Complete Works of Virgil

by Virgil

  Stop and prolong thar fest and brydell day.

  Scho schowtis, “Hey how! Bacchus, god of wyne,

  Thow only art worthy to haue our virgyne,”

  And this with lovd voce cryis and schowtis sche.

  To the, Bacchus, scho rasyt eik on hie

  Gret lang speris, as thai standartis wer,

  With wyne tre branchis wippit on thar maner;

  To the scho led ryng sangis in caralyng,

  To the hir hair addressit leit down hyng.

  The fame heirof wyde our all dyd spreid,

  Quhill at the last the sammyn fury can spreid

  In all the matronys brestis of the land:

  Catchit with forss tha flok fra hand to hand,

  Thar howsis thai forhow and levis waist,

  And to the woddis socht as thai war chaist,

  And leit thar nekkis and hayr blaw with the wynd;

  Sum othiris went elland vnder the lynd,

  Quhill all the skyis of thar scryke fordynnys;

  And sum, war cled in pylchis of fowne skynnys,

  Into thar handis rasyt vp on hie

  The lang stowris, wond with the sweit wyne tre.

  Amyd thame all the queyn Amata gais,

  And fersly dyd a byrnand fyrrtre rayss,

  And of hir douchter eik and of Turnus yng

  The wedding sangis and ballettis dyd scho syng,

  With bludy eyn rollyng full thrawynly.

  Oft and rycht schrewitly wald scho clepe and cry:

  “Owt harro! matronys, quharso evir e be,

  All Latyn wyfis harkis now to me:

  Gif ony favouris or frendschip it remanys

  In our devote brestis, amangis thir planys,

  Of the onhappy mother Amata,

  Gif ony thocht remordis our myndis alssua

  Of the effectuus piete maternall,

  Lowss hed bandis, schake down our haris all,

  Walk in this wod heir caraland with me,

  Syng Bacchus sangis, sen na bettir may be.”

  Quhou Alecto persuadit hess Turnus

  To move batale incontrar Latinus.

  Alecto thus, amang the woddis dern,

  Mony wild bestis den and depe cavern,

  Into sic rage this ilk Queyn Amata

  With Bacchus fury catchis to and fra.

  And efter that this wikkit fals goddes

  Thocht scho had scharpit weill eneuch, I gess,

  The first fury of sa dolorus rage,

  Fortyll distrubbill the forsaid mariage,

  And quyte pervert or turnyt top our taill

  Latynus howshald, purposs and counsale,

  But mar delay, with wallowit weyngis sche

  Wiskis from thyne onto the wallis hie

  Of the curageus Rutiliane Turnus,

  Quhilk cite the douchter of Acrysyus,

  Fair Danas, fundyt for hir men and hir,

  Drevin to that cost with the south wyndis bir;

  Quhilk sted was sumquhile clepit Ardea,

  Fra Ardea, a fowle, it namyt swa,

  And, to this day, the forsaid riall hame

  Be fortoun brukis of Ardea the name.

  Within tha hyghty boundis Turnus rycht

  Lay stil at rest amyddis the dirk nycht.

  Alecto hir thrawin vissage dyd away,

  Al furyus membris laid apart and array,

  And hir in schap transformyt of a trat,

  Hyr forret skorit with runclys and mony rat,

  And with a vaill ourspred hir lyard hair,

  A branch of olyve tharto knyttis ar;

  Of Iunoys tempill semyt scho tobe

  The nun and trattes, clepit Calybe.

  Befor the visage of this stowt ong knycht

  Present hir self, with thir wordis on hicht:

  “Turnus, quhat, wylt thou suffir this ondocht,

  Thy lang travale and laubour be for nocht,

  And thy ceptre and crown delyuerit be

  To on banyst new cum Troiane mene?

  The kyng Latyn the spousage of Lavyne,

  And thy dowry, bocht with thy blude and pyne,

  Denyis forto grant the, or ellis ocht,

  And to succeid in his realm hess besocht

  Ane alienar, born of ane oncouth land.

  Pass now thy way, and set the to ganestand

  Thir perellis, but all thankis or gayneld!

  Sen thou art mokkit, go down bet in feld

  The ostis of Hethruria, and syne

  Defend in peax and rest the folk Latyne.

  Almychty Saturnus douchtir aluterly,

  As thou be nycht thus doith at quiet ly,

  Bad me schaw planely all thir thingis to the.

