Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  Thir sobir trumpys, and meyn graith of Troianys;

  Or, gif I haue deseruyt, with the remanys,

  Smyte al togyddir ded with feirful thundir;

  Lat thi rycht hand heir schaik wss al in sondir.”

  Scarss this wes sayd, quhen that a blak tempest

  Brays but delay, and al the lyft ourkest;

  A huge weyt gan down powre and tumbill;

  Hillys and valys trymlyt of thundir rummyll;

  The drumly schour et furth our al the ayr

  Als blak as pyk, in bubbys heir and thar,

  Fyllys the schippys, quhil thai flet our the walys;

  Wrayngis half brynt bedyit in watir salys;

  That al the forss of fyre was slokyt owt,

  And from the perrell salf and out of dowt

  Was al the navy, outtake four schippys lost.

  And, quhil he rowmys vp and doun the cost,

  The fader Eneas, smyte with this smart cace,

  Now heir, now thar, gan huge thyngis compace,

  Rollyng in mynd quhiddir he suld or nay

  Remane in Sycill, or thens pass away,

  Or gif he suld seik yt to Italy,

  Lyke as he had foret hys destany.

  Thus as he musyt, stad in sykkyn dowt,

  Ane of the eldast herys stude abowt,

  Clepyt Nawtes, quham the goddes Mynerve

  Our al the layf instrukkyt hym to serve

  And rendryt had ful scharp and rype of wyt,

  Syk answer gave and plane declaris it,

  Quhat pretendis this fellon goddes greif,

  And eik, accordyng thar fatis, quhat was releif,

  And comfortand Eneas, thus gan say:

  “Son of the goddes, lat wss follow that way,

  Bakwart or fordwart, quhyddir our fatis dryve;

  Quhat evir betyde, this is na bute to stryve;

  All chance of forton tholand ourcummyn is.

  Heir is thi tendir frend Troiane, I wyss,

  Worthy Acestes, of dyvyne lynnage;

  Cal hym to the in counsale, wyss and sage,

  And weil willyng to thi purposs to apply.

  Leif with hym all may nocht in thi navy

  Be tursyt now, for lak of schippis lost;

  Als syk as beyn ennoyt and irk almost

  Of thi gret purposs, thi dedis and efferis;

  And thai that beyn agyt passyt dait of eris,

  Or ald matronys wery of the see;

  Wail out al thame beyn waik and onweilde,

  Or yt afferyt beyn in ilke affray —

  Syk cummyrryt wightis suffir, I the say,

  To haue ane hald and dwel heir in this land;

  The cite salbe, as was first cunnand,

  Acesta clepyt, eftir Acestes kyng.”

  With syk wordis and prudent sermonyng

  Of hys wyss agit frend, than Eneas

  On all sydis gan ithandly cumpass

  Quhat was to do; and as the dirk nycht

  Rollyt hys cart ourthourt the polys bricht,

  Eftir that all was went to rest and pace,

  The ymage of hys fader Anchises

  Gan from the hevin appeir, and but abaid

  Ontil Eneas heth thir wordis said:

  “O thou my child, derrer, so mot I thrive,

  Quhil that I levit, than myne awin lyve;

  O son, in Troiane fatis exercit sayrly;

  Hiddir, at the command of Iove, cummyn am I,

  Quhilk from thi navy stanchit the fyre,” quod he,

  “And from hie hevin at last heth reuth on the.

  Follow the counsale is maist ganand and heynd,

  That agit Nautes gave the, thi trew frend,

  And chose ong men of hart maste curagiouss

  Turss in Itale with the, I tel the thus;

  A dour pepill, and of conditioun fell,

  The nedis in Latium ourcum in batell,

  Bot first, of Pluto the infernale see,

  And deip regioun of hell, behufis the se,

  To cum and speke with me, myne awin son deir.

  Be nocht agast, my child, and haue na feir,

  For I am nocht withhald, I lat the wyt,

  In Tartarus, the soroful hellys pyt,

  Nor drery pottis deip of saulis paill,

  Bot in the hailsum rowtis, furth of baill,

  I dwel amyd the plane of Elyse.

  The chaist virgyn Sibil wil convey the

  The rycht way thidder, quhilk at thou sal tak

  By blude offerit of mony bestis blak.

  Thar sal thou lern all thi genolegy,

  And quhat cite is to the destany.

  Adew, as now na langar dwell I may.

