Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  The cundytis of his voce war lowsyt fre.

  Quhen he mycht speke, than thir hys wordis was:

  “This is nocht thy last cunnand, son Pallas,

  Thou promyst not so vnto thy fader deir,

  Bot at thou suld pass mair warly in weir,

  And not in danger of the cruell Mart.

  Owr weill I wist, with harmys at my hart,

  Quhat aventour, and of quhou mekill mycht

  Till ony ong man, the first feld in fight,

  Was gret desire of new loif or glory,

  And how sweit was renown of chevalry.

  Allace, the first commancement and assays

  To yng men beyn in weir full fey always,

  And rycht hard bene the first entechment

  Of hasty batall to thame beyn not acquent.

  My vowys nor my prayeris gret and small

  War not accept to nane of goddis all.

  O thou my blissyt spowss, decessit or now,

  Full happy of that ded in faith was thou,

  That to thys sorow not preservyt was!

  Bot be the contrar I, allace, allace,

  Ourlevit hass my fatys profitabill,

  And am alyve as fader miserabill;

  Quham wald God in on sammyn mortale weris

  Rutilyanys had ourquhelmyt with thar speris,

  That, followand to the feild my feris of Troy,

  I mycht haue ald this sawle full of ennoy,

  So that this funeral pomp, quhilk heir is wrocht,

  My body, and nocht Pallas, hame had brocht!

  Ne byd I nocht ou, Troianys, to argew

  Of amyte and allyance bund of new,

  Ne our rycht handis and promyss, quhilkis we

  In frendschip knyt and hospitalyte:

  This mysfortoun is myne of ald thirlage,

  As tharto detbund in my wrachit age.

  Bot had this hasty ded, sa ondigest,

  Haue sufferit bot my son a stound to lest,

  Quhill of Rutilianys he had slane thousandis,

  And investit the Troianys in thar landis,

  That is to say, in Latyum or Lavyn,

  Weill lykyt me that he had endyt syne.

  And forthir eik, Pallas, my son so deir,

  Na mair rychly cowth I the lay on beir,

  Nor with mair wirschip list me entyre the,

  Than is providit be reuthfull Enee,

  Be myghty Troianys and pryncis Tyrrheyn;

  For all the Tuscane mene, as heir is seyn,

  Gret trophe and rich spule hydder bryngis,

  On perkis rychly cled with thar armyngis

  Quham thy richt hand in feild had put to ded.

  Bot, O thou Turnus, in this sammyn sted

  Amangis otheris heir suld thou haue be,

  In form and maner of a stok of tre,

  Gyf he of age had beyn equale and perys,

  And baith elyke cummyn to our strenthy heris.

  Bot now, allace, I, fey onhappy wight,

  Quharto delay I Troianys from the fyght?

  Pass haym in haist, and remember to say

  Thir my desiris to our prynce, I ou pray:

  Evander says that thy ryght hand, Ene,

  Is all the cawss that he delays to de,

  Or that this haitsum lyfe sustene he wald,

  Sen now is lost hys son Pallas the bald:

  Sa till hym that he oblist is of det,

  Baith to the son and the fader, to set

  on Turnus slauchter for owr recompens:

  To the Eneas only, but offens,

  And to fortoun, remanys this iournay it,

  Quharwith thou may thankfully be acquyt.

  Tell hym, na lust to lyf langar seyk I;

  Onlesum war syk plesour I set by;

  Bot for a thraw desyre I to lest heir,

  Turnus slauchter and deth with me to beir,

  As glaid tithandis onto my child and barn,

  Amang the gostis law in skowgis dern.”

  Heir athir party takis byssy cuyr

  The ded bodeis to graif in sepultur.

  The meyn sesson Aurora rasyt hir lycht,

  Richt confortabill for euery mortall wight,

  Rendryng agane the oportunyte

  Of laubour and of wyrkyng, as we se.

  The prynce Eneas, and the kyng Tarchon,

  Gret byngis hass of treys mony one

  Vpbeldyt, by the bowand costis bay.

  Thydder euery ane dyd cary, but delay,

  Efter thar eldris gyss, onto that sted

  The corpsis of thar frendis that war ded,

  As fortodo thar observans of det;

  And thar vnder the smoky fyre hass set,

  Quhill that the hevynnys hye dyd walxin dirk,

  Involuyt with the reky stewys myrk.

