill auld wyne.

      Quhen hungir thus with metis was chasit away,

      And dischis drawin, than, with lang sermond, thai

      Bewalit thar feris lossit on the flude:

      Betwix gude hope and dreid in dowt thai stude,

      Quhidder thai war levand, or tholit extreme ded all;

      Thai answer nocht set thai oft pleyn and call.

      Bot principally, the pietefull Eneas

      Regratis oft the hard fortoune and cace

      Of stern Orontes new drownyt in the sey,

      And now Amycus harm complenys he,

      Now hym alone the cruel fate of Lycus,

      Now strang Gyan, now stalwart Cloanthus.

      CAP. V

      Quhou Jove beheld the large costis on fer,

      And how Venus carpis with Jupiter.