  The donk nycht is al maist rollyt away,

  And the ferss Orient wil at I withdraw —

  I feil the ayndyng of hys horssys blaw.”

  Thus hes he said, and with that word, but mair,

  Vanyst away, as the reik in the ayr.

  And quhen Eneas saw him pass, he said,

  “Quhidder bradis thou now sa fast, without abaid?

  Quhidder hastis thou swa? Quhom fleys thou? . . . Me, allace?

  Quhat is the let I may the nocht enbrace?”

  Thus sayand the assys and coverit fyre bet he;

  To Troiane Ingil, and the cannos Veste,

  Within hys secret closet maid reuerence,

  With hallowyt flour, deuotely, and incence;

  Syne sone assemlyt his feris all in press,

  Bot first of al the ancyant Acestes;

  The wil and plesour of Iove schew thame cleir,

  And eik the charge brocht by hys fader deir,

  And tald thame planely his mynd and desyre.

  Thai tary nocht at counsale, for this syre,

  Acestes, was al reddy at command.

  Than al tha folk quhilk list bide in that land,

  For this new cite titil thai and writis;

  The matronys first, and sik as nocht delytis

  Nor hess in cure desyre of hie renoun,

  Thai deput, and thai ordand for this town.

  Thar hechis and thar ourloftis syne thai beit,

  Plankis and gestis gret, squair and meit,

  Into thar schippis ionand with mony a dynt,

  In sted of thame war with the flambys brynt;

  Thar cabillis new, and thar hed towis reparis,

  And gan to forge newly wrayngis and ayris.

  In numbir war thai bot a few mene,

  Bot thai war quyk and vailliant in melle.

  In the meyn tyme, Eneas with a pleuch

  The cite circulit, and merkit be a seuch;

  By cavillys syne the tenementis dyd depart;

  Heir ordanys Ilion, and, in ondir art,

  Of Troy commandis beld othir memoriallis.

  Of this new cite and thir frendly wallis

  Glaid wolx Troiane Acestes, and, but mair,

  Did mak proclame thar merkattis and thar fair,

  And all the hedismen gadderis and set doun,

  Stabillis thar lawys and statutis for that town.

  Syne, on the top of Erix the montane,

  Full neir the lift, thai found, of marbill stane,

  A tempil to Venus of Idalia,

  And about Anchiss sepultur alssua

  Ane hallowit schaw on breid as sanctuar

  Plantit thai haue and stabillit prestis thar.

  Eneas gan depart, and quhou Venus

  Maid for hir son request to Neptunus.

  Be this hass al the pepil, euery hyne,

  The feste continewit fully days nyne,

  And on the altaris, as was tho the gyss,

  Thar offerandis endit and hie sacrifice.

  The stabil ayr hass calmyt weill the see,

  And sowtht pipand wyndis fair on hie

  Challancis to pass on burd and tak the deip.

  Bot quhen thai moste depart, lord, quhou thai weip!

  Quhat huge waling rayss all the costis bay!

  Brasand and halshand thai dwel al n
ycht and day.

  And now thai moderis and thai onweldy men,

  Quhom til, vmquhile, forto behald and ken

  The seys figur was abhominabill

  And eyk the forss tharof intollerabill,

  Now wald thai wend, for all the seys rage,

  Reddy to thoill al travale in vayage;

  Quhom curtas Eneas with wordis frendly

  Comfortis, and syne, wepand full tendirly,

  Betaucht ontil Acest his cousing deir.

  Thre velys tho, as was the auld maneir,

  In wirschip of Erix he bad down quell,

  And a blak owe to god of tempestis fell;

  Syne chargit hail thar cabillis vp belyve.

  Hys awin hed warpit with a snod olyve,

  Heich in a schippis forcastell dyd stand,

  Haldand a cowpe of gold intil hys hand,

  The bestis entralis in the see can swak,

  And et the cleir wyne furth in fludis brak.

  From the eft schip vprays onone the wynd

  And followit fast the see fararis behynd;

  Eyk al the flote smate fast with arys the flude,

  Kempand to welt our wallys as thai war wode.

  In the meyn sesson Venus, al onflocht,

  Amyd hir breist reuoluand mony a thocht,

  Spak to Neptune with sik petuus regrate:

  “Neptune,” quod scho, “the fel ire and consate

  Of Queyn Iuno, with mynd insaciabill,

  Constrenys me to condiscend thus stabill

  In all maner of request and prayeris;

  The quhilk Iuno nowdir lang days nor eris,

  Nor na divyne sacrifice, may appless;

  Scho restis nevir, nor may scho leif at eyss,

  Albeit the power and charge of Iupiter

  Resistis scho wait, and fatis ar hir contrar.

