The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Volumes 1 & 2. Virgil
me to the Grekis, or suffir me
The bargane agane begun at I may se;
This day onwrokyn we sal neuer all be slane.15
Abowt me than my swerd I belt agane,
And schot my left arme in my scheild al meit,
Bownyng me furth; quhen lo! abowt my feit
My spows lappit fell down into the ȝet,
And litill Iulus forgane his fader vpset:20
Gyf thou lyst pas, quod scho, thi self to spill,
Harl ws with the in all perrell quhar thou will;
Bot gif thou trastis, as expert in thi dedis,
Ony help by fors of armys, than the nedis
First to defend and kepe this hows, quod scho,25
Quharin thi ȝong son and thi fader beyn, lo!
And I vmquhile that salbe clepit thi spows;
Quham to sall we be left in this waist hows?
CAP. XI.
Quhou Eneas hys fader bayr away,
And how he lost Crevsa by the way.
Wyth skyrlys and with scrykis thus scho beris,
Fillyng the hows with murnyng and salt teris;
Quhen suddanly, a wonder thing to tell,
A feirful takyn betyd of gret mervell.
For lo! the top of litill Ascanyus hed,5
Amang the duylfull armys wil of red
Of his parentis, from the sched of his crown,
Schane al of lycht onto the grond adown.
The leym of fyre and flambe, but ony skath,
In his haris, about his halffettis baith,10
Kyndyllis vp brycht, and we than, al in weir,
Abasit, trymlyng for the dreidfull feir,
The blesand haris bet furth at brynt sa schyre,
And schupe with watir to sloyk the haly fyre.
Bot Anchises, my fader, blyth and glaid15
Lyft eyn and handis to hevyn, and thus gatis said;
O thou almychty Jupiter, quod he,
With ony prayeris inclynyt gif thou may be,
Tak heid to ws, and gif we haue deseruyt,
For our piete and rewth, tobe conseruyt,20
Haly fader, send ws thi help als ȝoir,
And conferm al thir takynnys seyn befor.
Scarsly the auld thir wordis had warpit owt,
Quhen sone the ayr begouth to rumbill and rowt
On our left hand, towart the north ful rycht,
And from the hevin fell, in the dyrk nycht,
A fayr brycht starn, rynnand with bemys cleir,
Quhilk on the top of our lugyng, but weir,
First saw we lycht, syne schynyng went awa5
And hyd it in the forest of Ida,
Markand the way quhidder at we suld spur;
Thar followis a streym of fyre, or a lang fur,
Castand gret lycht about quhar that it schane,
Quhil al enveron rekit lyke bryntstane.10
With that, my fader venquyst start on fute,
And to the goddis carpis tobe our bute,
The haly starn adornyt he rycht thar:
Now, now, quod he, I tary na langar;
I follow, and quhidder ȝe gyde me sal I wend.15
O natyve goddis, ȝour awyn kynrent defend,
Salwe ȝour nevo; ȝouris is this oracle,
In ȝour protectioun is Troy, for this myracle
I wil obey, and grantis onto ȝour will:
My deir son, quhidder euer thou wend will,20
I sal na mair reffus tobe thi feyr.
Thus sayd he, and be than, thar and heir,
Throw out the wallis the rerd of fyris grew
Ay mair and mair, and the heit nerrar drew.
Have done, quod I, fader, clym vp anone,25
And set the evyn abuf my nek bone;
Apon my schuldris I sal the beir, but weyr,
Nor this lawbour sal do to me na deir:
Quhat euer betyde, a weilfair and a skaith
Salbe common and equale to ws baith.30
Lytil Iulus salbeir me cumpany;
My spows on dreich eftyr our trays sal hy.
And ȝe, my seruandis, tak held quhat I say;
As ȝe pas furth of the cite this ilk way,
Thar is a mote, quhar ane ald tempil, but les,5
Now standis desert of the goddes Ceres,
Besyde quham growis a sypir tre full auld,
With forfaderis, feil ȝeris, in wirschip hald;
In that place lat ws meit on athir syde.
Fader, sen that we may na langar byde,10
Tak vp tha haly rellykis in thi hand,
And our penates or goddis of this land:
It war onleifful and wykkitnes to me
From sa gret slauchter, blude schedding, and melle
Newly departit, to twich thame, for the blude,15
Quhil I be weschyn into sum rynnand flude.
And sayng thus, I spred my schulderis brayd,
Syne our my nek, abuf the wedis, laid
A ȝallow skyn was of a fers lyoun,
And tharapon gart set my fader down;20
Lytil Iulus grippis me by the hand,
With onmeit pays his fader fast followand;
Neir at our bak Crevse, my spows, ensewys:
We pas by secret wentis and quyet rewys.
And me, quham laitly na wapyn, nor dartis kast,25
Nor pres of Grekis rowtis maid agast,
Ilke swouch of wynd, and euery quhispir now,
And alkyn sterage affrayt, and causyt grow,
Baith for my byrdyng and my litil mait.
Quhen we war cummyn almaist to the ȝet,30
And al danger we thocht eschapit neyr,
A fellon dyn, belyve, of feit we heir:
My fader than lukand furth throw the sky,
Cryis on me fast, fle son, fle son in hy!
Thai cum at hand; behynd me I gat a sycht5
Of lemand armour and schynand scheildis brycht,
Thar knaw I nocht quhat fremmyt god onkynd
So me astonyst, and rest fra me my mynd:
For throu the secrete stretis fast I ran