Gawin Douglas - The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse

Quha sal the harmys of that woful nycht
Expreme? or quha with tong to tell hes mycht
Sa feil ded corsis as thar lyis slane?
Or, thocht in cace thai weip quhil teris rayn,
Equaly may bewail tha sorowis all?
The ancyant, worthy cite down is fall,
That mony ȝeris held hie senȝeory:
Stekit in stretis heir and thar thai ly,
Feil corsis ded of mony onweldy wyght,
Dung down in howsis, fey thai fal all nycht.
In sanctuarys and templis of goddis eik;
Na quhar mercy nor succur mycht thai seik.
And not only of Troianys, throu owt the town,
The blude is sched, thus marthyrit and slane down,
Bot sum tyme eik to thame, ourcummyn and schent,
Agane returnys in brestis hardyment,
So that sum Grekis victoris war smyte ded.
Cruel womenting occupyit euery steid;
Our alquhar dreid, our alquhar wo and cayr,
And of the deth feil gastly schaddowis thair.
Bot first enconteris ws Androgeus,
With a gret cumpany of the Gregyus,
Onwarly wenyng his fallowis we hadbe;
In haymly wordis to ws thus carpis he:
Haist ȝou, matis, quhat slewth tareit ȝou thus lait?
Our other feris rubbis, tursyng away, fut hait,
The spreith of Troy, quhilk now is brynt to gledis,
And ȝe, fyrst from ȝour schippis now ȝou spedis.
Thus said he, quhen that, suddanly and onone,
He felt hym self happynnyt amyd his foyn,
For we hym gave answer not traist enewch.
Estonyt with the word, abak he drewch:
As quha onwar tred on a rowch serpent
Lyggyng in the bus, and for feir bakwart sprent,
Seand hir, reddy to stang and to infek,
Set vp hir vennamus ȝallo boldyn nek;
On the sammyn wys, Androgeus, of our syght
Gretly effrayt, fled in al his mycht.
On thame we schot, and in thar myd rowt duschit,
Hewit, hakkit, smate down, and al to fruschit
Tha fey Gregionys, on ilk syde heir and thair,
With dreid ourset, and wist not quhar thai war.
The first lawbour thus lukkit weil with ws.
Joyus in hart of this chance Chorebus,
O ȝe feris, hald furth this way, quod he,
Quhar forton first has schawyn ws sik supple;
Hald thidder quhar our manhed has ws taucht;
Now lat ws change scheildis, sen we beyn sawcht,
Grekis ensenȝeis do we cowntyrfeit;
Quhidder by slycht, or strenth of armys gret,
A man ourcum his ennemy, quha rakkis?
Thai sal ws rendir thir harnes of thar bakkis.
And sayand thus, Androgeus cristit helm
He hynt in hy, and our his hed gan quhelm;
His schynand scheild with his bawgy tuk he,
And hang a Gregioun swerd down by his the.
Syklyke dyd Rypheus, my self eik, and Dymas,
And all the other ȝong men at thar was;
Ful glaidly in that recent spulȝe warm
Belyfe ilk man dyd thame self enarm.
Amang the Grekis mydlit than went we,
Not with our awyn takyn nor deite;
Mony debatis and onsettis haue we done,
And, throu the silens of the nycht, ondone
Feil of the Grekis, and send to hell adown.
Ane other menȝe fled fast out of town
To thar schippis, and tha traist costis nyce;
Sum part alsso, for schaymfull cowartyce,
Clam vp agane in the gret horssis maw,
And hyd thame in that belly weilbeknaw.
Allace! onleifull is ony man to weyn,
Contrar the plesour of goddis, ocht may sustene.
Lo! Priamus dochtir, the virgyne Cassandra,
Was, from the tempill and sete of Mynerva,
Drawyn forsabilly bairhed, with hayr down schake,
Reuthfully invane behaldand hevyn, alake!
With glotnyt eyn; for baith hir tendir handis
War strenȝeit sayr, ybondyn hard with bandis.
This dolorus syght Chorebus mycht nocht se,
Bot ruschit with furyus mynd in the melle,
Reddy to de, and we all followit fast,
Amang glavys and armour in we thrast.
