, 1870-03-14
uEW BOOKS.


rne revival Of he grand ep Of tbs. world in
:. r,s,,sn form I, 20 ord Lszy event It has
.,-,,a ,~p sna eunt1on Of tho pecs to crown
~, Ishrrs by PRO rcing this WorI OF tho sffas
=, ~ IN tbcis ns:,ve torKues. S7ue nave &C.
ran 1sted It y tn vs'y,uk degrees Of sueess,
-n,,e o,hert. IN drrpa 1t the msVastude tad
nt tue work, bAvs c1h1eatea to1u-
seu.s Hlih. ssEstipE fractions OF II 9asss
ttnnrn,.,es lie deepet than Tho autsee' kae
.n,,e mint OF the pt1teut sRe II an'aEontane
~. .rtr1, Of tsose m3tholc9tcal days OF dfecieo
~.,fre We ca, not enter 25to aoTefs 1oFn oa
tnorrht. Wehavs little sJupatoJ wts7 tne feel-
,n1 or sentiment Of that n!stt aotlou".. tuo
vroe 10 tit Of our tducsttot, ref3g on. auo asol4
Of ife IL nt varfAnca With tho bsoto unoeM VI
~ w.,r,o,s Of 1lW1, and tbs human dlFtuisJ OF
~. ord. ot o. snppL Our poetry runs 70 letIet-
a., ,enste.us. Oar philosophy Is progressive
and l,oers, Ous fe,eLce Il 1EsfeSs''e aod itaos
= !. mt NJ the vuf.d at taEcy lao the "ofA OF
1act. In the days CT Pope. when RcKA4n ates1-
ture wa lbe tnuttle-eotk oesreeu Fslvas oon
I, cttt schools the srpeRfAnce OF uAat'.''oo VI
Hcmer ocu,d 20. hut icn7erce our hteratnte oy
-. 49, 80. At IL con4e.vsttys simplicity. Bat
rhe <vrnts which tInCerce literature To-day ae
nc,n adjective in cn1sscser. The a a'eameoa'' tno
,ocon o,ive. epu the to e1raph are The great tn-
n,,se, II u.eIsF4 p1ogfess. Tho poes7 1neselose,
s,t,tpe tn h,a ltunJ Eetder tbs Rsata nesoes o1
Homer IN Engl nh, mnsHto Alssxo e1teoss o.sess
htmaelf Of The lnn1eeces Of me present aae. hc
c,pnot vr,,e Tor people Who aFa not
tmnnea vita ueAeLlc pat1,otsu and
inclined to 1efafu tn4
,hreRa OF ves upou the Trcjan p.Asus ~ p7eE.le II
mi ridiculous, He cantot e1ptct TO gtln Tue
,,rna,hy OF ,hoae #ho have Lo sympathy With
the turtrs1t,on Of Grecac n nytho'oeJ. oeaatned
aa,tis. aud who look upon the 01-Esed Juno
and the Tnutdes-Bett1rg, c1ouo-comnelNeR
Lnntcr "a mytns, u1wor hT The study Of seftoas
met. vho,e rel'g1onz toess arc warrtpR mighty
tsit r. with science, carr.,rg then icto regions
of tneoostcsl philosophy be depths are u M.
sounded ~ the depth1 Of tue soUt Nsclf- His
vcrk, thete fore, Eust 10 the message ol tho Poft
IN the critical scholar, 10 bo dtssec'ed without
ue,cy, ard 10 be accepted ol1y upon the most
ezscurg coEdil1ona.
rbere Il ar her lohcfept difficulty Ia traps'at-
irg Homez, which con,lsa IN tho fact lhasisn
ne!l Etgh lnpnssinla TO produce tue eject
of tho original Dpon the modern
uiEd What thall oe the proper form Of Eu2ltRh I
What EtAH be Tho beat mods OF e1press1on7 To
write the I ind ~ Homer would write It, Werr he
living LOW, II TOO psltdc1tcsl Tor seroaa con-
temptation 40 write 1t iu pure modsEn En91.aa
would strip It Of It's originality and leave It "atae,
na,, spd urpfoutabao." To write Is literally would
destroy isa epic fraEdeut ana heroic spirit Taa
poet has to psJ Aome regard to tho Impressions
Of echclsts ALd readers familiar with the oHgsnas
for 1. Is from them only he can expect sporecia-
NY6 1tUpR n.y. Al IL WY ~ AA1oF A1s0 AAs48N
IN aecQflrg apJ permanent valua for tnetr Woft
Trefr theosles have not been Sbe 10 endure the
test Of time CT CRITICISM. cnspuan. Pope, CoE
rer Ho7sate, Neam Wright. Hooo5, A1d 70.
