Gawin Douglas - The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse

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.
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.
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,
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,
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 onone
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,
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,
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.
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,
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 of the man alyve
Gan hir dolf spreit forto preveyn and steir,
Had beyn dysvsit fra luf that mony ȝeir.
Eftyr the first pawse, and that cowrs neir gane,
And voduris and fat trunschuris away tane,
The goblettis gret with myghty wynys in hy
Thai fill, and coverit set in by and by.
Than rays the noys quhill dynnyt rufe and wallis,
So thik the vocis fleys throu the large hallys.
From the gilt sparris hang down mony a lycht,
The flambe of torchis venquyst the dyrk nycht.
The queyn than askis of gold, for the nanys,
A weghty cowp, set all with precyus stanys,
Bad fill it full of the rych Ypocras,
Into the quhilk gret Belus accustomyt was
To drynk vmquhile, and fra hym euery kyng
Discend of hys genology and ofspring.
And, quhen silens was maid our all the hall,
O Jupiter, quod scho, on the we call,
For this rayson, that by wys men is said,
To gestis thou grantis the herbry glaid;
We the beseik, this day be fortunabill
To ws Tyrryanys, happy and agreabill
To strangearis cummyn fra Troy on thar vayage,
In tyme cummyng remembrance of our vsage
To our successioun and posterite;
The gevar of glaidnes, Bachus, heir mot be,
And gentil Juno to ws fauorabill and meik;
And ȝou, myne awyn Tyrryanys, I command eik
Hallow this fest with blythnes and with joy,
Bair frendly falloschip to thir noblis of Troy.
This beand said, the cowpe with the rich wyne
Apon the burd scho blyssit, and eftir syne
With hir lyp first tharof tuke bot a taist,
And, carpand blythly, gaif it Bythyus in haist.
He merely ressavis the remand tays,
All owt he drank, and quhelmyt the gold on his face:
Syne al the nobillis tharof drank abowt;
I wil nocht say that ilkman playt cop owt.
Bot on his gylt harp berdyt Jopas,
Playand the gestis of the gret Atlas,
The monys change and oblique cowrs sang he,
And quhy the son eclipsis, as we se;
Quharof mankynd is maid he schew ful plane,
Quharof bestis, and quhat engendris rayn,
Quharof cummys thundir and fyry levyn;
The rany Hyades, quhilk ar the sternys sevyn,
And eik Arcturus, quhilk we cal the laid stern,
The dowbill Vrsys weil couth he decern;
And quhy the son, into the wyntir tyde,
Hastis in the sey sa fast his hede to hyde;
Quhy makis the nycht that tyme sa large delay,
And in somyr quhy sa lang is the day.
The gyld and ryot Tyrryanys dowblit for joy,
Syne the rerd followit of the ȝonkeris of Troy:
Onhappy Dido alsso set all hir mycht
With sermondis seir forto prolong the nycht,
The langsum lufe drynkand inwart ful cald.
Full mony demand of Priam speir scho wald,
And questionys seir twichyng Hector alswa;
Now with quhais armour the son of Aurora
Come to the sege; and now inquir wald sche
Quhat kynd hors Diomede had in the melle;
Quhou large of statur was fers Achillis.
Haue done, my gentill gest, sone tell ws this
Per ordour, says scho, fra the begynnyng, all
The dissait of the Grekis, and the fall
Of ȝour pepill, and of Troy the rewyne;
Thi wandring be the way thou schaw ws syne;
For now the sevynt symmyr hyddir careis the,
Wilsum, and errant, throu euery land and see.

Thai cessit all atanys incontinent,
With mouthis clos, and vissage takand tent.
Prince Eneas, from the hie bed, with that,
Into hys sege ryall quhar he sat,
Begouth and sayd: Thi desyre, Lady, is
Renewing of ontellabill sorow, I wys;
To schaw how Grekis dyd spulȝe and distroy
The gret ryches and lamentabill realm of Troy:
And huge mysery quhilk I thar beheld,
Quharof my self a gret part bayr and feld:
Quhat Myrmydon or Gregion Dolopes,
Or knycht wageour to cruel Vlixes,
Sik materis to rehers or ȝit to heir,
Mycht thame conteyn fra weping mony a teir?
And now the hevin ourquhelmys the donk nycht,
Quhen the declynyng of the sternys brycht
To sleip and rest perswadis our appetite:
Bot sen thou hast sic plesour and delyte
To knaw our chancis, and fal of Troy in weyr,
And schortly the last end tharof wald heir,
Albeit my spreit abhorris, and doith grys,
Tharon forto remember, and oft sys
Murnand eschewis tharfra with gret dyseys,
Ȝit than I sal begyn ȝow forto pleys.

Dyrk beyn my muse with dolorus armony.
Melpomene, on the wald clerkis call
Fortill compyle this dedly Tragedy,
Twiching of Troy the subuersioun and fall;
Bot sen I follow the Poete principall,
Quhat nedis purches fenȝeit termys new?
God grant me grace hym dyngly to ensew!

The drery fait with terys lamentabill
Of Troys sege wydequhar our all is song;
Bot followand Virgil, gif my wit war abill,
Ane othir wys now sall that bell be rong
Than euer was tofor hard in our tong.
Saturn, thou auld fader of malancoly,
Thyne is the cuyr my wofull pen to gy.

Harkis, Ladeis, ȝour bewte was the caws;
Harkis, Knychtis, the wod fury of Mart;
Wys men, attendis mony sorofull claws;
And, ȝe dyssavouris, reid heir ȝour proper art;
And fynaly, to specify euery part,
Heir verifeit is that proverbe teching so,
All erdly glaidnes fynysith with wo.