scots

The Two Old Nags

english translation

The Two Old Nags

original Scots poem

The Twa Cummeris

Rycht airlie on Ask Weddinsday,
Drynkand the wyne satt cumeris tway;
The tane cowth to the tother complene,
Graneand and suppand cowd scho say,
“This lang Lentern makis me lene.”

On cowch besyd the fyre scho satt,
God wait gif scho wes grit and fatt,
Yit to be feble scho did hir fene,
And ay scho said, “Latt preif of that,
This lang Lentern makis me lene.”

“My fair, sweit cummer,” quod the tuder,
“Ye tak that nigertnes of your muder;
All wyne to test scho wald disdane
Bot mavasy, scho bad nane uder;
This lang Lentern makis me lene.”

“Cummer, be glaid both evin and morrow,
Thocht ye suld bayth beg and borrow,
Fra our lang fasting ye yow refrene,
And latt your husband dre the sorrow;
This lang Lentern makis me lene.”

“Your counsale, cummer, is gud,” quod scho,
“All is to tene him that I do,
In bed he is nocht wirth a bene;
Fill fow the glass and drynk me to;
This lang Lentern makis me lene.”

Off wyne owt of ane choppyne stowp,
They drank twa quartis, sowp and sowp,
Off drowth sic exces did thame strene;
Be than to mend thay had gud howp
That Lentrune suld nocht mak thame lene.

 

Sonnet: In Orkney

english translation

Sonnet: In Orkney

original Scots poem

Sonet. In Orknay

Upon the utmost corners of the warld,
and on the borders of this massive round,
quhaire fates and fortoune hither hes me harld,
I doe deplore my greiffs upon this ground;
and seing roring seis from roks rebound
by ebbs and streames of contrair routing tyds,
and phebus chariot in there wawes ly dround,
quha equallye now night and day devyds,
I cal to mynde the storms my thoughts abyds,
which euer wax and never dois decress,
for nights of dole dayes Ioys ay ever hyds,
and in there vayle doith al my weill suppress:
so this I see, quhaire ever I remove,
I chainge bot sees, but can not chainge my love.

 

from Book 7 of Eneados

english translation

from Book 7 of Eneados

original Scots poem

from Book 7 of Eneados

Unsterit lang tyme and unmovit, Itale
Now birnis into fury bellicall.
Sum grathis thame on fute to gae in feild,
Sum hie montit on hors bak under scheild
The dusty pouder updrivand with ane stoure,
And every man socht wappinnis and armoure:
Thare schynand scheildis sum did burnis wele,
And sum polist scharp spere hedis of stele,
To mak thame bricht with fat creische or same,
And on quhitstanis thare axis scharpis at hame:
To bere pyncellis it gladis thame up and doun,
And are rejocit to here the trumpettis soun.
Five of the gretest and maist cheif cieteis,
Thare wappinnis to renew in all degreis,
Set up forgis and stele styddyis fyne,
Riche Atina, and the proude Tiburine,
Ardea the ciete, and Crustumerie
And eik Antemne with strang towris hie,
And werelie wallis battellit all about:
The sikkir helmes penys and forgis out,
Thare targis bow thay of the licht sauch-tre,
And bos bukleris coverit with corbulye:
Sum stele hawbrekis forgis furth of plate,
Birnyst flawkertis and leg harnes fut hate,
With latit sowpyl silver weil ammelyt:
Al instrumentis of pleuch graith irnit or stelit,
As culturis, sokkys, and the sowmes grete,
With sythis and all hukis that scheris quhete,
War thidder brocht, and tholis tempyr new,
The lust of all sic werklomes wer adew:
Thay dyd thame forge in swerdis of mettal brycht,
For to defend thare cuntre and thare richt.
Be this thare armour grathyt and thare gere,
The draucht trumpet blawis the brag of were:
The slughorn, ensenye, or the wache cry
Went for the battall all suld be reddy:
He pullis doun his sellat quhare it hang,
Sum dele affrait of the noyis and thrang:
He drivis furth the stampand hors on raw
Unto the yoik, the chariotis to draw:
He clethis him with his scheild and semys bald,
He claspis his gilt habirihone and thrinfald:
He in his breistplait strang and his birnye,
Ane sovir swerd beltis law doun by his the.
Ze Musis now, sueit Godessis ichone . . .

 

William Dunbar

William Dunbar (c. 1456 – 1520) trained as a Franciscan novice in addition to studying at the University of St Andrews, Oxford, and Paris. He served as an ambassador and court poet of King James IV, for whom his work epitomized the ideals of the “Northern Renaissance.” His most famous work, “Lament for the Makaris” eulogizes twenty-four early Scots/English poets including Geoffrey Chaucer, John Barbour, Blind Harry, and Robert Henryson.

 

William Fowler

William Fowler (1560 – 1612) was a Protestant spy in Paris before returning to Scotland to become a minister and, later, moving to London to serve as secretary to Queen Anne. Besides composing original work, he also translated widely from the Italian masters such as Petrarch and Castiglione. His “Sonet: In Orknay” utilizes the rhyme scheme popularized by Fowler’s English contemporary, Edmund Spenser (1552 – 1599), thus representing Fowler’s quick talent for absorbing both classical and current trends in literature.

 

 

Gavin Douglas

Gavin Douglas (c. 1474 – 1522) represented, along with William Dunbar and Robert Henryson, the flowering of the golden age of the Northern Renaissance in Scotland. Douglas studied for the priesthood and traveled widely, absorbing both contemporary and classical virtues and resources. Completed in 1513, his monumental translation of Virgil’s Aeneid was the first complete verse rendition of a classical text to be produced in Scotland.

 

Kent Leatham

Kent Leatham holds an MFA in poetry from Emerson College and a BA in poetry from Pacific Lutheran University. His translations of medieval/Renaissance Scots-language poetry have appeared or are forthcoming from InTranslation, Rowboat, Anomalous Press, and Ezra. His original poetry has appeared in dozens of journals nationwide, such as Ploughshares, Fence, Zoland, and Poetry Quarterly. Previously a poetry editor for Black Lawrence Press, Kent currently teaches at California State University Monterey Bay.

 

 

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