Kitabı oku: «The Æneid of Virgil Translated Into Scottish Verse», sayfa 42

HEIR THE TRANSLATOUR OF THIS BUK MAKIS MENSIOUN OF THRE OF HYS PRYNCIPALL WARKIS

 
Lo thus, followand the flowr of poetry,
The batellys and the man translait haue I:
Quhilk ȝoir ago in myne ondantit ȝouth,
Onfructuus idylnes fleand, as I couth,
Of Lundeys Lufe the Remeid dyd translait;
And syne of hie Honour the Palyce wrait;
Quhen paill Aurora, with face lamentabill,
Hir russet mantill bordowrit all with sabill, &c.
 

TO KNAW THE NAYM OF THE TRANSLATOUR

 
The Gaw onbrokkyn mydlyt with the Wyne,
The Dow jonyt with the Glas richt in a lyne:
Quha knawys nocht the Translatouris naym,
Seik na forthar, for lo, with litill pyne
Spy leill this vers; men clepys hym swa at haym.
 

Quod the compilar G. D.

THE PROLOUG OF THE THRETTENE BUKE OF ENEADOS EKIT TO VIRGILL BE MAPHEUS VEGIUS

 
Towart the evyn, amyd the symmyris heit,
Quhen in the Crab Appollo held hys sete,
Duryng the joyus moneth tyme of June,
As gone neir was the day, and supper doyn;
I walkyt furth abowt the seildis tyte,
Quhilkis tho replenyst stud full of delyte,
With herbys, cornys, catal, and frute treis,
Plente of stoir, byrdis and byssy beys
In amerant medis fleand est and west,
Eftir laubour to tak the nychtis rest.
And as I lukit on the lift me by,
All byrnand red gan walxin the evyn sky:
The son enfyrit haill, as to my sight,
Quhirlit about hys ball with bemys brycht,
Declynand fast towart the north in deid,
And fyry Phlegon, his dun nychtis steid,
Dowkit hys hed sa deip in fludis gray
That Phebus rollis doun vndir hell away;
And Esperus in the west with bemys brycht
Vpspryngis, as forrydar of the nycht.
Amyd the hawchis, and euery lusty vaill,
The recent dew begynnys doun to scaill,
To meys the byrnyng quhar the son had schyne,
Quhilk tho was to the neddir warld declyne:
At euery pilis poynt and cornys croppis
The techrys stude, as lemand beryall droppis,
And on the hailsum herbis, cleyn but wedis,
Lyke cristal knoppis or smal siluer bedis.
The lyght begouth to quynchyng owt and faill,
The day to dyrkyn, declyne, and devaill;
The gummys rysis, doun fallis the donk rym,
Baith heir and thar scuggis and schaddois dym:
Vpgois the bak with hir pelit ledderyn flycht,
The lark discendis from the skyis hycht,
Syngand hir complyng sang, eftir hir gys,
To tak hir rest, at matyn hour to rys:
Owt our the swyre swymmys the soppis of myst,
The nycht furthspred hir cloke with sabill lyst,
That all the bewte of the fructuus feld
Was with the erthis vmbrage cleyn ourheld;
Baith man and beste, fyrth, flude, and woddis wild,
Involuyt in tha schaddois warryn syld.
Still war the fowlis fleis in the air,
All stoir and catall seysit in thar lair,
And euery thing, quharso thame lykis best,
Bownys to tak the hailsum nychtis rest
Eftir the days laubour and the heyt.
Closs warryn all and at thar soft quyet,
But sterage or removing, he or sche,
Owder best, byrd, fysch, fowle, by land or sey:
And schortlie, euery thing that doith repare
In firth or feild, flude, forest, erth or ayr,
