Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

Wyss walit men sal dedicate and sacre;

  So that thou write nocht on the levis thi wordis

  For dreid al turn bot til a mok or bourdis,

  Gif that the wynd thame skattir and blaw away.

  Pronunce it with thyne awin mowth, I the pray.”

  Tharwith he held hys pace and said no mor.

  Bot than Sibill the prophetes, ful or

  Within the cave, as half enragit wight,

  Kouth nocht contene of Phebus the gret mycht;

  And evir the mair scho hyr enforcys ay

  The gret god from hir breist dryve away,

  The mor he gan invaid hir and infest,

  Hir rageand mowth and fers hart, as him lest,

  Danting at wil, and forgeand hir sayngis;

  Scho was constrenyt to schaw al suthfast thingis.

  The answeris and the wordys to and fra

  Betwix Eneas and this Sibilla.

  The hundreth gret durris of that howss, with this,

  At thar awin willis warpit wide, I wys,

  And brocht the prophetis ansuer to thar erys:

  “O Eneas, that, eftir mony heris,

  Now finaly hess dryve to end,” quod sche,

  “Sa mony huge gret dangeris of the see!

  Bot on the land, I tel ou al and sum,

  Far grettar perellis remanys forto cum.

  The Troiane pepill to the realm of Lavyne

  Sal cum (that is determyt be goddis dyvyne;

  Out of thi mynde sik dowtis do away),

  Bot forthirmor, I wil onto the say,

  Quhen thai the grond of Italy haue nummyn,

  Thai sal desyre neuer thiddir to haue cummyn.

  Batalis, horribil batalis, to conclude,

  I now behald, and Tibris, the gret flude,

  For gret habundance of blude on spait walx reid.

  Nowdyr Exanth nor Symois in that sted

  Sal thou myss, nor it the Grekis army.

  Thou sal befor the fynd in Italy

  Ane othir Achil, born als of a goddes,

  Nor Iuno, Troianys persewar expres,

  Sal neuer mair faile in our contrary.

  And quhen thou art thar, as thou waldbe cary,

  Of succurss and of help al desolate,

  Quhat pepill, and quhat citeis than, God wait,

  In Ital salt thou beseik of supple!

  Few sal remane onrequerit, trast me.

  The causys of al this myscheif and pane,

  Ane othir woman, a fremmyt gest agane

  For the Troianys, is tobe spowss and wed,

  A strange bride, or scho be brocht to bed.

  Withdraw the from na perellis, nor hard thrist,

  Bot evir inforss mair strangly to resist

  Agane dangeris, than fortune sufferis the.

  our first reskew of succurss and supple

  Furth of a Gregioun cite salbe schaw,

  Quhilk thou leste wenys, a wondir thing to knaw.”

  Furth of hir secret closet, thus onane,

  Sik sawis warpis this Sibilla Cwmane,

  Horribil answeris, ful dowtsum to consave,

  Quhar as scho sat rumysand in hir cave,

  In subtel wordis of obscurite

  Involupand the trewth and verite;

  For on sik wyss Apollo hir refrenys,

  Bridillis hir sprete, and, as him list, constrenys,

  From hir hart pipis his fers brod withdrawing.

  As the divyne fury gan first sessing,

  And eik hir ragiand mowth begouth to rest,

  Godly Eneas begynnys als prest,

  And said: “Virgyn, na kynd of pane may ryss

  Onknaw to me, of new that may me gryss;

  Or now I am warnyt of al sik chance,

  And hess thame rollit in my remembrance.

  Bot a thing I beseik the and requeir;

  Sen the entress and port, thai sai, bene heir,

  Of the infernal king, and the layk dyrk

  Of Acheron, gorgeit with fludis myrk,

  Thocht it be rycht difficil, it grant me

  Thai quent realmys I may behald and se,

  And cum onto my deir faderis sight;

  Thiddir the passage, and al ways rycht,

  Do teche me, and tha secret portis onschet.

  I hym delyuerit amyd from flambis het,

  And on thir schulderis careit him away,

  A thousand speris followand to assay,

  From myd ennymeis brocht him to salfte;

  In my vayage, accumpaneit with me,

  He went throu owt al seys and strange strandis,

  All maner perrellis of fludis, stremys, and sandis,

  And stormys of the hevin, thocht he was waik;

  He sufferit and sustenyt, for my saik,

  Ful huge pane, as he had beyn a page,

  Abufe the strenth and common curss of age.

