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EXERCISES IN EEANSLATION
E N GL I SH PO E T RY
1M6
GR E E K A N D L A T I N y’
E R S E .
1. GR E EK E PIC HE XAME T E R S .
2 . GR E E K lAMB l C S .
3 . LA T IN E L EG IAC S .
4. LAT IN HE XAME T E R S .
5 . LAT IN LYR IC S .
BY HENRY gAYMAN , B.D.,
mumnu s'rn n or man cn n u nmu u S C H O O L , u mu r n FE L L OW or
at. J oan’s C O L L E GE , oxn on n .
L O N D O N :
DA V I D NU T T, 270, S T R A N D .
u n cccnn v.
R .
II .
III;
IV.
SE C T I O N I .
GR E E K E PI C HE X AME T E R S .
H
mmwmn
T ENNXS DN'
.
S E C T IO N II .
GR E E K LA MB I C S
MIL TON.
xv'
f l ex
2
15
18
vi CO N TE N T S .
T O Whom replied K in gAr thur , much inT E N N YS O N .
(4) Wil t thou begon ePItis n otyetn ear day.
”
S HAKS PE AR E .
S oft, you ; aword or two befor e you go.
”
S HAK S PE AR E .
IX . (6) Bacchus, that first from outthe purple
grape.
”
f MIL T O N .
X . (7) Pray, do n otmock me.
”S HAKS PE AR E .
X I . Frien ds, R oman s, coun trymen ,l en d me
your ear s.
”S HAK S PE AR E .
(9) O A n ton y ! begn otyour death of us.
”
S HAK S PE AR E .
XIII . (10) I could be wel l mov’d, if I wer e as you .
”
S HAKS PE AR E .
(11) Yetthin k n ot that I come to urge thycrimes.
”T E N N YS O N .
X V . (12) T he quality of mercy is n otstrain ’d .
”
S HAK S I’E AR E .
X VI . (13) I had n otthought to have un locktmylips.
”
1‘ MIL T O N .
XVII . (14) “ Al as ! good ven t’rous youth .
”
f MIL T O N .
XVIII . (15) “ A n d she abode his comin g, an d said tohim.
”T E N N YS O N .
XIX. (16) Humpty Dumpty.
”GAMME R GUM‘
O N .
C omp . S abrin a Corolla, p . 172.'
f Comp . L ord Lyttelton'
s Greek Version of C amus.
PAGE
24
26
28
30
32
34
36
38
40
42
46
48
XXII .
XXIII .
XXVI.
XXVII .
XXVIII .
CO N T E N T S
S E C T IO N III .
L A T I N E L E GIA C S .
Drin k to me on ly with thin eBE N J O N S O N .
T he rain had fal len , the Poet rose .
”
1'
T E NNY S O N .
Butletmy due feet n ever fail .”
MIL T O N .
T hus l ived—thus died she ; n ever
more on her .
”BYR O N ,
“ N ymphs an d S hepherds dan ce n o
mor e.
" MIL T O N .
(6) O thou dr ead Pow’r , who reign
’st
above .” BUR N S .
Haply some hoary - headed swain maysay
”
:“ H ere rests his head upon the lap of
GRAY.
L eaves have their time to fall .”
MR S . HEMAN S .
(10) (T he same con tin ued. )
C all itn otvain —they do n oterr .
”
S C O T T .
XXXI. (12) A n d stran gely on the looked
Comp . A n thologie O xon iensis, pp. 44, 185 ; Amn din es Cami. , p . 47 .
1' Comp. Bab. C or . , p. 199 . 1 Comp . Aran d. pp . 175—7.
he.
” S C O T T .
Comp . Arn ad. p. 175.
vii
PAGE
52
54
58
60
62
66
68
70
XX XII . (13) T hou the l ight sail boldl y spreadest .”
S O UT IIE Y.
XXX III. (14) “ An ar row from a bow justMA C HL E R .
XXXIV. (15)“
Phyl l is, why shoul d we delay P”1*
WAL LE R .
“ For we were n urstupon the sel f
same hil l .” MI L T O N .
XXXVI . ‘
(17) (T he same con tin ued. )
XXXVII. ( l 8) S eest thou yon bark ? It leftour
bay”
: MARY H O WI T T .
XXX VIII . (19) Butwhy should 1 his boyish featsdisplay P
”BE A T T IE .
XXXIX. (20) O h I that the Chemist’smagic art.
”
R O GE R S .