  Haue done therfor, assembil this cuntre,

  Addres thy fensabill men in thar array,

  Enarmyt glaidly move and hald our way

  Towart the portis or havynnys of the see,

  And set apon on sam Troiane mene.

  Dryve thar chiftanys of this land, but hone,

  Thar pantit carvellis byrn. So to bedone

  The gret power of hevynly goddis dyvyne

  Commandit hes, decret and determyn.

  Lat Kyng Latynus feil to his awyn harmys,

  And haue experiens of the, Turnus, in armys,

  Bot he the grant to wife his child Lavyne,

  And kepe to the hys promyss and convyne.”

  The yng man mokkand at the prophetes,

  Herand sic speche, answeris with mouth express:

  “It standis not so as thou wenys, but weris:

  The messynger is nocht gone by myne erys,

  Full lang or now, quhou that a strange navy

  Arryvit in this Tibris streme fast by.

  Fene na cawsis me fortill effray:

  Weyn not me list my purposs leif na nay,

  Nor ryall Iuno, quene of realmys all,

  List our querrell foret, nor thoil we sall.

  Bot, O ald dame, thy vile onweldy age,

  Ourset with hasart hair and faynt dotage,

  Quhilk voyd is of all treuth and verite,

  In sic curys invane occupyis the,

  And the dissavis, as prophet, be fals dreid,

  That gevis thi mynd tharon thou has na heid,

  As forto treyt of batalis betweix kyngis.

  Thyne occupatioun standis on othir thingis,

  Quhilk suld haue cure of nocht alanerly

  Bot goddis tempillis and ymagis to spy:

  Thoill men of pess and wer carp and rehers,

  Quhamto pertenys the batalis to exers.”

  At sic wordis Alecto, hait as fyre,

  Brynt in hir fury rage and felloun ire,

  So that, the ong man spekand, suddanly

  The trymlyng hynt all membris of his body;

  His eyn stud abasyt in his hed;

  This hellis monstre, full of wreth and fed,

  Hyssyt and quhislyt with sa feill eddir sondis,

  And hir figour sa grysly gret abundis,

  With glowrand eyn byrnand of flawmys blak.

  Turnus awondryng styntis and drawis abak,

  And, as he purposit mekill mar to say,

  Insted of haris scho rasit vp serpentis tway,

  And of hir scurge the sound scho made him heir;

  With rageand mouth syne said and fellown beir:

  “Behald, is this my vile onweldy age,

  Ourset with hasart hair and faynt dotage,

  Quham eild, void of al trewth and verite,

  Be fals dreid dissavys so?” quod sche.

  “As forto treyt of batale betwix kyngis,

  Behald gif it so be, consider thir syngis!

  Lo me present, ane of the sisteris thre,

  Infernal fureis of feirfull hellis see!

  Se, I bar in my handis and power

  The ded of batalis and the mortale wer.”

  And sayand thus, at this ilk fers yng knycht

  Ane hait fyre brand kest scho byrnand brycht,

  And in hys breste this
furyus lemand schide

  With dedly smok fixit deyp can hyde.

  The huge dreid with this dissoluyt his slepe,

  Our all his body bristling furth dyd crepe

  The warm swait throw euery lith and bane,

  And all enragit can eftir harnes frane;

  Armour all wytles in his bed sekis he,

  Armour our all the lugyng law and hie.

  The gret curage of irne wapynnys can waid

  Cruell and wild, and all his wyt invaid

  In wikkit wodnes batale to desire,

  Quharon he byrnys hait in felloun ire —

  Lyke as quhen that the ingill of stikkis dry

  With blesand sownd is layd to by and by,

  About the sydis of the pot playing,

  The licour sparklis for the heyt bulyng;

  Within, the fervent bullyr violent

  Of watir makyng reky froith vpsprent;

  So swellis vp the skum and bellis bedene,

  The veschell may na mar the broth contene,

  Bot furth it poplys in the fyre heir and thar,

  Quhill vp fleys the blak stew in the air.

  And for alsmekill as Turnus thus was stad,

  The gretast of hys chiftanys go he bad

  To Kyng Latyn, and him declar, but wer,

  The paix was brokyn, and he wald move the were;

  To graith thar armour fast commandis he,

  To defend Ital, and of thar awin cuntre

  Thar ennemyss expell and dryve; as it

  He was eneuch for baith, he leyt thame wyt,

  Baith to recuntyr the Latynys and Troianys.

