Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

Thar I beheld Salmoneus alsswa,

  In crewel torment sufferand mekil wa,

  For that he gan to contyrfet him cast

  Gret Iovis fyre and hevynly thundris blast.

  By horssis four furth rollit was his char,

  Secret condytis of fyre smytand sayr,

  Throwout the pepil of Greyss and of Arcad,

  Amyd the cite of Elys, blith and glaid,

  Prowd and haltand in hys hart, walkyt he,

  And as a god bad honorit he suld be;

  For that, intil his dotage and fuyl heyt,

  By sownd of brass and stampand stedis feyt,

  He maid hym forto feyn a simylitude

  Of clowdis blast and rumland thundir rude,

  Quhilk on na wyss aucht tobe contyrfet.

  Bot the hie fader almychty from hys set

  Throw thyk clowdis at hym hys dart dyd thraw,

  Nowder blak fyre brand, nor reky flambys law,

  Bot suddanly, with a fel bless of thundyr

  Threw hym to grond and smayt him al in sondyr.

  To Tytyos thar was I schawin in deid,

  With body speldyt nyne akyr on breid,

  That fostyr child vmquhile was cleyp and call

  Onto the Erth, quhilk moder is of all.

  Ane hydduus grype with bustuus bowland beyk

  Hys maw immortal doith pyk and owrreik,

  Hys brudy bowellys torryng with huge payn,

  Furth rentyng all, hys fuyd to fang full fayn,

  Vndir his cost holkand in wail law,

  And sparis nocht to rug, ryfe and gnaw:

  All thocht the entralis springis new ilk day,

  Thai get na rest, the fowle hess thar hys pray.

  Quhat suld I rekkyn tha pepil of Thessaly,

  That Lapytas ar hait, for gluttony

  Distroyt all? Of Ixion to tell,

  Or Pyrothous, quhat nedis langar dwell? —

  Abuf quhom hyngis blak quhyn stanys gret,

  Ay semand reddy to fall and thame to bete.

  Befor Tantalus, and ane othir sort,

  The goldin trestys schynand standis ourthwort,

  Vndir ryche tablys dight for maniory,

  Quharon, forgane thar face, is set reddy

  All danteys langand tyl a kyngis fest.

  Bot ane the gretast Fureys gan arest,

  Syttand tharby, and hungyr in thame blawys,

  And netheless thar handys scho withdrawys,

  So that the mesys twichyn dar thai nocht;

  As that thai mynt tharto, than all onflocht

  With hait fyre brand in hand vp dois scho ryss,

  Fleyis thame with flambe, grym luke and vgly cryiss.

  Thai beyn alsso within on pyt turment

  Quhilk at thar bredir envy held or haitrent

  Quhil that thai levyt in this present lyfe;

  And tha quhom by, throu thar deray and stryfe,

  Thar faderis warryn chasyt in exile;

  All tha that ony falset, slyght or gyle

  Aganys thar seruandis or famyliaris wrocht;

  And tha that, only setting all thar thocht

  Apon thar rychess quhilk wonnyn thai haue,

  Tuke nocht thar nedis tharof, nor na man gave,

  Of quhom ondir beyn ane ful huge rowt;

  And all tha for adultry schent, but dout;

  And tha that movyt wrangwyss batall or weyr;

  Tha not eschamyt thar promyss to forswer,

  Brekand lawte plight in thar lordys hand:

  All sik inclusyt ar ondyr, abydand

  Every day new panys perpetualy.

  Speir not at me, for nocht declar can I,

  Quhat diuerss kyndis of torment ondir thoil thai,

  Nor it quhat sort of payn is deput ay

  For ilk trespass: to rekkyn I tak na keip

  Quhat mysforton thame plungis in on deip.

  For sum weltris a gret stane vp the bra,

  Of quhom in numbir is Sisyphus ane of tha;

  On quhelis spakis speldyt otheris hyngis.

  The maist wrechit of all princis and kyngis,

  Phlegyas, vmquhile kyng of Thessaly,

  All mortale wightis admonysys with his cry

  And lowd voce throw the dyrk awytnessyng:

  ‘Be myne exampill all wightis, prynce and kyng,

  Lernys,’ quod he, ‘to hant iustice and rycht,

  And not contem the goddis strentht and mycht.’

  Thar syttis eik, and sal syt evir mair,

  The fey onhappy Thesyus, full of cair.

