New-York tribune., 1893-12-24

which belong to culture and refinement" Under
such conditions, II ever the Vrgilian fancy were
found floating as folklore in the Mediterranean
region the humble Rlackfoot tale might certify
its antiquity To an equally remote quarter can
be traced also a significant phrase which Par
sons has added 10 Dante. Longfellow with lit
eral fidelity speaks Of the souls at Charon's
ferry that weary were and naked" And Sir
Edward Sullivan, In the prose version cited at
the head Of this article. calls them faded and
raimentless." What then caused Parsons to add
the picturesque description, "quivering like
naked BIRDS? Possibly it impulse from
that same far-off antiquity which led Dante to
surround the home of his classic shades with
sevenfold wall. Since men began to think in
Chaldaea. 1t has never been forgotten that souls
resemble birds and that somewhere in Hades
there must be seven walls with seven gateways
Turning TO incident Of a different order
from these, one may find new use for minute
learning in illustrating Dante The story is the
ghastly one Of the Provencal poet. Bertram de
Born. whose shade was represented az carrying
its head in its hand like a lantern. Dante puts
into Bertram's mouth the explanation Of his
punishment. Know" he says. in the translation
Of Sir Edward Sullivan that am he who sup
Piled the Boy King with the evil counsels
Father and son I stirred into rebellion against
each other: Achitophel wrought never more on
Absalom and David with his malignant instiga-
tions. For that put asunder those who were
so united. wear my BRAIN woe Is me. sundered
from its source which dwelleth in this headless
body. And thus is retribution's law made mani
fest In me" SO far Dante But. if memory de-
ceive not. 1t was this same Bcrtram who
ever boastirg what a fine headpece he had
Thus the grim Florentne's description has a
humorous touch How IS that head Of yours
now?' he might have asked. If Bertram had not
been so quick with his history from beneath that
Internal bridge.
1t will always be matter Of regret that good
poet and SO faithful a student Of Dante as
DR.. T. w Parsons did not live to finish his trans
latiOn. AS ii is he has left the Hell complete
nearly all the "Purgatory" and occasional frag-
ments Of the Paradise" He has shown once
for ALL how the painness and simplicity of Dante
can be realized in English verse with the re-
s'riction and annoyance Of rhyme But as Pro-
fessor Norton points out. the translatOrs style
his own. not Dantes. He accompanies the great
italian as long the latter Is content near the
earth; but when he takes his gle flights the
translator follows him only with his eyes As
for Sir Edward Suliivan's prose version II must
be said that it has less than the author seems TO
with which all readers Of our Bible have been
long familiar" True, the translator has used the
old pronouns and the archaic forms Of the verb:
but phrases like malignant instigations'' in the
passage already quoted bring down with
run from Biblical heights to the level OF modern
speech. Sir Edward is too matter-of-fact in
some places. For example. Nenedico Cacciani-
mico. after naming the crime for which he Is
punished. adds: And | am not the only native
Of Bologna that sorroweth here-nay rather the
= cd nf thcre1 hat
many are not this moment taught to say aye
truly in all the land between SGvcna and RenOs
stream" OF course the words AYE truly are a
literal translation Of "slpa" the form by which
the BOlognese emphasized the ordinary afIirma-
tive Isl But the meaning Of Dantc's words Is
effaced by translation. just as the purport OF a
familiar incident in the old Testament would be
Obscured If the word "ShibhOoth' were turned
into English. But these are hardly faults In the
translator. but rather matters about which he
and his critics may differ in.opinion II the other
parts shall be Ike tn" first. the work viii bc an
important addition - Dante literature one that
emphasizes a significant remark of Dr. Scariaz-
zini as Engiished by Mr.. Butler: "Sncr Blanc
Witte. Philalcthes and Hettinger have departed.
England and America have entered into Ger
many's Inheritance of Dante research"