New-York tribune., 1876-03-24
NORRJc,S VIRGIL.
THE FNEIDS OF VIRGIL DONE INTO ENGIISI
Brothers.

FNEIBS OF VIRGIL. DONE INTO ENtIlNs
isrJihers.
This is the third English translation OF the
5sncid which has appeaicI within the last ten years,
Prof COniuctOns attempt 10 render Vir,ifs great epic
into octosylabic verse (aftcr the OF ScotIs
.Marmon y having been published in 5G6. 1t received
respectful notice from English critics. the time; but
is success W.. OF that negative nd which ID bestowed
when tho conditions presume fgiiuie MI Cr"ich ioi-
lowed with is smooth and elegant blanE-yorac tranSla
tOn which gave much more OF the sI1rt Oi tc org
nal besides approaching closely n foI1n ana
now Mr. William Norris lays before IL version which
l. hardly less OF an experiment than Prot Comm -tOas
He chosen the opposite OF the lat'cs deycc on tho
evident ground that the Al3xandrine line cyen mm1c
ce Is the approach 10 the heAanoter 80 lar a.
mere quantity is concerned, tlIs Is F'o but IN move
ment the English AlcXandrnc. With lis accustomed
cesura pause tho end Of the oarth foot corresponds
exactly to the two closing lines OF in SCOTS ocic
syllable poems
We shall not enter On any general comparison OF these
three transations, but examine Mr Mol1ss work from
the point Of view OF his prODaDio m,cEu0n Tho ilst
purpose OF any translator Of must bc the nearest
possible representation oil 5 meaning iorn ana ieF
ory styjs in his own language are therefore lttio
surprised Mr. Morris. who has displayed hn unusual
mastery tho renencnts Of metTica art dd not choose
~ once The Lcxauo OF the original, measure which
is slowly becoming naturalzad In English poetry Hs
success would have been gain FOR all WHO believe IN the
possibility OF adopting this and other classic meters. lie
has indeed .0ug TO transfer certain advantages 0i TIE
hexameter the AleXandrnc in order TO nyod the ten
dency OF the latter become monOtonous and fdilsnH
Nothing can nc sLilfu tHal the manner IN which
he has varied tie pauses suddenly nt,rruptus the
moyencnt and now allowing If 10 gather, sweep, and
roll beyond close OF the line like e curling creat o
a wave Whatever can DO done to gave change, variety
power and 10 the measure be seems 10 have
attained MOTcOv he keeps remarkably cl'"c 20 ihc
meaning Of the original lines. and we bat rarely catch
glen Of some personal preference of expression wdc
leads him to muGy tie Latin words. TIE opening pas
sage is fair illustration although inferior TO some
Others shall quctc:-
sue Of arms sing of him. v h0 from tNc Trojan Lind
Thrust forth ly fate 70 Itai and thai Llvn.sn strand
Fhst came; all tost about was hc on earth ana on the
BY heavenly might Jano's wrath that had no mind
Ara pIcnicous war he underwent ere he his town
might frame
Aud SCI fis Gods In Latan earh whence is the Latin
And istLei-folk OF Alba-town, and walls OF mighty
Rome
Mr. Norris IN fact exhibits such refined skill in his Use
Of the that his choice oi II comes near bcns
iustled Bat his dialect archaic beyond all modern eX
perience or need, brings UP moro important question:
We will not ask fitting TO attempt the revival Of
obsolete words and forms Of expression however well
adapted poetic use hut rather, Can the epic of var
g the p oduc Of exquisitey refined g6nins and an
exceptionally polished age lie appropriately presented
TO the English reading public OF day in tic literary
earb of the fifteenth centuyi It hardly much
q translation which we find old English poem,
newly discovered and modernized Just sufficiently to
make II universally intcligi agreeable The sax.
opism OF the language communicates Itself 10 the char
accrs; Kneas aud TurDus appear like sturdy Thames,
Dido becomes old ArnoIic queen and even tho
Olympian deites suggest .OdiD and Thor behind tho
MASKS OF Mars aud Joye. Read this description, and