The Project Gutenberg eBook ofLetters Concerning Poetical Translations

The Project Gutenberg eBook ofLetters Concerning Poetical TranslationsThis ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.Title: Letters Concerning Poetical TranslationsAuthor: William BensonRelease date: January 18, 2006 [eBook #17548]Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Carol David, Lesley Halamekand the Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttp://www.pgdp.net*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LETTERS CONCERNING POETICAL TRANSLATIONS ***

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Letters Concerning Poetical TranslationsAuthor: William BensonRelease date: January 18, 2006 [eBook #17548]Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Carol David, Lesley Halamekand the Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttp://www.pgdp.net

Title: Letters Concerning Poetical Translations

Author: William Benson

Release date: January 18, 2006 [eBook #17548]

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Carol David, Lesley Halamekand the Online Distributed Proofreading Team athttp://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LETTERS CONCERNING POETICAL TRANSLATIONS ***

[page 1]

SIR,

Iam now going to obey your Commands; but you must let me do it in my own way, that is, write as much, or as little at a time as I may have an Inclination to, and just as things offer themselves. After this manner you may receive in a few Letters, all that I have said to you about poetical Translations, and the resemblance there is betweenVirgil'sandMilton'sVersification, and some other Matters of the same nature.

To begin with the Business of Translation.

Whoever sits down to translate a Poet, ought in the first place to consider his Author's peculiarStile; for without this, tho' the Translation may be very good in all other respects, it will hardly deserve the Name of a Translation.

The two great Men amongst the Antients differ from each other as much in this particular as in the Subjects they treat of. The Stile ofHomer, who sings the Anger or Rage ofAchilles, israpid.[page 2]The Stile ofVirgil, who celebrates the Piety ofÆneas, ismajestick. But it may be proper to explain in what this Difference consists.

The Stile israpid, when several Relatives, each at the head of a separate Sentence, are governed by one Antecedent, or several Verbs by one Nominative Case, to the close of the Period.

Thus inHomer:

"Goddess, sing the pernicious Anger ofAchilles,which brought infinite Woes to theGrecians,and sent many valiant Souls of Heroes to Hell,and gave their Bodies to the Dogs, and to theFowls of the Air."

"Goddess, sing the pernicious Anger ofAchilles,

which brought infinite Woes to theGrecians,

and sent many valiant Souls of Heroes to Hell,

and gave their Bodies to the Dogs, and to the

Fowls of the Air."

Here you see it is the Anger ofAchilles, that does all that is mentioned in three or four Lines. Now if the Translator does not nicely observeHomer'sStile in this Passage, all the Fire ofHomerwill be lost. For Example: "O Heavenly Goddess, sing the Wrath of the Son ofPeleus, the fatal Source of all the Woes of theGrecians, that Wrath which sent the Souls of many Heroes toPluto'sgloomy Empire, while their Bodies lay upon the Shore, and were torn by devouring Dogs, and hungry Vultures."

Here you see the Spirit ofHomerevaporates; and in what immediately follows, if the Stile ofHomeris not nicely attended to, if any great matter is added or left out,Homerwill be fought for in vain in the Translation. He always hurries on as fast as possible, asHoracejustly observes,semper ad eventum festinat; and that is the reason why he introduces his first Speech without any Connection, by a sudden Transition; and why he so often brings in hisτòν δ’ απαμηβόμενος: He has not patience to stay to work his Speeches artfully into the Subject.

Here you see what is arapidStile. I will now[page 3]shew you what is quite the contrary, that is, amajestic one. To instance inVirgil: "Arms and the Man I sing; the first who from the Shores ofTroy(the Fugitive of Heav'n) came toItalyand theLavinianCoast." Here you perceive the Subject-matter is retarded by theInversion of the Phrase, and by thatParenthesis, theFugitive of Heavenall which occasionsDelay; andDelay(as a learned Writer upon a Passage of this nature inTassoobserves) is the Property of Majesty: For which Reason whenVirgilrepresentsDidoin her greatest Pomp, it is,

—Reginamcunctantemad limina primiPœnorum expectant.—

—Reginamcunctantemad limina primi

Pœnorum expectant.—

For the same Reason he introduces the most solemn and most important Speech in theÆneid, with three Monosyllables, which causes great Delay in the Speaker, and gives great Majesty to the Speech.

