Gawin Douglas - The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse

The first contenys quhou the prynce Ene
And Troianys war dryve onto Cartage cite.

The secund buke schawis the finale ennoy,
The gret myscheif, and subuersioun of Troy.

The thryd tellith quhou fra Troys cite
The Troianys careit war throu owt the see.

The ferd rehersis of fair queyn Dido
The dowbill woundis, and the mortale wo.

The fyft contenys funerale gemmys glaid,
And how the fyre the navy dyd invaid.

Into the saxt buke syne doith Virgill tell,
Quhou that Eneas went and visseit hell.

The sevynt Ene bryngis to hys grond fatale,
And how Italianys Troianys schup to assale.

Ontill Eneas gevis the auchten buke
Baith falloschip and armour, quha list luke.

Dawnus son Turnus in the nynte, tak tent,
Segis new Troy, Eneas tho absent.

The tent declaris by the cost atanys
The batale betwix Tuscanys and Rutulanys.

In the ellevynt Rutulyanys beyn ourset,
By the deces of Camylla downebet.

The twelft makis end of all the weir, but dowt,
Throu the slauchtir of Turnus stern and stowt.

The last, ekit to Virgillis nowmyr evyn
By Mapheus, convoys Ene to hevyn.

The batalis and the man I wil discrive,
Fra Troys boundis first that fugitive
By fait to Ytail come and cost Lavyne;
Our land and sey kachit with mekil pyne,
By fors of goddis abufe, from euery steid,
Of cruell Juno throu ald remembrit fede.
Gret pane in batail sufferit he alsso,
Or he his goddis brocht in Latio,
And belt the cite, fra quham, of nobill fame,
The Latyne pepill takyn heth thar name,
And eik the faderis, princis of Alba,
Cam, and the wallaris of gret Rome alswa.
O thou my muse, declare the causis quhy,
Quhat maiestie offendit, schaw quham by,
Or ȝit quharfor of Goddis the drery Queyn
Sa feil dangeris, sik travell maid susteyn
A worthy man, fulfillit of piete:
Is thare sik greif in hevynly myndis on hie?
Thare was ane ancyant cite, hecht Cartage,
Quham hynys of Tyre held intill heritage,
Ennymy to Itail, standand fair and plane
The mouth of lang Tibir our forgane,
Myghty of moblys, full of sculys seyr,
And maist expert in crafty fait of weir:
Of quhilk a land Juno, as it is said,
As to hir special abuf al otheris maid;
Hir native land for it postponyt sche
Callit Samo; in Cartage sett hir see;
Thar war hir armys, and here stude eik hir chair.
This Goddes ettillit, gif werdis war nocht contrar,
This realme to be superior and mastres
To all landis; bot certis, netheles,
The fatale sisteris reuolue and schaw, scho kend,
Of Troiane blude a pepill suld discend,
Wailliant in weir, to ryng wydquhar, and syne
Cartage suld bryng ontill finale rewyne,
And clene distroy the realme of Lybia.
This dredand Juno, and forthirmor alswa
Remembring on the ancyant mortell weir
That for the Grekis, to hir leif and deir,
At Troy lang tyme scho led befor that day;
For ȝit the causys of wreth war nocht away,
Nor cruell harm forȝet ne out of mynd;
Ful deip engravyn in hir breist onkynd
The jugement of Parys, quhou that he
Preferrit Venus, dispisyng hir bewte;
Als, Troiane blude till hir was odyus,
For Jupiter engendrit Dardanus,
Fra quham the Troianys cam in adultry,
And Ganymedes revist abuf the sky,
Maid him his butler, quhilk was hir douchteris office.
Juno inflambit, musyng on thir casis nyce,
The quhile our sey that salit the Troianys,
Quhilkis had the ded eschapit, and remanys
Onslane of Grekis or of the fers Achill,
Scho thame fordryvis, and causys oft ga will
Frawart Latium, quhilk now is Italy,
By fremmyt werd ful mony ȝeris tharby,
Cachit and blaw wydquhar all seys about.
Lo quhou gret cure, quhat travell, pane, and dowt,
Was to begyn the worthy Romanys blude!
And as the Troianys frakkis our the flude,
Skars from the sycht of Sysilly the land,
With bent sail full, rycht merely saland,
Thar stevynnys scowrand fast throu the salt fame,
Quhen that Juno, till hir euerlestand schame,
The etern wound hyd in hir breist ay greyn,
Ontill hir self thus spak in propir teyn;
Is this ganand, that I my purpos faill
As clene ourcum, and may nocht from Itaill
Withhald thys kyng of Troy and his navy?
Am I abandonyt with sa hard destany,
Sen Pallas mocht on Grekis tak sik wraik,
To byrn thar schippis, and all, for anys saik,
Drowne in the sey, for Aiax Oilus wrang?
From Jupiter the wild fyre down sche slang
Furth of the clowdis, distroyt thar schippis all,
Ourquhelmyte the sey with mony wyndy wall;
Aiax breist persit, gaspand furth flawmand smoke,
Sche with a thud stikkit on a scharp roke.
Bot I, the quhilk am clepit of godis queyn,
And onto Jove baith spous and sistir scheyn,
With a pepill sa feill ȝheris weir sall lede;
Quha sal from thens adorn in ony stede
The power of Juno, or altaris sacryfy,
Gif I ourcummyn be thus schamefully?