  And forthir he me chargit and gan beseik

  To the, lady, I reuerently suld seik,

  And pass hiddir to thi sted and dwelling place.

  Haue reuth now, haly woman, schaw sum grace

  Baith to the son and fader, I requeir,

  For thou may do all thing, I wait, but weir —

  Ne not but gude resson, ful weil I knaw,

  Beside Avernus, our hir hallowit schaw,

  Proserpyn maid the patron and mastres.

  Gif Orpheus mycht reduce agane, I gess,

  From hell his spousis gost with his sweit stringis,

  Playand on his harp of Trace sa plesand springis;

  Or gif Pollux redemyt his broder Castor,

  As he that was immortal get and boyr,

  Partyng with him his immortalite,

  Athir for other sufferand forto de,

  That ych of thame, by coursis alternate,

  Sa oft gais and returnys that gait;

  Is it nocht anys lesum I pass that way?

  Of Thesyus quhat nedis mair to say,

  Or of the strang maste dowchty Hercules,

  Quhilk thiddir went with sa gret forss and press?

  Am I nocht eik discend from Iupiter?”

  Sik prayer maid he, grippand the altar,

  Quhil thus begouth the prophetess speke agane:

  “Of goddis blude, Anchises son Troiane,

  It is richt facil and eith gait, I the tell,

  Forto discend and pass on down to hell;

  The blak ettis of Pluto and that dirk way

  Standis evir oppin and patent nycht and day:

  Bot tharfra to return agane on hyght,

  And heir abufe recovir this aris licht,

  That is difficil wark, thar lawbour lyis.

  Ful few thar bene, quhom heich aboue the skyis

  Thar ardent vertu hass rasit and vphyeit,

  Or it quhom equal Iupiter deifyit,

  Thai quhilk bene gendrit of goddis, may thidder attayn.

  Al the myd way is wildirnes onplayn,

  Or wilsum forest, and the laithly flude

  Cochytus, with his drery bosum onrude,

  Flowis enveroin rownd about that place.

  Bot gif sa gret desyre and luf thou hass

  Twyss til our sayll of Stix the dedly layk,

  And twyss behald blak hellis pyt of wraik,

  Or sa huge laubour delytis the,” quod scho,

  “Harkyn quhat first behuffis the to do.

  Amyd a rank tre lurkis a goldin bewch,

  With aurial levis, and flexibill twystis tewch,

  Onto Iuno infernal consecrate,

  That standis lowkit abowt and obumbrate

  With dirk schaddowis of the thik wod schaw.

  Bot it is na wyss lesum, I the schaw,

  Thir secret ways vndir the erd to went,

  Quhil of the tre this goldin grayn be rent;

  Fair Proserpyn hess institut and command

  To offer hir this, hir awin propir presand.

  Ane other goldin grane, to the ilk effect,

  Thou sal nocht myss, thocht the first be down brek;
r />   Incontinent evir of the sammyn mettall

  Sik a lyke branch sal burgion furth withall.

  The nedis, tharfor, to hald thine eyn on hight,

  It forto serss and seik; syne all at right,

  Quhen it is fund, thou hynt it in thi hand.

  For, gif it list, esely that sammyn wand,

  Of the awin will, sal follow thi grip fut hait,

  Gif so the fatis wil thou pass that gait;

  Or ellis be na strenth thou sal it ryve,

  Nor kut in twa with wapyn, sword or knyve.

  And mair atour, beforn the in the place,

  At thou ne wait, of thi deyr frend, allace!

  Onerdyt lyis of new the ded body,

  That with hys corps infekkis al thi navy,

  The self tyme slane thow askand our answer

  And in this place remanys with ws heir.

  First se that hym to hys lang hame thou haue,

  And, as efferis, gar bery law in grave.

  Til his funeral entyre, or sacrifyss,

  Do bring the blak bestis, as is the gyss;

  Lat tha be our first expiationys,

  And clenging graith, eftir our serymonys.

  So at the last, of Stix the cayrful schaw,

  And realmys wilsum for levand men to knaw,

  Thou salbehald,” quod scho, and tho gan sess,

  Hir mowth clappit to giddir, and held hir pess.

  Of Mysenus entyrment at was slane,

  And quhou Eneas fand the goldin grane.

