Complete Works of Virgil Read online

  The lugyngis voyd and reddy to thar fays,

  The sete left waist til ony it vptais.

  The porte tharwith, Ortygia, leif we,

  And with swift cowrs flaw throu the salt see;

  By the iland swepit we onon

  With hillis ful of wynys, hait Naxon,

  By Donysa quhar growis the marbill greyn,

  And by Paron with his quhite marbill scheyn,

  By Olearon, and mony ilis, but less,

  Skatterit in the sey, yclepit Cyclades;

  We slyde throu fludis endlang feil costis fayr.

  The noys vpsprang of mony marynar

  Byssy at thar wark, to takilling euery tow,

  Thar feris exorting, with mony heys and how,

  To speid tham fast towart the realm of Crete,

  With thar forfaderis and progenitouris to mete.

  The followand wynd blew strek in our tail,

  Quhill finaly arrive we, with bent saill,

  Apon the ancyant cost of Curetanys,

  A kynd of pepill quhilk into Crete remanys.

  And sone I me enfors with diligence

  To byg a wallit cite of defens;

  Pargamea I namyt it, but baid:

  Our folkis than, that warryn blyth and glaid

  Of this kowth surname of our new cite,

  Exort I to graith howsis and leif in le,

  And rayss on hycht the strenth and fortaless.

  Our schippis or this ful weil we gart adress

  And lay almaist apon the dry sand.

  The ong men fortil laubour thar new land,

  And in honour of wedlok, as is the gyss,

  Makkis thar offerand and thar sacryfyss,

  And I thar statutis and seyr lawis thame tawcht,

  Assyngnand ilkane propir howsis and aucht,

  Quhen suddanly a cruel pest and traik,

  So that cornys and frutis goith to wraik,

  Throu the corruppit ayr and cowrss of hevyn,

  A dedly eir, far wers than I kan nevin,

  Fell on our membris with sik infectioun

  Was na remeid, cure nor correctioun;

  The sweit sawlis lefis the bodeis ded,

  Or seik thai ly gaspand in euery sted.

  And forthir eik, Syryvs, the frawart star,

  Quhilk clepit is the syng canicular,

  So brynt the feildis al was barrand maid;

  Herbis wolx dry, wallowyng, and gan to faid;

  The seik grond denyis hys fruyt and fudis.

  My fader exortis ws turn agane our fludis

  To Delos, and Apolloys answer speir,

  Besekyng hym of succurs ws to leir,

  Quhat end ontil our irksum panys he sendis,

  And be quhat way we mycht assay amendis

  Of this turbacioun, or quhidder and quhar that he

  Wil at we seik or set our cowrss our see.”

  Quhou Troiane goddys apperis tyll Enee,

  And how that he was stormstad on the see.

  “Cummyn is the nycht, that euery beist on grond

  Desiris rest by kynd, and slepis sovnd;

  Quhen that the figuris of our goddis blist,

  And the Phrigiane Penates, or I wist,

  Quhilkis from amyd the fyris of Troy I brocht

  Thidder with me, quhar I lay and slepit nocht,

  Gan to appeir standyng befor myne eyn:

  With ful gret lycht graithly I haue thame seyn,

  Quhar as the ful moyn schawing bemys brycht

  Inthrou the tyrlyst wyndo schane by nycht.

  Than said thai thus, with wordis to asswage

  My thochtis and my hevy sad curage:

  ‘That thing,’ quod thai, ‘quhilk Apollo wald sa

  And thou war brocht onto Ortygia,

  Heir he the schawis, and eik, as thou may se,

  Onrequirit hes send ws hidder to the.

  Quhen Troy was brynt, we followit thi prowes,

  Vnder thi gward to schip we wss address,

  Ourspannand mony swelland seys salt;

  And to the starnys eik we sal exalt

  The childryn for tocum of thine ofspryng;

  Thi cite sal we geif empyre to ryng

  Our al the erth. Tharfor to goddis grete

  Begyn to graith gret wallis and ryal sete;

  Leif not thi langsum lavbour, bot fle away;

  This duelling place thou mon change, we the say:

  Delyvs Apollo, certis, as thou thocht,

  Tocum onto this cost perswadit nocht

  Nor chargit neuer in Crete thou suld remane.