Or in the scroggis, or the buskis ronk,
Lakis, marrasis, or thir pulys donk,
Astabillit lyggis still to slepe, and restis;
Be the smaill byrdis syttand on thar nestis,
The litill mygeis, and the vrusum fleys,
Laboryus emmotis, and the bissy beys;
Als weill the wild as the taym bestiall,
And euery othir thingis gret and small,
Owtak the mery nychtgaill, Philomeyn,
That on the thorn sat syngand fra the spleyn.
Quhais myrthfull notis langyng fortil heir,
Ontill a garth vndir a greyn lawrer
I walk onon, and in a sege down sat,
Now musyng apon this and now on that.
I se the poill, and eik the Vrsis brycht,
And hornyt Lucyne castand bot dym lycht,
Becaus the symmyr skyis schayn sa cleir;
Goldyn Venus, the mastres of the ȝeir,
And gentill Jove, with hir participate,
Thar bewtuus bemys sched in blyth estait:
That schortly, thar as I was lenyt doun,
For nychtis silens, and this byrdis sovn,
On sleip I slaid: quhar sone I saw appeir
Ane agit man, and said; quhat dois thou heir
Vndir my tre, and willyst me na gude?
Me thocht I lurkit vp vnder my hude
To spy this ald, that was als stern of spech
As he had beyn ane medicyner or lech;
And weill persavit that hys weid was strange,
Tharto so ald, that it had not beyn change,
Be my consait, fully that fourty ȝeir,
For it was threidbair into placis seir:
Syde was this habyt, round, and closyng meit,
That strekit to the grund doun our his feit;
And on his hed of lawrer tre a crown,
Lyke to sum poet of the ald fassoun.
Me thocht I said to hym with reuerens;
Fader, gif I haue done ȝou ony offens,
I sall amend, gif it lyis in my mycht;
Bot suythfastly, gyf I haue perfyte sycht,
Onto my doym, I saw ȝou nevir ayr:
Fayn wald I wyt quhen, on quhat wys, or quhar,
Aganyst ȝou trespassit ocht haue I.
Weill, quod the tother, wald thou mercy cry
And mak amendis, I sal remyt this falt;
Bot, other ways, that sete salbe full salt.
Knawis thou not Mapheus Vegius, the poet,
That onto Virgillis lusty bukis sweit
The thretteyn buke ekit Eneadane?
I am the sammyn, and of the na thyng fayn,
That hes the tother twelf into thy toung
Translait of new, thai may be red and soung
Our Albyon ile into ȝour wlgar leid;
Bot to my buke ȝit lyst the tak na heid.
Mastir, I said, I heir weill quhat ȝhe say,
And in this cace of perdon I ȝou pray:
Not that I haue ȝou ony thing offendit,
Bot rathir that I haue my tyme mysspendit,
So lang on Virgillis volume forto stair,
And laid on syde full mony grave mater,
That, wald I now write in that trety more,
Quhat suld folk deym bot all my tyme forlore?
Als, syndry haldis, fader, trastis me,
Ȝour buke ekit but ony necessite,
As to the text accordyng neuer a deill,
Mair than langis to the cart the fift quheill.
Thus, sen ȝhe beyn a cristyn man, at large
Lay na sik thing, I pray ȝou, to my charge;
It may suffys Virgill is at ane end.
I wait the story of Jherom is to ȝou kend,
Quhou he was dung and best intill hys sleip,
For he to gentilis bukis gaif sik keip.
Full scharp repreif to sum is write, ȝe wist,
In this sentens of the haly Psalmyst;