  Quhen this was said, and, on sik wyss as ganys,

  The goddis callit tobe in thar helping,

  Than bissely Rutilianys, our all thing,

  Can athir othir fast exhort and pray

  On thar best wyss for werfar to purvay.

  Sum the maste semly farrand personage

  Tistys to the feild, to preif his grene curage,

  Sum on his outhed, and his thewes gude;

  Sum is movit throw hys ryall blude,

  For hys progenitouris noble kyngis wer;

  And sum war eik inducit to the weir

  For hie prowes knawin in ilke landis,

  And dedis wrocht maste knychtly with his handis.

  Ascanyus huntand hass a taym hart hurt,

  Quhilk was the first moving of strife and sturt.

  Quhill Turnus on this wyss, about all partis,

  In the Rutilyanys rasys hardy hartis,

  Alecto towart Troianys, but mair tary,

  With hir infernall weyngis furth can cary.

  By ane new slycht a place spyit hes sche,

  Quhar, for the tyme, by the cost of the see,

  The yng semly Ascanyus at solace

  Dyd hunt the wild deir, followyng the chace.

  Thar suddanly this hellis wench infest

  Ane hasty fury on his hundis kest;

  Thar ness thirlys with a sover sent

  Scho fillis so, that bissely thai went

  Eftir the fute of a taym hart, quhilk thing

  Was the first causs of weirfar and fechtyng,

  And first sterit the wild fosteris fell

  To move debait, or mak thame for batell.

  This hart of body was baith gret and squar,

  With large hed, and tyndis burnyst far,

  Quham childir of ane Tyrrheus thame amang,

  Reft from his moderis pap, had nurysit lang;

  Tyrrheus thar fader was fee master and gyde

  Of studis, flokkis, bowis and heirdis wide,

  As storour to the kyng, dyd kepe and ym,

  Of the large plane all trast was gevin to hym.

  Full dantit and full taym at thar command

  Was so becum this best, that, but demand,

  Siluya thar sister with all diligens

  Arrayt hym of flowris sweit as sens;

  Oft plet scho garlandis for his tyndis hie;

  The deir also full ofttyme kem wald sche,

  And feil syss wesch intil a fontane cleir.

  Full weil sufferit hir handis the tame deir,

  And was accustomyt so quhen he list eyt,

  At his awin masteris burd to seik his meyt.

  Our all the woddis wald he raik ilk day,

  And at evin tide return hame the strecht way

  Till hys lugyng weilbekend, fute hait,

  All by him self, war the nycht neuer so lait.

  This hart, errand far from hys resset,

  Ascanyus wod hundis ombeset,

  As that, per cace, for the hait sonnys gleme,

  He held doun swymmand the cleir ryver streme,

  To cuyll hys heyt vnder a gresy bra.

  Ascanyus the child hym self alssua,

  Byrnyng in desire of sum notable renown,

  With nokkyt bow ybent all reddy bown,

  Wenand hym wilde, leyt sone ane arow glide;

  The goddes was all reddy fast besyde,

  That can hys hand address but waveryng;

  The flane flaw fast with a spang fra the stryng;

  Throw owt the wame and entrellis all, but stynt,

  The scharp hedit schaft duschit with the dynt.

  The deir, so dedly woundit and to laym,

  Onto his kynd resset can fleyng hame,

  And entrys in his stall, and that onon,

  All blude besprent, with mony grank and gron,

  And like a man besocht help and supple;

  With hys plenyng all the howss fillis he.

  Siluya, the eldast sister, with a schowt,

  Hir handis clappyng fast hir schulderis abowt,

  Cryis efter help, and can togidder call

  The landwart folkis and dowr foresteris all.

  Thai tho assemblit to the fray in hy

  And flokkis furth rycht fast onwarnystly,

  For the ilk fury pestilenciall that hour

  Full prevely in the dern wod dyd lowr

  To cast on thame slely hir feirfull rage,

  That furth vpstartis bath wife, man and page,

  He with a burdon of ane lang stif tre,

  The poynt scharpit and brynt a litill we,

  He with a knotty club and knorry hed;

  Quhat ilk man fand first reddy in that sted,

  Sekand a swerd, new rynnand fra the pleuch,

  Thar greif maid that thing wapyn gud eneuch.

