New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
pALMER's TRANSLATION OF THE ODYSSEY.

THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER. Translated by George
Herbert Palmer, Afford Professor OF Philosophy n
Harvard University. PIP vii, 3s7. Honeymoon NH
What may seem to some readers trivial mai
ter is of importance as illustrating the essential
difference between Professor Palmers version OF
the Homeric Nostos and that of Butcher and Lang,
which has held the field almost unchallenged since
1879 The Harvard scholar aims at more olreco
and simple expression in English prose OF the an
Gent poets meaning than has hitherto peen oeemeu
admissible II gives a clear idea OF the Saus-
factory way in which be has carried out this pur-
nose 20 observe that his translation is, In rouhu
numbers shorter by about 10000 WORDS thah IliaO
of the Cambridge and Oxford collaborators Inns
means. other things being equal, that ne comes
90 900 words nearer the brcvity ana olrec'nesS VI
the Greek By this means he seeks to present.
with minute fidelity, the realistic ana non-helary
features of the primitive story IN the languase u
nrose rather than the dream language, the Ian
quage of poetry-yet it is not without siiuPie
rhythm. Mechanically, his brevity is ATTAINED In
the greatest number of cases by strict rehueiihs
% tho enithets in which Homer abounds oy
aopivalent English words, as against the perl
nbrases favored by Butcher and Lang. FOR III
stance the latter say, "Menelaus OF the iair mar,
an accurate description Of Saxon hero, VINO "ouiN
have considered the allusion to the color VI Ni'
hair as well-nigh part Of his name; pu' ohc al
together too emphatic for Homer, with whom 'u0n
an adjective is almost matter OF COURSE "iU "
of no value as distinguishing one person IRON, an
o+bo, Professor Palmer says "Light-halred meme.
lie and TINS modernizes the naive simplicity Vi
uomer with the phrase of everyday speech. Again.
in describing how people went ABOUT ea'i"e 49,
Homer,s times, the English transators Say
sand they stretched forth tfelr h10
hafor
tance that confuses Biblical OrlenVan n'
nth nlain Saxon enjoyment of good victnan' lhe
Araor;con translator puts it: And on the 1000
snrood out before they laid hands"-as falth1ul ah
oooonpt of what happened when hungry heroes
sot 81 meat as Homer himself gave. "heIe
hatcher and Lang have used epithets, there -
sometimes distinct advance in htnesS Oh olf1 00.
respondpg word adopted by PROFESSOR "il
Thus in speaking of youth VINO mas Jus' i''0i
the wears of manhood it is certainly oeV'ei =" 0I'
athe discreet Telemachus" than the WISE teie-
.aokusn IN the other hand the new translators
skill in the choice of words forsooK MN wnen
he smoke of the revered Telemachus' """
ever the exact meaning of the OreeK "oiu '""S
he IL cannot mean when applied to young num-
,vbat an Fnclishman or an American means ny
tho word "revered" Nor is he successful WIN
the adjective commonly attached TO the name OF
merie descriptivenesS, The word " gray-eyeu
need bv Butcher and Lang is better, even though
its accuracy may be in dispute. III that sorC %
avn which the ancientS mentioned were stllI 10
ha found-tbat eve whose greenish lustre be-
tokeped long life and fierce vitahty-perhapS 'he
English language would have suitable equlVa-
1ent for glaukopls" with its hint OF the gray
green of the olive.
On points that are in controversy, froiessoi
Palmer maintains an admirable reserve. he shows
that he is not committed to the theory of bronze
or conner indictments exclusive of the later metal
iron nv the use. at least once. of the word
steel" He does not take sides in the dispute
over the question whether Odyssus Shot his first
arrow through the helve holes of the axes set up
IN q row or whether the crescents formed by the
broad blades of the double axes, set with narrow
hands on their handles nor does he venture TO
paraphrase the original for the sake of showing
his opinion as to where Odyssus stood when he
Aelivered his deadly shafts among the insulting
vooers OF Penelope. For this reason his trans
Iation should be reckoned among the best by those
obo love to read of primitive life Another thing
is the upflagging interest of the story as he de-
Ivers IL and this is the Severest test which
translator has 10 undergo If it be true that each
ooa must have its own version of Homer, then the
simplicity and directness of this may indicate
n revulsion against the antique English which has
heen for wears a marked element In literature
Rv his persistent use of the veracious language
THE language of prose-" he has come as near as any
have come TO what he confesseS is the unatta1n-
athletic producing again the impression which
Homer made that things happened just as he said
they happened.