Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-02
HORACE
INTO ENGLISH VERSE
Cudworth's Attempt More
Successful. Than That of
His Predecessors

There have been many translations OF
urbane Of poets wrote his immortal
lyrics. Some have been proser than
others. particularly the verse The
wooden horse of the Greeks before Troy,
warned. was no more ligneous than the
Bohn pony. on which many classically
deficient sophomore rode to n passing
mark. Possibly the Dancasterian in
terlinear Transitions were a hit worse,
for these put the English verbal oquiva-
lents--pretty badly chosen. too--under
the Latin words In their lloratiau or
der This process effectively squeezed
out all sense of pocsy from the odes.
perdurable poesy. in the own words
Gpsissmis verbis) of Flaccus acre per-
eunius" (more lasting than brass). The
picturc-puZ2le result Of this method can
be realized when thought is taken of
the radical differences in word-ordcr be-
tween English and Latin.
Ben JonSon and others Of the Eliza
bethaus made some interesting trausla-
tions of scattered odes clifford, Sir
John Bowrng aud others of the un-
BILE for stIltod versions John Coming
ton, poet aud classicst, showed marvel
Gus felicity of epithet and facility of
handling in some Of his renderings. Per-
haps. best OF all are Echoes From the
Sabine Farm" of our own Gene" Field.
These are not translationS at all, to say
nothing of literal Tendcrings. They seek
to convey the social values, the saNuir
faire. the Ners de suCetc, the charming
sophistcation and urbanity of the Sa-
bnc poet into CuntempOraneOus English
-contempOraneous in feeling and phras-
ing. The trouble with most Horatian
translltions is the trouble with all
translatious-thcy are transfers OF
meaning, not RECREATION in another
medium Of the essence.
Comes now Warren II, Cudworth with
the udes and secular hymn of Horace
Englished into rhymed verse correspond
ing to the original meters lie tells us
IN an interesting preface of his cndeavor
and aims. Tie has tried to make each
translated ode conform in general APP
pcarance division into strOphes and
length and number Of lines to it's proto-
type. He has rendered each instance
of any given IiOratiln meter into the
English analogue he selected after care
tul consideration, Thus he gains ap-
Proclamation Of physical aspects and con-
Sistency of formulary treatment For
the more important matter of the spirit
of the poems. lie has attempted To gain
some measure of the CompaCtness Of
thought and hrevity of expression of
the original Uaking example of Horace :
own tersencss and polish. This is Mr.
tudworth's philosophy Of translation
His work gives very good idea Of
lioratian stylistiC mannerisms and of
lloratian substance. His verses are
fluent and graCiie. Occasionally they
are forced or affected. Exquisite archa-
isms, l.atinized rather than Saxon forms.
and the preciosity Of poetic diction are
utilized. often justifably.
Horace was cOlloquial in a fine sense
as well AS cultured. but there is nothing
OF this refined social colloquialism in Mr..
Cudworth. lie Is consciously and for
mally poetic" Perhaps II Is the only
way. At any rate his work il sngularly
iree IRON stiltedness, possesses a great
deal or charm and Is very successful I'm
It's metrical experimenting. There is no
other book just like it and none gives
quite SO complete and genuine a view of
Horace's thought and art. w. r. NJ
THE oDES AND Secular HYMN OF,
$50. '' ~ hHopt'