The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-05
A VIRGINIA CLASSIC.

Not little pride Is taken by our
people In the latter-day prominence to
which Vlrgininns are attaining In the
field OF American literature This is
we'll In itself. 1t is o Just and a par
donable pride. Yot it Is frequently. by
suggestion ct least, at the expense of
proper and deserved appreciation of
what is due Virginia authorship Of the
past Often Its manifestation either
implies comparison detrimental to the
old school Of Virginia authors or woe
full ignorance of what they produced.
These reflections are prompted by n
contribution to the News for Biblio-
philes'' column OF tho New York Ma
ton. The writer deals in a general
way with tho place In literature of the
Randolphs, the Beverleys. the Stiths
and the Munfords-all kin-but espe-
cially with William Munford, and tho
translation OF tho laid of Homer by
that Virginia man Of letters.
This translation was made amid the
demands of many public duties, was
completed about a month before the
translator's death. which occurred in
1926. and was published by his widow
in 1886. or the work Munford him
self wrote:
How far I have succeeded In this
difficult enterprise, the public will
judge, If not prevented from reading
this work by the prejudice unfortu-
natoly existing against American poe
try. l hope, however. that some at
least of the lovers of Homer will not
n mo- hot fo "a
author arraycd In such various suits
OF apparel az may be furnished by
artists OF different tastes. Pope has
equipped him In the fashionable style
OF modern fine gentleman: Cowpcr
displays him, like his own Ulysses. In
garb OF n savage. Surely. then. there
Is room for an effort to introduce him
to the acquaintance of my countrymen
In the simple yet graceful and veneer
able costume of his own heroic times.
His Homer however. was not Will
liam Munford's only gift to the Vir-
ginia literature OF his period. Among
others, he published at Richmond In
1898 Poems and Compositions in Prose
on Several Occasions-largely a trag-
edy. 'Almoran and Hamet.' founded on
an Eastern tale of that name: versions
of the Odes of Horace and metricnl YER
sions OF Ossian."
How many of the present generation
know aught OF Munford's Homer, or of
tho works OF other Virginia authors of
his and prior generations. which. In
the time and circumstances, consti-
tuted n library OF Virginia classics?
It Is not to the credit of our pride. our
literary appreciation and our concept
of scholarship that the tributes 10 let
ters OF these early writer's, wherever
they still exist. lie ignored, moldcr-
Ing, unopened and unexploited on the
bookshelf. We fear that hero it's all
too true applies:
Not oft at home doth genius brightly
shine.
No more than doth n gem within the
mino.
In the case OF Munford, the loss Is
more than one Of pride. His Homer.
neglected though it has been for two
generations, will bear comparison in
every way with the best efforts of the
worlds masters. His versincation is
excellent, his appreciation OF literary
values Is high. and his understanding
of Homer is little short OF remarkable.
We realize the greatness of tho claim
when we make 1t, but Munford caught
tho spirit OF the blind Bard of Chos
as surely and as brilliantly as Edward
Fitzgerald caught the spirit OF that old
Persian bacchanalian, Omar Khayyam
Especially is this true OF the remark
able rendering OF 1Iomcr's adjectives =
the real key TO the beauty and the
spirit OF the Greek. Compared with
Munford's graphic figures and shining
metaphors, the tawdry version that
passes for Popc's seems as the work OF
4 schoolboy.