Heir war we fyrst to fruschit and hard byset,
With dartis and with stanys all to bet
By owr awyn feris from the templis hycht;
A miserabil slauchtir thar begouth that nycht.
The portratour of armys was mysknaw,
All war bot Grekis tymbrellis at thai saw.
Als quhat for walyng of irus wordis fell
Agane reskewit said by the damycell,
Grekis flokkis togidder heir and thar,
And ombesettis cruelly and sayr;
The fellon Aiax, and athir Atrides,
And al the rowtis clepit Dolopes.
Lyke as, sum tyme, the fers wyndis ȝe se,
Ȝepherus, Nothus, and Eurus, all thre
Contrarius blaw thar bustuus bubbys with byr,
The woddis rerdis, bath ayk, elm, and fyr
Ourturnys to grond, and Nereus the fomy
From the sey grond wod wraith is cachit in hy:
On siklyke wys the Grekis ws invadit.
For than thai alls that fled war and evadit,
Throu the dyrk nycht, quhen sum thar feris slew we.
And thame had chasit throw owt all the cite,
Thai war the first come now to do ws deir;
Our fenȝeit scheildis, wapynys, and other geir
Ful weil thai knew, and, by our vocis eik,
Thai notyfy that nane of ws was Greik.
By multitude and nowmyr apon ws set
All ȝeid to wraik, thar war we hail doune bet;
And first of all, down smyte is Chorebus
By the rycht hand of Greik Peneleus,
Befor the altare of armipotent Pallas:
Rypheus down fell, ane the maist just man was,
Amang Troianys best kepand equite;
Bot other ways the goddis thocht suldbe:
Hypanys eik, and Dymas than alssua
War by thar fallowis throw gyrd bath twa:
Nor ȝit the, Panthus, quhen that thou fell down,
Thy gret pety, and godly religioun,
Nor habyt of Apollo hyd from skayth.
O ȝe cald assys of Troy, and flawmys baith,
And extreme end of cuntre folkis, heir I
Drawis ȝow to witnes, and doys testify,
Quhen that ȝe fell to grund thus and war slane,
I nowder sparit wapynnys, strenth, nor pane,
Nor nane onset eschewit of Grekis mycht;
And gif fatis wald I had fallyn in fyght,
Thar with my handis wrocht I worth my ded.
Bot with the pres we war relit of that sted:
Only with me Hyphitus and Pelyas;
For age Hyphitus waik and febill was,
And Pelyas slawly mycht onethis go,
By Vlixes for he was woundit so.

Onone onto the palyce of Priamus
The schowtis and the cryis callys ws.
Thar was ane hydwys batale forto seyn,
As thar nane other bargane ayr had beyn,
Lyke as nane slane war throu all the cite,
Sa wod ondantit melle thar we se:
The Grekis ruschand to the thak on hyght,
So thik thai thrang about the portis all nycht,
That lyke a wall thai ombeset the ȝettis;
Vp to the syd wallys mony leddyr sett is,
Quharon thai preys fast our the rufe to speill,
Coverit with scheildis agane the dartis feill
Thar left hand heich abuf thar hed gan hald,
And oft with rycht handis grypp the battalyng wald.
Troianys agane, schaping defens to mak,
Rent turettis doune, and of hows hedis the thak;
Quhen all wes lost thai se, at lattyr end,
With sik wapynnys thai schupe thame to defend;
The gilt sperris, and gestis gold begane
Down on thame slyng thai, and mony costly stane,
The prowd and ryall werkis of faderis ald.
And other sum, law down within that hald,
With drawyn swerdis stude reddy to kepe the ȝet;
In a thik rowt tharat was mony set.
Our spretis war restoryt, and curage grew
The kyngis palyce to succur, and reskew
The men tharin with all help and supple,
To strenthing thame war venquyst neyr, we se.
A small wykket thar was, or entre dern,
A litil ȝet clepit a postern,
On the bak half Priamus palyce almaist,
Amang byggynnys stude desolate and waist;
Quharat was wont alane Andromocha
To entir oft to Priam and Hecuba,
And Astyanax, hir ȝong son, with hir bring
Onto his grandsyre Priamus the kyng.
