The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-07-09
EDITION
OF THE AGAMEMNON
An important New Verse Translation
Of Aeschylus'S Mighty
With Text and Comment.

Witt, Text and Comment.
1t was a great delight to the literary
as we'll as to the philOloglcal Worio ~
receive from the press this edltion Oh
the Agamemnon OF A~eSchyius oS W.
Headlam.s DR.. Headlam had peen SO
long a student Of Aeschylus, had
written so much or this play IN the
various journals, especially IN the
Classical review, n had brought SO
much Of his fine store OF learning,
both in Greek and other literatures,
to bear upon the play, that all schol-
ars felt his edition would be we'll
worth the while, Notwithstanding the
fact that numerous editions OF TINS
tragedy had already seen the light.
In this expectation there was no dlS-
appointment. 1t is true, much might
have been added. especially a chap
ter on the construction of the text
and the elaboration of some Of the
notes.. had not death come upon him
before his work was Completed me
editing. itWever, was entrusted TO
sympathe' hands. and l wish to con-
graduate rofessor Pearson on the
thoroughneSs and care with when
he has performed the difficult task
Of collecting. weighing, sitting and
putting together the mass Of notes
and pa ers which were left by DR..
Headlam.
IN
tract from a letter from the poet
~Swinburne, which gives the keynote to
the play and in which all who read
Aeschylus sympathetically will heart
lily concur:
Il am honoured and gratified by
your proposal to dedicate to me your
version of the A~gamemnOn. | reSar
the O~rtSteia as probably or the whole
the greatest spiritual work-Of man
These words fully set forth the
deep impress that his trilogy makes
upon the mind of man today.
The book consists Of Introduction,
text, and translation side by side,
notes, and indexes. There is also a
preface by the editor. in which he
mOdestly sets forth the difficulty OF
his task, wherein he quotes a passage
from a letter of DR.. Headlam to Miss
ideas of what a verse translation
should be. 1t may not be amisS to
quote this extract here.
The blank verse seemed to me
to require the larger nguag or the
dramatists and Milton without the
slang of the dramatiStS).
The trouble comes with the lyrics.
They had to be in the same language
to harmOnise with the rest. That
limits you very much in metre; you
must forego in the first place ana
paestic rythm. And whatever metre
you use. there is one condition pre-
vents them ever being done to salts
faction. In Greek they were the
words written for music, to be sung;
and in English there is nothing cor
responds, English u%nhappily is not a
singing as Italian Is. or
German; and the moment you try to
write in English what is Singable-
which is hard in itself-you get for
our ears too much tune. English
lyrics such as Shelley wrote are cap.
able of the loveliest and subtlest eff
fectS. but they are effects for read
ing; and the lovelier and subtler they
are. the less they can be sung"
In any estimation of DR.. Headlam's
translation of the mighty tragedy,
these words must be kept in mine
for they have an important bearing
not only on what he accomplished
but on what he aimed to accom-
plish.
The Introduction consists Of severa.
chapters dealing with the story. the
drama, some remarks on the story
moral and religious ideas. and tn
characters, all Of which show a close
study and sound appreciation of The
works of Aeschylus in every point.
In the chapter on the drama, DR.
Headlam proceeds to demolish YER.
completely DR.. Ierrall's brilliant am
ingenious theory Of the beacon lights
one Of h greatest narrative piece
in all literature, in which DR.. Verral
claims there was but one beacon
which was fired on Mt. Arachneus b,
Aegisthus, to warn C~lytaemnestra 0
Agamemnon's return, and not, as tn
narrative has it, a series of signal
flashing the fall and capture Of Tro,
by A~gamemnOn and his victoriou
Greeks. In this demolition we thor
oughly agree and feel that DR.. Head
lam could have brought further il
support of his argument line 2Ss
where Clytaemnestra y
Aye surely: unless Heaven hath play
ed us false.
which fereshadows and emphasize
the divine interference in the begin
ming Of the narrative in 293, wher,
in answer to the Elders question. lin
292. What courier could arrive thu
rapidly" h answers "Hephatas,
which DR.. Headiam regards as
frank acknowledgment on the part {
tho moot of tho OroAf 6ifFc,lty -,