  Tyrrheus, the master storour, in a rowt

  The churlys all assemlyt hym abowt,

  Quhar as, per cace, byssy with weggis he

  Stude schidand a four squarit akyn tre,

  With mony pant, with fellon hauchis and quakis,

  Als oft the ax rebundit of the strakis.

  This cruell goddes, feirful Alecto,

  Fortill ennoy hir tyme espyit tho,

  And spelis vp ful sone, as scho war wod,

  Apon a heich stabill quhar that bestis stude.

  Right bustuusly apon the rufe on hie

  The hyrdys ensene lowd vp trumpis sche,

  And in a bowand horn, at hir awin will,

  A feyndlich hellis voce scho liltis schill,

  At quhais sovnd all trymlyt the forest,

  The dern woddis resondit est and west,

  The blast was hard thens mylis mony ane

  At the deip lowch of Triuia or Dyane;

  The dyn was hard eik ellis quhar ful far

  At the sulphuryus quhite ryvar callit Nar,

  And at the laik or fontane of Velyne.

  Baith to and fro our all the cuntre syne

  Wemen and moderis, effrayt of this cace,

  Thar yng childring fast to thar brestis dyd brace.

  Than spedely, with haste and bissy far,

  The laubouraris ondantit heir and thar

  Hynt wapynnys, and assemlyt on euery side

  Towart the sovnd, quhar as the trump that tyde

  With dedly voce blew this feirfull syng:

  The Troiane power alsso can
furth thring

  With haill rowtis, Ascanyus to reskew.

  The batalis war adionyt now of new,

  Nocht in maner of landwart folkis bargane

  With hard blokkis raschand all ourane,

  Nor blunt steyngis of the byrsillit tre,

  Bot with scharp scherand wapynnys maid melle.

  The grond blaknyt and feirfull wolx alssua:

  Of drawyn swerdis sclentyng to and fra

  The brycht mettale, and othir armouris seir,

  Quharon the sonnys blenkis betis cleir,

  Glitteris and schane, and vnder bemys brycht

  Castis ane new twynklyng or a lemand lycht.

  This stour sa bustuus begouth to ryss and grew,

  Lyke as the sey changis first hys hew

  In quhite lippiris by the wyndis blast;

  Syne peiss and peys, the flude boldnys so fast,

  Quhill finaly the wallis vprysis mar,

  That fra the grund it warpis vp in the air.

  At the first cuntre into this bargane

  Almon, Tyrrheus eldast son, was slane,

  A fair yng springald, quhilk caucht dedis wond

  Throw dynt of arrow schot with felloun sound,

  That smate hym rycht evin in at the halss bone;

  The loppirrit blude stoppyt hys aynd onone,

  And closyt in of lyfe the tendir spreit.

  Abowt hym fell down ded, and lost the sweit,

  Mony of the hyrdmen, amangis quham was ane,

  The eldar Galesus, as that he allane

  Offerit hym self amyd the ostis tway,

  To treit concord of pess and of the fray,

  Quhilk was the iustast of a rurall man

  And mychtyast in hys tyme levyng than;

  Our all the boundis of Ausonya

  Hys fyve flokkis pasturyt to and fra,

  Fyve bowis of ky ontil his hame reparit,

  And with ane hundreth plewis the land he aryt.

  Fra the first slauchter maid apon this wyss,

  Turnus and al the pepill for batal cryis.

  And as this bargane on this maner eid

  In plane feld and evinly batale sted,

  This hellis goddes, ioysing at hir will

  Hir promys, quhilk scho hecht forto fulfill,

  Alssone as was this gret melly begun,

  The erth littyt with blude and al ourrun,

  And the first slauchter was commyt and done

  In dedly weir; than Italy alssone

  Scho levis, and with swift fard can do fle

  Throw owt the skyis to the hevynnys hie,

  Haiffand hir purpos, said with woce ful prowd,

  Onto Iuno thus spak scho throw a clowd:

  “Lo, now, discord perfornyst, as thou wald,

  With schrewit batale and carys monyfald!

  In tender frendschip lat thame now convene,

  Knyt vp allyance and falloschip bedene,

  Sen that I haue the Troianys all bysprent

  With blude of the Italyanys, or I went,

  And, gif thi mynd be ferm tharto with me,