University of Virginia Library

“Skarss this wes sayd, quhen sone we gat a sycht
Apon ane hyll stalkand this hydduus wight,
Amang hys beystis, the hyrd Poliphemus,
Down to the costis bekend draw towartis wss,
A monstre horribyll, onmesurabill and myschaip,
Wanting hys syght, and gan to stab and graip
With hys burdon, that wes a gret fyr tre,
Fermand his steppis, becaus he mycht not se,
The wollyt scheip him followyng at the bak,
Quharin his plesour and delyte gan he tak.
About hys halss a quhissil hung had he,
Wes al his solace for tynsell of hyss e;
And, with his staf fra he the deip flude
Twichit, and cummyn at the seysyde stude,
Of hys e dolp the flowand blude and attir
He wysch away al with the salt wattir,
Grassilland his teith, and rummysand full hie.
He wadis furth throu myddis of the see,
And ȝit the watir wet not hys lang syde.
We, far from thens affrayt, durst not abyde,
Bot fled onon, and within burd hess brocht
That faithful Greik quhilk ws of succurss socht,
And prevyly we smyte the cabill in twane,
Syne, kempand with aris in al our mane,
Vpweltris watir of the salt sey flude.
He persauyt the sownd, quhar that he stude,
And towart the dyn movis hys payss onon,
Bot quhen he felt at we sa far war gone,
Sa that his handis wss areke ne mycht,
Nor the deip sey Ionium, for al hys hycht,
Ne mycht he waid equale ws to arest,
A fellon bray and huge schowt vp he kest,
Quharthrou the sey and al the fludis schuke;
The land alhail of Itail trymlyt and qwoyk,
And holl cavernys or furnys of Ethna rownd
Rummyst and lowyt, fordynnyt with the sound.
Bot than, furth of the woddis and hillys hie,
Walkynnyt with the cry, a huge pepill we se
Of Ciclopes cum hurland to the port,
And fillyt all the cost sydis at schort.
Tha elrych bredyr, with thar lukis thrawyn,
Thocht not avalyt, thar standyng haue we knawyn—
Ane horribil sort, with mony camscho beik
And hedis semand to the hevyn areik,
Syklyke as quhar that, with thar hie toppis,
The byg akis strekyng in the ayr thar croppys,
Or than thir cipressis berand heich thar bewys,
Growand in the woddis or hie vp on hewis,
In schawys ald, as men may se from far,
Hallowyt to Dyane or ȝit to Iupiter.
The scharp dreid maid ws so to cach haist,
Withdrawand fast, as thocht we had bene chaist,
And for toset our sail quhiddir we best mycht,
To follow the wynd, and hald na coursis rycht.
Aganys the counsale of Helenus, our feris
Perswadis to hald furth evyn the way that steris
Mydwart betwix Charibdis and Scylla,
A litil space fra ded by athir of twa,
For, bot we hald that courss, for owtyn fail,
Bakwartis, thai said, on Ciclopes mon we saill.
Bot lo! onon a fair wynd, or we wist,
Rayss of the north, blawing evyn as we lyst,
From the strait bay of Pelorus the mont
And sone we swepyt by, at the fyrst bront,
The mouth of flude Pantagyas ful of stanys,
The sownd Megarus, and Tapsum ile atanys.
The namys of thir costis Achemenydes,
The companȝeon of onhappy Vlixes,
Raknys to ws, as we past ane by ane,
For we return the sammyn went agane
Quhar thar navy had waverit by thar rayss.
Within the fyrth of Sycill, forgane the face
Of the flude Plemyrion ful of wallis,
Thar lyis ane iland, quhilk our elderis callis
Orthigia, quhar that the fame is so
That Alpheus, ane of the ryveris two
Of the cite of Elys in Archaid,
Vndir the sey gan thyddir flow and wayd
Throu secrete cundytis, and now eik, as thai say,
Arethusa, at thi mouth or ischay,
It entris rynnyng in the Sycill see.
The gret goddis of that place wirschip we
At command of my fader, and fra thyne
The fertill grond of Helory passyt syne,
Quhilk flude watyrris al the feild about.
Thar on the craggis our navy stude in dowt,
For on blynd stanys and rolkis hyrslit we,
Tumblit of Mont Pachynnus in the se;
And far from thens the loch Cameryna,
Quham the fatis forbyddis to do away,
Apperis to ws, and of Geloy the feildis,
Quhar that the gret cite Gela vpbeild is,
Havand the surname fra the flude fast by;
Syne heich Agragas far of we gan aspy,
A hyl and cite with large wallys of forss
Quhar vmquhile bred war the maist weirlyke horss;
And the alsso, Selynys, I left behynd,
For al thi palm treys, with the followand wynd.
The dangerus schaldis and cost vppykyt we,
With al hys blynd rolkis, of Lybibe.
Thar the port of Drepianon and the rayd,
Quham to remembir my hart may nevir be glaid,
Ressauyt me, quhar that, allace! allace!
I leyss my fader, al comfort and solace,
And al supple of our travell and pane;
Thar, thar, allaik! so feill dangeris bygane
And tempestis of the sey. O fader most deir,
Anchises, desolate quhy left thou me heir
Wery and irkyt in a fremmyt land?
O weilaway! for nocht wes all, I fand,
That thou eschapit samony perrellis huge.
Helenus the dyvyne, as we with hym gan luge,
Quhen horribill thingis seir he dyd aduert,
Schew not befor to me thir harmys smert,
Nor ȝit the fellon and akwart Celeno.
This wess extreme laubour of pane and wo,
Thys was the end of all hys lang vayage;
And hyddir syne, warpyt with seys rage,
Apon ȝour costis, as I fra thens was dryve,
Sum happy chance and God maid me arryve.”
The prynce Eneas, on this wyss, alane
The fatis of goddys and rasys mony ane
Rehersyng schew, and syndry strange wentis,
The queyn and all the Tyrryanys takand tentis.
And at the last he cessyt and said no moir,
Endyng his tayll as ȝe haue hard befor.