  Sum ondir beyn, for reddy gold in hand,

  Sald and betrasyt thar natyve realm and land,

  And tharin brocht a myghty tyrrant strang;

  Sum otheris eik, for pryce or meid to fang,

  That lawys maid and onmaid, as thame list.

  Thar beyn alsso, ful sorofull and tryst,

  Thai quhilk thar dochteris chalmer vyolate,

  Or, havand na regard to thar estate,

  Forbodyn or incestuus mariage

  Gan hantyng by ondantit lustis rage.

  And schortly, all durst ymagyn or compass

  Mastirfull wrang, myscheif or wykkytness,

  Or ony sik consait brocht to effek,

  Heir evyrmar the charge lyis on thar nek.

  All thocht ane hundretht scharp tungis had I,

  Ane hundreth mowthis forto clepe and cry,

  Tharto my voce war strang as irne or steill,

  All kynd of vicis to comprehend, half deill,

  Nor all the namys of tormentis and of panys

  I mycht nocht rekkyn, that in on hald remanys.”

  Quhou finaly Scibilla and Ene

  Com to the plesand plane of Elyse.

  Fra that the ancyant nun of Dan Phebus

  Thir wordys endyt had, and spokkyn thus:

  “Haue done,” quod scho, “now tak thi way express,

  Perform thy wark quhilk thou begunnyn hess:

  Speid ws fordwart, for ondir, lo, I se

  Of Plutois chymmys the byg wallys hie,

  Forgyt of irne full craftely and bet

  Be the Ciclopes furth of thar furnace het;

  Eik I behald, lo, heir forgane our facé

  Tha portis with thar stalwart bow or brace,

  Quhar our instructioun techis ws ful plane

  This presand thar to leif and goldyn grane.”

  Thus said scho, and onon tharwith baith tway

  Gan walkyn furth throw out the darn way,

  And sone our passyt hess the myddill space,

  Approchyng to the portis of that place.

  Eneas baldly sprang in at the et,

  Hys body strynkillit, or a litil wet,

  With cleir spryngand watir ran tharby;

  Forgane thame eik, at the entre, in hy

  The goldyn branch he stykkis vp far and weill.

  This beand done at last, and euery deil

  Perfurnyst langyng the goddess gyft gay,

  Ontil a plesand grond cummyn ar thai,

  With battil gyrss, fresch herbys and beyn swardis,

  The lusty orchardis and the hailsum ardis

  Of happy sawlys and weil fortunat,

  To blissyt wightis the placis preparat.

  Thir feildis beyn largiar, and hevynnys brycht

  Ravestis thame with purpur schynand lycht:

  The starnys, for this place conuenient,

  Knawis weil thar son and obseruys his went.

  Sum thar, amyd the gresy planys greyn,

  Into palestral plays thame betweyn

  Thar membris gan exerss, and hand for hand

  Thai fal to werslyng on the goldyn sand,

  Assayand honest gemmys thame to schort;

  Sum other hantyng gan ane other sport,

  As forto dansyng, and to leid the ryng,

  To syng ballatis, and go in karalyng.

  Thar was alsso the preist and menstrale sle,

  Orpheus of Trace, in syde rob harpand hie,

  Playand proportionys and
spryngis dyvyne

  Apon his harp, sevyn diuerss sovndis fyne;

  Now with gymp fyngris doyng stryngis smyte,

  And now with subtel evyr poyntalis lyte.

  Heir was the nobil kyn and ancyant strynde,

  The maist dowchty lynage sprang be kynde

  Fra Kyng Tewcer, campyones souerane,

  Into mair happy eris born ilkane;

  Thar was Ilus, and eyk Assaracus,

  And the begynnar of Troy, Schir Dardanus.

  On fer Eneas and als Sibilla

  Awondrit war, and mervellis baith twa

  The armour and the men for tobehald,

  And voyd charyotis of thir chyftanys bald.

  Thar sperys stikkyng in the erd dyd stand;

  Wydquhar al lowss owr feildis and the land

  Pasturyt thar horsis, rakand thame fast by;

  For quhat plesour of armys or chevalry,

  Or quhat cuyr to address thar cart or wedis,

  To fedyng and to dant thar sleik swail stedis,

  Thai hantyt quhil thai levyt heir alyve,

  The sammyn solace, be thai man or wyfe,

  it doith thame follow vndir the erth stad.