  Ene, with drery cheir and eyn down cast,

  Levand the cave, furth on his way is past,

  And in his breste gan rollyng all on raw

  Thir onkouth chancis, wondir strange to knaw.

  Achates, hys traste frend, furth by hym went,

  Ilk step and payss musyng the sammyn entent,

  Ful mony diuerss sermondis betwix thame two

  Talkand and carpand oft quhar as tha go,

  Dowtsum quhilk of thar feris this mycht be

  The prophetes thame tald was done to de,

  Or quhat corps was this scho thame bad bery.

  And, as thai come apon the strandis dry,

  Thai gan behald, ligging in the ilk sted,

  Mysenus new slane be onworthy ded,

  Mysenus, Eolus son, nane mair cunnand

  Ostis to assembill with brasyn trump in hand,

  That with his sovnd and weirly blastis oftsyss

  The martial curage maid in brestis ryss.

  Sum tyme he was ane of gret Hectoris feris;

  About Hector evir hantit he the werys,

  Now blawing with hys trump maste craftely,

  Now with a speir ionand hys mastir by.

  Eftir Achil reft him the lyfe in wer,

  Til dowchty Ene this forcy chyvaler

  Adionyt hess him self in falloschip,

  A man of na less prowes nor wirschip.

  Bot now, percace, with his boyss trump as he

  Went onprovisitly blawand by the see,

  To stryfe prouoking the goddis with his springis,

  Gif it be lesum to trast sa schameful thingis,

  Triton the god, havand tharat dispite,

  Or he was war, hym hyntis and dyd smyte

  Amang the fomy rolkis law adown,

  And in the salt wallys the man gan drown.

  Quharfor about his corps with gret clamour

  The Troianys stude murnand, and maid dolour;

  Bot principaly the rewthfull Eneas.

  Sibillais heste, as he commandit was,

  Tho sped in haist forto perform weping;

  For the sepulcre funerale fyre or byng,

  Ane hepe of treis thai press onone to dycht,

  And vp onto the hevynnys rayss on hight.

  Ontil ane ancyent forest socht thai then,

  Entrand in mony dern wild bestis den;

  Ful of roset down bet is the fyr tre,

  Smyte with the ax dyd rayr the akis hie,

  Gret eschin stokkis tumlys to the grond,

  With weggeis schydit gan the byrkis sovnd,

  The felloun elmys weltis down the hillys.

  Ene him self alsso, with ful gude willys

  Into sik warkis, with the first, al day

  For tobe bissy gan hys feris pray,

  With lwme in hand fast wirkand lyke the laif;

  And in hys breste gan to and fra consaif,

  Ful hevely, thir materis war betyde,

  Behaldand the large wod on athir syde,

  Thar as he stude thus makand hys prayer:

  “Wald God on goldyn branch list now appeir,

  And kyth the self to ws in this forest!

  Sen lo, al thing the prophetes exprest

  Of the, Mysenus, ar our trew, allace!”

  Skars war thir wordis said, quhen, in that place,

  A payr of dowis fra hevin come with a flycht,

  And richt forgane the mannys face dyd lycht,

  And on the grene sward thar place tuke law.

  This rial prynce, alssone as he thame saw,

  His moderis byrdis knew, and blithly than

  Hys orison hess maid, and thus began:

  “O haly fowlys, gif the way may be went,

  Be e my gydis to compleit myne entent.

  Address our courss throu owt the ayr in hy

  Onto that haly schaw, with soyl myghty,

  Quhar as that rych branch the grond ourheildis.

  And e, my blissit moder, that our beild is

  Into this dowtsum cace, be nocht away:

  I ou beseik be favorabill to our way.”

  And prayand thus, efter the spamen werd,

  He prentit baith his futsteppis in the erd,

  Behaldand redly quhat syngnys thai schaw,

  Or quhidder thai mark, etand, pasyng on raw.

  Thai at the last gan flychtir furth a space,

  Half stalkand on the grond a soft pace,

  Sa fer befor Achates and Ene

  As thai mycht weil behald thame with thar e.

  And alssone as thai come to the entre

  Of Avernus, that stynkand hellys see,

  Vprayss thai swyftly, and in the moste ayr

  Flaw furth, and syne gan alycht and repair

  Apon thar segyss, quhar thame list tobe,

  Of diuerss naturis perkit on the tre,

  Throw quhais branchis, of seir hewis mony ane,

  The brycht glittyrrand goldin cullour schane.