—O Qui ResHominumq; Deumq;—

These three Syllables occasion three short Pauses.O—Qui—Res—How slow and how stately is this Passage!

But it happens that I can set the Beginning of theÆneidin a clear Light for my purpose, by two Translations of that Passage, both by the same Hand; one of which is exactly in the manner ofVirgil, the other in the manner ofHomer: The two Translations are made by the Reverend Mr.Pitt. He published the first among some Miscellany Poems several Years since, the latter in his four Books of theÆneidabout two Years ago.

[page 4]

"Arms and the Man I sing; the first who driv'nFromTrojanShores, the Fugitive of Heav'n,Came to th'ItalianandLavinianCoast;—

"Arms and the Man I sing; the first who driv'n

FromTrojanShores, the Fugitive of Heav'n,

Came to th'ItalianandLavinianCoast;—

"Arms and the Man I sing, the first who boreHis Course toLatiumfrom theTrojanShore.—

"Arms and the Man I sing, the first who bore

His Course toLatiumfrom theTrojanShore.—

The first Translation is exact in every respect: You have in it the Suspence and Majesty ofVirgil. The second is a good Translation, though not at all likeVirgil, but exactly likeHomer: There is no Hesitation, but the Verse and the Matter hurry on together as fast as possible.

I have now shown you what is arapid, and what is amajestick Stile. But a few more Lines of the Beginning both of theIliadand of theÆneidwill make it still more plain.

"The Anger ofAchilles, Goddess, sing;Which to theGreeksdid endless Sorrows bring;And sent untimely, to the Realms of Night,The Souls of many Chiefs, renown'd in Fight:And gave their Bodies for the Dogs to tear,And every hungry Fowl that wings the Air.And thus accomplish'd was the Will ofJove,Since firstAtridesandAchillesstrove.What God the fatal Enmity begun?Latonâ's, and greatJove's immortal Son.He through the Camp a dire Contagion spread,The Prince offended, and the People bled:With publick Scorn,Atrideshad disgrac'dThe ReverendChryses,Phœbus'chosen Priest."He to redeem his Daughter, sought the Shore,[page 5]Where lay theGreeks, and mighty Presents bore:Deckt with the Ensigns of his God, he stands,The Crown, the golden Sceptre in his Hands;To all he su'd, but to the Princes most,GreatAtreus's Sons, the Leaders of the Host:Princes! andGrecianWarriors! may the Gods(The Pow'rs that dwell in Heav'ns sublime Abodes)Give you to levelPriam's haughty Tow'rs,And safely to regain your native Shores.But my dear Daughter to her Sire restore,These Gifts accept, and dreadApollo's Pow'r;The Son ofJove; he bears a mighty Bow,And from afar his Arrows gall the Foe.

"The Anger ofAchilles, Goddess, sing;

Which to theGreeksdid endless Sorrows bring;

And sent untimely, to the Realms of Night,

The Souls of many Chiefs, renown'd in Fight:

And gave their Bodies for the Dogs to tear,

And every hungry Fowl that wings the Air.

And thus accomplish'd was the Will ofJove,

Since firstAtridesandAchillesstrove.

What God the fatal Enmity begun?

Latonâ's, and greatJove's immortal Son.

He through the Camp a dire Contagion spread,

The Prince offended, and the People bled:

With publick Scorn,Atrideshad disgrac'd

The ReverendChryses,Phœbus'chosen Priest.

"He to redeem his Daughter, sought the Shore,

Where lay theGreeks, and mighty Presents bore:

Deckt with the Ensigns of his God, he stands,

The Crown, the golden Sceptre in his Hands;

To all he su'd, but to the Princes most,

GreatAtreus's Sons, the Leaders of the Host:

Princes! andGrecianWarriors! may the Gods

(The Pow'rs that dwell in Heav'ns sublime Abodes)

Give you to levelPriam's haughty Tow'rs,

And safely to regain your native Shores.

But my dear Daughter to her Sire restore,

These Gifts accept, and dreadApollo's Pow'r;

The Son ofJove; he bears a mighty Bow,

And from afar his Arrows gall the Foe.

Arms and the Man I sing, the first who driv'nFromTrojanShores, the Fugitive of Heav'n,Came to th'ItalianandLavinianCoast;Much o'er the Earth was He, and Ocean tost,By Heavenly Powers, andJuno's lasting Rage;Much too He bore, long Wars compell'd to wage;E'er He the Town could raise, and of his Gods,InLatiumsettle the secure Abodes;Whence in a long Descent theLatinscome,TheAlbineFathers, and the Tow'rs ofRome.