Thai ar corruppit and maid abhominabill
In thar studeyng thingis onprofitabill:
Thus sair me dredis I sal thoill a heit,
For the grave study I haue so long forleit.
Ȝa, smy, quod he, wald thou eschape me swa?
In faith we sall nocht thus part or we ga!
Quhou think we he essonȝeis hym to astart,
As all for consciens and devoit hart,
Fenȝeand hym Jherom forto contyrfeit,
Quhar as he lyggis bedovyn, lo, in sweit!
I lat the wyt I am nane hethyn wight;
And gif thou has afore tyme gayn onrycht,
Followand sa lang Virgill, a gentile clerk,
Quhy schrynkis thou with my schort cristyn wark?
For thocht it be bot poetry we say,
My buke and Virgillis morall beyn, baith tway:
Len me a fourteyn nycht, how evir it be,
Or, be the faderis sawle me gat, quod he,
Thou salt deir by that evir thou Virgill knew.
And, with that word, doun of the sete me drew:
Syne to me with hys club he maid a braid,
And twenty rowtis apon my riggyng laid,
Quhil Deo, Deo, mercy dyd I cry;
And, be my rycht hand strekit vp inhy,
Hecht to translait his buke, in honour of God
And hys Apostolis twelf, in the numbir od.
He, glaid tharof, me be the hand vptuke;
Syne went away, and I for feir awoik,
And blent abowt to the north est weill far,
Saw gentill Jubar schynand, the day star,
And Chiron, clepit the syng of Sagittary,
That walkis the symmyrris nycht, to bed gan cary.
Ȝondyr dovn dwynys the evyn sky away,
And vpspryngis the brycht dawyng of day
Intill ane other place nocht far in sundir,
That to behald was plesans, and half wondir:
Furth quynchyng gan the starris, one be one,
That now is left bot Lucifer allone.
And forthirmor to blason this new day,
Quha mycht discryve the byrdis blisfull bay?
Belyve on weyng the bissy lark vpsprang,
To salus the blyth morrow with hir sang:
Sone our the feildis schynys the lycht cleir,
Welcum to pilgrym baith and lauborer:
Tyte on hys hynys gaif the greif a cry,
Awaik on fut, go till our husbandry;
And the hyrd callis furth apon hys page,
Do dryve the catall to thar pasturage:
The hynys wife clepis vp Katheryn and Gill;
Ȝa, dame, said thai, God wait, with a gude will.
The dewy greyn, pulderit with daseis gay,
Schew on the swerd a cullour dapill gray;
The mysty vapouris spryngand vp full sweit,
Maist confortabill to glaid all manis spreit;
Tharto, thir byrdis syngis in the schawys,
As menstralis playng, The joly day now dawys.
Than thocht I thus: I will my cunnand kepe,
I will not be a daw, I will not slepe,
I will compleit my promys schortly, thus
Maid to the poet master Mapheus,
And mak vpwark heirof, and cloys our buke,
That I may syne bot on grave materis luke:
For, thocht hys stile be nocht to Virgill lyke,
Full weill I wayt my text sall mony like,
Sen eftir ane my tung is and my pen,
Quhilk may suffys as for our wlgar men.
Quha evir in Latyn hes the bruyt or glor,
I speke na wers than I haue doyn before:
Lat clerkis ken the poetis different,
And men onletterit to my wark tak tent;
Quhilk, as twiching this thretteynt buke infeir,
Begynnys thus, as furthwith followis heir.
 