S E C T IO N IV .
L A T IN HE X AME T E R S .
(1) S o the fal se spider, when her n ets arespread.
”DR YDE N .
X L I . (2) T he r iders rode abreast, an d on e his
shield .
”
DR YDE N .
X L I I . (3) (T he same con tin ued. )
XLIII . (4) (T he same con tin ued.)
XLIV . (5) Al l n ation s n ow to R ome obedien ce
pay.
” MIL T O N .
Comp . Bab. C on , p . 15. 1 Comp . Bab. 0 0 1 2, p. 53.
1 Comp . S ub. 0 012 , p . 57.
78
80
82
84
88
90
94
94
98
100
CO N T E N T S .
XLV. (6) I , wretched I, have other fortun es seen .
”
DR YDE N .
XL VI . In this r emembran ce, Emily, ere day.
”
DR YDE N .
XLVII. T he city which thou seest n o otherdeem.
’z MIL T O N .
X LVI II . S o spake he; an d was bucklin gT ighter black A uster ’
s ban d.
”
MACAULAY .
XLIX . T here l ives an d works
A soul in all thin gs.
”C O WPE R .
L . (11) 0 ft list’n in ghow the houn ds an d hor n .
”
MIL T O N .
(12) (T he same con tin ued. )
L I I . (13) A rcite r etur n’d, an d, as in hon our ty
’d.
”
DR YDE N .
L I II . (14) T hus pale they meet ; their eyes withfury burn .
”DRYDE N .
L IV . (15) T hen ce to the gates cast roun d thin eeye, an d see.
” MIL T O N .
(16) Who loves agarden loves agreenhouse
too.
”C OWPE R .
(17) N o forestfel l
When thou would’st buil d .
” 3“ C OWPE R .
LVII. (18) T he stable yiel ds a stercoraceousheap .
”
C OWPE R .
LVI I I . (19) T he sequel of to- day un sol der s a
T E N N YS O N .
(20) T hen first I heard the voice of her , towhom.
” T E N N YS O N .
Comp . Arun d. C . p . 67.
ix
PAG]!
102
104
108
110
112
114
116
118
120
126
130
X CO N T E N T S .
LX. (21)“ Min e eye, descen din gfrom the hil l
surveys.
”DE NHAM.
L X I . (22) S o said he, an d the barge with oar an d
821'
T E N N YS O N .
(23) T he trumpets n ext the gate in order
plac'
d .
”DR YDE N .
L X I I I . 0 Win ter , rul er of the in verted year .
”
C OWPE R .
(25) A l l in amomen tthr ough thegloomwereMIL T O N .
LXV. E astthou a charmto stay themor n ing
star .
” C O L E R IDGE .
LXVI . (27) T he cur ren t, thatwith gen tlemurmur
glides”
? S E AKS PE AR E .
LX VII . (28) “ At last appearH el l - boun ds.
” MIL T O N .
LXVIII . (29) T hat day I oftremember , when fromsleep.
” MIL T O N .
LXIX . (30) S o on he fares, an d to the border comes.
”
MIL T O N .
L X X . (31)“ What won der , then , if fields an d r egion s
here.
” MIL T O N .
Comp . Bab . C or . , p. 225. 1‘ Comp . A run d. p . 179 .
PA GE
132
134
140
142
146
150
154
CO N T EN T S . xi
S E C T I O N V .
L A T I N L Y R I C s.
SAPPHIO s.
(I ) I am this foun tain ’s god ; n on
FLET CHE R . 158
LXXII. (2) T o grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall .”
C OWI’E R . 160
(The same con tin ued. ) 162
LXXIV. Gather ye rose- buds while yemay.” I
HE RR I OK.
LXXV. T he S ecul ar Mask . DRYDE N .
LXX VI . (6) (T he same con tin ued. )
LXXVII . (7) (T he same con tin ued.)
LXXVIII . (8) (T he same con tin ued .)
LXXIX. (9) A l l hail ! in exorable L ord !”
BURN S . 174
(10) (T he same con tin ued.) 176
(11) Distracted with care.
” 178
LXXXI I. (12) “ L ately on yon der swellingbush”
?WALLER . 180
AL C A I C S .
(13)“ An cien t dame, how wide an d vast.
”
( burn s. 182
(14) T he star that bids the shepherd
fold.