  A land thar is, in Grekis langage plane

  Hesperya clepit, a bald cuntre in weir,

  A fructuus grond of corn and richess seir,

  By Kyng Onotryvs inhabit first with wyne,

  Bot in our days laitly, the fame is syne,

  Eftir thar duke it is namyt Italy.

  Thar beyn our propir setis and our herbry;

  Tharof com Dardane and his brothir Iasyvs,

  And from that ilk prince, Schir Dardanus,

  Is the discens of our genealogy.

  Get vp onone, tel thi ald fader blythly

  Thir tythyngis, quhilk beyn trew and certan thing.

  Seik to Coryte and Italy the ryng,

  For the feildis in Crete neyr Dycteus

  Iupiter denyis to granting onto ws.’

  Of this visioun estonyst quhar I lay,

  And of tha wordis quhilkis the goddis gan say

  (For this wes nowthir dreym nor fantasy;

  Thar propir vissage befor me stand knew I,

  With garlandis and thar cirkillettis on thar hair;

  Thar figur saw I present to me thair —

  The cald sweit our al my body ran),

  Furth of my bed on fute son sprent I than,

  And, strekand vp my handis towart hevyn,

  Myne oryson I maid with devote stevyn;

  A cleyn sacrifyce and offerand maid I syne,

  Into the fyris ettand senss and wyne.

  The serymoneis endit, blyth and glaid

  To my fader per ordour al I said

  As e haue hard (quhat nedis tell agane?),

  And of this mater maid hym ful certane.

  Onone he knew our elderis dowtis ilk deill,

  And of our clan the dowbill stok full weill:

  He grantis the onkouth errour hym dissavit

  Of ancyant placis, quhilk he not persavit.

  Syne said he, ‘Son, thou irkit art algatis

  By the contrarius frawart Troiane fatis;

  Now I remembir only quhou Cassandra

  Ful oft maid mensioun of Hesperya

  And oft als of the realm hait Italy,

  Thir materis me declaring by and by.

  That land now knaw I destinate to our kyn,

  Bot quha wald haue belevit at euer within

  The realm of Itail Teucrus blude suld cum?

  Or quha wald than, mair than scho had bene dum,

  Set by the prophetess wordis Cassandra?

  Lat ws obey Phebus, and wend awa

  As we bene monyst, follow our chance, but pleys.’

  Thus said he, and we glaid al hym obeys:

  A few folkis thar left to kepe the town,

  This sted alsso leif we, and sail maid bown;

  In bowit bargis throu the large streym we slyde.

  Quhen sycht of land was tynt on euery syde,

  Sa that na cost apperis quhilk we mycht se,

  Bot the schippis haldand the deip see,

  The hevin abufe and fludis al abowt,

  A watry clowd, blak and dyrk but dowt,

  Gan tho appeir abone our hed ful rycht,

  And down a tempest sent als myrk as nycht.

  The streym apperis vgsum of the dym sky;

  The wyndis weltris the sey continualy

  That huge wallis boldynnys apon loft;

  Skatterit widequhar our the fame ful oft

  War our schippis, and the brythnes of day,

&n
bsp; Inuolvit al with clowdis, hyd away.

  The rayn and royk reft from ws sycht of hevin,

  The brokkyn skyis rappis furth thunderis levin;

  Forswiftit from our richt cowrss, gan we ar

  Amang the blynd wallis waverand far.

  For Palynurus him self maist expart,

  For al his cunnyng of schip man craft and cart,

  Amyd the sey foret the richt way,

  Denyand als that the nycht from the day

  He mycht discern be sycht of firmament.

  Apon sik wyss oncertanly we went

  Thre days wilsum throu the mysty streym,

  And als mony nychtis but starnys leym,

  That quhiddir was day or nycht oneith wist we.

  Bot at the last, on the ferd day we se

  On far the land appeir, and hillis ryss,

  The smoky vapour vpcasting on thar gyss.

  Down fallis salis, the aris sone we span;

  But mair abaid, the marineris euery man

  Egirly rollis our the fomy flude,

  And the haw sey weltis vp as thai war woid.

  Salve from the wallis at the costis of Strophe

  With al our navy first arryvit we.”

  Quhou till Ene the harpyes dyd gret wo,

  And of the drery prophete Celeno.