THE THRETTENE BUKE

CAP. I

 
Rutilian pepill, eftir Turnus deces,
Obeys Eneas, and takis thame to hys pes.
 

 
As Turnus, in the lattir bargan lost
Venquyst in feild, ȝald furth the fleand gost,
This marciall prynce, this ryall lord Enee,
As victor full of magnanymyte,
Amyddis baith the rowtis baldly standis;
That to behald hym apon athir handis
Astonyst and aghast war all hym saw.
And tho the Latyn pepill haill on raw
A fellon murnyng maid and wofull beir,
And gan devoid and hostit owt full cleir
Deip from thar breistis the hard sorow smart,
With curage lost and doun smyttyn thar hart:
Lyke as the huge forest can bewaill
Hys granys doun bet and his branchis skaill,
Quhen thai beyn catchit and all to schakyn fast
With the fell thud of the north wyndis blast.
For thai thar lancis fixit in the erd,
And lenys on thar swerdis with a rerd;
Thar scheldis of thar schuldris slang away,
That bargan and that weir fast wary thai,
And gan abhor of Mars the wild luf,
Quhilk laitly thay desyrit and dyd appruf:
The brydyll now refus thai nocht to dre,
Nor ȝok thar nekkys in captiuite,
And to implor forgifnes of all greiff,
Quyet, and end of harmys and myscheif.
As quhen that twa gret bullys on the plane
Togiddir rynnys in bittir gret bargane,
Thar lang debait mydland quhar thai stand
With large blude scheddyng on athir hand,
Quhill athir of thame onto the batalis fyne
Hys awyn bestis and heyrdis doys inclyne:
Bot, gyf the prys of victory betydis
Till ony of thir twa on athir sydis,
Onon the catall, quhilkis favorit langer
The best ourcummyn as thar cheif and heir,
Now thame subdewis vndir his ward inhy
Quhilk has the ovirhand wonnyn and mastry,
And of fre will, thocht thar myndis be thra,
Assentis him till obey: and evin rycht swa
The Rutilianys, all thocht the gret syte
Thar breistis had bedowit and to smyte,
With gret effray of slauchter of thar duke,
Ȝit thocht thame levir, and haill to purpos tuke,
To follow and obey, for all thar harmys,
The gentill chiftane and bettir man of armys,
And thame subdew to the Troian Enee,
And hym beseik of peax and amyte,
Of rest and quyet evirmar from the weir,
For thame, thar landis, moblis, and other geir.
Eneas tho with plesand voce furth braid,
And, standand abuf Turnus, thus he said:
O Dawnus son, quhou com this hasty rage
Into thy breist with foly and dotage,
That thou mycht nocht suffir the Troianys,
Quhilkis at command of Goddis onto thir planys,
And by power of hie Jove ar hiddir cary,
Within the bundis of Italy to tary,
And, all invane, thame so expellyng wald
Of thar land of behest and promyst hald?
Lern forto dreid gret Jove, and nocht gaynstand,
And to fulfyll glaidly the Goddis command;
And for thar greif weill aucht we tobe war:
Sum tyme in ire will grow gret Jupiter,
And oft remembrans of the wikkit wraik
Solistis the Goddis tharof vengeans to take.
Lo, now of all sik furour and effeir
The lattir meith and term is present heir,
Quhar thou aganyst resoun and equyte,
Aganyst lawte, and brokyn all vnyte
Of consideratioun sworn and bund or now,
The Troian pepill sair trublit hes thow.
Behald and se the extreme fynale day,
To geif all otheris gud exempill for ay,
That it mot nevir lefull be agane
Tyll ony to contempne gret Jove invane,
As forto rays with sik dreid and effeir
Sa onworthy motioun of wikkit weir.
Now beis glaid, bruke thyne armour but pled:
Allace, a nobill corps thou lyggis ded,
The gret Turnus! and, as to my demyng,
Lavynya has the cost na litill thyng:
Nor thou na schame nedys thynk in na part,
That of Eneas hand thou kyllit art.
Now cumys heir Rutilianys, but delay,
The body of ȝour duke turs hyne away;
I grant ȝou baith the armour and the man:
Hald on, and do tharto all that ȝe can,
As langis onto the honor of bereyng,
Or to bewail the deth of sik a kyng.
Bot the gret pasand gyrdill, and sik geir
That Pallas, my deir frend, was wont to weir,
To Evander I will send, for tobe
Na litill solace to hym, quhen he sall se
Hys felloun fa is kyllit thus, and knaw,
Full glaid tharof, Turnus is brocht of daw.
And netheles now, ȝe Italianys,
That otherwys be clepe Ausonyanys,
Ramembir heirof, and lern in tyme cummyng
With bettir aspectis and happy begynnyng
To move and tak on hand debait or weir:
For, be the blyssit sternys brycht I sweir,
Neuir nane ostis nor ȝit armour glaidly
Aganyst ȝou in batal movit I;
Bot constrenyt by ȝour fury, as is kend,
With all my fors I set me to defend
The Troian party and our awyn ofspryng,
As, lo, forsuyth this was bot lesum thing.
No mor Eneas said, bot tharwithall
Addressys hym towart hys cite wall,
And throu the feildis socht full joyusly
To hys new Troian reset and herbry.
Sammyn hym followis all the rowt atanys,
The pissans haill and ȝynkeris of Tewcranys,
And our the planys, glaid and wondir lycht,
Thar swyft stedis, as the fowle at flycht,
Throw speid of fut assays by and by,
And oft with bittir mouth dyd crying, fy!
And can accus the Latyn pepill all,
Oft fant folkis and sleuthfull dyd thame call;
That with thar rerd and bemyng, quhar thai fair,
For the deray full heich dynnys the air.
 

