The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Volumes 1 & 2. Virgil
maner;
O thou my child, my strenth and my gret mycht,5
O thou my son, quhilk only art so wight
That thou the dartis of Jupiter dar ganestand,
Quharwith he slew Typhon, the fell gyand,
To the I cum, to the I seik, quod sche,
Lawly askyn thy power and supple.10
Quhat wys thy broder Eneas, but dowt,
Is blawyn and warpit euery cost about,
Of wykkit Juno throu the cruell invy,
All this to the is manifest, weill wait I;
For quhen I wepit tharfor, thow murnyt also.15
Now hym withhaldis the Phenycian Dido,
And culȝeis hym with slekit wordis sle;
Bot to quhat fyne, richt sair it dredis me,
Sall turn this plesand gestnyng in Cartage,
Quhilk is the burgh of Juno; for in hir rage20
As is begun the mater sall not remane.
Quharfor I ombethynk me of a trane,
This queyn first forto cawch in luffis lace,
And so with flambe of amouris till enbrace,
That by na mycht tharfra scho may remove,25
Bot strangly sall with me Eneas lufe.
Hark my consait, quhat wys this may be done:
The rial child Ascaneus full sone,
On quham maist is my thocht, grathis to pas,
At command of his fader Eneas,30
To the cyte of Cartage, and gyftis seir
Tursis with hym of the ald Troian geir,
Quhilk fra the storm of sey is left ontynt,
And from the fyre remanys ȝit onbrynt;
Hym sall I sownd slepand steill away,5
And hyde apon the hight of Citheray,
Or in Idalium my hallowit schaw,
That our dissait he nowder persave ne knaw,
Nor onprovisitly cum thidder, thocht he mycht.
Tak thou his lyknes, na mair bot a nycht,10
Forto begile queyn Dido of Cartage;
My child, cleith the with ȝon kend childis vissage,
So that quhen scho all blythast haldis the
Into hir skyrt perchance, or on hir kne,
At hir fest ryall sittand at the tabill,15
Amang danceis and wynys amyabill,
And gan the forto hals and to enbrace,
Kyssand sweitly thi quhyte nek and thi face,
Than may thou slely thi vennamus ardent fyre
Of fraudfull luf amyd hir breste inspyre.20
The God of lufe obeys hastely
Hys moderis wordis, and laid his weyngis by,
And blythly steppis furth lyke Iulus.
Bot Venus to this ilke Ascaneus
The sweit vapour of plesand sleip and rest25
On all the membris of his body kest,
And softly the goddes in hyr lap hym bair
Amyd hyr schaw of Idalium, quhar
Tendir mariolyne and sweit flowris tharout
With thar dulce smell hym schaddowit rownd about.30
CAP. XI.
Of the banket, and of the gret deray,
And quhou Cupyd inflambis the lady gay.
Now passys furth Cupyd, full diligent
Fortyll obey hys moderis commandment,
Berand with hym the kyngly gyftis scheyn,
Quhilkis suldbe present to the ryall queyn,
Blythly followyng hys ledar Achates.5
And as thai come, the quene was set at des
Vndir hir gloryus stentit capitale;
Amang provd tapetis and mych rych apparale
Hir place scho tuke, as was the gys that tyde,
Ourspred with gold amyd a beddis syde.10
Abuf all othir the fader Eneas,
And syne ȝong gallandis of Troy, to mete set was,
Apon rich beddis sydis, per ordour,
Ourspred with carpettis of the fyne purpour.
To wesch thar handis seruandis brocht watir cleir,15
Syne breyd in baskettis, eftyr thar maner,
With soft serviatis to mak thar handis cleyn.
Fyfty damycellis tharin seruyt the queyn,
Quhilkis bair the cure eftir thar ordour haill,
On purvyance of howshald and vittaill,20
To graith the chalmeris, and the fyris beld.
Ane hundreth madynnys had scho ȝong of eld,
And elyke mony of the sam age ȝong swanys,
The cowrsis and the mesys, for the nanys,
To set on burdis, sik as we call seweris,
And to fill cowpys, goblettis and eweris.
And mayratour, the Tyrryanys halely
At the blith ȝettis flokkis to the maniory;
And as thai come, thai war down set onone5
On brusyt or payntit tapetis eueryone.
Thai mervellit the rich gyftis of Eneas;
Apon Ascaneus feill awondrit was,
The schynand vissage of the God Cupyte,
And hys dissemblit slekit wordis quhite,10
The precyus mantill and quent garmond also:
Bot principaly the fey onsylly Dydo,
For the myscheif to cum predestinat,
Mycht not refreyn nor satisfy hir consait,
Bot ardently behaldis all on steir,15
Now lykand weill the child, and now the geir.
As Cupyd hyngis about Eneas hals,
Enbrasit in armys, fenȝeand luf full fals,
By semlant as he his fader had beyn,
Full slely than he blent apon the queyn.20
Scho, with hir sycht and all hir mynd, rycht thar,
Hym to behald, sat musand in a stayr;
Sumtyme onwar hym in hir bosum held sche,
Mysknawand, allace! by fals subtilite,
Quhou the gret god of luf, with all hys mycht,25
Wachit forto dissave hir, wofull wight:
Bot he, remembring on his moderis command,
The mynd of Sycheus, hir first husband,
Furth of hir thocht peys and peys begouth dryve,
And with scharp amouris