Virgil's Aeneid translated into Scottish verse :: :: University of Virginia Library

Of dreflyng and dremys quhat dow it to endyte?
For, as I lenyt in a ley in Lent this last nycht,
I slaid on a swevynnyng, slummyrrand a lite,
And sone a selcouth seg I saw to my sycht,
Swownand as he swelt wald, sowpyt in syte
(Was nevir wrocht in this warld mair wofull a wycht),
Ramand, “Resson and rycht is rent by fals ryte,
Frendschip flemyt is in Frans, and faith hes the flycht,
Leys, lurdanry and lust ar our laid starn,
Peax is put owt of play,
Welth and weilfar away,
Luf and lawte baith tway
Lurkis ful darn.

“Langour lent is in land, all lychtnes is lost,
Sturtyn study hes the steir, distroyand our sport,
Musyng marris our myrth half mangit al most;
So thochtis threthis in thra our brestis ourthwort,
Bailfull bessynes baith blyss and blithnes can bost.
Thar is na sege for na schame that schrynkis at schort,
May he cum to hys cast be clokyng, but cost,
He rakkis nowder the rycht nor rakles report;
All is weill done, God wate, weild he hys will.
That bern is best can nocht blyn
Wrangwyss gudis to wyn;
Quhy suld he spair, for ony syn,
Hys lust to fulfyll?

“All ledis langis in land to laucht quhat thame leif is:
Lufferis langis only to lok in thar lace
Thir ladeis lufly, and louk but let or releifis,
Quha sportis thame on the spray sparis for na space;

118

The gallyart groym grunschis at grammys hym grevis,
The fillok hyr deformyt fax wald haue a fair face,
To mak hir maikles of hir man at myster myscheif is;
The gudwif grulyng befor God gretis efter grace,
The lard langis efter land to leif to his ayr;
The preist for a personage,
The seruand efter his wage,
The thral tobe of thrillage,
Langis ful sair.

“The myllar mythis the multyr with a met skant,
For droucht had drunkyn vp his dam in the dry ȝeir;
The cadgyar callis furth his capill with crakkis wail cant,
Calland the colȝar a knafe and culron ful qweir;
Sum schippart slais the lardis scheip and says he is a sanct,
Sum grenys quhil the gyrss grow for his gray meir,
Sum sparis nowder spiritual, spousyt wife nor ant,
Sum sellis folkis sustynance, as God sendis the feir,
Sum glasteris and thai gang at, and all for gait woll,
Sum spendis on the ald vse,
Sum makkis a tvme ruyss,
Sum grenys efter a guse
To fars his wame full.

“The wrach walis and wryngis for this warldis wrak,
The mukkyrrar murnys in his muyd the meill gaue na pryce,
The pyrat pressys to peill the peddar hys pak,
The hasartouris haldis thame heryt hant he nocht the dyce,
The burgess byngis in hys boith, the brovne and the blak
Byand bessely, and bane, buge, bevir and byce,
Sum ledys langis on the land, for love or for lak,
To sembyll with thar schaftis and set apon syss,
The schipman schrenkis the schour and settis to schor,
The hyne crynys the corn,
The broustar the beir schorn,
A fest the fedlar to morn
Covatis full ȝor.

119

“The ralȝear raknys na wordis, bot ratlis furth ranys,
Full rude and royt ressons baith roundalis and ryme;
Swengeouris and scurryvagis, swankeis and swanys,
Gevis na cur to cun craft, nor comptis for na cryme,
With berdis as beggaris, thocht byg be thar banys,
Na laubour list thai luk till, thar luffis ar byrd lyme;
Get ane bysmer a barn, than all hir blyss gane is,
Scho will nocht wirk thocht scho want, bot wastis hir tyme
In thiggyn, as it thrift war, and other vayn thewis,
And slepis quhen scho suld spyn,
With na will the warld to wyn;
This cuntre is full of Caymis kyn,
And sik schire schrewis.

“Quhat wikkytnes, quhat wanthrift now in warld walkis!
Baill hes banyst blythnes, bost gret brag blawys,
Prattis ar reput polycy and peralus pawkis,
Dignyte is laid dovn, darth to the dur drawis.
Of tratlys and tragedyis the text of all talk is:
Lordis ar left landles be onleill lawys,
Burgessis bryngis hame the bothe to breid in thar bawkis,
Knychtis ar kowhubeis and commonys plukkyt crawis,
Clerkis for oncunnandnes mysknawis ilk wight,
Wifis wald haue all thar will,
Enewch is nocht halff fyll,
Is nowder resson nor skill
In erd haldin rycht.

