Thomas Humphry Ward, ed. The English Poets. 1880–1918.rnVol. I. Early Poetry: Chaucer to Donne

Gawain Douglas (c. 1474–1522)

Extracts from the Aeneid: Sleep

Quhat sorow dreis queyne Dido all the nycht,
And quhow Mercuir bad Enee tak the flycht.

THE NYCHT followis, and euery wery wicht

Throw out the erd has caucht anone richt

The sound plesand slepe thame likit best;

Woddis and rageand seis war at rest;

And the sternis thar myd cours rollis down;

All feyldis still, but othir noyis or sown;

And bestis and birdis of diuers culloris seir,

And quhatsumevir in the braid lochis weir,

Or amang buskis harsk leyndis ondir the spray,

Throw nichtis silence slepit quhar thai lay,

Mesing ther besy thocht and curis smart,

All irksum laubour forȝet and out of hart.

Bot the onrestles fey spreit did nocht so

Of this wnhappy Phenician Dido:

For neuir mair may scho sleip a wynk,

Nor nychtis rest in ene nor breist lat synk:

The hevy thochtis multiplyis euir onane;

Strang luif begynis to rage and ryse agane,

And felloun stormis of ire gan hir to schaik:

Thus fynaly scho out bradis, alaik!

Rolling allane sere thingis in hir thocht.