  And thryss on fut all sammyn euery man

  In schynand armour abowt the fyris ran,

  And thryss the wofull funerall inglys thai

  Circulyt abowt on horsbak in array,

  With gowlyng and with vocis myserabill;

  Quhill that of trigland terys lamentabill

  The feildis strowyt war in euery place,

  Armouris all wet with wepyng, and thar face.

  The clamour of the men and trumpys stevyn

  Gan spryngyng vp on hight onto the hevyn.

  Syne cumis sum, and in the fyre dyd slyng

  The weirly wedis, spule and armyng

  Rent from the Latynys slane into the weir,

  As helmys, scheildis, and rych swerdis seir,

  Brydillys, and all thir stedis trappouris fair,

  The hasty hurland charyot quhelys squair;

  Ane other sum kest in the fyre syk geir

  As weilbekend the corps was wont to weir,

  Thar awyn wapynnys, and thar onsilly scheildis,

  Quhilk mycht thame nocht defend into the feildis.

  Full mony carcage of thir oxin gret

  Abowt the fyris war brytnyt and downbet,

  And bustuus bowkis of the byrsyt swyne,

  Our feildis all byreft from euery hyne;

  Thai steik the beistis, and swakkis in the fyre,

  Endlang the costis all tho byrnand schyre;

  And can behald quhou that thar feris brynt,

  Observand weill the gledis half owt quent,

  And eik the assys half brynt of the ded;

  Ne may thai thens be harlyt of that sted,

  Quhill at the hevyn ourquhelmyt the dirk nycht,

  That ganand is for fyry sternys brycht.

  And, netheless, the Latynys lamentabill

  In placis seir fyris innumerabill

  Vpbeldit hass, and sum with wofull rerd

  Feill corpsis deip bedelvys vnder erd;

  And sum alsso in cartis haue thai sent

  To townys in the feildis adiacent;

  And sum alsso war send to the cite,

  Tobe entyrit as thame accordyt be.

  The remanent all sammyn assemlyt ourane,

  But numbyr and but ordour, euery ane,

  Of corpsys slane in huge heip byrn thai;

  And thus on athir sydis, the hie way

  And large feildis dyd oft of fyris schyne.

  As that the thryd days lycht eftir syne

  The dyrk nycht removyt from the sky,

  The assys deip, murnand with mony a cry

  Doun dyd thai cast, and scrapis owt atanys

  The hait amyrris and the byrslyt banys;

  And it all warm, onculyt, sone thai haue

  Bedelvyn thame, and in the erd begrave.

  Bot, certis, than renewys the womentyng

  Within the mychty burgh of Latyn kyng,

  The rumour rayss and murmour principaly

  Of bewalyng all owt the maist party.

  The wofull moderis and matronys wepis heir,

  The eldmoderis, and eyk the systeris deir;

  Thar mycht be hard with duylfull breistis greyt

  The yng babbys walyng on the streyt,


  That had thar faderis slane this hynder day,

  Cryand, “Ichane, allace, and weill away!”

  Thai curss and wary fast this vengabill weir,

  And Turnus wedlok bannys with mony a teir:

  All in a voce thai cry, desirand he

  Suld ondertak the batall and melle,

  And feght allane to mak end of this thing,

  As he the quhilk pretendis to weld the ryng

  Of Italy with honour pryncipall,

  Desyrand that he suldbe lord of all.

  The brym Drances aggregis weill this thyng,

  And buyr on hand baldly befor the kyng

  Nane bot this Turnus challance wald Enee,

  Turnus only to feght desyris he.

  And, be the contrar, mony sensymentis

  For Turnus schawys evident argumentis:

  Of Queyn Amatha the gret authoryte

  Dekkis and defendis hym with wordis sle;

  And hys gret fame and actis triumphall

  Hys querrell dyd susteyn agane thame all.

  Befor Kyng Latyn and hys consale in deid

  Venulus schawis responss of Diomeid.

  Abuf all this, lo, the ilk stound onon

  Thyr messyngeris, all trist and wobegon,

  Returnyt haymwart into thar maist neid

  From the gret cite of Schir Dyomed,

  Reportand answer, that alhaill was lost

  Thar lang travale and maist sumptuus cost;

  Schortly, thai had doyn thar na thyng at docht,

  The rych gyftis nor gold avalyt nocht,

  For all thar large requestis and prayeris;

  To help the Latyn pepill in thar weris

  Behuffyt thame to seik other supple,

  Or to mak paix with Troiane prynce Ene.

