The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse. Volumes 1 & 2. Virgil
fixit in my mynd onmovabilly,
That to no wyght in wedlok me list I
Cuppil nor knyt, sen my first luf is gane,
By deth dissoverit, and left me alane;20
War not alsso to me is displesant
Genyvs chalmyr or matrymone to hant;
Perchans I mycht be venquist in this rage,
Throu this a cryme of secund mariage.
Annes, I grant to the, sen the deces25
Of my sory husband Syche, but les,
Quhar that our hows with brodyrris ded wes sprent,
Only this man hes movit myne entent,
And heth my mynd inducyt to forvay:
I knaw and felis the wemmys and the way30
Of the ald fyre and flambe of luffis heit.
Bot rather I desyre baith cors and spreit
Of me the erth swelly law adown,
Or than almychty Jove with thundris sovn
Me smyte ful deip onto the schaddoys dern,5
Amang pail gastis of hellis holl cavern,
In the profond pot of deth and dyrk nycht,
Or I becum so schamful wrachit wyght
That I myne honeste fyle or womanhed,
Or brek ȝour lawis; na, quhil I be ded!10
He, that me first to hym in wedlok knyt,
My first flowr of amouris tuke, and ȝyt
For euermair with hym he sal thame haue,
And he most keip thame with hym in his grave.
Thus sayand, the brycht teris onon owtbrist,15
And fillyt all hir bosum or scho wist.
Annes answerd; O thou, sa mot I thryve,
To thi systir derrar than hir awyn lyve,
Quhiddir gif thou wilt alane, in wedowhed,
Evir murnand thus waist away thy ȝouthed,20
Nowthir ȝyt the comfort of sweit childring thou knawis,
Nor the plesour felis of Venus lawys?
Quhat! wenys thou assys cald and gastis in grave
Of al syk walyng ony fest sal haue?
In cays that in thi duyl afor thir days,25
Thy lord new ded, the list inclyne na ways
Nowthir prynce nor duke to tak as for husband;
Suppos thou lychtlyit than, of Lyby land,
Hyarbas kyng, and othir heris all,
Quhilkis in the rich sulȝe triumphall30
Of Aufrik boundis dwelling wyde quhar;
Quhat! wilt thou als debatyng euer mar
Agane this lykand lufe, cummys of plesance?
Consideris thou not, and hes in remembrance,
Amyddys quhays grond heir thou remanys?5
On this hand, citeis of Getulyanys,
A kynd of pepill invincibill in batell;
Heir the ondantit folk of Numyda dwell,
And, on that other part, ombyset, I wys,
We ar with bustuus onfrendly Syrtis;10
And ȝondir the desert region alsswa,
Ay full of thryst, in barrand Libya;
And wydquhar thens the wild pepil of Barchay.
The weris moving from Tyre quhat sal I say,
And the gret brag and mannans of our brothir?15
Be disposicioun of goddis, I weyn, nane othir,
And by the purvyans of Juno, to our supple,
Thir Troiane schippis by prospir wynd our see
Heth hyddir set thar coursys fortunate.
O systir myne, consider in quhat estait20
Thys cite, quhilk thou beildis, sal vprys!
Persaue quhou that this realm may, on syk wys,
Beyn vpheyt throu sa nobil a mariage!
Behald quhou mekill the glory of Cartage
Salbe extollyt, and encres in euery thyng,25
Throu help in armys of the Troianys ofspryng!
Quharfor, the nedis beseik goddis of thar grace,
With sacrifyce, tobe favorabil in this cace.
Do set alhaill thi cure and diligence
To causyng hym mak with the residence,30
And fenȝe causys to tary hym and wythhald,
So lang as thus, duryng the wyntir cald,
The sey ragis throu watry Orion,
And quhil the stormys be al our blawyn and gon;
And quhil hys schippis, with the tempest schaik,5
Be bet, byd spair nowthir fyr, elm, nor aik.
CAP. II.
Dido enflambyt in the lusty heyt,
With amorus thochtis trublys al hir spreit.
Wyth thir wordys the spreit of Dido queyn,
The quhilk tofor in lufe wes kyndlyt grene,
Now al in fyre the flambe of lufe furth blesys;
Hir doutsum mynd with gude hope so scho esys10
That al the schame and dreid wes blaw away;
And to the tempill furth held tha baith tway.
Eftir the serymonys of thar payane gys,
Beneuolence and gude luk, syndry wys,
Thai sekyng and thai sers at ilke altar;15
And twyntris, walit for sacrifyce, heir and thar
Thai brytnyt; and sum in honour dyd addres
Of the law ledar Ceres, the goddes;
To Phebus, and to Bachus part alsso;
Bot principaly onto the queyn Juno,20
Quhilk heth in cuyr the band of mariage.
Hir self, most gudly queyn Dido of Cartage,
Held in hir richt hand a cowp full of wyne;
Betwix the hornys twa furthȝet it syne
Of ane ontamyt ȝong quy, quhite as snaw:
And, othir quhilis, wald scho raik on raw,
Or pays tofor the altaris, wyth fat offerandis5
Ay chargyt full; and oft, with hir awyn handis,
Renew and beyt the sacrifyce all day;
And rich gyftis geif Troianys; and wald ay
The beistis costis, as thai debowellit wer,
And thar entralis behald flekkyr and steir,10
Accordyng the auld vsans to that effect,
Sum augury to persaue or gude