” MIL T O N . 184
Comp. An thol . O xon . , p. 39 . 1‘ Comp. Aran d. p. 185.
164
166
168
170
172
xii C O N T EN T S .
LXXXV. (l 5)’Tis time this heart should beunmoved.
” BYR O N .
LXX XVI . (16) (T he same con tin ued.)
LXXXVI I . (17) Sweet E cho, sweetest n ymph, thatliv
’st MIL T O N .
LXX XVIII . (18) S tar t n ot— n or deemmy spir itfled.
”BYR O N .
(19) (T he same con tin ued.)
(20) When coldn ess wr aps this sufi'
erin g
BYR O N .
(21)“ When time, or soon or late. shal l
brin g.
”
XCII . (22) “ O n L in den when the sun was low .
”
1'
C AMPBE L L .
X C III . (23) (T he same con tin ued. )
XCIV. T r iumphal arch, that fil l’stthe sky.
”
C AMPBE L L .
XCV . (25) (T he same con tin ued. )
X C VL (26) (T h-e same con tin ued. )
(27) Itis the'
day when he was born .
”
T E N N YS O N .
A S C L E PIADE A N WIT H GL Y C O N I C .
X C VI II . (28) Gay hope is their s, by fan cy fed.
”
GRAY .
XCIX . (29) (T he same con tin ued.)
C . (30) (T he same con tin ued .)
C I . (31) (T he same con tin ued. )
Comp. A ran d. p . 53.4. Comp. Bab. C on , p. 165.
PAGE
186
188
190
192
194
196
198
200
202
206
208
210
212
214
216
CO N T E N T S .
A S C L E PIA DE A N S T AN Z A .
CII . (32) “ Ah , C ael ia ! where are n ow the
charmsP” WAL SH .
C I I I . (33) (T he same con tin ued.)
(34) I come fr om haun ts of coot an dhem e.
”T E N N YS O N .
C V . (35) T ellin ghow the C oun t A rn aldos.
”
L O N GFE L LO W.
(36) T o the ocean n ow I fly.
”
MIL T O N .
A L T E R N A T E A S C L E PIADE AN .
CVII . (37) T he nymph must lose her femalefrien d.
”C OWPE R .
CVI II . (38) (T he same con tin ued.)
MIL T O N .
O K . (T he same con tin ued .)
H IPPO N A C T E AN .
CXI . (41) T he sun is br ight, the air is clear .
”
L O N GFE L L OW .
CXII . (42) (T he same con tin ued.)
L O N G A S C L E PIAD E AN .
0 ftin the still y MO O RE .
AR C H IL O C HIAN , N o. 1.
(44) R iver , that rol lestby the an cien twall s.
” BYR O N .
Comp. A n thol . O xon ., p . 107 A run d. p. 57.
xiii
PAGE
220
224
226
232
238
240
242
244
246
xiv CO N T E N T S .
A R C HIL O C HI AN , N o. 2.
CXV. (45) Bright be the place of thy soul !” men
BYR O N .
T R IME T E R AN D DIME T E R IAMBI C .
C XVI . (46) S he left the n ovel hal f un cut. "
T E NN YS O N .
CXVI I. (47) (T he same con tin ued.)
T HE DA C T YL O - T R O C HAI C O F H O R . C ARM. , I . 8.
CXVI II . (48) Go, lovely
C X IX . (49) (T he same con tin ued.)
HE N DE C A SYL L ABI C S .
a Virgin daughter of L ocrin e.
”
I
Un dern eath this myrtleC OWL EY .
Far in the bosom of the deep.
”
IIS C O TT .
cm . (54)young.
”R ALE IGH .
Comp. Bab . 0 0 12 , p . 281. 1: Comp . Amud. p. 109 .
1 Comp. Bab. C or . , p . 147 . Comp . Bab. C or ., p. 209 .
Comp. Bab. C or ., p . 139 .
IN T R O DUC T IO N .
I N spite of the superiority of prose tran slation — or , as
it is techn icall y called,
composition ”— as a vehicle
for train in g the min d in precisen ess of expression,it is
likely that correspon din g exercises in versewill remain
chief favour ites in the classical palwstra. with thosewho
love such thin gs in an d for themselves, irrespectively
of the results to which they may l ead .