And on this wys, wyth hart byrnyng as fyre,
Musyng alone, full of malyce and ire,
Tyll Eolus’ cuntre, that wyndy regioune,
A brudy land of furyus stormy sowne,
This Goddes went, quhar Eolus the kyng,
In gowsty cavys, the wyndis lowde quhissilling,
And braithly tempestis by hys power refrenys,
In bandis hard schet in presoun constrenys;
And thai, heirat havand full gret disdeyn,
Quhill all the hill resoundis, quhryne and plene
About thar closouris brayng with mony a rare.
Kyng Eolus set hie apon his chare,
With ceptour in hand, thar muyd to meys and still,
Temperis thar ire, les thai suld at thar will
Beir with thar byr the skyis, and drive about
Erd, ayr and sey, quhen euer thame lest blaw out.
Thus the hie fader almychty in cavis dyrk
Thir wyndis hyd, for dreid sik wrangis thai wyrk,
And thar abuf set weghty hillys huge,
Gave thame a kyng, quhilk, as thar lord and juge,
At certane tyme thame stanching and withhald,
And, at command also, mycht quhen he wald
Lat thame go fre at large to blaw out braid.
To quham as than lawly thus Juno said;
Eolus, a pepill onto me ennemy,
Salis the sey Tuscane, cariand to Italy
Thar venquyst hamehald goddis and Ilion;
Bot, sen the fader of goddis euery one
And kyng of men gave the power, quod sche,
To meys the flude, or rays with stormys hie,
Infors thi wyndis, synk all thar schippis infeir,
Or skattir widquhar into cuntreis seir,
Warp all thar bodeis in the deip bedeyn.
I haue, quod sche, lusty ladeis fourteyn,
Of quhame the farest, clepit Diope,
In ferm wedlok I sal coniune to the
For thi reward, that lilly quhite of swar,
With the for to remane for euermar;
Quhilk propir spous and eik thi lady myld
Sal mak the fader to mony fair child.
Eolus answeris, O thou my lady queyn,
Quhat thou desiris to the it doith perteyn
Forto devys, and me behuffis thi command
Obey; for thou the ceptour gevis me in hand
Of all this realme, quhat so it be, and oft
Jupiter with me consideris, and ful soft
Causis me feist amang the goddis at rest,
And makis me master of wyndis and tempest.
Be this was said, a grondyn dart leit he glide,
And persit the bos hill at the braid syde;
Furth at the ilke port wyndis brade in a rout,
And with a quhirl blew all the erth about.
Thai ombeset the seys bustuusly,
Quhil fra the deip, til euery cost fast by,
The huge wallis weltris apon hie,
Rollit at anys with storm of wyndis thre,
Eurus, Nothus, and the wynd Affricus,
Quhilkis est, south, and west wyndis hait with ws.
Sone efter this, of men the clamour rays,
The takillis graslis, cabillis can fret and frays.
Swith the clowdis, hevyn, son, and days lycht
Hyd, and byreft furth of the Troianys sycht;
Dyrknes as nycht beset the seys about;
The firmament gan rummylling rair and rout,
The skyis oft lychtnyt with fyry levin,
And schortly bath ayr, sey, and hevin,
And euery thing mannasit the men to de,
Schawand the ded present tofor thar E.