  And lo, ane other sort, ful blyth and glaid,

  On athir hand behaldis Eneas,

  At bankat on the greyn herbys set was,

  In loving of the goddis ioyusly

  Ympnys of pryce, triumphe and victory

  All syngand glaid togydder in falloschip

  And pryncipaly Apollo to worschip;

  Within a wod of lawrer greyn thai dwell,

  Fragrant of sweit odour and hailsum smell,

  Quhar throw the schawis scheyn in strandis seir

  Erydanus, the hevynly ryver cleyr,

  Flowys contyrmont and vpwart to the lift.

  Within this place, in al plesour and thryft,

  Ar hail the pissance quhilk, in iust batal,

  Slane in defens of thar kynd cuntre fell;

  And al thai preistis and religius wightis

  Quhilk levyt chaste cleyn lyfe, as to thame rycht is;

  And al godlyke devote prophetis trew,

  That suythfast thyng worthy to Phebus schew;

  And thai quhilkis, by thar craftys or science fyne,

  Fund by thar subtel knawlage and engyne,

  Thar lyfe illumynat and annornyt cleir;

  And tha by merytabil dedis and gyftis seir

  That maid otheris hald thame in memory —

  Of al thir war the tymplis by and by

  Arrayt with a fresch garland snaw quhite.

  And as thai flokkit abowt Ene, als tyte

  Syk wyss onto thame carpys Sibilla,

  Bot principaly to Museus, ane of tha,

  Was stad amyddis of the mekill rowt,

  As sche beheld hym with big schulderis stout:

  “O he so happy sawlys, tellith me,

  And thou, maste souerane poet, schaw,” quod sche,

  “In quhat regioun and place bene Anchises?

  Hyddir for his saik come we, and with gret press

  Hess oursalit of hell the gret fludis.”

  This ryall lord in few wordis concludis,

  And ansuerit thus: “Frend, certane dwelling nane

  In this cuntre haue we, bot all ourane

  Walkys and lugis in thir schene wod schawys,

  Endlang thir ryver bankis all on rawys;

  Thir bene our settis, and beddis of fresch flowris

  In soft bene medowis by cleir strandis all howris

  Our habitatioun is and residens.

  Bot gif our mynd langis to haue presens

  Of Anchises, pass vp one swyre fut het,

  I sall ou lyghtly in the hie way set.”

  And sayand thus, befor thame furth went he,

  And can thame schaw, apon the hill on hie,

  The schynand planys full of all plesance.

  Agane returnys he, and thai avans,

  Fra thyne discending from the hillis hyght,

  Quhar thai at last of Anchises gat syght.

  Quhou that Eneas with hys fader met,

  And athir othir with frendly wordis gret.

  The meyn sesson thys Anchises, the prynce,

  Intill a wondir grene vaill full of fence

  Sawlys inclusit, quhilkis war forto wend

  To myddil erd and thare in bodeis ascend,

  Can rekkyn, and behald attentfully

  Hail the nowmyr of hys geneologye,

  His tendir nevoys and posterite,

  Thare fatis, and thare fortonys euery gre,

  Thare conditions, thare strenth and hardyment.

  And sone as he persavys quhar that went

  Forganyst him, cumand throu gresy sward,

  Hys derrest son Ene with hasty fard,

  Baith his handys ioyfull furthstracht he than;

  The teris trynglyng our his chekis ran,

  And fra his mouth slydis thir wordis myld:

  “Thou art cummyn at last, my deir child!

  Thy gret piete, and kyndnes weil expert

  Onto thy fader, causyt the and gart

  This hard vayage venquyss and ourset!

  Quhat, is it grantit me? Ha, sall I get

  A verray sight, luffit son, of thy face?

  And grantit ws to carp or talk a space,

  To heir and render frendly wordis knaw?

  Within my mynd ymagynyt I on raw

  Swa suld betyde, and weil belevit I

  Thou was tocum, and the tyme by and by

  I calculit and comptit quhen that suld be,

  And my consait hes nocht dissauyt me.

  O God, throu quhou feill landis braid and large,

  Quhou mony seys ourcareit in thy barge,

  Efter quhou feil dangeris with storm oft schaik,

  I now ressaue the heir, deir son, allaik!

  Quhou gretlie dred I of Lybie that ryng

  Suld the haue hyndrit, and harmyt in sum thing!”

  Eneas answeris: “Fader, thy drery gost,

  Sa oft apperand, maid me seik this cost:

  In Tyrrhean sey abydis our navy.

  Grant me, fader, now grant me by and by,

  We athir may with other handis schaik —

  Fra myne embrasyng withdraw the nocht, allaik!”