But without attemptin g to settle the respective
claims of the depar tmen ts of prose an d verse tran sla
tion in literis human ioribus which,in deed, woul d
require the decision of the previous question , what
share the ideal should exercise in education — it may
be con ceded that, at an y rate,
n ext to accuracy,
felicity, an d symmetry,an d even elegan ce of expres
sion , are worth cul tivatin g ; an d also, I thin k, that
they are best cul tivated by a cour se of train in g, in
which they distin ctively hold the foremost place. T his
on l y relates to exercises where the min d is called upon
to clothe with lan guage ideas extern al to itself, an d
therefore does n ot in clude origin al versification , with
which we have at presen t n o con cern . An d besides
the direct aspiration s after the subliI n e an d the
beautiful which it fosters, an d the allian ce between
xvi IN T R O DUCT IO N .
the imagin ation an d the moral feelin gs which it con
ciliates,the cultivation of poetry, even in its outward
elemen ts, exercises, beyon d doubt
,a refin in g power
over lan guage, which will make itself felt in al l the
departmen ts of style, an d react in evitably on the min d
which thin ks.
Beyon d this,un til the poetical masterpieces of
an tiquity shall cease to leaven the composite product of
modern thought,that train in g which, by con ferrin g
some degree ofmastery over their diction ,places us on
a van tage groun d in compassin g their ideas, is likely
to con tin ue in high favour, an d on ly to become obsolete
when education itself shall degen erate .
A n d havin g con ferred this ben efit on busy min ds,havin g oil ed, as it were, the hin ges O f thought, an d
produced in our min ds a sympathy with those majestic
an d ven erable beauties, an d assisted us in realizin g our
corporate un ity with the past, it remain s a n egotium in
otio,an elegan t an d harmless amusemen t in our retreat
frommore oppressive tasks.
T he presen t collection of exercises is offered as an
assistan ce, which it is hoped may be welcome to themore advan ced class of studen ts. Such well - kn own
collection s as the A n thologia. O z on ien sis, the Ammd'in es
C ami, an d others, however super ior in poin t of elegan ce,hardl y meet the wan t . They, of course are rather
illustrative of the results of distin guished scholarship,
than directed to the n ecessities of those who are stillstuden ts. Nothin g O f methodical arran gemen t is included in their plan , an d while they run very largely
IN T R O DUCT ION . X VI].
on on e favour ed metrical model, they are less amplyS upplied on others.
*
This is n o objection again st those elegan t fascicu li inthe purely epidictic character which they claim
,although
fr omthe poin t of view of the practical studen t they leavea gap still open . To project so large a mass of on e’sown verses asthe presen t before a highly cr itical publicmay seem to some presumptuous
, but if the attempt
prove even moderately useful, the cen sure implied inthe previous termw ill be shor t - lived . Fur ther, sin ceatO xford it was
,un der the system in force previous to
1852, perfectly possible to take the highest un iversity
‘9 O n examin ing 200 pages of the Amndin es Cami, the LatinE legiacs wil l be foun d to be about 45 per cen t. of the whole, the L atinH exameters 18 per cen t . on ly, the Greek Iambic pieces 3 per cen t.,other Gr eek metrical pieces, chiefly epigrammatic, 4 per cen t., whil stthe remain der
, of n early 32 per cen t., con sists of amiscellan y of variousHoratian an d C atul lian measures. I n the same quan tity of the
S abrina C orol la the L atin E legiacs are about 36 per cen t. , the L atinH exameters about 10 per cen t., Greek Iambics an d Greek miscel lan eousmetres about . 7 per cen t . each, Greek Hexameters (T heocritean ) 1 percen t., whil e the balan ce of about 39 per cen t. con sists of a similar mis
cellan y of Horatian an d C atull ian measures. T hus, practical ly for theuse of studen ts, there is an abun dan ce in these collection s, an d perhapsel sewhere
,of L atin E legiacs, averymoderate stock of Latin Hexameters,
of Greek Hexameters n ext to n othing, of Greek Iambics a very fewexcellen t pieces, of the two leadingHoratian metres a. fair sprin kling,
an d a surplus of various “ fan cy metres n umerous as awhole, but
scan tily illustrating an y O n e metrical system. I thin k some of the
Asclepiadean metres of H orace are worthy of more l iberal exemplifies.tion , an d I have en deavoured to supply it. I believe that an examin ationof the A n thologia O r om
'
en sis woul d yield a result n otdifferingin an y
importan t degree from the above.