  Lyke as ful oft, in chil wyntiris tyde,

  The gum or glew, amyd the woddis wide,

  Is wont to seym allow on the grane new,

  Quhilk nevir of that treis substance grew,

  With saffron hewit frute doyng furth sprowt,

  Circulis and wymplis rownd bewis abowt —

  Siklyke was of this gold the figur brycht,

  That burgionyt fayr on the rank akis hycht.

  Evir as the branch for pypand wynd reboundit,

  The goldin schakeris ratlis and resoundit.

  Eneas smertly hynt the grayn at schone,

  And but delay hess rent it dovn anone;

  Desyrus to compleit hys way alssua,

  Bair it onto the hald of Sibilla.

  And netheless Troianys, this ilk tyde,

  Mysenus deth bewalit at the cost syde,

  Onto the dolorus onsilly body

  Funeral seruyce completand by and by.

  At the begynnyng first vp hie thai beild

  A huge munge or byng amyd the feild,

  Of dry ayk schydis and fat roset treys;

  Al sydis tharof, als fer as ony seys,

  Was dek and coverit with thir dedly bewis,

  And wild cipress, the tre of mortall hewys;

  The top abufe arrayt was at richt,

  And adornyt with schynand armour bricht.

  Sum spedis to graith hait watir bissely

  In caldronys playand on the fyre fast by;

  The cald ded corps is weschin and invnct,


  Enbalmyt with rich gummys euery iunct.

  Thai schowting, gowling and clamour abowt him maid;

  The body syne bewalit haue thai laid

  In a soft bed, and thar abuf was spred

  Purpour robbis, quharwith he wont was cled.

  Sum on thar schulderis the gret beir vpbair,

  A dulful office, with mony sob and rayr,

  And, as the maner of tendir frendis is,

  For sorow thar facis writhis away, I wys,

  Puttand the kyndling in with hait fyre brand.

  Gret hepis of censs vpblesit fra hand to hand;

  Cowpis and goblettis, warpit in the fyre,

  Ful of oyl dolyve, brynt vp brycht and schire.

  Efter all was fallin in puldir and in ass,

  And the gret heit of flambis quynchit was,

  The reliqueis and the dry ammeris syne

  Thai sloknyt, and gan weschin with sweit wyne.

  The banys, walit by and naitly chosit,

  Choryneus in a brassyn twn hess closit;

  And this ilk man his feris al, but dowt,

  With cleyn watir clengit thryss abowt,

  Strinkland a litil dewing, as was the gyss,

  With the branch of a happy olyve thryss;

  He purgit and aspergit weil the men,

  The lattir word, “Al in done!” said he then.

  Eneas tho gart vp erekkit be

  A sepultur, of ful huge quantite,

  In takynnyng of the mannys instrumentis,

  Ane ayr and eik a trumpet tharon prentis,

  Vndir the mont, vmquhile Aeryus

  Was clepit, quhilk now is hait Mysenus,

  Eftir his name callit perpetualy,

  That evir sal his memor testify.

  Of Eneas sacrifyis be nycht,

  And quhou to hel he tuk the way ful rycht.

  This beand done, Sibillais commandment

  Ene addressis perform incontinent.

  Thar stude a dirk and profound cave fast by,

  A hidduus hoill, deip gapand and grisly,

  All ful of cragis and of thir scharp flynt stanys,

  Quhilk was weil dekkit and closit for the nanys

  With a fowle layk, als blak as ony craw,

  And skuggis dym of a ful dern wod schaw,

  Abufe the quhilk na fowle may fle but skath.

  Exalationys or vapouris blak and laith

  Furth of that dedly golf thrawis in the air,

  Sik wyss na byrd may thiddir mak repair;

  Quharfor Grekis Avernus clepis this sted,

  The place bot fowlis to say, or pyt of ded.

  Heir first Ene, at this ilk entre vyle,

  Fowr ong stottis addressit, blak of pyle;

  The nun Sibilla ressauys thame, and syne

  Amyd thar forhedis quhelmyt on cowpis of wyne,

  And of thar top, betwix the hornys twa,

  The ovirmast haris hass scho pullit awa,

  And in the haly ingil, as was the gyss,

  Kest thame, in maner of the first sacrifice,