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“Be this the son had circulit his lang ȝer,
And frosty wyntir scharpit the watir cleir
With cald blastis of the northin art.
Quhen sesson come that tyme was to depart,
Apon a post in the tempyl I hang
A bowand scheild of plait, quhilk Abas strang
Bair vmquhile, and, the maner to reherss,
I notyfy and tytillis with this verss:
‘Eneas hec de Danais victoribus arma,’
That is to say, ‘Eneas festnyt thus
This armour of the Grekis victorius.’
Syne, to depart of that havyn, I command
Syt down on hechis and span aris in hand.
Byssely our folkis gan to pyngil and stryve,
Swepand the flude with lang rowthys belyve,
And vp thai welt the stowr of fomy see,
Quhil sone the citeis of Corsyra tyne we
And vp we pyke the cost of Epyrus,
And landyt thar at port Chaonyus,
Syne to the hie town of Butrot ascendit,
Quhar tythingis, oncredibill to thame not kend it,
Come to our erys, schawyng that Helenus,
The lauchful son of the kyng Priamus,
Rang kyng our mony citeis in Greik land,
Berand tharof the ceptre and the wand
By resson of his spowss adionyt, but less,
Be Pyrrus vmquhil son of Achilles;
And that Andromacha wes wed agane
Onto ane other husband and man Troiane.
Heirof awondrit, with breist hait as fyre,
Be fervent luf kendillit in gret desyre
Our cuntre man to vissy and with hym talk,
To knaw thir strange casys, on I stalk
From the port, my navy left in the raid.
That ilke sesson, percace, as I furth glaid,
Befor the cite, in a schaw, I wys,
Besyde the fenȝeit flude of Symois,
Andromache maid anniuersar sacrifyce
And funerale servyce, on ful dolorus wyss,
To Hectoris puldir or hys assis brynt.
Oft wald scho clepe and call, and oneth stynt,
Apon the sawlis that onbodeit war,
Beside Hectoris voyd tumbe stannand thar,
Quhilk scho vpbeildit had of herbis greyn
With twa altaris, and oft with wepyng eyn
Bewalis scho that hard dissyverance.
And alssone as scho me aspyis perchance,
And Troiane armour and ensenȝeis with me saw,
Affrayit of the ferly, scho stude syk aw,
And at the fyrst blenk become so mait,
Naturale heyt left hir membris in sik stait
Quhil to the grond half mangit fel scho down,
And lay a lang tyme in a dedly swown
Or ony speche or word scho mycht furth bring,
Ȝit thus, at last, sayd eftir hir dwawmyng:
‘Is that thine awyn face, and suythfast thyng?
Schawis thou to me a verray sovir warnyng?
Levis thou ȝit, son of the goddes?’ quod sche.
‘Gif thou be ded, quhar is Hector?—tell me.’
And with that word, scho bryst furth mony a teir,
And walit so that piete was to heir,
Quhil al about dynnys of hir womentyng.
A few wordis skars as I mycht furth bryng
For to confort that maist lamentabill wight,
With langsum speche said, quhispirand, as I mycht:
‘I leif forsuyth and ledis lyfe, as ȝe se,
In al hard chance of fortunys extremyte.
Be nocht agast, ȝe se bot suythfast thyng.
Allace, quhat aventur, in this onkouth ryng,
Is the betyd, and hess degradit,’ quod I,
‘Eftir thi husbandis deth, was maist douchty?
Or quhat fortune mycht sufficient happyn the,
Spowss to maist worthy Hector, Andromache?
Art thou, or na, to Pirrus ȝit bywed?’
Hyr vissage down scho kest, for schame adred,
And, with a bass voce, thus said, as scho mycht:
‘O thou alane, befor al madynnys bricht,
Happy was, virgyne douchtir of Priam kyng,
Quhilk, vnder the wallis hie of Troys ryng,
Apon thine ennemeis grafe was maid to de;
Thou suffert no kut nor kavillys cast for the,
Nor in bondage away was thou nocht led,
Nor ȝit twichit na victour lordis bed.
Bot we, quhen that ybrynt war our kynd landis,
Careit our fremmyt seys and diuerss strandis,
The dortyness of Achillis ofspring,
In bondage, vndir the prowd Pyrrus ȝyng,
By forss sustenyt thraldome mony a day,
Quhil he at last ensewit ane othir may,
Hermyone, the douchtir of Helena,
In fey wedlok at Lachidemonya;
Than send he me, his seruand, hiddir thus,
Tobe spowsit with his seruand Helenus.
Bot Orestes, cachit in furyus rage
For cryme of his moderis slauchtir, and savage,
In lufe hait byrnyng for his spowss byreft,
Or he was war, set on this Pirrus eft,
And in Delphos (quhat nedis wordis mair?)
Smate of his hed befor his faderis altair.
Thus, by decess of Neoptolymus,
Of the realm a part fell to Helenus,
The quhilk boundis and feildis braid alsswa
He has to name clepit Chaonya
Eftir his brodir of Troy, Chaonyus,
And Troiane wallis heir has beild vp thus,
And on thir motis a strenth hait Ilion.
Bot quhat wyndis thi cowrss has hydder gone?
And quhat aventur has the hyddir dryve?
Or of the goddis quha maid the heir arrive
At our marchis, mysknawyng our estait?
Quhou faris the child Ascanyus now of lait,
Quham to the bayr Crevse, thi spouss and ioy,
That tyme enduryng the sege lay about Troy?
Levis he ȝit in helth and in weilfair?
Ha! how gret harm and skaith for euermar
That child has caucht throu lesyng of his moder!
O Lord! quhat ancyant vertuys, ane and othir,
And knychtly prowes in hym steris frendis befor,
Baith fader Eneas and hys vncle Hector!’
Syk wordis scho spak, wepyng with petuus mayn
And with lang sobbis furthȝettand teris invayn,
Quhen that hir lord hym self cummys from the town,
Kyng Priamus son, Helenus of renown.
Neir he approchit with ful gret cumpany,
And hys awyn natyve frendis knew in hy,
And blithly to hys cite hes ws led:
Betwix ilk word feil bricht teris furth he sched.
We passit on, and litil Troy I knaw,
Lyke the gret cite contyrfait on raw,
With Ilion, and wallis lyke Pergama,
And a smal burn half gane dry alswa
Onto his surname clepit Exanthus.
At port Seya I entir, and eik with ws
Al our Troianys togiddir welcum war
Onto thar frendly cite famyliar.
In hys wyde palyce the kyng ressauyt thaim all,
And, in the myddis of the mekil hall,
Thai byrl the wyne in honour of Bachus—
Gret fest with ioy wes maid for luf of ws,
The mesis and the danteis thyk dyd stand,
And goldyn cowpis went fra hand to hand.”