B
IN T R O DUCT IO N .
hon ours in the class- list without wr itin g a sin gle verse '
an y metre whatever , an d. in asmuch as,un der the
presen t system, verse tran slation on ly fin ds a place in
moderation s,” I con ceive that there are, an d are likely.
to be, a con siderable n umber offirst- classmen from that
un iversity who may be in position s where the presen t
small volume may be foun d con ven ien t. At C am
bridge, I believe, verse tran slation is more regular ly re
quired, an d I should suppose it difficult to win a highclassical place without it . But the advan tage to the
studen t must n otbe over looked of havin g more than
on e version ofthe same exercise with which to comparehis own . This holds good even in prose composition ,buthas a far wider application in verse
,in asmuch as
the greater latitude of expression which is in separablefrom it, an d the impossibility of obtain in g precise ren
dari n gs of the majority of its phrases, may all ow of an
equal value bein g ascribed to differen t approximation sto the origin al on various sides.
In the small collection n ow offered to the public are
about on e hun dred an d twen ty Gr eek heroicHexameterlin es (Section an dabout twohun dred an d sixty GreekIambic (Section This
,it is supposed, may suflice
for n early a year’s* con sumption in most upper forms of
public school s a proportion able quan tity of LatinE legiacs has been added (Section III . ) an d a largersupply of Latin Hexameters (Section IV .) these bein g
From the R eport of the Publ ic S chools’C ommission ers, vol . ii.,
T able 0 , 300 l in es per a/mmm appears to be the average amoun t oftran slation in to Gr eek verse (probablymostly Iambic, an d sometimesso stated) amongten leadingpublic schools.
XX IN T RO DUC T IO N .
to Bakkar’e digammated texts of the Il iad an d O dys.
sey (Bon n , an d to Mr . Paley’s recen t edition of
Hesiod, where the digammated readin gs are given in a
in the middle of the page. A list of digam
mated words al so occurs in Jelf’s Greek Grammar ,Section X VI ., 2 an d an other will be foun d in Heyn e
’s
Excursus III. to Homer X IX .
I may here remark, that I thin k Bekker in clin es to
excess in his adoption of the digamma, an d that I
shoul d hesitate in acceptin g his authority as final ,un less where con firmed by such works as C rusius’
Homeric Lexicon , Doederlein’s Homeric Glossary, or
C urtius’work on Greek etymology.
T he Table of Con ten ts shows al l the E n glish pieces
in these exercises ren dered in theAn thologiaa n ien sis,
Ammdz’
n es (Jami, or S abrin a: C orol la, un lesswheredifferen ce of lan guage, or wide divergen ce of metre woul d
ren der theparallelism n ugatory. I n eed hardly add that
my motive here has n otbeen to provoke comparison swhich my own lin esmight fail to satisfy, butmerely togivethestuden ttheben efit ofhavin g syn optically beforehimmoreversion s than on e. Whil e touchin g on this sub
jectIwould remark that a gen erous, or even a just oriti
cismwil l n otexpect the same degree of felicityan d thesame un iformity of fin ish in a large n umber of pieces indifferen t styles fromon e han d
, which may r eason ably beexactedwherea large n umber of distin guished scholarshave the opportun ity of selecting their favourite an dwinn owed specimen s, with, perhaps, the additionalcheck of editorial supervision . Al l that can be ex.
IN T R O DUC T IO N : xxi
pected is thatthe presen t exercises shoul d n otfall so farbelow that high stan dard as to fail of practical util ity.A s regards the greater len gth of some of the
pieces selected, it wil l be obvious to remedy it by
breakin g up the lon ger exercises in to two or more
portion s of con ven ien t len gth .
I wil l ven ture here a few gen eral remarks, whichmay guide the verse tran slator in avoidin g difficul tiesembarrassin g to begin n ers.
1. A s r egards the choice of passages. It is amis
take, un til con siderable power has been acquired, to
seek for what are called fin e or gran d passages. I
would advise the choice of level an d quiet pieces,which can always be foun d atwill in authors of the
highest mark . T he rule here recommen ded has n ot
been un iversall y followed in the followin g selection s,because difficul ties require illustration more than what
is easy. There are some passages in the Foliaram
S ilvula, Part I . fr om ear ly E n glish writers, before our
mother - ton gue had obtain ed its full eman cipation fr om
the an cien ts, which are con sequen tly so little removed
from classical idiom,as to be free fromman y of the diffi
culties which a begin n er feels. But this, as Butler
says, isE nglish cuton Greek an d L atin ,L ike sarsn et heretofore on satin ,”
an d to turn it in to Greek or Latin accordin gly is
hardly to tran slate from E n glish, although a highl y
useful step towards it.
