Gavin Douglas

“Arguably the best version of Virgil in English poetry.”

“About Douglas as a translator there may be two opinions; about his Aeneid (Prologues and all) as an English book there can be only one. Here a great story is greatly told and set off with original embellishments which are all good – all either delightful or interesting – in their diverse ways.”

“Gavin Douglas, set on a particular labour, with his mind full of Latin quantitative metre, attains a robuster versification than you are likely to find in Chaucer…the texture of Gavin's verse is stronger, the resilience greater.”

“As to the text accordyng never a deill,Mair than langis to the cart the fift quheill.”

“And al smail fowlys syngis on the spray:Welcum the lord of lycht, and lamp of day.”

“Dame naturis menstralis.”

“Woddis, forrestis, with nakyt bewis blowt,Stude strippyt of thar weid in every howt.So bustuusly Boreas his bugill blew,The deyr full dern doun in the dalis drew;Smale byrdis, flokkand throu thik ronys thrang,In chyrmyng and with cheping changit thar sang,Sekand hidlis and hyrnys thame to hydeFra feirfull thuddis of the tempestuus tyde.”

“Ryveris ran reid on spait with watir broune,And burnys hurlys all thar bankis doune.”

“It is richt facil and eith gait, I the tell,Forto discend and pas on down to hell:The blak gettis of Pluto, and that dirk way,Standis evir oppin and patent nycht and day;Bot tharfra to return agane on hyght,And heir abufe recovir this aris licht,That is difficil wark, thar lawbour lyis.”

“The battellis and the man I will discriue,Fra Troyis boundis first that fugitiueBy fate to Italie come and coist lauyne,Ouer land and se cachit with meikill pyneBy force of goddis aboue fra euery stedeOf cruel luno throw auld remembrit feid:Grete payne in batelles sufferit he also,Or he his goddis brocht in LatioAnd belt the ciete, fra quham of nobil fameThe latyne peopill taken has thare name,And eke the faderis, princis of Alba,Come, and the walleris of grete Rome alsua.”

“Bot a sentens to follow may suffice me:Sum tyme I follow the text als neir I may,Sum tyme I am constrenyt ane other way.”

“Fyrst I protest, beaw schirris, by зour leifBeis weill avisit my wark or зhe reprief;Consider it warly, reid oftar than anys,Weill at a blenk sle poetry nocht tayn is.”