Gently EA.l Derby, bsve made traos1As.ona Of
Homer. Those Of CnApmsu aud Pops hsd
nsrked ttflnence upon ths literature
Of their respective eras; bnt have theJ accom.
nl,s1led an3 thirF more7 Tue other trans h:ionS,
vita The exception OF Dssh5's. which II co;empo-
1aneouA sro repollpg upon llnrhrg sue'ves !o dus-
| II utscu1lty. In all their efforts 10 obtain E-g
lleh, they have los; Creek The grind feHi1ies 0!
Homer we're hs noble simplicity Aud purity: and
| ,ost te1e, IL seens to us, MI. BtJnnt has sue
| ceeded Wnerb others nave fAtitd. Simplicity and
purity nAve slmaya nee7 tae predominant qaall-
1 Ties Of NJ. Bfy yAntA 1ehiue- H'A "Thanatopals," !"
tor instance, Is ltsay Homerlc ii these qualities,
Is veil a. IN s,1 g:epesa Of purpose and breadth
| and depth Of scope. HIS poetIcal feeling Also Is
.ntecse His very prose ID poe1cat, both In spirit
| aLd IN the technical rules Of setslacsuon. His
| habit and frAue Of mind hro sc1o ariy. aud Whist.
ever ne naa written has = classical ravor TO It,
quite at variance with the Bptfs OF The age In
which no writes
The choice Of etrc probably has been the great
est stumbling block IN the say Of thS t,aosla:ors
1khas been the practice with the majority OF uans-
latcra to uee either the he1ameIer or the rnymed
s1arxss, The former has nsen tried repeatedly
and has always resulted In failure. bec.uss II II
eDftte.y contrary to The split: Of the EaRttsh fA2
| guaee. The latter must aIso alwAys prove fail.
ure, because the rhyned coup|ets inevitably de-
| stroy the dignity OF the work aud degrade tht
epic i1,o the msEc elsg soug Of tns hallud Mr
| Br1Ro: s u g1tKs upon this auotec: ara inter
estIR. He ssJs. in.the preface to bis work: -
did rot adopt The htIaueteF verse, pf1nc' paEJ !o
tho II asou that IN our language lis coniessedl1
An tupefiecs form Of gefstcasiou, The tru
! RI, TIM OF which II 10 very difficult for those
prhn AA+ q ordinary
metres 10 petcelye. l found taat / coalt
not possibly render the Greek nex2uetess line 10
u1e,Eke yaes in his aEvellcus German veEson,t II
/ Nhlch he has not only done tnts. bot general
Preserved the pauees in the very part OF the LIN
| In which Homer placed them. We naTe 30 man
| ehoIt words In EIGHTH. and 10 few OF the cor
ncecs,ye particles which arc 1ayish!y u+ed BY He
! | mcr, thai often when reached the end Ct III
i Greek line, fou1d myself ous 10 the middle c
, nj line 10 English. THIS difficulty Of sobdutp
. | the thonRht-bg compression or expansion G
ph1aEe-to tbs limits II mus: iii, would alone hav
. | been srClc.eut to deter ne from attempting
! f1an.tst:on In ne1aGeseth 1thefef,re isll osc
upon blank verse, y nlcn has been the vehicle {
nona Of the nooless poetry In our lac
,, gusge; both because y seemed 70 me o9 Inc aex
. b,ltJ Of ns construction bent suite
to narrative poem. and because. whNo It el
,, aeled me 10 give the &snle Of my author mo,
: perfectly than aly other form OF versa, 1t 4
. lowed me also to avoid, III I greater degree, th
sppea1ancc Of cpnstratnt which 10 too apl 10 b.