  “Strophades in Grew leid ar nemmyt so,

  In the gret sey standing ilis two,

  The quhilk sey clepit is Ionium;

  And, in thir ilandis quhidder we ar becum,

  Dwelt and inhabit the cruel Celeno,

  With all the otheris harpyes mony mo,

  Evir sen thai war expeld from the land

  Of Arcad, quhar Kyng Phyneus was dwelland,

  And for dreid at his tabil durst not remane.

  Mair wikkit monstreis than thai kan be nane,

  Nor nan mair cruel pestilens is fund,

  Nor fury of goddis that cummys from hellis grund,

  Furth of the flude of Stix that sory place.

  Thir fowlis hes a virgynys wlt and face,

  With handis like to bowland byrdis clewis,

  Bot the vile belleis of thai cursit schrewis

  Aboundis of fen maist abhomynabill,

  And pail al tyme thar mowthis miserabill

  For wod hungyr and gredy appetite.

  At this ilke cost as we arryvit als tyte

  And in the port entrit, lo! we se

  Flokkis and herdis of oxin and of fe,

  Fat and tydy, rakand our alquhar,

  And trippis eik of gait, but ony kepar,

  In the rank gyrss pasturyng on raw;

  With wapynnys thame we brittyn, but dreid or aw:

  To goddis syne and Iupiter we pray,

  And thame distribut a party of our pray,

  Syne eftir, endlang the sey costis bay,

  Vp sonkis set, and desys dyd array.

  To meit we sat with habundans of cheir,

  Quhen suddanly, with horribill dyn and beir,

  From the montanys the harpeis on vs fell

  With huge fard of weyngis and mony a ell.

  Our mesis and our mete thai reft away,

  And with thar laithly twich al thing fyle thai;

  Thar voce alsso was vgsum fortil heir,

  With sa corruppit flewyr nane mycht byde neir.

  From that place syne ontil a caif we went,

  Vndir a hyngand hewch, in a dern went,

  With treys closs bilappit rownd about,

  And thik harsk granyt pikis standing owt:

  Thar vp agane our tabillis haue we dicht

  And on the altaris bet the fyris bricht.

  Bot of the hevin agane from syndry artis,

  Out of quyet hyrnys, the rowt vpstartis

  Of thai birdis, with byr and mony a bray,

  And in thar crukyt clawis grippis the pray:

  Evir as thai fle about fra sete to sete,

  With thar vyle mowthis infek thai al our mete.

  Quhen I saw this, our feris command I than

  Tak thar wapynnys, and bargane euery man

  Agane tha cruell pepill or byrdis fell.

  As I thame chargit, schortly fortotell,

  Sone haue thai done, and, vnder the gerss al bair

  Ful prevaly thar swerdis in thai stair,

  And darnly eik thar targis al ourheildis,

  So that, quhen the sey costis and the feildis

  Resoundis at down come of thir harpeys,

  Mysenus, the wait, on the hie garet seys,

  And with his trumpet thame a takyn maid.

  Our falloschip thir fowlys gan invayd,

  And onkouth kynd of batail dyd assay,

  With wapynnys forto bet and dryve away

  Thir laithly sey byrdis of syk effeir.

  Bot thar was na dynt mycht thar fedderis scheir,

  Nor in thar bodeis wound ressave thai nane,

  Bot suddanly away tha wysk ilkane

  Furth of our sycht, heich vp in the sky;

  The pray half etyn behynd thame lat thai ly,

  With fut stedis vyle and laith to se.

  Ane, on a rolkis pynnakill perkit hie,

  Celeno clepit, a drery prophetess,

  Furth of hir breist thir wordis warpis express:

  ‘Theyfage lynnage of fals Laomedon,

  Address e thus to mak bargane onon?

  Becauss e have our oxin reft and slane,

  Brytnyt our styrkis and ong bestis mony ane,

  Schaip e, tharfor, harpeys expell and dyng,

  But ony offens, furth of thar faderis ryng?

  Ressave for that, and in our brestis enprent

  My wordis, quhilk I, gretast fury of torment,

  Schawis ou, that thing quhilk Iupiter maist hie

  Schew to Phebus, and brycht Phebus tald me.

  I knaw e set our cowrss to Italy:

  e cal eftir gude wyndis and prospir sky:

  To Itale sal e wend, and thar tak land.

  Bot first, or wallis of the cite vpstand

  Quhilk by the goddis is ou predestinate,

  For strang hungir sal e stand in sik state,

  In wraik of our iniuris and bestis slane,

  That with our chaftis to gnaw e salbe fane,

  And runge our tabillis al and burdis,’ quod sche,

  And sone away in the thik wod gan fle.