2. Avoid gen erally passages which run largely on
IN T RO DUC T IO N .
al lusion s to special subjects belon gin g to a modern.order of ideas. In deed
,an y special subject
,although
common to an cien t aswell asmodern life, —for in stan ce,dan cin g or dress,—will have this difficulty, that it will
impose the use of certain special terms which maycause prosodiacal difficulties, while atthe same time it
is n ot easy to substitute an y others for them. If a
special subject has a locus classicus,as char iot - racin g,
suppose for Greek Iambics, in theE lectra of Sophocles,the piece may be chosen specially with a View to that.
Buthere the exception confirms the. rule.
3. Avoid passages which deal ,largely in abstract
terms, especially for Latin ,an d, un til you have obtain ed
a due mastery over your vocabul ary, for Greek . Mr .
Drury, in his version of the passage from Pope,begin n in g, Behold the child, by n atm
-
o’skiml ly
has happil y ren dered the latter phrase by sicDi voluere
ben ign i, where a less accomplished tran slator might
easil y have perpetrated somethin g crude or feeble.
This is an isolated in stan ce. A passage characteriz ed
by such in stan ces shoul d rather be forborn e.
4. Avoid a '
passage con tain in g proper n ames n ot
easily assimilated to a classical model . Most n ames,in all Gothic lan guages
, whether of person s or places,wil l fall un der this ban . T he reason for it is
,that
there shoul d be n othin g in the tran slation to forceupon the atten tion in evitablythe fact
,that it is a tran s
lation . For a tran slation , as such,is a work of art
,
bein g an imitation of an cien t poetry in the same sen se
4" Arun din es C ami, p. 131.
IN T R O DUCT I O N . xxiii
‘
as the fin e arts imitate n atur e. Thus, the prin ciple,
artis estcelare arte'm,should be applied to it
,in order
that the. illusion may n otbe rudely dissipated . O n the
o ther han d, even Gothic proper n ames which have
become exten sively cur ren t in a Greek or Latin.form,
or which do n ot too harshly clash with the. gen ius of
e ither lan guage, may be allowed to assume its garb .
O thers, as Burke an d John son ” in the passage. from
Goldsmith of whichMr . Weatherbyhas given a spirited
version in the C orol la,are too stron gly again st the
grain to receive a Latin termin ation . Bar lcius an d
J olmson as would be too grotesque to be admissible inverse ; always exceptin g the case of the verse itself
bein g mean t to be absur d or r idiculous, of which the
lasto f the presen t Greek Iambic exercises offers an
example. We have, of course, Parson us an d Ben tlemsin critical n otes which are good Latin prose 3 butthose
scholarly lucubration s are valuable for their matter,our versification for the man n er merely. A ccordin gly
,
in the version above referred to,these E n glish proper
n ames are paraphrased by other classical on es which
are an alogous. Where an an alogous n ame can n ot be
foun d, a common n oun may sometimes be substituted
Without prejudice to the spir it of the passage ; more
rarely . iti
will be possible to represen t the n ame by a
paraphrase O f the leadin g quality or qualities which it
implies. This has been attempted with regard to the
n ame “ E xcalibur,” in the third passage for Gr eek
Hexameters.
5..O n the other han d, the use of proper n ames. is
xxiv IN T R O DUCT IO N .
great to a tran slator , as a lively an d vigorous way of
embodyin g, without quite person ifyin g qualities. T he
phrase invite”; Min erva, for “again st the grain ,
” is a
well - kn own in stan ce. O vid uses Mars for effort or
struggle, Juven al uses Prometheus for a potter, an d
in stan cesmight easily be multiplied ; butIwoul d advise
the tran slator n ot to in troduce them too freely in his
own production s . In order to be aton ce effectual an d
in offen sive, such a licen ce should be sump iapuden ter .
6. It is desirable also to forbear passages which
con tain a lon g train of terms in the same con n ection .
For in stan ce, in a lin e of S hakspeare,* T empest, v . 1
“ Ye elves of hills, brooks, stan ding- lakes, an d groves,”
the four terms following “ of” ought to be ren dered
by possessive adjectives, or by gen itives plural .
