New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-12-02
VIRGIL AND DANTE.
Hr "EyEIps, BY WILLIAM NORRIS.

1.-THE WORKS AND LIFE OF COUNT RUM
FORD"
IrRou REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRBuNEl
BosToN. Nov. 29.-'The new translation of
virgirs Aineds" by William Norris the author OF the
~Earthly Paradise" has been awaited with much inter
est The English edition issued few weeks ago.
and now Roberts Brothers have ready their American
reprint Nearly the really great translaors OF poetry
have been themselves poets; and Norris by VII
the Of the natural bent of his poetic genius, 10
sngusrly well adapted to the task nc mas
undertaken This translation Of VirgPs great poem is
noble work and for which posterity Is quite as
likely to acknowledge debt of gratitude as for any OF
the original poems by which the idle singer OF an empty
day, as Mr. Morris once called himself, has already
gwen us 50 much pleasure Except Drydens' tnere nus
been no translation Of Virgil at all IL be compared III
merit with this one; and 10 Drydens SCENE lar less
snfiused with poetic atmosphere. The measure
which Morris has adoptedof 14-syliable hues-is the
same with that employed by Chapman in his translation
Of Homer II is, probably the best possible measure i
such a work Morris has entered into the spirit OF Nre
with poetic insight and sympathy He has Deeh h'erai
without being slavishy lteral-he has represented
the ideas OF Virgil for the most part, with aosointe
faithfulness; and is not for TO complain II some
times Victorian poet should betIay IN some enaneo
touch, his own individuality. AS whole II Is seldom
that more sefforgetfu piece of work Las been accom-
plished or that translator has more thoroughly sue
ceeded in rejecting. does MIRROR ever! sno Vi CA
precision in the original
Virgil has become haclneyed for many OF MS through
our use of II as school Textbooks but to read THIS now
Ing melodious always graceful translation VIII DC 10
forget the prosy Disseminating rendering OF line by me
into school-day English aud 10 come into intimate sym
pathy with one Of the worlds immortal poets. Hereis
Mr. Moris's version of Book VI, s69-s57, one Of the
most famous passages In the Hneids:
Then midst tie rising Of his father Ancises spoke
90 son. search not the mighty woe and sorrow oil ty
The Faies shall show him to the world longer bios
Shall give Gods that dwell on high, belize O'er-srest
The Roman tree should seem to you Should this your
How great vail Of mighty that Field of Fame shall
On MAYORS mighty city walls what death rites seest
Tiber as tbou oldest by his wrought tomb and
No child that is of ian stock Latin sres shall raise
Such glorious hope shall the land OF RouIus eer
So fair and great nursling child mid all it ever bore
Goodness and faith OF ancient days ana hand unmatched
Alas for all No man unhurt had raised a weapOned
Against him, whether he afoot had met the foemsn's
Or snten spur amid The flank of eager foaming Orse.
oh child Of all mems ruth II thou the bi'teI rats aS'
Thou srt Marcellus Reach ye hands Of hly-booms
fulfilled
Unto the spirit OF my child, aud empty service do
Among the most exquisely rendered portions Of the
work certainly the despair CulSc u'obi VI
DIDO beret aud desoate after Encas had sailed away,
"amid the mirk of night" From her tower the Queen
bsheld the dawn grow white,
And saw ships upon their with fair sails trimmed
And ali the haven shplcss left, and reach Of empty
strand, =. -, 81. ,..o., ,,,,
Ghe thrice and DER again ehe snOte he1 Idu pcsl WI"
And rent her yellow hair aud cried, On, Jove and is he
And shall a very stranger mock the ordship have won't
Why they not Why gather no' ron al 'he town ia
Ho Why ye not the ships down from their stand
Quick bring the fire shake the sails hard on the
what words are these or where am II What madness
chdngeth mel
Then follows her curse ending with these magnificent
lines:
o sun whose flames every deed earth doeth ever fall
OJunO, EaterfOTth aud seer OF these our many woes,
Hecate whose name ho"ied out aIiShts DER cy CROSS
nns Dread Ones Gods that guard ELISA perishing.
heakel! turn your might most meet against the evil
O heaTScn these our prayers and if the doom must
And he, the wicked head, must gain the port and swim
If JoSe demand such fixed fate and every change doth
Yet let him faint mid weapon-stre and hardy folk of
And let him, exlled from his house, torn from Indus
Besechng help, mid wreched death, of many and many
Aud wren at last he yieldeth him to pact of grinding
Then hortvod let his ordship be, and loved LIES in
And Ie him fan before his day unburied on the shOre
10 ibis pray, tlt last Vi words OIth Win my blood
And Tyrians ganst his race that is and is to be.
Feed fu your hate When am dead send down TINS
No Ie bstix. the peoples twain no trot for anytlng
thou, Avenger OF my wrongs rom my oeAd bones
To ar lie re and the sword DER Dardan earth
Now or hereafter; wheEsOe'er the day brings night to
Ipray the shore against the shore the against tie
The sword gaust swOrdhsht ye that are and yo that
Ii would be hard TO match the two last lines Of
this curse for grandeur and passion Further on,
after she has barred the Dardan blade" and
"clomb the vale Oh hgh." she speaks her latest
word:
Ornament dear to while Gods and fat, allowed, now
This soul Of mine and let NE loose from all my woes at
i, have lived and down the way fate showed to me
And now mighty shade of me shall 90 beneath the
glorious city have raised, and brought my walls to
Avenged my husband made my foe, brother pay the
Iappy all happy overnuch were all my fe-days' gain
II never those Dardanian kees had drawn our shores
aDigh.
She spaEe her lips lay on the bed; All unayensed to
Bu lei me die! Thus thus It's good to 80 into the night
Now let the cruel DaIdan eyes drink Ill the bae-1res
And 6ear for sign across the sea this token of my death
The specimens have given will show you the manner
of Morrss work. The translation ends with Of the
finest lines In 1.-THE body Of Turnus lies waxen-coid,
and spent
And with grOaD through dusk and dark the scornful
spirit fes.
This indeed, is the translation Of master by master
let the world give and rejoice.
Another book Of pOetleal TRANSACTIONS by poet is
"Daute and His Circle With the Italian Poets Preceding
Him-IIOO1 1900" published by Roberts Brothers.
"a cn1lec az edit
lated In the original meters by Dante Gabriel
Rossotti. The hrst part OF The volume. after