  And sayand thys, tendyrly wepit he,

  Baithyng hys face in terys gret plente.

  On this wyss talkyng, or thar wordis sessit,

  With hys lang armys thryss Eneas pressit

  About hys halss hym forto haue belappit,

  And thryss, invane, hys handys togidder clappit:

  The figur fled as lyght wynd, or son beym,

  Or mast lykly a waverand sleip or dreym.

  Duryng this tyme Eneas gan aduert

  Within a vail fer thens closyt a part,

  Quhare stude a wod with swouchand bewys schene,

  The flude Lythee flowand throu the fair grene;

  About the quhilk pepill onnowmerabill

  And silly sawlys fleys fast, but fabill,

  Quhil all the feildis of thare dyn resoundis —

  Lyke as, in medowys and fresch florist boundis,

  The bissy beys in schene symmeris tyde,

  On diuerss colorit flouris skalit wide,

  Flokkis about the blomyt lylleis quhite,

  And other fragrant blosummys redymyt.

  Mysknawyng quhat this ment, Eneas wight

  Becam abasit of the soddane syght,

  And can inquir the causys of this cace,

  Quhat war tha fludys far befor hys face,

  Or quhat bene tha men in syk numbyr swa

  With so gret fard flokkit to athir bra.

  Tho quod hys fader Anchises: “All on be

  Thai sawlys quhamto, by the fatis hie,

  Bene other bodeis eftir this yschape,

  Quhilk drynkis ondir, or thai may eskape,

  At one ryver and the flude Lythee,

  The sikkyr watir but curis, trastis me,

&
nbsp; Quharby oblyvyus becum thai als tyte,

  Foretting pane bipast and langsum syte.

  Forsuyth, I purpos furthwith to declare,

  And schaw befor thy face now standand thar,

  The sawlys all, and numbyr in thy presens,

  Quhilkis ar tocum of my stok and discens;

  So that the mair glaidly with me tharby

  Thou may reioss to haue fund Italy.”

  “O fader,” quod Eneas, “quhidder or nay

  Is that tobe belevyt at he say,

  That souerane saulys from this place sall wend,

  Onto the warld abufe or erd ascend?

  Quhy may thai nocht in this swete stede remane,

  Bot sal return in slaw bodeis agane?

  Quhat cursyt covatyce causith wrachit wightis

  So to desyre our life and drery lightis?”

  “I sal the schaw forsuyth the causs,” quod he,

  “My derrest son, and sal no wyss hald the

  Thochtfull in mynde, ne doutsum by na way.”

  Tharwith Anchises baith hys eyn twa

  Gan lyftyng vp, and towart hewyn behald,

  And euery thing per ordour thus he tald.

  The seir punitioun of sawlis in purgatorye,

  And quhou thai pass syne to the flude Lythe.

  “Fra the begynnyng, all thing less and mar,

  The fyry regioun, the erth, and the ayr,

  The plane flowand boundis of the sey,

  The lyghtnyt monys lamp that lemys hie,

  The hevynnys starnys, and bryght sonnys ball,

  Ane spreit thar is within, sustenys all:

  In euery part the hie wysdome dyvyne

  Diffundit movys this warldis hail engyne,

  And by hys power mydlit is our all

  This mekil body clepit vniuersal.

  Fra this infusioun, and thir elementis seir,

  Baith kynd of man and best cummys, but weir,

  All leving foulys fleying in the ayr,

  All fyschis, and the monstreis doith repar

  Vndre the slekit sey of marbill hew.

  A hait fyry power, warm and dew,

  Hevinly begynnyng and original,

  Beyn in thar sedis quhilk we saulys call,

  Sa far as that thir noysum bodeis cald

  Nocht tareis thame tharfra, nor doith withhald,

  Nor withdrawis from souerane hevinly kynd:

  Thar erdly lymmys, and eik thar irksum mynd,

  Throu thar mortal membris euer deidlike,

  Dullith thar curage and thar spretis godlyke.

  Fra the quhilk cummys to al mankynd, that thai

  Dredis, desiris, murnys or ioys ay;

  Nor, in the dyrk mansioun and preson blynd

  Of thir vyle bodeis yfettyrit and bynd,

  The sawlis thar clene natur may attend.

  So fer that, all efter the lattir end,

  Quhen that the lif disseueris fra the body,

  Than netheless nor it ar fullely

  All harm ne cryme from wrachit sawlis separate,