“Sum latyt latton, but lay, lepys in lawyd lyt,
Sum penys furth a pan boddum to prent falss plakkis;
Sum gowkis quhill the glass pyg grow full of gold ȝit,
Throu cury of the quynt essens, thocht clay muggis crakkis;
Sum wernour for this warldis wrak wendis by hys wyt;
Sum crachour crynys the cunȝe, and kepys corn stakkis;
Sum prygpenny, sum pyke thank with prevy promyt,
Sum iarris with a ied staf to iag throu blak iakkis.
Quhat fenȝeit fair, quhat flattry and quhat fals talys!

120

Quhat mysery is now in land!
Quhou mony crakkyt cunnand!
For nowther athis, nor band,
Nor selis avalis.

“Prestis, suldbe patterraris and for the pepill pray,
Tobe papis of patermon and prelaceis pretendis;
Ten tendis ar a trump, bot gif he tak ma
Ane kynryk of parroch kyrkis cuppillit with commendis!
Quha ar wyrkaris of this weir, quha walkynnaris of wa,
Bot incompetabill clergy, that Cristyndome offendis?
Quha revis, quha ar ryotus, quha rakles, bot tha?
Quha quellys the puyr commonys bot kyrkmen, weil kend is?
Thar is na stait of thar stile that standis content,
Knycht, clerk, nor common,
Burgess, nor barroun—
All wald haue vp that is dovn,
Weltrit the went.”

And as this leyd at the last lyggand me seys,
With a luke onlufsum he lent me sic wordis:
“Quhat bern be thou in bed, with hed full of beys,
Grathit lyke sum gnappar, and, as thi greis gurdis,
Lurkand lyke a longeour?” Quod I: “Lovn, thou leys.
Ha, wald thou feght?” Quod the freik: “We haue bot few swordis.
Thar is sic haist in thi hed, I hope thou wald neyss,
That brawlys thus with thi bost quhen bernys with the bourdis.”
Quod I: “Churle, ga chat the, and chyde with ane other.”
“Move the nocht,” said he than,
“Gyf thou be a gentill man,
Or ony curtasy can,
Myne awyn leif brother.

“I spek to the into sport; spell me this thyng,
Quhat lykis ledis in land? quhat maste langis thou?”
Quod I: “Smake, lat me sleip, Sym Skynnar the hyng:
I weyn thou byddis na better bot I brek thi brow.

121

To me is myrk myrrour ilk mannys menyng;
Sum waldbe cowrt man, sum clerk and sum a cachkow,
Sum knycht and sum capitane, sum Caser, sum kyng,
Sum wald haue welth at thar will, and sum thar wame fow,
Sum langis for the luffyr ill to lyk of a quart,
Sum for thar bontay or boyn,
Sum to se the new moyn—
I lang to haue our buke done,
I tell the my part.”

“Thy buke is bot brybry,” said the bern than,
“Bot I sal leir the lesson to lyss all thi pane.”
With that he racht me a roll: to reid I began
The roytast ane ragment with mony rat rane,
Of all the mowys in this mold sen God merkyt man—
The moving of the mapamond, and how the moyn schane,
The Pleuch, and the polys, the planettis began,
The son, the Sevyn Starnys, and the Charl Wayn,
The Elwand, the elementis, and Arthurus Hufe,
The Horn and the Hand Staf,
Prater Iohne and Port Iaf,
Quhy the corn hes the caf,
And kow weris clufe.

“Thys romans ar bot rydlys,” quod I to that ray,
“Leyd, lern me ane other lesson, this I ne like.”
“I persaue, schir parson, thi purposs perfay,”
Quod he, and drew me doun dern in dolf by a dyke,
Had me hard be the hand quhar a hurd lay,
Than prevely the pennyss begouth vp to pike—
Bot, quhen I walknyt, all that welth was wiskyt away,
I fand nocht in all that feild, in faith, a be byke;
For as I grunschit at this grome and glifnyt abowt,
I grapyt graithly the gyll,
Every modywarp hyll,
Bot I mycht pyke thar my fyll
Or penny come owt.

122

Than wolx I teyn at I tuke to sic trufis tent,
For swevynnys ar for swengeouris that slummyrris nocht weill;
Mony mervellus mater nevir merkit nor ment
Will seggis se in thar sleip, and sentens but seill:
War all sic sawys suythfast, with schame we war schent.
Thys was bot faynt fantasy, in faith, that I feill,
Nevir word of verite, bot all in waist went,
Throw roytnes and ravyng, that maid myne eyn reill,
Thus lysnyt I, as losanger, syk lewydnes to luke;
Bot, quhen I saw nane other bute,
I sprent spedely on fute,
And vndre a tre rute
Begouth this aucht buke.

Heir endis the proloug of the vii buke of Eneados and begynnys the aucht buke of the sammyn