Arms and the Man I sing, the first who driv'n

FromTrojanShores, the Fugitive of Heav'n,

Came to th'ItalianandLavinianCoast;

Much o'er the Earth was He, and Ocean tost,

By Heavenly Powers, andJuno's lasting Rage;

Much too He bore, long Wars compell'd to wage;

E'er He the Town could raise, and of his Gods,

InLatiumsettle the secure Abodes;

Whence in a long Descent theLatinscome,

TheAlbineFathers, and the Tow'rs ofRome.

Sept. 6. 1736.

I am,Sir,&c.

[page 6]

I Should not part with the Passage inHomerabove-mentioned without observing that the Speech ofApollo's Priest is wonderfully Peinturesque, and in Character. We plainly see the Priest holding up his Hands, and pointing with his Crown and Sceptre to Heaven.

"Princes! andGrecianWarriors! may the Gods(The Pow'rs that dwell in Heav'ns sublime Abodes)

"Princes! andGrecianWarriors! may the Gods

(The Pow'rs that dwell in Heav'ns sublime Abodes)

It is a Priest that speaks, and his Audience is composed of Soldiers who had liv'd ten Years in a Camp. He does not only put them in mind of theGods, but likewise of thePlacewhere they dwelt, and at the same time points up to it. Neither is the Conclusion of the Speech less remarkable than the Beginning of it: The Priest ofApollodoes not end in an humble supplicant manner like a common Suitor; but he frankly offers his Presents, and threatens the Generals and Princes he addresses himself to, with the Vengeance of his God if they refuse his Request: And he very artfully lets them know that his God is not a Deity of inferior Rank, but the Son ofJove; and that his Arrows reach from a great Distance. The next Line to those last mentioned I cannot omit taking notice of, because it contains, in my Opinion, one of the most beautiful Expressions in all the poetical Language.To give to do a thing.

"Princes! andGrecianWarriors! may the Gods(The Pow'rs that dwell in Heav'ns sublime Abodes)Give you to level Priam's haughty Tow'rs,And safely to regain your native Shores.

"Princes! andGrecianWarriors! may the Gods

(The Pow'rs that dwell in Heav'ns sublime Abodes)

Give you to level Priam's haughty Tow'rs,

And safely to regain your native Shores.

[page 7]

Virgilwas so sensible of this charming Expression, that he has used it in the three following Passages, and I believe in one or two others in the very firstÆneid.

"—Tibi Divum paler atque hominum rexEt mulcerededitfluctus & tollere vento.—

"—Tibi Divum paler atque hominum rex

Et mulcerededitfluctus & tollere vento.—

"—Tudasepulis accumbere Divûm.—

"O regina, novam cui condere Jupiter urbemJustitiaquededitgentes frænare superbas:—

"O regina, novam cui condere Jupiter urbem

Justitiaquededitgentes frænare superbas:—

Salviniin hisItalianTranslation in 1723, dedicated to his late Majesty, is attentive to all the Beauties of the Passage inHomerlast mentioned.

"—A voi gl' Iddii,Che l'Olimpie magioni abitan, dienoEspugnar ilio e a casa far ritorno."

"—A voi gl' Iddii,

Che l'Olimpie magioni abitan, dieno

Espugnar ilio e a casa far ritorno."

[page 8]

SIR,

Should now go upon the Comparison ofVirgil's andMilton's Versification, in which you will meet with that Paradox, as you thought it at first, namely, that the principal AdvantageVirgilhas overMiltonisVirgil's Rhyme. But I beg leave to postpone that matter at present, because I have a mind to make some Remarks upon the second Line in the Translation of the beginning of theIliadmentioned in my former Letter, in which the auxiliary Verbdid(as our Grammarians call it) is made use of. The Line runs thus.

"Which to theGreeks didendless Sorrows bring.

It is commonly apprehended from a Passage in Mr.Pope'sEssay on Criticism, that all auxiliary Verbs are mereExpletives.

"While Expletives their feeble Aiddojoin,And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line.

"While Expletives their feeble Aiddojoin,

And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line.

But this I believe Mr.Popenever intended to advance.Miltonhas used them in many Places, where he could have avoided it if he had pleased. I will produce one.