  Scho thinkis it nocht eneuch and sufficient

  By wikkit malice to downbet and schent

  And for euer put to distructioun

  Master of the pepil of Frigia, Troys town,

  And fortobe wrokin, be alkin panys,

  Apon thar sary levingis and remanys;

  Bot euer in ane it stil persewis sche

  The ded banys and cald assys to spule

  Of silly Troy, quhilk is to rewyne brocht.

  A wondyr quhou scho may, intil hir thocht,

  Of sa gret furour half the causys consaue!

  Thi self is witnes quhou, laitly, our the laif,

  Sa masterful storm amyd the Libiane see

  Scho rasit sone, quhil vp to hevynnys hie

  The fludis kachit war, and sair opprest,

  Throu help of Eolus wyndis and tempest —

  Sa gret wrang in thi realme durst scho excerss!

  O this detestabil wikkitnes to reherss!

  Lo, hes scho nocht, newlingis, sa schamefully,

  The Troiane matronys maid byrn thar navy,

  By hir wod rage? and ar, for falt of schippis,

  In onkouth land left from thar falloschippis?

  In tyme cummyng, I the beseik,” quod sche,

  “Schaw thi mychtis, that salfly throu the see

  It may be leifful thai thar salys set:

  Grant at thai may alsso atteyn, but let,

  The flude Tybir, throu Lawrent feildis slydis,

  Admyt myne askyn, gif so the fatis gydis,

  Or gif that my desyre may grantit be,

  Or it werd sisteris list geif thame that cuntre.”

  Saturnus son Neptunus tho, I wyss,

  That of the deip see fludis dantar is,

  Ansuerit and said: “Citherea the fair,

  It is resson, and ganand euermair,

  Thou be assurit to rest at thi lyking

  In my boundis and throw out al my ryng,

  Quharfra thou hess thi first original,

  As thi kynd grund and cuntre natural.

  In othir placis als, furth of my land,

  I haue deseruit thankis at thi hand,

  And oft tyme hess sa gret curage, thou knawis,

  Dantit baith of see and bustuus wynd at blawis.

  To witnes draw I of this at I say,

  Exanth and Symois, Troiane fludis tway,

  That I na less cuyr tuke of thine Ene,

  To salue him on the land, than on the see.

  For quhen the ferss Achil persewit sair,

  Chasand affrayt Troianys heir and thar,

  The gret rowtis to the wallis thrymland,

  Tofor his face half ded for feir trymland,

  And mony thousandis on the grund layd ded,

  The ryveris dittit with ded corpsys wolx rede,

  Vndir bodeis bullyrrand; for sik multitude

  Of slauchtir he maid, quhil Exanthus the flude

  Mycht fynd na way to ryn onto the see;

  Than, apon cace, with Achillis Ene

  Matchit in fecht, nowdir of strenth or mycht

  Equale be far, nor it sa weil at rycht

  Favorit of the goddis as Achillis, perfay,

  By a dyrk clowd I staw thi son away;

  Quhoubeit, the ilk tyme, my desyre was set

  Law fra the grond al Troy forto down bet,

  Tha maynsworn wallis biggit with my handis.

  As twichand Ene, quhou evir the chance standis,

  The sammyn wyss it perseueris my mynd:

  Haue thou na dreid, I salbe it als kynd.

  Onto tha havynnys he sal cum sovirly,

  As thou desyris, and furthir him eyk sal I

  Ontil Avern, clepit the louch of hell.

  Ane sal alanerly be loste, I the tell,

  Quham thou sal seik amang the fludis, dede;

  For help of mony thar salbe gevin a hede.”

  Eftir that with sik wordis Neptunus

  Had mesit the mude of the goddes Venus,

  Tho kan this fader of the see, but mair,

  Hys horssis ok to draw his cart or chair,

  With fomy bridill danting tha ferss bestis;

  Thar reneis and thetys, at thame arestis,

  With hys awin handys leit do slyp and slakkis,

  And lichtly our the fludis croppis frakkis

  Hys watry chair, furth fleand with a sownd,

  Quhil al the wallis dowkis to the grownd;

  Vndir the brayand quhelis and assiltre

  The fludis strekis plane our al the see;

  The bubbis and wyndy clowdis, heir and thar,

  Gan fle onon furth of the large ayr.