  The suddane dreid so stonyst our feris than,

  Thar blude congelit and al togiddir ran;

  Dolf wolx thar spretis, thar hie curage down fell,

  No mair thame lykis assayng sik batell,

  Bot, with offerandis and eik devot prayer,

  Thai wald we suld perdoun and pace requer,

  In cace gif thai war goddessis or fowlis,

  Vengeabill wightis or it laithly owlis.

  Bot our fader, hevand vp his handis,

  The gret goddis dyd call, and on the sandis

  Hallowis thar mycht with detful reverens:

  ‘O hie goddis, forbyd syk violens,

  Stanch this bost and ondo this myscheif,

  Salve petuus folkis, ameyss our wrath and greif,’

  Quod he, and tharwith chargit ankyrris haill,

  Do lowss the rabandis, and lat down the saill.

  The sowth wyndis stentis furth strait our schete;

  Swiftly we slyde our bullyrand wallys grete,

  And followit furth the sammyn went we have,

  Quhar so the wynd and sterysman ws drave,

  Quhil that amyd the fludis gan we se

  The woddy ile acynth with mony tre;

  Dulichium syne and Same we aspy,

  And Neritos with his rochis hie;

  By craggis and hewys of Itachia,

  That was Laertes realm, we slyde alswa,

  And fast we wary and cursyt oft, but less,

  That land quhilk bred the cruel Vlixes.

  Belyve the mysty toppys of mont Lewcas

  Apperis, quharon Appollois tempil was,

  That feirful is til euery mar
yner.

  Al wery of our vayage thidder we steir,

  And come onon afor the litil town,

  And of our forschip ankyrris leit we down:

  Endlang the costis syde our navy raid.

  And thus at last brocht to land blyth and glaid,

  Quhar as to have arryvit we not belevit,

  We clenge ws first, less Iupiter war aggrevit,

  Syne on the altaris kendillit sacrifyce,

  And langgis the channel, eftir the Troiane gyss,

  The active gemmys and sportis gart assay.

  Our falloschip excerss palestral play,

  As thai war wont at hame, with oyll envnte,

  Nakyt wreslyng and struglyng at nyce punte.

  Ioyvs thai war to haue eschapit at hand

  Sa mony citeis of the Grekis land,

  And to haue fled til salfte on this wyss

  Throu the myd rowtis of thar ennemyss.”

  Eneas arryvis at Epyria,

  And how he spak thar with Andromacha.

  “Be this the son had circulit his lang er,

  And frosty wyntir scharpit the watir cleir

  With cald blastis of the northin art.

  Quhen sesson come that tyme was to depart,

  Apon a post in the tempyl I hang

  A bowand scheild of plait, quhilk Abas strang

  Bair vmquhile, and, the maner to reherss,

  I notyfy and tytillis with this verss:

  ‘Eneas hec de Danais victoribus arma,’

  That is to say, ‘Eneas festnyt thus

  This armour of the Grekis victorius.’

  Syne, to depart of that havyn, I command

  Syt down on hechis and span aris in hand.

  Byssely our folkis gan to pyngil and stryve,

  Swepand the flude with lang rowthys belyve,

  And vp thai welt the stowr of fomy see,

  Quhil sone the citeis of Corsyra tyne we

  And vp we pyke the cost of Epyrus,

  And landyt thar at port Chaonyus,

  Syne to the hie town of Butrot ascendit,

  Quhar tythingis, oncredibill to thame not kend it,

  Come to our erys, schawyng that Helenus,

  The lauchful son of the kyng Priamus,

  Rang kyng our mony citeis in Greik land,

  Berand tharof the ceptre and the wand

  By resson of his spowss adionyt, but less,

  Be Pyrrus vmquhil son of Achilles;

  And that Andromacha wes wed agane

  Onto ane other husband and man Troiane.

  Heirof awondrit, with breist hait as fyre,

  Be fervent luf kendillit in gret desyre

  Our cuntre man to vissy and with hym talk,

  To knaw thir strange casys, on I stalk

  From the port, my navy left in the raid.

  That ilke sesson, percace, as I furth glaid,

  Befor the cite, in a schaw, I wys,

  Besyde the feneit flude of Symois,

  Andromache maid anniuersar sacrifyce