[page 9]

————————"Him the most HighWrapt in a balmy Cloud with fiery SteedsDid, as thou saw'st, receive.———

————————"Him the most High

Wrapt in a balmy Cloud with fiery Steeds

Did, as thou saw'st, receive.———

Miltonmight have said,

"Receiv'd, as thou hast seen.———

But he thought the auxiliary Verb added Strength to the Expression, as indeed it does. I own where the auxiliary Verb is brought close to its principal, andthata thin monosyllable, as in the Line just now referred to, the Verse is very rude and disagreeable. But to prove that the auxiliary Verb may be employed properly, I will produce an Instance in rhym'd Verse, as strong as that ofMiltonjust mentioned.

"Thendidthe roaring Waves their Rage compose,When the great Father of the Flood arose.Pit's1st Æneid.

"Thendidthe roaring Waves their Rage compose,When the great Father of the Flood arose.

"Thendidthe roaring Waves their Rage compose,

When the great Father of the Flood arose.

Pit's1st Æneid.

I believe it will not be disputed, but that this Line is as full, as sonorous, and majestick as if the auxiliary Verb had been left out, and the Author had usedcompos'dinstead ofdid compose. The Expression is certainly more beautiful and more poetical; and the reason of it is, that it occasions suspence, which raises the attention; or in other Words the auxiliary Verb gives notice of something coming, before the principal thing itself appears, which is another Property of Majesty. Mr.Dryden's authority might likewise be added on this occasion; even in his celebrated Lines onMiltonit is to be met with.

[page 10]

"Greece,Italy, andEngland didadorn.

In his Translation of theÆneidthere are many Instances of the same nature, one of which I will mention;

"The Queen of Heav'ndidthus her fury vent.

The Metre of this Line, as the Words are here rang'd, is not bad, as the Ear can judge; but it would have been extremely so, if he had writ it thus,

"The Queen of Heaven her Fury thusdidvent.*

[*His Heart, his Mistress and his Friendsdidshare.Pope, onVoiture.]

[*His Heart, his Mistress and his Friendsdidshare.

Pope, onVoiture.]

From whence it appears that the auxiliary Verb is not to be rejected at all times; besides, it is a particular Idiom of theEnglishLanguage: and has a Majesty in it superior to theLatinorGreekTongue, and I believe to any other Language whatsoever.

Many Instances might be brought to support this Assertion from Great Authorities. I shall produce one fromShakespear.

——————————————This to meIn dreadful Secrecy impart theydid.

——————————————This to me

In dreadful Secrecy impart theydid.

The Auxiliary Verb is here very properly made use of; and it would be a great loss toEnglishPoetry, if it were to be wholly laid aside. In Translations from theGreekandLatin, I believe it wou'd sometimes be impossible to do justice to an Author without this Help: I think the Passage inHomerbefore us, I mean the two first Lines of theIliad, are an Instance of this kind. They have been translated by many Persons of late,Dryden,[page 11]Manwaring, Mr.Tickel, and by Mr.Popetwice, and not by any one of 'em, as I apprehend, in the Spirit ofHomer. As to Mr.Pope's two Translations, I don't understand why the latter ought to be preferr'd to the former. Mr.Pope's first Translation stood thus.

The Wrath ofPeleus'Son, the direful SpringOf all theGrecianWoes,OGoddess sing.

The Wrath ofPeleus'Son, the direful Spring

Of all theGrecianWoes,OGoddess sing.

Mr.Popehad reason to be dissatisfy'd with theOin the second Line, and to reject it; forHomerhas nothing of it. But now let us see how the Vacancy is supplied in Mr.Pope's new Translation.

Achilles'Wrath, toGreecethe direful SpringOf Woes un-number'd,Heav'nlyGoddess, sing.

Achilles'Wrath, toGreecethe direful Spring

Of Woes un-number'd,Heav'nlyGoddess, sing.

Is notHeav'nlyas much an Expletive asO, and can either of these Couplets deserve to be plac'd in the Front of the Iliad? I could wish Mr.Popewould return these two Lines once more to the Anvil, and dismiss all Expletives here at least. But enough of Expletives.

I shall now say something ofMonosyllables, which seem to be absolutely condemn'd in the second Line of the two Verses just mention'd from Mr.Pope's Essay on Criticism.

And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line.

