New-York tribune., 1899-07-09

IT A. Cook writes the former volume. and its
companion is by Mr.. Cecil Headlam. The WORK
on Nuremberg is naturally much concerned with
Durer, whose house is one Of the show buildings
Of the town. From this volume we take the
familiar but always interesting portrait or the
master
myth and Romance" is the title of Mr.. Madl-
son J. Cawens new volume OF verses
Mr.. Max Beerbohm is to be heartily commend
ed for the acute and judiciOus article in "The
Saturday Review" in which he smiles AT Nine.
Bernhardts lamentable effort to play Hamlet.
and points out that Frenchmen who know
enough of the English language To enable then
TO translate Shakespeare know very well that
TO translate him at all is grave disservice. He
adds
Neither into French poetry nor into French
prose can his poetry be translated. and, since
every element in his work was the direct. in
alienable result OF his poetry it follows that any
French translation is runous do not say that
this particular translation is unskilful: on the
contrary it seemed to me very skilful indeed
The authors seemed To have got the nearest
equivalents that could be got. But the nearest
equivalents were always unsatisfactory and Of
ten excruciatng. 'Paix. paiX. anne troublee"
for Rest rest. perturbcd spirit IS fair
sample Of what | mean. Save that II reminds
one-an accident which the authors could not
foresec-of Loo, Loo. love you" there is no
fault to be found with this rendering. 1t Is, |
think as good as possible. But 1t carries in II
no faintcst echo nor most shadoVY reflection OF
word cXcruCiating The fact is that the french
language lim9id and exquisite though 1t Is.
affords no scope for phrases which. Ike TINS
uhrase Of ShaktSpcar"'s. are charged with "A dim
significancc beyond their meaning, and with
rcyerbcratiOns beyond their sound. The French
language. like the French genius, can give no
hint of things beyond those which IL definitely
expresses. For expression il IS far finer in
strumcnt than our language: but it is not. in the
sense that language is suggestive. It lacks
mystery 1t casts none Il those purple shadows
which DO follow and move with the moving
phrases Of our great poets. In order 10 be really
suggestive a French poet must like Mallarme
deliberately refrain from expressing anything At
all An English poet. on the other hand may be
at once expressive and suggestive. That Is "A
great advantage. 1t is an advantage which
none Of our poets has used 50 Superbly AS shake
spcarc None Of our poets has ever given to his
phrases shadows wonderful as the shadows
Shakespeare gave to his In none Of Shake
spearr's plays ] think. are these shadows so
many and mary, llOus in Hamlet, and the
quality of it's theme is such that the shadows
are more real to Us. and reveal moro 20 US. than
the phrases casting them cut away those
shadows. and YOU cut away that which makes
the play immortal nay even that which makes
81 intrNigihc. one by one. they were cut away
bv 'h" two talented Parisians who translated
Hamlet for Sarah. Reluctantly no doubt.
But ! am dealing with the translation as find
it. and despite my colleagues must refuse to
regard il AS a tribute - Shakespeare. The only
tribute a French translator can pay Shakespeare
IS not 20 translate hiW-evcn 20 pleas, sarah"
A correspondent Of The Saturday Review"
tries 10 persuade Mr B-rrbohm that 20 French
readers the language Of their poets Is just AS
suggestive and iny ateripus as that Of SHAKE
epeaIe to the English reader. Matthew