lo1 g to a sranalauon.'' He z.so E:vea in snotas
i. place hA reasons tor not adopting the bAl!a
!afl, which aIc, substantially, that the use
thyme Ia q constant temptation to petty inndel
| ties, aId to ths employ ment OF expressions wnfc
DO not adequately Convey the thoagnt Il seeu
10 US peculiarly iortuuase that Ht. Bryant se!ec
9 | ed blank verse, net only because. ~ he says,
. | removes II consttaint. and IL more n.Ktol
. but AFRO because ho Ia oae OF the most perfe
Il | ua4.e.a OF blbnk verBe aEonE modern poet
|. The wtole vent Of his poetic genius Ii In tn
; direction, and this form Of rert:dcatIon beat
!ust1ates his oNn dignity. simplicity. and purity
= It's hardly poasloie, in cur ciscumscr1oed Ill
r lta, to institute comparisons bet 4een Mt Bsya
p aud tho other poets wno haso trans1Rted HOME
= AID Jet We calnot clo4e our nouce Of This crow
:. Ing work OF hta life without nnd!ng room for Of
u or two. Naturally enough We turn to Pope, vi
wat also great master OF bIAEk veKae, althoui
y his ytrston Ia rhJmed. In the fourth book, Whe
the txo armea meet fur the 1rst time On the ne
v Of battle, Doomed has Just spoken HI. Brya
~ ~ trnuala e. n follows:
=. He spake; and from his chariot 1eaped 10 ear
q Ali n1Med; the mall upon tno uoQRrcn1 pre&kt
hedesi nRs seasa Ia sound
a. tear.
IL A when the ocean btllowB, wave on wave,
Are pushed along to the resonnding ahore
as | before tie WeIter1 ~fud, apd trat t1e elfKe
Ia. Up'fts lue'f ana then aRainrs the lssd
n, 1>ashes AID Ioasa, ard rouad tue hesdland peat
" Tostes on nigh AID 'pauts Ia foa1 etar.
se, 10 hattie, nle succeeding t1e, esca chief
re GyiLR c1Dmand to bis own uoooi: the rest
ol Marched DotselestJ: you might have thought
~ yoce ..-.
~ wts IN the breasta Of All that mighty tnroog,
~ - silently they all ooe.eh heir chiefs
Their Anowy atHar E!lt.ef1nR as 1heJ moEed
lrt In 11m aIEAY. Bot, u the nuMerous dock
Ia | or Rome rich Hsp, while the white uk ls dla7
~ Within his sntepto.d, hear TIC plaintive call
N. saen c'e@ofs ron see u,ent, Tlojsa noss
.r. The voice, tn, wotds Of uing.ed languages,
For tntJ we're called from many different clim
~. These Ma1s e5GonI.get % ne ngnt; ous taose
ct Ard FrRht. and Strife that tages nnapotaseo,-
~ saser AID comrsde Of man.slaJlnE Asr4-
en Htr nead 10 heaven aod 1s1fs upon the earth.
ser she a,ttd!ug through tue crowd and he1s sh:en1
,se The nnlnA Iarcors nuns into tne m!dft
10. | Contention, auutca Of bale to Ill Alkc.
int Tns cx.hde Shields eLcounteted, aod the spes
"a And nt9a: OF war1ors mailed n hfasss
~ ~ CLASSIFIED
on The noesy bucslezs, and sne battle d,a
10 Was fono; then rose the nlrg rgled enoou !
OF those Vho BleE aud those who se1; the esrs
Ran with ,neir blood As when the win
Rush down The mountain sides, and IL, he!o ?,
WIZ their swift waters, poured nom gum
the some ho.ioE ssle, the shepherd Oh she neisn:s
rue | ue8rs the far 1oas-such was the Iin2!ed olo
say TnAt rose floa the great afu'cs when tne5 nj
n. Popes version OF the same passage 10 - folio
De- "He spoke: and ardent Oh sne trembling srou
-. sptutE from aia car; his ringing asns resouud
'n" Due Nes the clstY and dteaofui from NA
On, or armed II dldes rushing to tho War. 80
INV "Asuhen the x1nda, sscerd!nR By degrees.
~ F1rst move the whi,enlaR surface Of the seas,