Mr.Drydenindeed has said in several Places, that the vast Number ofMonosyllablesin our Language makes it barbarous and rough, and unfit for Poetry. I am apt to think Mr.Popegave into Mr.Dryden's Sentiment a little too hastily. I ownten low Wordstoo frequentlycreep on in one dull line, in a Poet's Works, whom Mr.Popehas formerly celebrated[page 12]with no mean Encomiums.

The following Lines afford an Example in this respect.

At the beginning of the third Book of theDavideis, this is the Description ofGoliah's Sword.

"A Sword so great, thatitwas onlyfitTo take off his great Head, who came withit.Cowley.

"A Sword so great, thatitwas onlyfitTo take off his great Head, who came withit.

"A Sword so great, thatitwas onlyfit

To take off his great Head, who came withit.

Cowley.

Here are tendullWords most certainly in onedullLine.

"To take off his great Head, who came withit.

And miserable is the Metre in which they creep on. But hundreds ofmonosyllableLines are to be found inMiltonthat are as sublime, as beautiful, and as harmonious as can possibly be written. Look only into the Morning Hymn in the fifth Book.

"Speak ye who best can tell, ye Sons of Light.

Again,

"Thou Sun! of this great World both Eye and Soul.

Again,

"And when high Noon hast gain'd, and when thou fall'st.

Again,

"With the fixt Stars, fixt in their Orb that flies.

[page 13]

Again,

"Breathe soft or loud; and wave your Tops, ye Pines.

Again,

"Bear on your Wings and in your Notes his Praise.

Can it be said that ten dull Words creep on dully in any one of these Lines? But Examples may likewise be given in rhym'd Verse, of the Harmony ofMonosyllables. Harmony consists in mixing rough and smooth, soft and harsh Sounds. What Words can be rougher than such as these,Rides,Rapt,Throws,Storms; or smoother than these,Wheel,Hush,Lull?

"Then mounted on his radiant Carr herides,Andwheelsalong the level of the Tides.Pit's 1st Æneid.

"Then mounted on his radiant Carr herides,Andwheelsalong the level of the Tides.

"Then mounted on his radiant Carr herides,

Andwheelsalong the level of the Tides.

Pit's 1st Æneid.

How rough is the first Line, how soft the latter! As soft as the Original, which is a Masterpiece.

"Raptby his Steeds he flies in open Day,Throwsup the Reins, and skims the watry Way."Has given to thee greatÆolusto raiseStormsat thy sov'reign Will, andsmooththe Seas."He spake, and speaking chas'd the Clouds away,Hush'dthe loud Billows, and restor'd the Day.

"Raptby his Steeds he flies in open Day,Throwsup the Reins, and skims the watry Way.

"Raptby his Steeds he flies in open Day,

Throwsup the Reins, and skims the watry Way.

"Has given to thee greatÆolusto raiseStormsat thy sov'reign Will, andsmooththe Seas.

"Has given to thee greatÆolusto raise

Stormsat thy sov'reign Will, andsmooththe Seas.

"He spake, and speaking chas'd the Clouds away,Hush'dthe loud Billows, and restor'd the Day.

"He spake, and speaking chas'd the Clouds away,

Hush'dthe loud Billows, and restor'd the Day.

[page 14]

"Mean time the Goddess onAscaniusthrows,A balmy Slumber and a sweet Repose.Lull'din her Lap to Rest, the Queen of Love,Convey'd him to the softIdalianGrove.Pit's 1st Æneid.

"Mean time the Goddess onAscaniusthrows,A balmy Slumber and a sweet Repose.Lull'din her Lap to Rest, the Queen of Love,Convey'd him to the softIdalianGrove.

"Mean time the Goddess onAscaniusthrows,

A balmy Slumber and a sweet Repose.

Lull'din her Lap to Rest, the Queen of Love,

Convey'd him to the softIdalianGrove.

Pit's 1st Æneid.

Where can a smoother Line than this be found in our Language?

"Lull'din her Lap to Rest, the Queen of Love.

And it may be observed that this Line is all Monosyllables.

Monosyllablesare likewise of great consequence on another account. The Strength of theEnglishLanguage is greatly owing to them: For to them it is principally obliged for its Conciseness; and Conciseness is Strength. Now Conciseness is not only to express ourselves in as few Words as we can, but the Excellency of the Language shews itself, if those few Words are composed of few Syllables. And herein upon Examination, the Strength of theEnglishTongue will be found to lye; and for this reason it may be said to be more concise than theLatin; which will appear ifVirgilis turned intoEnglish, I mean evenEnglishVerse. For Example:

"—Ubi tot Simois correpta sub undasScuta virum, Galeasq; & fortia Corpora volvit."WhereSimoisStreams incumber'd with the slain,Roll'd Shields, and Helms, and Heroes to the Main.Pit's 1st Æneid.

