New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-02-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Thu oycearance of this work is in senses than
.oo AN event in our literary history Next in inn
portance 10 the production of.great original works
Il the naturalization i'm another land and language
az the masterpieces of literature. We cannot say
that the labor of translation has hitherto been I'M
dervaued but it has rarely, in our tongue been
performed with that abnegation of the translators
personality through which alone the original author
tan receive justice. the fact that two most dis
hnguiShed poets, independently undertaking their
separate tasks substantially agree in their method
aud that method unquestionably the correct one
confirms in the hope that the great poets OF other
lands and ages may receive their fttest English
speech through American authors.
The divergence of our national temperament from
It's original character is in this respect fortunate
circumstance. a great many causes have combined
to make the American much more flexible, synpa
thctic iprcsSiouablc creature than his ancestor OF
contemporary cousin. Not being born to fixed habits
Of thought he more easily assumes or temporarily
identifies lsmself with those of other races; ne is
more comuctent 20 shift his point OF view lie IS
more capable Of susrendcrng himself to foreign IN
fuenecs and recovering his native manner when
the occasion has passed His power of sensation Is
kccner has capacity FOR enthusiasm greater.
The only people who have hitherto possessed o
similar sympathetic quality of mind-thc Germans
have most admirably transferred TO their language
the characteristics OF foreign genius For the faith
ful reproduction of the thought, style, and atmo-
sphere OF an author. their TRANSACTIONS are unsur
passed The delightful Sanskrit poet Kalidasa, is
almogt an Oriental Englishman in Wilson's transla-
ton whereas, in RckertS he is still thoroughly an
Indian. expressing himself in German. So the Greek
and Latin poets, whose meters have by this time be-
come completely acclimated in Germany continue
10, Ian A. Sal nah
their speech is changed. Neither in English nor in
Fren n, has the individuality of the poet ever been
so cCusccutously preserved as IN German. Yet.
with he exception of its power of forming new
IounOs. it possesses no advantage over the English
tongue; while IN terseness, in direct noble sim
pcity It is decidedly inferior TO the latter. The En-
gsh language has resources of sweetness. strength,
feasibility, and variety of diction which eminently
qualify il 10 reproduce many of the finest character
stos of exotic literature But its poetic translators,
unfortunately, have hitherto attempted to represent
their author in the prevalent fashion of their day.
Instead Of acknowledging the supreme authority OF
his style and manner. they have set about recastng
it-a process wherein the pure quality of the authors
thought is sure 10 take or less color from the
transatOrs individual tastes and modes of express
sion Thas it is that no English version of the Had
has yet been accepted as a permanent part Of En-
lsh literature each, in its turn, having been super
seeded by another which better cOnformed to the
taste OF the age.
The distinguishing qualities of Homers genius, and
ihe Deficiencies of his transators have nowhere been
So succinctly stated as 10y Matthew Arnold. "Homer
is rapid in his movements; Homer is plain in his
words and style: Homer is simple in his ideas Ho-
mer is noble in his manner. COwper renders him i'll
beCaust he is slow in his movement and elaborate in
ba al
both in his style and his words Chapman renders
him III because he is fantastic in his ideas; Mr. New
man renders him i'll because he is odd in his words
and ignOble in his manner" To these four must be
added Lord Derby, whose translation has become I'M
expectedly popular because it is real Improvement
OF the work of his predecessors, and who fails of
high chiefly because he has missed those SUBJ
tile graces, those fortunate strokes of expression,
which only poet can adequately recognize and only
q poet can reproduce.
With regard TO metrcal FORM we presume no one
viii deny that that of the author must be chosen,
where the tTanslatOr's language will admit of it
without TOO great sacrifice If this is Impractical
be- then that form which is most nearly an equiva-
lent for the orienal-wich will best represent the
poets style and manner This is a question which,
in its application TO Homer has been much discussed
by English scholars. The classic hexameter of the
Had, the old balad-measure the heroic cOnpet, the
narrative iambic tetrameter. and the unrhymed pen
tameter which we call :" blank verse; have their
jealous supporters 1t is unnecessary to review the
discussion for the best authorities to have mar
rowed the question to q choice between hexameters
aud blank verse. The former measure would seem
30 be imperatvely prescribed 10 the translator but
for crcumstanceitis not yet fairly established
as a legitimate English meter. The ears which
delight in its stately march, its richness and variety
of movement, are still very few. In spite of the
efforts of Longfellow, Clough, and Kingsley TO
paturalize it, hexameter retains artificial charac
ter for most English readers.
In the German language the case is different. Hex
smeter has conquered its place. and now finds nc
eeptance from the common as well as the classical
ear. One cause Of this success, we suspect is the
modification of the meter by the German poets, TO
adapt 1t to the genius Of their language Klopstock
Voss, Goethe, and Others, write hexameter which
is German not classic in quantity, and the arrange
nent of the eRsural pauses. No doubt similar
course might in time remove much of the popular
distaste 10 the English hexameter. The difficulty
lies, Rot %qea il il the language Itself IN the
skiIlful handling of IT, The objection, which Mr..
Bryant acknowledges, is perhaps little too forcibly
stated in his preface: did not adopt the hexameter
verse principally for the that in our language
1t is confessedly an imperfect form of versfcation
the true rythm of which is very difficult for those
whose ear is accustomed only to Ordirccv meters
TO perceive Ills chlei o'inou ~, however, as he
afterwards remarks n Eo. In the difference between
the poysy Io,c Greek and the simpler, terser En-
difference which would have compelled him
TO subdue the thought by compression or expansion,
10 the English form.
For these reasons Mr.. Bryant has chosen blank
verse; as being the measure which, better than any
other. permits fidelity of translation and the nearest
approach to the style and manner OF the original
Greek. Certainly no other English measure is at
once SO simple, so free, and SO noble in character
I. - tl.n at Ia