New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-10-05


ro.,s. All English vcrs,. we repeat must "f"o
Tins dscord In attcmpting 10 reproduce Homer Anu
fhla Lriups us around again 10 the version oi Mohr'
Hu,chcr ond LING. who have nccdlcsAy commute"
IN prose the fault which IL inscpni"hc nom VERSE;
by mixing too distinct the purely literary nuh''i''
OF their excellent English.
What In II then which Professor ! aim" NV ~
tempted In seeking middle between Ne'" "'''
prose just what Wagner atc"p'eh ~ "i"'""'''
music when he devised species oi continuous
melody" which has The rhythmic caueho' W 'o"A
combined with the freedom ana h'Nlph''E "
snccch with whatever determination 10 writc
Prose the translator may set out he WIZ n"oN
escape frcaucnt rlvthms The thought viii com
pei him Il II not possible then To hcen 'h's
compulsion without accepting the fornali'lcs OF
mcasnrc' Can we not keep linked sweetness.
and Sc, not cut up orr thoughts into i>cd length"
Tho method of this solution Is the habtua'
cmployircnt of ihythmical cadence without metre
Tho loose iamhc without the measured Inc.
So We obtnin something NJ least OF the music III"
the pncc aud tho perfect hcXibIllty Of the liorric
verse; along with the splendid hmpncty ""'"
essentially distinguishes IL from English lml'"''hT
and "tlat power which prose alone III our IAN
cuagc. seems 10 possess. the power OF III pressing
on us its statements rs facts Let us open inc
book at random. aud see the result;
Saving thus. she plunged into the surging sea
Go t9 lie Sims which Law along the sands turned
away and as lwcnt often my heart grew dark. But
when ! came down to the ship ana To the sea ana
we bad made onr supper. ana tue immortal I r
MS the early rosy fingered Dawn appeared. along
the shore of the wide reaching sea went Win
many SPECIFICATIONS to tie gods
This is n close rendering of the original, with
almost exactly the original diversions, and tile
original order of ideas; and it Is almost verse
Here is another short passagc-and 1t Is the opening
of the Fifth Book which illustrates III the hrst
lines lIomers extraordinary power of placing hrst
that portion of the thought which almost naturally
falls first upon the mind power which requires
the very fresst possible medium of expression:
Dawn from her couch by high Tth6nus rose TO
bring light to immortals and 10 lacn, and the g0ds
sat in council with them was Ieus. who th'inders
from on nigh, whose power rs over an anu 10
them Athenc told the many sorTOws OF Odysseus,
mindful of him. for she was troubled by MS stay III
the nympl's dwelling -
40 Father Zcms and all you blessed gods that
live forever, never again let sceptrc-bcarng KING
in all sincerity be kind and gentle nor let Inn IN
his mind heed righteousness Rather should he be
ALWAYS stern and work unIighttOus deeds; since
none remembers kingIy Odysseus among the people
whom be ruled, kind father though he was Upon
an island lie is tarryng now, in great distress IN
the halls of the nymph Kalypso, W no holds Inn
there by force. No power has he TO reach his
native land, for lie has no ships fitted with oars,
nor crews to bear him over { he broad ocean'Ildgcs
rs he sails home. He went away fer tldingS OF
his father to haliowed Pylos-and to sacred LAX
edaimon'
That IS a triumphant essay in translation. it
gives Us 4 precise rendering Of the language, the
thought the order and development o. the thought,
the Characteristic simplicity holiness, and dr.
rccncss of the style, and all that can be saved, We
think, of tie sOuOrOus swing of the verse. mat
the first paragraph i'll particular is delicious music
10 one will deny. We have read it again and again
for the charm of the natural and exqusltcly
balanced rhythm. And that these lines have
genuine lomeric ring seems to us equally beyond
dispute. That clildliko freshness and simplicity
which the modern world finds il so hard to ex-
press, that dignity which literary culture strives
in vain to cOp;. that easy and yet imposing move.
ment which contcmns the trammels OF modern
metres we find them all III Professor Palmcrs cap
tiyating rhythmic prose- all produced IN strong,
natural. and noble English. There is one in
novaton IN this version which we hail with de
light. Professor Palmer diecar1s the classical
thou except IN prayers ana other specially sol
cnln addresses and adopts thc.nore idiOmatic and
convenient you.v Z" '1hou," as ho well says
does not stand alone: it carries long train after
it. IL is the mark Of n special style and special
theory of beauty and grandeur" There is nothing
of this style in Homer; II is the very opposite Of the
iiOmcrlC EtNlc; ana II Is destructive 81 lht lif'
quick, and lacilc movement of III" lIomcric verse
The resolution of Professor Palmer IN hrcallng
with this literary convcntiOnaNn has been an
enormous help IN the lucncy and grace of his trans
lation and have not noticed a single passage IN
which the novelty anuoys the car
We repeat then. that the problem OF the best
medium for translating Homer seems to he solved.
As for the choice of cptlcts, or the rendering Of
particular words and phrases. that is an affair Of
secondary moment, with which scholars may con
Germ themselves without touching Professor Palm
cr's main achievement. We can well understand
the feelings of the companies VINO surrounded him
on those winter evenings at Cambridge when hc
sought to bring back tho freshness Of the carly
world; for we have never read any translation Of
an ancient apthor with such vivid comprehension
of ancient thought, such flush OF enthusiasm. and
such an absorbing and inpatient interest rs we
have derived from this poctcal work
IL Is impossible TO dismiss the subject without
word in appreciation OF the care and taste bestOw-
cd upon the manufacture of the book. IL is as
nearly perfect piece of work we can often hope
to see, even from the Riverside Press. OF the
curacy of the Greek text we do not undertake TO
speak. But with its exquisite type, its clear and
uniform printing, It's finely proportional page, its
excellent paper, and It's becoming binding the
volume is which collector might be glad to
buy for its beauty without regard 10 its contents.