"—Ubi tot Simois correpta sub undasScuta virum, Galeasq; & fortia Corpora volvit.

"—Ubi tot Simois correpta sub undas

Scuta virum, Galeasq; & fortia Corpora volvit.

"WhereSimoisStreams incumber'd with the slain,Roll'd Shields, and Helms, and Heroes to the Main.

"WhereSimoisStreams incumber'd with the slain,

Roll'd Shields, and Helms, and Heroes to the Main.

Pit's 1st Æneid.

[page 15]

To discover which of these two Passages is the most concise, it is not sufficient to shew, that there are two wholeEnglishLines, and but one Line and three Parts of another in theLatin.LatinandEnglishLines cannot be compared together, because in aLatinLine there are six Feet, and in anEnglishLine but five. Again, inLatinVerse there must be in every Line one Foot of three Syllables, often three or four, or even five Feet of three Syllables, and sometimes four or five Syllables in one Foot. Whereas in anEnglishLine, there is hardly ever more than two Syllables in a foot. So that anEnglishVerse cannot be compared with theLatinby the Line, or by the Foot, but only by the Syllables of which the Words are composed, which make the Feet in both the Languages. The Business then is to enquire whether we write or pronounce more Syllables in theLatinorEnglishVerses here quoted: Upon Enquiry it appears that there are twenty nine Syllables in theLatin, and but twenty one in theEnglish; so that theEnglishis almost one third part less than theLatin; which certainly shews the former to be much more concise than the latter, there being nothing left out in theEnglish, but the whole Thought is rather more fully expressed: And this we see is owing toMonosyllablesboth Verbs and Nouns,Streams,Slain,Shields,Roll'd,Helms,Main. In short the whole Passage is equal to the Original in Majesty and Harmony, and superior in Conciseness.

To give another Example or two of the same nature.

"Urbs antiqua fuit, Tyrii tenuere Coloni,Carthago, Italiam contra, Tyberinaque longeOstia, dives opum, studiisque Asperrima Belli.

"Urbs antiqua fuit, Tyrii tenuere Coloni,

Carthago, Italiam contra, Tyberinaque longe

Ostia, dives opum, studiisque Asperrima Belli.

[page 16]

"Against theItalianCoast, of ancient FameA City rose, andCarthagewas the Name;ATyrianColony, fromTyberfar,"Rich, rough, and brave, and exercis'd in war.Mr.Pit's Æneid.

"Against theItalianCoast, of ancient FameA City rose, andCarthagewas the Name;ATyrianColony, fromTyberfar,"Rich, rough, and brave, and exercis'd in war.

"Against theItalianCoast, of ancient Fame

A City rose, andCarthagewas the Name;

ATyrianColony, fromTyberfar,

"Rich, rough, and brave, and exercis'd in war.

Mr.Pit's Æneid.

"—Facti de Nomine Byrsam,Sed vos, qui tandem, quibus aut venistis ab oris,Quove tenetis iter?—"HenceByrsanam'd.—But now ye Strangers, say,Who, whence you are, and whither lies your Way?

"—Facti de Nomine Byrsam,Sed vos, qui tandem, quibus aut venistis ab oris,Quove tenetis iter?—

"—Facti de Nomine Byrsam,

Sed vos, qui tandem, quibus aut venistis ab oris,

Quove tenetis iter?—

"HenceByrsanam'd.—But now ye Strangers, say,Who, whence you are, and whither lies your Way?

"HenceByrsanam'd.—But now ye Strangers, say,

Who, whence you are, and whither lies your Way?

I have chosen here three Passages of three very different kinds, and in all of them theEnglishappears to be much more concise than theLatin; neither is there any thing wanting in the Fulness of the Sense, or in Majesty, or in Harmony of Numbers, any more in the two last Passages than in the former. Another Instance of this kind might be produced out ofVirgil's most perfect Work, theGeorgick, although it wants the Advantage of being translated by such a Hand as Mr.Pit's.

