Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-06-25
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.


NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.
The ODEs OF HORACE. Translated i'ato anrhyn'-
ed metres, Nth ntroduetions and notes ny f. W. NEW
NAN, Professor Of Latin, University C0Aegs London
London John Chapman, 1863
The author of this volume has doubtless familiar
lied his name to most of our readers by his previous
and more important works on subjects OF moral and
religions moment In his q Phases OF Faith and
"The Soul, with her sorrows and aspirations" we
were presented with sad picture OF the conflicts
and STRUGGLES he has gone through in the effort to
nronounce dopmatcaly on all that which he had be-
fore accepted additionally" The orthodox faith of
the fathers was found by Mr.. NEWMAN to be too
narrow and scant for the wider mental breadth of
the nineteenth century. Dogmas which had COM
handed the respect and reverence Of Newton,
Bacon and a Pascal, it was found were nothing more
than mythic symbols to the philosophic intuition of
q Strauss and Cousin.
In the work before we meet Mr.. Newman in
a new field of literary labor. Having previously
sifted the Penateuch of Moses in his elaborate work
on the Hebrew Monarchy" he now advances to
critical rescension Of the Goddess Horatiaai, and
has left no doubt in our mind but that he under
stands the Roman poet much better than the He
brew legislator; by which, however, we do not mean
very much. If all orthodox christians have viewed
the religious writings of Mr.. Newman with some
concern it seems to us that all orthodox admirers
Of English will be sorely grieved at his codes
of Horace in "unrhymed metres" The bright
discovery of Monsieur Jourdain that he had been
talking prose all his life without knowing it, was
after all a trivial matter compared with the new
revelation now disclosed by Mr.. Newman in the
volume before us, from which we learn that poetry
is nothing more or less than prose converted into
jargon and dissonance Wordsworth before him had
discovered that poetry and prose were not quite so
alien as common people were apt to imagine; but it
remained for Mr.. Newman to show that prose then
becomes transmitted into metre when it has been
twisted and contorted out of all rhyme or reason.
The dthyrambs of Southey always puzzled us enough
to discover by what prosodia laws they were to be
scanned or by what metres to be read, but "the
Curse Of Kehama is easy reading compared with
the CODES of Horace in Mr.. Newman's unrhymed
measures Guest, in his learned and valuable work
on the history of English Rhythms" may be con-
suited by the reader in the hope of finding among
them some mention of Mr.. Newman's impossible
metres; but him in advance that the search
will be bootess Mr. Newmans metres are wholly new,
and venture to predict that their originality will never
be conested for unless greatly mistake they de-
stined to remain forever their parallel" The
translator dscards rhyme not he says because he under
values that elegant of versfcaton but because
that it is impossible translate classical poet into
English rhymed metre without great sacrifice of the
poet himself, and most undesirable intrusion of that
which the poets He has therefore endeavored by
adapting of similar tone and feeling and proper
Tomato compass those of the original present in
English with the defeated and unadulterated strains of
the Augustan bard He requests the reader occasionally
suspend his judgment concerning the Cesas dvi
sons of his poetical lines While metre is yet to
the ear he suggests keep seeking for the recurrence
of sounds and demand certain uniformity; but after
awhile, he complacently adds, 81 the becomes more
delicate and requires variations which at first may
harsh" Anxious that all readers should be favored
with opportunity and the to cultivate this
discovered harmony request them practise their
the following specimens which selected at random
fair samples of these unrhymed measures. If they
should seem harsh at first it is only fair to heed Mr.
NEwMANs monon about occasionally suspehding the.
Judgment until the organ of musical perception shall
have become sufficiently delicate to require such chaotic
variations Hitherto" says author, our poetica
translations have failed in general, not much from
want of talent learning but from aiming produce
poems modern STYLE through excessive fear that
modern reader win endure nothing else. have been
assured that it is impossible induce Engishmen to
read poems in new metres. 1t may be but If so,
think it equally impossible to induce them to read
cent poetry at all in any metres, or in prose trans
lations"
We commence, in our selections, with the familiar
ambean ode which Mr.. NEwMAS very justly pronounces
an elegant piece that has met with universal admira-
ton Yin the original that is;
Horace Whilst with thee favor found,
Whilst around thy ivory neck no youth
More BELOVED his arms entwind,
Happier throve than the Persian king.
Lydia Whilst no rival inly scorch'd
Thee, Lydia after Chloe ranked,
Then was Lydia great of name,
Brighter than Roman lila throve
Horace. Me now, Chloe Thracian-born,
Sweet of song, with harp melodisus rules;
Death for her bold would meet
Might the Fates but spare her spirit to live
LYDIA. Born Of Thracian 0rnytus,
Calais me with mutual torch has fr'd
Two-fold death for him III brave,
Might the fates but spare the youth to live
Horace. What if ancient love return,
And with brazen yoke the sunderd join,
Auburn Chloe aside be tossd,
Tilted Lydia's door to reope?
LYDIA . Then, tho starry bright is he
Lighter thou than cork, than Adria rude
Custer, yet would with thee
Joy tolive, with thee would willing die.
The pleasant convival song addressed to Telephus,
commencing "Quantm dstet db Inacho appears in i'm