  Herand thir wordis, this ald Latyn kyng

  Falys all curage, with gret lamentyng,

  For patently the goddis wraik, hym thocht,

  Schew that by fait Ene was thyddir brocht,

  And manifest mycht of goddis hym dyd sustene,

  That schew the new gravys befor thar eyn.

  Quharfor, a gret consale assemlys he,

  And callys the cheif ledaris of hys mene,

  Chargeand thai suld in hys palyce conveyn

  Onto the riall chymmyss. Tho bedeyn

  Thai flok so fast that euery way was hyd.

  Thys ancyent kyng dyd set hym dovn amyd

  The cepturyt men, as first and pryncipall,

  Bot no thyng semyng glaid of cheir at all.

  Than the ambassat, that was returnyt agane

  From Dyomedis cite Etholiane,

  He bad do schaw the credens that thai brocht,

  Per ordour haill thar answer, faland nocht.

  Silens was maid, ilk man hys tong held than,

  And Venulus, of thame the gretast man,

  Begouth fortill obey the kyngis charge,

  And schew hys credens planly thus at large:

  “O citeanys, we haue visseit Diomed,

  And seyn thai strenthys by thame of Arge in deid

  Vpbeldyt in the boundis of Italy;

  The ways thiddir we haue met by and by,

  And eschapyt all dangeris by the gait,

  All thocht our iourney was nocht fortunait.

  We haue twichit that sammyn douchty hand

  By quham of Troy distroyt was town and land;

  Quhilk now as victor, in the feildis plane

  Besyde the skyrtis of the mont Gargane,

  Within boundis of Iapigya sule,

  That now on days Apule clepyng we,

  Vprasyt hess the cite Argyripas,

  Quham fra hys natyve pepill namyt he was.

  Fra that we entryt war in hys presens,

  And forto speke was geif ws audiens,

  The gyftis and rewardys present we;

  Our credens, our estait, and our cuntre,

  Declaryt plane, and quha with wer ws socht,

  And quhat occasioun had ws thidder brocht.

  He hard ws weill, and on a frendly wyss

  Thus answer maid with wordis war and wyss:

  ‘O fortunat folk, quhar Saturn regnyt swa,

  he ancyent pepill of Ausonya,

  Quhat mysaventour and onkyndly heyt

  ou steris from our lang rest and quyet,

  Prouocand ou to movyng, rayss and steir

  Sa peralus, onknowth and onthrifty wer?

  For euery ane of ws that dyd offens

  In Troys bundis with swerd and violens,

  Or cruell handis set fortill invaid

  Kyng Priamus, and of hys realm degraid

  (I leif ontald all thai that in the feld

  By Troys wallys hess swelt vnder scheld,

  Or that the flude of Symois by the town

  Drownyt in stremys warpis vp and dovn),

  Our all the warld of ws hail the remanys

  Beyn punyst sor with onrehersabill panys,

  And sufferit hess all maner of turment.

  Ful weill knawis my wordis, quhat I ment,

  The sorofull constillatioun of Mynerve,

  Quhilk causyt mony douchty man to sterve;

  And on the costis of Euboica

  The rokis beris witness it alssua,

  And the montane Caphareus, God woit,

  That vengeans tuke and wraik apon our floyt.

  From that weirfar and cursyt chevalry

  We cachyt ar to syndry costis, far by

  Our natyve bundis and ald heritage.

  Lo, Menelay, ane of the cheif barnage

  And Atrius son, yclepyt Atrydes,

  To Protheus pillaris, hait Pyramydes,

  Constrenyt is in exill forto wend;

  Vlixes alsso, as full weill is kend,

  Bewavyt is wyd quhar our all the see,

  So that the Ciclopes of Ethna saw he.

  Quhat suld I tell of Neoptolemus,

  That other wyss to name is hait Pyrrus,

  The hard myschans and tynsell of hys ryng?

  Or quhou aganys Idomens the kyng

  Hys kyndly goddis and cuntre dyd rebell,

  And hym gan of hys natyve realm expell?

  Or quhou the Locrys, Aiax Oelyus ost,

  Now doys inhabyt the waist Lybyan cost?