"Si vero Viciamq; seres vitemq; Faselum,Nec Pelusiacœ curam aspernabere lentis."But if the Vetch you sow, or meaner,Nor shall disdain th'ÆgyptianLentil's Care.

"Si vero Viciamq; seres vitemq; Faselum,Nec Pelusiacœ curam aspernabere lentis.

"Si vero Viciamq; seres vitemq; Faselum,

Nec Pelusiacœ curam aspernabere lentis.

"But if the Vetch you sow, or meaner,Nor shall disdain th'ÆgyptianLentil's Care.

"But if the Vetch you sow, or meaner,

Nor shall disdain th'ÆgyptianLentil's Care.

In theLatinthere are thirty Syllables in the two Lines, in theEnglishbut twenty one. So that theEnglishis almost one third more concise than theLatin; and at the same timeVirgil's Sense fully expressed.

[page 17]

I will conclude this Letter with the Opinion of a Foreigner concerning our Monosyllables: A Person not at all prepossessed in favour of our Language.

"TheEnglishLanguage, besides the most significant Words borrowed from theLatin,Greek, &c. and often shortned, hath a vast Stock of its own, and being for the most part Monosyllables, no Speech is capable of expressing Thought in Sounds so few as theEnglishdoes: This is easily observed by the Translations of theEnglishinto Foreign Languages."The Strength and Conciseness that Monosyllables (especially in Verbs) produce, are of wonderful Use in Lyrick Poetry, because they enter into any Foot or Measure of Verses, by different Transpositions; so that I dare venture to assert, there is noItalianor Foreign Song, whichEnglishWords will not suit; the Variety of Feet and Metres producing equal Variety of Mode and Movements in Composition. The want of this is what makes theFrenchvocal Musick so confined and uniform; for I cannot recollect above two of their Verbs in use in the infinitive Mood, that are Monosyllables, and not one exact Dactile in all their Polysyllables."

"The Strength and Conciseness that Monosyllables (especially in Verbs) produce, are of wonderful Use in Lyrick Poetry, because they enter into any Foot or Measure of Verses, by different Transpositions; so that I dare venture to assert, there is noItalianor Foreign Song, whichEnglishWords will not suit; the Variety of Feet and Metres producing equal Variety of Mode and Movements in Composition. The want of this is what makes theFrenchvocal Musick so confined and uniform; for I cannot recollect above two of their Verbs in use in the infinitive Mood, that are Monosyllables, and not one exact Dactile in all their Polysyllables."

Röner's Preface to hisMelopeïa Sacra.

Sept. 13. 1736.

I am,Sir,&c.

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SIR,

N comparingVirgil's andMilton's Versification, I shall begin withVirgil; and shew some of the principal Beauties of his Poetry in this respect: And here I must own myself not a little indebted toLa-Cerda,PontanusandPierius, but above all to the most excellentErythræus, who has not only considered every Paragraph, every Line, every Foot, every Word, and every Syllable, but even every Letter inVirgil; and it is not easy to conceive how much may depend on a single Letter, very often the whole Harmony of a Line; and on this Account we have vast Obligations toPierius; to him we owe this fine Verse, and many others.

"Atq; rotis summas levibuspellabiturundas.———

All the common Editions readperlabitur; which is horrid to the ear. But to go on with the Matter in hand. The principal Excellencies ofVirgil's Versification consist of the several following Particulars.

As these three last Articles arise from Observations perfectly new at the time they were written byErythræus, namely, about 200 Years ago; and as new at this time, having been almost quite lost by I know not what Accident to the World; I must follow my Master, and use his Terms for his Discoveries, except where I differ a little from him.

1st, To begin with the first Article mentioned in this Letter,The Varying of the Pause. This Subject I have met with in several Books, but not fully explained in any one of them to my Capacity; for I must confess I should never have thoroughly apprehended the Varying of the Pause in any Language, if I had not thought of an Expedient to discover what is the common Pause in a Verse that each Language naturally stops at, of which I have any Knowledge.

To find out this, I consulted the middling sort of Poets, or the first Practicers in this Art: In this Enquiry I observ'd fromHesiodandEnniusamong theGreekandLatinPoets, and afterwards fromOvidwith relation to the latter, and which I am now to speak of, that the common Pause or Stop in allLatinHeroick Verse (to say nothing of theGreek, which agrees with it in this Respect) is upon the 1st Syllable of the 3d Foot. For[page 20]Example,

"Ante mare & tellus | & quod tegit omnia, cælum,

Unus erat toto | Naturæ vultus in orbe,

Quem dixêre Chaos | rudis indigestaque moles;

Nec quicquam, nisi pondus, iners; | congestaque eodem

Non bene junctarum | discordia semina rerum.