CAP. II

 
Quhou Eneas, glaid of hys victory,
Lovyt the Goddis, and can thame sacryfy.
 

 
And thocht Ene the bissy thochtfull curis
Constrenyt has, as twychand sepulturis
Of hys folkis yslane, and bereyng,
With funeral fyre and flambis accordyng;
Ȝit, netheles, in hys breist rollys and sterys
Ane grettar mater and largyar, as efferis.
For first the souerane honour, on thar gys,
On the altarys with detfull sacrifice
He ordand has, and than, fra hand to hand,
Eftir the ryte and vsans of thar land,
The ȝyng oxin gan thai steik and sla:
Within thar tempill haue thai brocht alssua
The bustuus swyne, and the twynteris snaw quhite,
That with thar clovis can the erth smyte,
With mony palt scheddand thar purpour blude.
Furth haue thai rent thar entralis, full onrude,
And gan denude and strippyn of thar hydis;
Syne hakkyn thame in talȝeis, and besydis
The hait flambis brochit hes thame laid.
And furth thai ȝet the wyne in cowpis glaid,
God Bachus giftis fast thai multiply:
With platis full the altaris by and by
Thai can do charge, and wirschip with fat lyre;
The smelland sens vpblesis in the fyre.
Than throu that hald thai fest and mak gud cheir;
Vprays the mery rerd and joyus beir:
Thai dyd extoll and lovyng with gret wondir
Gret Jupiter, the feirfull God of thundir,
And dame Venus thai wirschippit alsso,
And the, Saturnus douchter, queyn Juno,
Now pacifyit, and bettir than befor,
Ane huge lawd thai ȝald to the tharfor;
And eik hym self Mars, the gret God of armys,
Thai magnyfy, as wrekar of thar harmys:
Syne haill the remanent of the cumpany
Of the Goddys thai name furth by and by,
With hie vocis and with lowd cryis
Lovit and born vpheich abufe the skyis.
Befor thame all maste gracius Eneas
Hys handis twa, as tho the custum was,
Towart the hevyn gan vplift and arays,
And syne the child Ascanyus dyd enbras,
Sayand a few wordis, that all mycht heir:
O thou my son and only child mast deir,
In quham only restis thy faderis beleve,
Quham throu samony laubouris of myscheve
I careit haue, catchit full mony gatis
Be the hard fortoun and the frawart fatis,
Lo, now our rest and quyet fund for ay!
Lo, now the last and maist desyrit day,
To mak end of our harmys and distres!
Our paynfull laubour passit is expres:
Lo, the acceptabill day for euermor,
Quhilk I full oft haue schawin the befor,
Quhen ontill hard bargan callit was I,
This was tocum and betyd by and by
Be dispositioun of the Goddys abufe.
And now, my derrest child, for thy behufe,
To morn, soyn as Aurora walxis red,
To the cite of Lawrent, that ryall sted,
I sall the send, as victor with ovirhand,
Tobe mastir and to maynteym this land.
And eftir this he turnyt hym agane
Onto hys folkis and the pepill Troian,
And from the boddum of hys breist weill law
With soft spech furth gan thir wordis draw:
O ȝe my ferys and my frendis bald,
Throu mony hard perrellis and thikfald,
Throw sa feill stormys baith on land and se
Hiddir now careit to this cost with me,
Throu sa gret fervour of batall into stowr,
And dowbill fury of weirfar in armour,
Be sa feill wynteris blastis and tempestis,
By all ways noysum and onrestis,
And all that horribill was, or ȝit hevy,
Wofull, hydduus, wikkyt, or onhappy,
Or ȝit cruell or myschews; now stad