Tharat I enterit, and to the wallys hyght
Vpwent, quhar wrachit Troianys, as thai mycht,
Threw down dartis, thocht all was bot in waist.
We start ontil a hie turate in haist,
The top vpstrekand to the starnys hie,
Quharon we wont war al Troy forto se,
The Grekis schippis, and thar tentis eik.
With instrumentis of irne we pyke, and seik
Round al about quhar the jonyngis war worn,
Reddy to fall, and corbalys al to torn;
We holk and mynd the corneris for the nanys,
Quhil down belive we tumbil it al atanys;
A fellon rusch it maid, and sownd with all,
And large on breid our Grekis rowtis dyd fall;
Bot sone ane other sort start in thar stedis:
Nowder stanys, nor quarellis with scharp hedis,
Nor na kynd of wapynnys war sparit than.
And first of al, befor the porch inran
Hard to the entre, in schynyng plait and mail,
Pyrrus, with wapynnys fersly to assaill:
Lyke to the edder, with schrewit herbis fed,
Cummyn furth to lycht, and on the grond lyis spred,
Quham wynter lang hyd vnder the cald erd;
Now slippit hir slowch with schynand skyn new brerd,
Hir slydry body in hankis rownd al run,
Heich vp hir nek strekand forgane the son,
With forkit tong intyll hir mouth quytterand.
To the assalt with Pyrrus come at hand
Periphas, and Automedon his squyer
Was wont to govarn Achilles cart in weir,
And al the sensabill men of Scyrrya
Bownys our the wallis and howsis hedis alswa,
And fyre blesis abuf the rufe garris fle.
Bot first of al, ane stalwart ax hynt he,
The stern Pyrrus, to hew and brek the ȝet,
And furth of har the stapillis has he bet,
And bandis all of bras yforgyt weill:
Be that in twa the master bar ilk deill
Is al tofruschit; syne the hard burdis he hakkis,
And throu the ȝet are large wyndo makkis,
By the quhilk slop the place within apperis,
The wyde hallys wolx patent al infeiris
Of Priamus and ancyant kyngis of Troy;
Secret throwgangis ar schawyn wont to be quoy;
Armyt men se thai stand at the first port.
Bot than throw owt the inner palyce, at schort,
With duylful scryke and walyng al is confoundit;
The holl howsis ȝowlit and resowndit
For womentyng of ladeis and wemen;
The clamour vpstrak to the starnys then.
The woful moderis ran frayit on athir syde
Ful lamentabill throw out the chawmeris wyde,
Brasand the postis in armys, and durris cald,
And feil sys with mowthis kys thame wald.
Instantly Pyrrus assailȝeis with al his mycht,
By naturale strenth of his fader the wight,
That nowder closeris, nor barryt ȝettis stowt,
Nor ȝit the keparis may hald thame langar owt.
Oft wyth the ram the port is schaik and duschit,
Down bet ȝet chekis, and bandis al tofruschit;
The way is maid by fors, and entre brokkyn;
Grekis insprent, the formaste haue thai stokyn
And slane with swordis; the large hald heir and thar
Was fyllit full of Grekis our alquhar.
Not sa fersly the fomy ryver or flude
Brekkis our the bankis, on spait quhen it is wode,
And, with hys brusch and fard of watir brown,
The dykis and the schoris bettis doun,
Ourspredand croftis and flattis with his spait,
Our al the feildis that thai may row a bayt,
Quhil howsys and the flokkis flyttis away,
The corn grangis, and standand stakkis of hay.
I saw my self thair Neoptolemus
Mak fellon slauchtir, wod and furyus,
And athir brodir of Atrides alswa:
Eldmodir to ane hundreth thar saw I Hecuba,
And Priamus, at the altar quhar he stude,
All our bysprent and sperklyt ful of blude
Of sacryfice, quhamto he bet the fyre.
Fyfty chawmeris held that rial syre,
Quhar warryn his gude dochteris, ladeis ȝyng,
Syk fayr beleif is lost of his ofspryng!
The prowd gestis and durris gilt with gold
Of barbary wark, and hungyn mony fold
With riches and spulȝe of seyr nationys,
Sa far as from the fyre onbet adoune is,
The Grekis occupyis haly; al is tharis;
Quhat so thame lyst tospil is nane that sparis.