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: Spring

[From the Prologue to the Aeneid, Bk. v.]

GLAD is the ground of the tender florist grene,

Birdis the bewis and thir schawis schene,

The wery hunter to fynd his happy pray,

The falconer the riche riveir our to flene,

The clerk reiosis his buikis our to seyne,

The luiffar to behald his lady gay,

ȝoung folk thaim schurtis with gam, solace, and play;

Quhat maist delytis or likis every wycht,

Therto steris thar curage day or nycht.

Knychtis delytis to assay sterand stedis,

Wantoun gallandis to traill in sumptuus wedis;

Ladeis desyris to behald and be sene;

Quha wald be thrifty courteouris sais few credis;

Sum plesance takis in romanis that he redis,

And sum has lust to that was never sene:

How mony hedis als feil consatis bene;

Tua appetitis vneith accordis with vther;

This likis the, perchance, and nocht thi brodir.

Plesance and joy rycht halesum and perfyte is,

So that the wys therof in prouerb writis,

Ane blyth spreit makis greyn and flurist age.

Myn author eik in Bucolikis enditis,

The ȝoung infant first with lauchter delytis

To knaw his modir, quhen he is litil page;

Quha lauchis nocht, quod he, in his barnage,

Genyus, the God, delitith nocht their table,

Nor Juno thaim to keip in bed is able.