  Than of his court apperit figuris seir;

  The hydduus quhalys, and al the rowtis in feir

  Of agit Glaucus with his cannos hair,

  And Palemon, Inoes son and ayr,

  The swift Tritones with trump playand thar spryng,

  Phorcus with al his falloschip and ofspryng,

  And on hys left hand furth haldis Thetis,

  With al the Nymphis hait Nereidis,

  Sik as Melite, Spyo, Penopea,

  Cymodoce, Nyse and Thalia.

  Throu owt the flude merely salys Ene,

  And Palynurus drownys in the see.

  Glaidnes and comfort than, in to sum part,

  Begouth to kittil Eneas thochtful hart.

  “Heyss heich the cross,” he bad, “al mak thaim bown,

  And fessyn bonnettis beneith the mayn sail down.”

  Than al sammyn, with handis, feit and kneis,

  Dyd heyss thar sail, and trossyt down thar teys;

  Now the le schete, and now the luf, thai slak,

  Set in a fang, and threw the ra abak;

  Baith to and fra al dyd thar nokkis wry;

  Prosper blastis furth careis the navy.

  Befor the laif, as lodis man and lard,

  And al his salis vp with fellon fard,

  Went Palynure; and hail the remanent

  Was chargit hald the sammyn courss and went.

  Be than the donk nycht had run almaist evin

  His myd courss or methis in the hevin,

  And euery maryne
r, but langar kepe,

  Thar bodeis restis with the plesand sleip,

  Endlang the hechis lyand heir and thar is,

  Or in thar hard settis lenand on ayris;

  Quhen that the swift god of sleip gan slide

  Furth of the starnyt hevin, by nychtis tide,

  And dyd away the dirknes of the ayr,

  Removing schadowit skyis maid al fair;

  Onto the, Palynurus, hess he socht,

  And the, al innocent, soroful slepis brocht.

  Heich in the eftschip dyd this god appeir,

  In figur of Phorbantus, a maryneir,

  And frendfully gan warp sik wordis owt:

  “Iasyus son, Palynur, luke about;

  The sobir seys beris sownd our navy;

  The wyndis blawis ful evin and rycht makly;

  Thou may sovirly tak the ane howris rest,

  Leyn doun thi hede and sleip, for that is best

  Thi wery eyn thou prevely withdraw

  From langsum laubour, and sleip a litil thraw,

  And I my self sal glaidly in thi place

  Beir thyne office, and steir a litil space.”

  To quhom Palynur, skars liftand his eyn,

  Ansuerd and said: “Quhat thing wald thou meyn?

  Byddis thou me be sa nyce I suld mysknaw

  This calm salt watir, or stabil fludis haw?

  Wilt thou I traste this monstre perellus?

  Or quhat in wyndis sa dissaitful til ws,

  And this cleir hevin sa oft hes trumpit me,

  Wald thou I lippynnyt the maist nobil Ene?”

  Sik wordis he said, grippand the helmstok fast,

  Lenand tharon, and by na way nor cast

  Wald part tharfra, haldand his eyn ful evin

  Ay tobehald the starnys in the hevyn;

  Quhen lo! this god smate bath his tymplis twane

  With a ful sleipry and bedyit grane,

  Wet in the myndles flude of hell, Lythe,

  And sowpit in Stix, the forcy hellys see;

  Hys glotnyt and fordovirrit eyn two

  He closyt hes, and sound gart sleip alsso.

  Bot scarsly gan the first rest of sleip,

  Or he was war, thus on his membris creip,

  Quhen on him lenys this god, and tho he kneld,

  And with a swak, as that the schip gan helde,

  Ourburd him kest amyd the flowand see,

  Richt al togidder with the helmstok of tre;

  Than al for nocht apon his feris he cryis.

  This god flaw vp lyke a bird in the skyis.

  And nocht the less the schip held furth hir went,

  As scho did ayr, throw the calm seys sprent,

  But ony harm, and al the navy sone,

  By the promyss of the fader Neptune.

  With this almaste thai careit ar infeir

  Onto the rochis and skelleis weill neir

  Of Syrene, that we Marmadynnys clepe,

  Dangerus vmquhile, for a mekil hepe

  Of dede banys lay tharon ful quhite;