New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-11
J. A. SYMONDS'S "STUDIES."
DANTE" AND HIS GREEK POETS"

ton Sym0nds. Third edition. Two volumes. Up
xiv, 466; tx, 410. Adam Charles BlacR' Lohdoh'
For a man who busted himself with literary
history it is astonishing how defective Symonds
was in the conception of causallty. Ill "'s
Dante" he ascribes the disunion and dlsintesra-
ton Of Italy TO the failure of the Lombard
monarchy It would be parallel statement %
say that the victory over the Danes was the cius'
of King Alfred's supremacy in England. Lie
defeat Of the Lombard Kings was the chcco' ho'
tho cause, Of Italian Bipartisan III hfirHeo
definite stage of what may we'll be called Il poll
t,ca) disease which has only been cured within
the memory of the present generation vi course
the word disease must not be taken TOO literally.
The real obstacles to Italian unity from the hrst,
that it, from times Of which history gives no
trustworthy account were tho broad distinctions
of race in the peninsula Those distinctions are
as well marked to-day they were 5000 years
ago. the only difference being that the interval
has increased rather than essencd the number OF
clinical classes The whole history of Roman
republican and imperial politics within the bounds
Of Italy Is the history OF an artificial union
in perpetual conflict with the centrifugal forces
of race. Ancient Rene never learned the lesson
which modern Rome knows wcll-that a THOR
oush mixing OF elements in the national
army is the best means of doing away in the long
run with the causes Of disnegration. 10 ap-
propriate the phrases Of modern Italian IN li'ary
expert, the grave and exact Piedmontese, the
serious and good-naturcd Lombard. the witty ana
earrulous Venetian and Tuscan, the sceptieai ana
alert Liguran line up under tn" same coiors with
tire jovial Eman or Romagnese, the acnte but
indolent Companion or Apulian, the stalwart
Caabran, the Roman the Sabine, the man oil
the Marches and the Umbrian, whose genealoey.
if he could trace it, runs back, without break
70 the times OF hut and villages on stills
A historian 10 be thorough needs TO study
great deal that is distasteful to him. Symonds
40 far as can be discerned from the notes to his
works. never did this. His knowledge OF the
medieval period aside from some material that
struck his artistic or literary fancy. was scanfy
lie speaks in this book with il-concealed con-
tempt Of the antiquarans who bnsled themselves
with the literature of visions anterior T. Dah'e
Vet n knowledge of the visions is indispensable
20 a knowledge Of the "Divina Commedia III
Ozanam and Wright and d'Ancona accomplished
nothing else they at least outlived the region IN
which Dante's originality indisputab'e IL
il because Symonds knew nothing Of this that In
the only case where he specified visicn he
made Dante posterior TO a work which Glo MT
exist until after his day. the purgatory OF Unerh
Il Meschino THIS work of Andrels da Barperino
was shown a good many years ago not 70 ne
translation from any other known book DAT W
be simply composition made up from the la'hliar
legend of ST. Patrick and from Dante himseh
It would be thankless task TO scan these page
line by line for such errors. But the oook Is
useless for Dantean study unless the reader feels
beforehand that he must b. cautious with II.
t. ia as a revelation of Symonds's own mental
structure that the book is most valuable. From
first TO last he was what this useful essay shows
man capable Of great enthusiasm. suegostiv" IN
Thought charming in diction Right or wrong
all that he says is beautifully said. His atlStif
perception was as vivid his logical and historical
faculties were defective. His hest qualities ar,
exhibited in Tho Greek Poets" For the study
of Greek literature is in that condition where,
unless one chooses to elevate himself 10 one OF
the controversial questions, as, for instance the
appearance of the stage in the time OF Sophocle',
or the merits of Euripides, he may safely follow
conventional lines for the general scheme and
devote all his powers to the details OF his thcin'
In critical details, where delicate fancy quick
sympathy, and a sensitivenesS alert to minute
shades Of feeling are required, Symonds had faw
superors. He does, indeed, make study OF
Euripides, but il is quite certain that DIR. Nerra
the special advocate Of that poet, would not hni
in Symonds's chapters any marked variations
from the traditional adverse Wow. Thr III about
these two volumes the author is wholly cons rva-
tive. lie barely admits in footnote that the
Had and the Odyssey may have had separate
authors The transatiOns with which the book
overfows are delightful, every reader knows
In the new chapter on the redscovercl poet
IIerondas he takes occasion 70 say in Wow of
tho difficulties of text necessarily imperfect and
doubtful, that mo translation Of Icroadas at
the present time can aspire to literary qualty.'
but whatever else the translation which he gives
nav lack, il is certainly not wanting in the
quality Of literature. 1t is true. he SAYS that
1.-THE best will be found full Of blunders when
the microscopic analysis of several generations
shall have wrought agreement upon all the
numerous disputed passages" But if that hap
pens, Symonds's version might still b, priz'd as
literature under title like "Guesses at the
Meaning Of Herondas."
As simple dramatic fragments, the themes OF
which are drawn from ordinary life and some
times from the lowest life. they have genuine
ring In spite of all the difficulties Of which TIE
translator speaks. OF course delineation Of ch1r
acter cannot be over-accurate when il is not
quite sure where the speeches of one person cad
and those of another begin But this, after all,
il no great matter when the characters 50
much alike that they seem like cOnnterparis of |
each other when either Of them might appra-
priatey be credited with any fancy IN the poem
Most readers Of Matthew Arnold will remember |
bis exquisite prose version Of that idyll Of
Theocritus in which piety and feminine gossip
and the livelness of public festival are 50
chariningy blended Herondas was no match
for Thcocrtus, but he depicted graphically, as
shown in Symondss translation the emotions
awakened by art and religion in the minds OF
creek women, mingled with the trivialitcs OF
common life. How absurdly it sounds to hear
enc who has just been expatiating on the beauty
of q painting tnrn suddenly to practical con-
sideratons respecting the fowl that she hal
brought to the temple for the sacrice. "Cnt 1t |
up nicely" she exclaims to the servant. land re-
member TO give the birds leg to the sacristan;
and place with pious words the honey mess into |
tho serpent's hole; and sprinkle the sacrifcial
cakes the rest We will take home and feast upon |