  Sen he hym self the gret Agamenon,

  The kyng of Myce, and cheif ledar of on

  Of all the Grekis ostis in batale,

  Ha, schame to say, fowlely befell

  That by the handis of hys awyn wife

  The first nycht in hys palyce lost hys lyf.

  And he that venquyst Asya lyis ded;

  The sle adultrar occupiis hys sted.

  The goddis eik sa far dyd me invy,

  That in my natyve land neuer sall I spy

  My chaist spousage, lyke as befor hess bene,

  Ne Calydon my realm of crymys cleyn.

  And now alsso, a grisly thyng to se,

  Ane selcouth monstre, lo, betyd hes me:

  My ferys lost with plumys in the ayr

  As thame best lykis ar fleand our alquhar

  (Allace of my folkis the vengeabill wraik!),

  Transformyt in fowlys, wandris by the laik,

  And of thar lamentabill and wofull sowndis

  The large costis dynnys and redoundis.

  Thir myschevys for my trespass and cryme,

  I may traist, hess betyd me sen that tyme

  That I, witles and so rakless, perfay,

  The hevynly bodeis durst with swerd assay,

  And with smert wond was our presumptuus

  To violat the rycht hand of Venus.

  Solist na mar,’ quod he, ‘persuaid me nocht

  That to so dangerus batellis I be brocht.

  Eftir the bettyng down of Troys wallys,

  With the Tewcranys, quhat chance that euer befallis,

  I will na mair debatis mak nor weris;

  Nor of our ald stryfe thir hynder heris,

  That so myschews was and bad to se,

 
May I glaidly remember now,’ said he.

  ‘Tha gyftis rych and mony fair presandis

  Quhilkis e to me hess brocht furth of our landis,

  Return and beir onto the prynce Ene.

  Contrar hys keyn dartis ellis stand haue we,

  And hand for hand matchit hym in fycht:

  Beleif me as expert, quhou stowt and wight

  Is he owther in batale place or feld,

  And how sternly he rasys vp hys scheild,

  Or with quhou gret a thud in the melle

  Ane lance towartis hys aduersar thrawys he.

  Forthir,’ he said, ‘I certify ou alssua,

  That, gif the forsaid grond of Phrygia

  Twa othir sik men fosterit had or bred,

  The citeis all of Arge mycht sor haue dred,

  And the ofspryng of Dardan esely

  Mycht in our realmys arryvit by and by,

  So that Grece suld haue murnyt, euery tovn,

  The fatis ald reuersit vp syd dovn.

  Alhail the stop, resistans and delay

  Mayd at Troy wallys, quhil the sege thar lay,

  Was by the handis of Hector and Ene:

  The Grekis conquyst lang tyme, trastis me,

  By thame was styntit, apon sik maner

  That it prolongit was quhil the tent er.

  Athir of thame in bonte and curage

  Excelland war, and full of vassalage;

  Athir of thame maist souerane and douchty

  In dedis of armys, prowes and chevalry;

  Bot this Ene was first all owt express

  Of reuth, compassioun and of gentilnes.

  Tharfor all sammyn adionys our rycht handis

  In ferm allyance of concord, and sik bandis

  Be ony wyss se he obtene,’ quod he;

  ‘For, gif thai start till armys in melle,

  Be war with thame fortill debait, I red.’

  Maist nobill kyng of kyngis, in this sted

  Hys answer hess thou hard, as I haue tald,

  And twichand this gret batale quhat he wald.”

  The kyng proponys with Enee to tak pess

  Incontrar Turnus; tharto persuadis Drances.

  Scars had the messyngeris thir wordis said,

  Quhen all the Latynys, trublyt, full onglaid,

  Fra hand to hand quhispyris fast and roundis,

  On diuerss wyss demyng with murmour soundis —

  Lyke as the swyft watir stremys cleir

  Sum tyme rowtand men on far may heir,

  Quhar it is stoppit with thir stanys round,

  That of the ryveris brute and brokkyn sound,

  Brystand on skelleis our thir demmyt lynnys,

  The bankis endlang all the fludis dynnys.

  Bot efter that thar mudis mesyt wer,

  Thar waverand wordis stanchit and sik beir,

  With reuerens first blyssand the goddis mycht.

  The kyng thus carpys from hys trone on hycht:

  “O Latyn pepill, forsuyth I wald al gait,

  And so had beyn far better, weill I wait,