The School Bag




from Virgil’s The Aeneid [Book I]

Gavin Douglas

The batalis and the man I will discrive
fra Troyis boundis first that fugitive
by fait to Ytail come and cost Lavyne,                                                       fate/Italy/Lavinian shore
our land and sey katchit with mekil pine                                                    sea/compelled/hardship
by fors of goddis abufe, from every steid,                                                  gods above/place
of cruell Juno throu ald remembrit fede.                                                    undying anger
Gret pane in batail sufferit he alsso
or he his goddis brocht in Latio                                                                  before
and belt the cite far quham, of nobill fame,                                                built/whom
the Latyne pepill takyn heth thar name,
and eik the faderis, princes of Alba,                                                           fathers
cam, and the wallaris of gret Rome alswa.                                                 battlements
    O thou my Muse, declare the causis quhy,
quhat majeste offendit schaw quham by,
or yit quharfor of goddis the drery queyn
sa feil dangeris, sik travell maid susteyn                                                    indignant/trials
a worthy man fulfillit of piete.
Is thare sik greif in hevynly myndis on hie?                                               rancor
     Thare was ane ancyant cite hecht Cartage                                             called
quham hynys of Tyre held intill heritage,
ennymy to Itail, standand fair and plane
the mouth of lang Tibir our forgane,                                                          far away
mighty of moblys, full of sculys seyr,                                                        possessions/warlike skills
and maist expert in crafty fait of weir,                                                       war
of quhilk a land Juno, as it is said,
as to hir special abuf al otheris maid.
Hir native land for it posponyt sche                                                           put second
callit Same — in Cartage sett hir see.                                                        Sames/seat of power
Thair war hir armys and here stude eik hir chair.                                      chariot
This goddess ettillit, gif werdis war nocht                                                 destiny
     contrar,                                                                                                  opposed
this realme tobe superior and mastres
to all landis, bot certis netheles
that fatale sisteris revolve and schaw, scho kend.                                      knew
of Trojane blude a pepill suld discend,
Villiant in were, to ryng wydquhar, and syne                                            war/far and wide/later
Cartage suld bring ontill finale rewyne,                                                     ruin
and clene distroy the realme of Lybia.
This dredand Juno, and forthirmor alswa
remembring on the ancyant mortell weir
that for the Grekis, to hir leif and deir,                                                       beloved
at Troy lang time scho led befor that day —
for yit the causys of wreth war nocht away                                              origins of conflict
nor cruell harm foryet ne out of mind,
ful deip engravyn in hir breist onkynd
the judgement of Paris, quhou that he
preferrit Venus, dispisying hir bewte.
Als Trojane blude till hir was odyus,
for Jupiter engenderit Dardanus
(fra quham the Trojanis cam) in adultry,
and Ganymedes revist abuf the sky,                                                          ravished
maid him his butler, quhilk was hir douchteris                                         daughter’s
     office —
Juno inflambit, musing on thir casis nice                                                 troublesome situations
the quhile our sey that salit the Trojanys
quhilkis had the ded eschapit and remanys
onslane of Grekis or of the fers Achill,                                                    fierce
scho thame fordryvis and causys oft ga will                                            scatters
frawart Latium, quhilk now is Italy,                                                         away from
be fremmyt werd ful mony yeris tharby                                                   strange fate
catchit and blaw wydquhar all seys about.
Lo, quhou gret cure, quhat travell, pane and dowt
was to begin the worthy Romanys blude!                      

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