Nullus adhuc mundo | præbebat lumina Titan;

Nec nova crescendo | reparabat cornua Phœbe,

Nec circumfuso | pendebat in aëre tellus———

Here we have eight Lines all paused in the same Place, except one, (the 4th); and in this kind of Measure theMetamorphosisis generally written; from whence I collected the natural Pause in theLatinLanguage to be as abovementioned: I then consulted the best Poem of the bestLatinPoet, which begins with these Lines.

"Quid faciat lætas segetes, | quo Sydere Terram

Vertere, | Mæcenas, | ulmisque adjungere Vites

Conveniat, | quæ cura Boum, | qui cultus habendo

Sit Pecori, | Apibus quanta experientia parcis

Hinc canere incipiam |.———

Here I observed that this great Master had artfully avoided the common Pause till he came to the fifth Line; and he takes care to do it as much as possible throughout the whole Work; from whence arises one of the most material Differences in the Versification ofOvidandVirgil; and to produce more Examples would be a needless Labour. In this Place let me take Notice that it is on Account of Varying the Pause thatVirgilmakes his broken Lines in theÆneid, which suspend all Pauses, and the Ear is relieved by this Means, and attends with fresh Pleasure. Whoever intends to come up to[page 21]Virgilin Harmony in Heroick Numbers in any long Work, must not omit this Art.

2d, The next thing to be attended to, is,The Inversion of the Phrase. This flings the Stile out of Prose, and occasions that Suspense which is the Life of Poetry. Thisbuilds the lofty Rhyme(asMiltonexpresses it) in such manner as to cause that Majesty in Verse of which I have said so much before, that there is no need of saying any thing more here.

3d. The third thing is,The adapting the Sound to the Sense.

Most People know such Instances of this Nature, asQuadrupedante, &c. andIlli inter sese, &c. But few attend to an Infinity of other Examples.

How is the Verse drawn out in length, and how does it labour when strong heavy Land is to be ploughed!

"—————————————Ergo, age teræ"Pingue solum, primis extemplo a Mensibus Anni"Fortes invortant tauri.————————————

"—————————————Ergo, age teræ

"Pingue solum, primis extemplo a Mensibus Anni

"Fortes invortant tauri.————————————

How nimbly does the Verse move when the turning over very light Ground is represented!

"———————————Sub ipsum"Arcturum, tenui sāt eritsuspendere sulco.———

"———————————Sub ipsum

"Arcturum, tenui sāt eritsuspendere sulco.———

How slow does the heavy Waggon proceed in this Line!

"Tardaque Eleusinæ Matris Volventïa Plaustra.—

How does the Boat bound over thePoin these two Hemisticks!

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"——————————————Levis innatat alnusMissa Pado.———

"——————————————Levis innatat alnus

Missa Pado.———

See Feathers dancing on the Water in this!

"———————In aqua colludere plumas.———

No Stem of the Crab-tree is more rough than this Verse.

"Inseritur vero ex fœtu nucis arbutus horrida:

Water is not more liquid than this.

"Speluncisque lacus Clausos, lucosque sonantis.——

S. & L. liquescit Carmen instar aquarum, saysErythræusin his Note on this Line.

How gently flow the Streams in this Verse!

"Unde pater Tiberinus, & unde Aniena fluenta.—

What a roaring do theHypanisandCaicusmake in the next!

"Saxōsumque sōnans Hypanis, Mysusque Caïcus.

But now observe how he raises his Song to honour his FavouriteEridanus!

"Et geminaauratustaurino cornua vultuEridanus;quo nonaliusPer Pinguia cultaIn mare purpureum vīolentīor īnfluīt amnīs.

"Et geminaauratustaurino cornua vultu

Eridanus;quo nonaliusPer Pinguia culta

In mare purpureum vīolentīor īnfluīt amnīs.

The former Line strikes the Ear withMysusandCaïcus; here you haveAuratus,Eridanus, andAlius. Then an Alliteration,Per Pinguia, and at[page 23]last the whole Passage rolls on in a Dactyl Line, and rushes into the Sea with anAssultusof the Voweli, repeated five times in three Words.

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