In bettir hoip, return ȝour mynd, beys glaid:
Now is the end of all ennoy and wo,
The term is cumyn, heir sall thai stynt, and ho:
And, lyke as we desyrit for the best,
With Latyn pepill in ferm peax and rest
We sall conioyn, and leif in vnite;
And Lavinia, of that ilk blude, quod he,
Quham I defendit haue in strang bargan,
Of Troian kyn, with blude Italian
Sammyn mydlit, to me as spous in hy
Sal ȝeld lynnage to ryng perpetualy.
A thing, my fallowis and my frendis deir,
I ȝou besekyng, and I ȝou requer;
Bair ȝour myndis equale, as all anys,
And common frendis to the Italianys,
And to my fader in law, the kyng Latyn,
Obeis all, and with reuerens inclyn:
Ane myghty ceptre and riall beris he:
This is my mynd, this is my will, perde.
Bot into batale and douchty dedis of armys,
Ȝou forto wreke and revenge of ȝour harmys,
Lern forto follow me, and tobe meik,
Ȝhe contyrfyt my reuth and piete eik.
Quhat glor is ws betyd full weill is knaw:
Bot the heich hevyn and starris all I draw
To witnessyng, that I, the sammyn wight
Quhilk ȝou deliuerit hes into the fight
From sa huge harmys and myschevis seir,
I sall ȝou seys and induce now, but weir,
In far largyar rewardis myghtyly,
And ȝou rendir ȝour desert by and by.
With sik wordis gan he thame comfortyng,
And in his mynd full mony syndry thyng
Of chancis bipast rollyng to and fro,
Thynkand quhou he is brocht to rest alsso
With na litill laubouris, sturt, and panys;
And with excedand luf of the Troianys
Full ardently he flowis all of joy,
Glaid at the last from danger and ennoy,
So huge and hevy perrellis mony fald,
Thai war eschapit, and brocht to sovir hald.
Lyke as quhen that the gredy gled on hycht
Scummand vp in the ayr oft turnys hys flycht,
With felloun fard wachand the chiknys lyte,
Thar deth mannasand, reddy forto smyte:
The cristit fowle, thar moder, tho full smert
For hyr pullettis, with harmys at hir hart,
Affrait gretly of thar wofull chance,
Gan rax hir self and hir curage avans,
Forto resist hir fa scharpand hir byll,
And with haill fors, and mycht, and egir will,
Apon hir aduersar baldly settis sche,
Quhill, at the last, to gif the bak and fle
With mekill payn and verray violens
Scho hym constrenys, and to pyk hym thens:
Hyr byrdis syne, clokkand, scho sekis on raw,
And all affrait dois thame sammyn draw,
Ennoyt gretly for hir childir deir;
And quhen thai beyn assemlit all infeir,
Than glaid scho worthis, and thar meyt gan scrape,
For that thai haue sa gret perrell eschape.
Nane other wys, the son of Anchises
With frendly wordis thus amyd the pres
The Troian myndis gan meys and asswage,
As man fulfillit of wit and vassalage,
Dryvand furth of thar hartis all on flocht
The ald dreid and byrnand hevy thocht,
That weill thame lykis now thar joy and eys
At last fundyn eftir sa lang diseys;
And it that layt tofor was tedyus
To suffir or sustene, and ennoyus,
Now to ramember the sammyn, or rehersyng,
Doys to thame solace, comfort, and lykyng:
Bot maist of all onto the gret Ene,
Quhilk in excelland vertu and bonte
Excedit all the remanent a far way;
And for sa feill dangeris and mony affray
The Goddis power and mychty maieste
With gyftis gret and offerandis wirschippis he;
Eyk Jupiter, the fader of Goddis and kyng,
Gan to extoll with maist souerane lovyng.