New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-06-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

,,vor,, translation with introduction and
ooIes hy JonN oINsnY. In -Four 'oi"os' WV
Macmillan * Co -,..;,, of
III nr,,,ises 10 b. the best translation oi
c1.-.n,,tos, masterpiece extant 1t is indeed only
a,,,v that sound Spanish scholarship mas pee"
devo,od to this difficult yet tempting TASK. ono
reason of this probably was popular lklhe ioi 'n0
ouaint old-fashoned English OF the curreh' ''""o-
lations: aud as few readers were coinP0's
detect the liberties taken with the aut"oi' - ~:
which Ceryautes was innocent OF pasSeo "S Ai'
Tint the most widely circulated transiauoh, nav
Motteux was not only an unfaithtui rehuoi'"s Va
the original. but one which Overlald ana hc'a'no'
nbosed il with Franco-Cockney style anu hi""
',ar;s,n Nor are the other and less Known trans
lotions more satisfactory performances nearly All
having been undertaken on the theory that Dou
Orxote was broad travesty, and that Cervantes
,arst he renresented as a coarse Joe Miller OF the
seventeenth century type. Mr. Ormsby approaches
The ENTERPRISE in a very different spirit Athoroush
Spanish scholar having already proved MS aoi,i'S
as n translator, he has made study OF the au'no'
and the book and i'll his preface, sKetch VI 'io nv
of Ceryantes introduction, and notes, ne eAi'"'''
fnIlpess of information and breadth and npeness
of critical Judgment greatly to be cohnien"ou
His paper on g. Don Quixote' is an iI'ereS'iIs anu
suggestive essay showing careful research anu Aoen
o,nrebepsion of the essential characteristics ana
eycCllenceS
far az it can be judged from the first volume Is
very good. Cervantes is an exceedingly dllncu,'
author to translate, the gravity OF MS Spanish
bumor and its terscness and pregnancy, almost COM
Melting paraphrases which necessarily Involve oe-
partures from his meaning and loss OF the me
flavor of his wit. In dealing with the proVerpIai
philosophy of SanchO PanZa this is especially inc
case and therefore the conversation OF the squire Is
n cruz. DR. Ormsby stands the test well. HIS Trans
lation is vigorous faithful, and representative III
tho hest sense. Cervantes himself was often SO
slovenly and difuse In his composition that
literal rendering must appear clumsy ana cohluseu'
and there are plenty of passages which are inc
despair of commentators. The best attalnable mas
been done with them much better than any previous
translator has done There has been no attempt 10
improve upon the original or to modernlze MIN OUT
of knowledre The coarsenesseS of his text are the
marks of his age and as they were then considered
;,nocent so they are not now to be magnhed into
ofensjve prominence by prurent emendations.
This first volume of Mr. Ormsby's translation is In
short an example of sound scholarship and appre-
ciatlye fitness and justifes the expectation that
the work when completed VIII constitute inc lnosV
satisfactory English versionin existence. we nave
but one fault to find with 1T, and that Is not
crave one The division of the notes, some appear
ing at the foot of the page and some at the END OF
the CHAPTER seems to us mistake. III is true that
long notes at the foot of the page are sometimes
ANNOYING, but they have the great advantage OF
being where they are most easily and appositeiy
consulted and that with notes, is the main require
ment The book is handsomely printed upon
excellent thick paper