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The meyn sesson, Latoneis douchter Dyan,
Within hir set of hevynnys souerane,
The swyft Opys, a nymphe ane of hir feris,
Ane haly virgyne of hir sort mony ȝheris,
To hir callis, rycht dolorus and onglaid,
And, sychand sair, to hyr syk wordis said:
“O virgyn deyr, lo now, Camylla gays
To cruell batall aganyst hyr mortal fays,
And, al invayn, with hir into syk werys
Our wapynnys and our armour with hyr berys.
I the declar and certifeis,” quod sche,
“Abuf all other full deyr is sche to me;
Ne this luf, suythly, is nocht cummyn of new,
Nor ȝit of lait in Dyanys brest vpgrew,
And with a hasty sweitness movyt my spreit,
Bot of ald kyndnes lang tyme onforleit.
For quhen hir fader, Metabus the kyng,
Was throw invy expellit hys ancyent ryng
Of Pryvernum, and for the cruelte
Of his pepill fled from that cite,
With hym he bair this ȝong infant sa deir,
Tobe his fallow in exill, and play feir,
And efter hir moderis name, hait Casmylla,
Camylla hes clepit, a lettir tane awa.
Befor hym in hys bosum he hir bair
And socht onto the wilsum holtis hair.
Hys cruel fays with thar wapynnys keyn
Hym ombeset on all partis in teyn.
With armyt men and wageouris the Volscanys
So neir almost bylappyt hym at anys,
Thar was na passage quhar away to fle;
For lo, amyd the went quhar etlyt he,
Amasenus, that ryver and fresch flude,
Abuf the brays bulryt as it war wod;
From the clowdis war bryst sik spait of rayn
The ryver flowis our the large plane.
He, dressand hym to swym, at the bank syde
For luf of the ȝong bab most neid abyde,
And, for his deir byrdyng dredand soir,
Ilk chance in haist dyd roll in his memor;
And scars this sentens prent into hys mynd,
Hys douchtir forto closs within the rynd
And stalwart sapplyn or bark of cork tre
(For in hys hand the self tyme had he
A bustuus speir, per cace, baith styth and stuyr,
As he that was a worthy weriour;
The schaft was sad and sound, and weill ybaik);
Ywympillit in this bark tho dyd he take
Hys ȝong douchter, and with hys awyn hand
Amyddis of this lans full suyrly band;
Quhilk tasand with hys rycht hand, sone on hye
Onto the hevyn abuf thus carpys he:
‘O blissyt maid Latonya, our alquhar
Of wild forestis the inhabitar,
I, fader, heir professys servand to the
Thys tendir ȝonglyng, bund onto this tre;
Fleand hys fays throw the skyis, llo,
Knyt to thy schaft, lawly besekis scho.
Ressaue hir, lady, and testify, God wait,
As thyne alhail, onto the dedicate,
Quhilk now thou seis standis in danger,
Commyttit to the wyndis and the ayr.’
Thus said he, and onon with a swak
Hys gardy vp hass bendit far abak,
And threw the speir with all hys fors and mycht;
The stremys soundyt of the schaftis flycht.
Owr this ferss ryver to the farthyr bra
This fey onsilly bab, ȝong Camylla,
Flaw knyt onto this quhirrand schaft of tre.
Bot this Metabus, quhen that he dyd se
The gret press of hys fays cum sa neir,
Na langar duelt, bot swam throu the ryver;
And cummyn to hys purposs blyth and glaid,
The speir onon, sa buklyt with the maid,
In presand onto the thrynfald Dyane,
Furth of the gresy sward he has vp tane.
Na rurall byggyngis, nor ȝit na strang cite,
Wald hym ressaue within thar wallys he,
Nor, thocht thai wald hym to harbry haue tane,
Hys fers mynd couth not subdew to nane;
So that, in maner of hyrdis in pasturage,
On wild montanys he wonnyt all his age;
Quhar that his dochtyr, amang buskis ronk,
In dern sladis and mony scroggy slonk,
With mylk he nurist of the beistis wild,
And with the pappys fosterit he his child
Of savage stude meris in that forest;
Oft tymys he thar pappys mylkit and prest
Within the tendir lippys of his get.
And, fra the child myght fut to erd set,
And with hir solis first dyd mark the grond,
With dartis keyn and hedis scharply grund
Hir fystis and hir handis chargyt he;
And at hir schuldir buklyt hess on hie
Ane propir bow and litil arow cace;
And for hir goldyn garland or hed lace
In sted eik of hir syde garmont or pall,
Our the schuldris fro hir nek down with all
The grisly tygrys skyn of rent dyd hyng.
The self tyme ȝit sche bot tendir ȝonglyng
Thir dartis and the takillis swyft leit glyde;
And oft abowt hir hed the ilk tyde
Wald warp the stryngis of the stowt staf slyng,
Quhar with feill syss to grund ded wald scho dyng
The cran of Trace, or than the quhite swan.
For nocht scho was desirit with mony a man,
And moderis feill throu the townys Tuscane
Desirit hir thar gud douchter, invane;
For scho only, full ferm in hir entent,
Of Diane, goddes of chastyte, stud content,
And list to hant evyr in woddis with me
The dartis schutyng, and love virginyte,
Remanand incorrupt and a cleyn maid.
I wald, forsuyth, at this tyme scho abaid,
And had not hastit to sic chevalry,
Forto molest the Troianys stowt army;
Bot that ane of my ferys scho suld be,
As scho that is at all tyme deir to me.
Haue done onon, thou nymphe Opys,” scho said,
“With wikkyt fatis sen bestad is ȝon maid,
Thou slyde down from the hevyn, and that inhy;
The Latyn feildis thou vissy and aspy,
Quhar, in the wofull batale and melle,
To ane onhappy chance betaucht is sche.
Tak thir dartis, and sone owt of my cayss
That ilke revengeabill arow thou owt rayss:
Quha evir with wond doys hurt or violat
Hyr haly body onto me dedicat,
Quhiddir he be Troiane or Italiane,
All is in like, that he onon be slane,
And with hys blude myn offens deir aby.
My self thar eftir the reuthfull corps in hy
Amyd a boyss clowd sall cary away,
Onspulȝeit of hir armour or array,
And hir bygrave, reducit to hir cuntre,
In sepultur full gloryus,” said sche.
Than Opys lyghtly of the hevynnys glad,
Throw owt the skyis sowchand fast doun slaid,
Persand the ayr with body all ourschrowd
And dekkyt in a watry sabill clowd.