Virgil's Aeneid translated into Scottish verse by Gavin Douglas Coldwell |
 | II, III, IV. |
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[The Proloug of the Fyft Buke] |
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 | Virgil's Aeneid translated into Scottish verse |  |
193
[The Proloug of the Fyft Buke]
Gladys the grond the tendir florist greyn,
Byrdys the bewys and thir schawys scheyn,
The wery huntar to fynd hys happy pray,
The falconeyr rych ryver onto fleyn;
The clerk reiosys hys bukis our to seyn,
The luffar tobehald hys lady gay;
Ȝong folk thame schurtis with gam, solace and play;
Quhat maist delytyth or lykis euery wight,
Tharto steris thar curage day and nycht.
Byrdys the bewys and thir schawys scheyn,
The wery huntar to fynd hys happy pray,
The falconeyr rych ryver onto fleyn;
The clerk reiosys hys bukis our to seyn,
The luffar tobehald hys lady gay;
Ȝong folk thame schurtis with gam, solace and play;
Quhat maist delytyth or lykis euery wight,
Tharto steris thar curage day and nycht.
Knychtis delytis to assay sterand stedys,
Wantoun gallandis to trayl in sumptuus wedis;
Ladeys desyris to behald and be seyn;
Quha wald be thrifty courtyouris says few credis;
Sum plesance takis in romans that he redis,
And sum hess lust to that wes nevir seyn;
Quhou mony hedis als feil consatis beyn.
Twa appetitis oneth accordis with othir:
This lykis the, perchance, and not thi brothir.
Wantoun gallandis to trayl in sumptuus wedis;
Ladeys desyris to behald and be seyn;
Quha wald be thrifty courtyouris says few credis;
Sum plesance takis in romans that he redis,
And sum hess lust to that wes nevir seyn;
Quhou mony hedis als feil consatis beyn.
Twa appetitis oneth accordis with othir:
This lykis the, perchance, and not thi brothir.
Plesance and ioy richt hailsum and perfyte is,
So that the wyss tharof in proverb wrytis,
“A blith spreit makis greyn and floryst age.”
Myne author eyk in Bucolykis endytis,
“The ȝong enfant fyrst with lauchtir delytis
To knaw hys moder, quhen he is litil page;
Quha lauchis not,” quod he, “in thar barnage,
Genyus the god delytyth not thar tabill,
Nor Iuno thame to kepe in bed is habill.”
So that the wyss tharof in proverb wrytis,
“A blith spreit makis greyn and floryst age.”
Myne author eyk in Bucolykis endytis,
“The ȝong enfant fyrst with lauchtir delytis
To knaw hys moder, quhen he is litil page;
Quha lauchis not,” quod he, “in thar barnage,
Genyus the god delytyth not thar tabill,
Nor Iuno thame to kepe in bed is habill.”
The hie wysdome and maist profund engyne
Of myne author Virgile, poete dyvyne,
To comprehend, makis me almaist forvay,
So crafty wrocht hys wark is, lyne by lyne.
Tharon aucht na man irk, compleyn nor quhryne.
For quhy? He altyrris hys style sa mony way,
Now dreid, now stryfe, now lufe, now wa, now play,
Langeir in murnyng, now in melody,
To satyfy ilk wightis fantasy;
Of myne author Virgile, poete dyvyne,
To comprehend, makis me almaist forvay,
So crafty wrocht hys wark is, lyne by lyne.
Tharon aucht na man irk, compleyn nor quhryne.
For quhy? He altyrris hys style sa mony way,
Now dreid, now stryfe, now lufe, now wa, now play,
Langeir in murnyng, now in melody,
To satyfy ilk wightis fantasy;
194
Lyke as he had of euery thyng a feill,
And the willys of euery wight dyd feill.
And tharto eyk so wysly writis he
Twiching the proffyte of the common weill,
Hys sawys beyn full of sentencis, euery deill,
Of morale doctryne, that men suld vycis fle.
Bot gyf he be nocht ioyus now lat se,
For quha so lyst seyr glaidsum gemmys leyr,
Ful mony myrry abaytmentis followis heir.
And the willys of euery wight dyd feill.
And tharto eyk so wysly writis he
Twiching the proffyte of the common weill,
Hys sawys beyn full of sentencis, euery deill,
Of morale doctryne, that men suld vycis fle.
Bot gyf he be nocht ioyus now lat se,
For quha so lyst seyr glaidsum gemmys leyr,
Ful mony myrry abaytmentis followis heir.
Now harkis sportis, myrthis and myrry plays,
Ful gudly pastans on mony syndry ways,
Endyte by Virgil, and heir by me translate,
Quhilk William Caxton knew nevir al hys days,
For, as I sayd tofor, that man forvays;
Hys febil proyss beyn mank and mutulate,
Bot my propyne com from the press fute hait,
Onforlatit, not iawyn fra tun to tun,
In fresch sapour new from the berry run.
Ful gudly pastans on mony syndry ways,
Endyte by Virgil, and heir by me translate,
Quhilk William Caxton knew nevir al hys days,
For, as I sayd tofor, that man forvays;
Hys febil proyss beyn mank and mutulate,
Bot my propyne com from the press fute hait,
Onforlatit, not iawyn fra tun to tun,
In fresch sapour new from the berry run.
Bachus of glaidness, and funeral Proserpyne,
And goddes of triumphe, clepyt Victorie,
Sal I ȝou call as ȝour name war dyvyne?
Na, na, it suffysyt of ȝou ful smal memorie;
I byd nothir of ȝour turmentis nor ȝour glorie;
Bot he quhilk may ws glaid perpetualy,
To bryng ws tyll hys blyss on hym I cry.
And goddes of triumphe, clepyt Victorie,
Sal I ȝou call as ȝour name war dyvyne?
Na, na, it suffysyt of ȝou ful smal memorie;
I byd nothir of ȝour turmentis nor ȝour glorie;
Bot he quhilk may ws glaid perpetualy,
To bryng ws tyll hys blyss on hym I cry.
Sen erdly plesour endis oft with sorow, we se,
As in this buke nane exemplys ȝe want,
Lord, our prottectour to all trastis in the,
Bot quham na thing is worthy nor pyssant,
To ws thy grace and als gret mercy grant,
So forto wend by temporal blythness
That our eternale ioy be nocht the less!
As in this buke nane exemplys ȝe want,
Lord, our prottectour to all trastis in the,
Bot quham na thing is worthy nor pyssant,
To ws thy grace and als gret mercy grant,
So forto wend by temporal blythness
That our eternale ioy be nocht the less!
Heyr endys the proheym
And begynnys the fifte buke
| Virgil's Aeneid translated into Scottish verse | |