E ither way there is a risk of some homoioteleuton fourtimes repeated . If paraphrase be resorted to
, the
con cisen ess, which is a main feature of the rapid
en umeration of the origin al,is certain ly sacrificed.
T he same rule would apply, butperhaps in Greek withless sever ity, to a train of verbsm —Greek verb formsgen erally admittin g of greater facility in varyin g theirtype. In a n early un in fiected lan guage like our own ,
We fin d in O vid,Metam. vii. 197—8,
Auraeque etven ti, montesque, amn csque lacusque,Dique omn es n emorum, dique omn es n octis,”
on which the above lin e of Shakspeare, asWarburton says,may perhapsbe based ; butin tran slatingeven an imitation , wemust takeitas beingto us an origin al , an d itwill n otsuffice merely to invert the process,al though akn owledge of the actual origin al may be of great help.
IN T RO DUCT IO N . XXV
there is little risk of the homoioteleuton , as the absen ceof distin ctive form much dimin ishes the chan ces O f
7. It may be worth while to add a hin t with '
regard
to devotion al or Sacred E n glish Poetry. It mayperhaps be the last thin g ven tured on , when the
difficulties of al l other styles have been overcome ; butall
, save those who are masters in the art,had better
refrain fr om applyin g it to so un sympathetic a subjectmatter . We may except from this prohibition the
widely,difi
'
used n otion s of sacrifice, moral retr ibution ,the gen eral con ception of a futur e state, an d the like.
Beyon d these, we fall at on ce upon a speciality of
Subject - matter, which comes un der our secon d caution .
But besides this gen eral O bjection , to use such poetry
for the purposes of exercises mean t merely as a
study of man n er, is, I thin k, to degrade an d in deed
to profan e them ; whil st, as a work of art, the main
idea must be at perpetual warfare with the spiri t of
the phr aseology subjected to such a strairi.* T he
effect is like that of a chur ch built in an E n glish
ecclesiastical style, with Greek details.
8. T he n umber of lin es in a tran slation should bear
some proportion to those in the origin al , but often a
very differen t on e accordin g to themetre, lan guage, an d
A s an example of what is heremeant, take Bucban an’s an d per.
haps other version s of someof the Psah s. T he phraseology usedmaybeperfectly O vidian or Horatian , butthemore itis so, the greater isthe risk of its awaken ingassociation s utterly in congruous with the sub
xxvi IN T RO DUC T IO N .
style Of themodel . T he greatest con cisen essmay per
haps be achieved in Latin hexameters, the greatest
diffusen ess permitted in the same metre after Homer’sstyle. T he reason s in the latter case l ie on the surface,an d all arise from the redun dan cy, un der all its various
forms, which ear ly an d simple poetry loves. O n
accoun t of this peculiarity, which cleaves in separably
to its lan guage, the greatest caution is n ecessary in
selectin g passages the gen ius of which shall n otbe too
remote fr om that of the Greek E pic, as han dl ed by its
n ative master .
9 . Greek Iambics admit of a high degree of tersen ess an d so cosmopol itan is the ton e
‘
of thought an d
lan guage O f the polished A ttic per iod, that it is as
difficult to fin d passages of agood dramatic stan dard
omittin g those in which the idiom of the thought is
moder n ,— which can n ot, by on e who has its r esources at
comman d, be ren dered in this style with tolerable
approximation , as it is to fin d passages, n otbein g cast
in a design edly an tique mould, which are adapted to
the Homeric hexameter . But in proportion as the
ran ge O f its materials is ample, it is difficult n ot on ly
to exhaust but to wield them : in proportion as the
compass an d powers of the in strumen t are large, must
be the grasp an d versatility of the master . Hen ce,for all but the most accomplished proficien ts, there
is ample r oom for sober judgmen t in selectin g, more
especially from S hakspeare, as I shall attempt to show
towards the close of these remarks.
IN T R ODUC T I O N .
should always be referred to the hypothesis—which is
of course an artistic fiction , but, I think, true to thespirit of its con ception — that it is an impromptu
effusion of feelin g called out by the occasion , an d in
all its loftier styles in volves a dithyr ambic fervour n ot
n ecessarily felt by a tran slator, but which his style
may represen t, an d in which the frigid exactn ess of
phraseology is lost . Its tran slation shoul d therefore
be the last attempted, as the premature or immoderate cultivation of it is likely to lead, in propor
tion as it is successful , to a dissoluten ess of style.
A n d even in the javen am euros an d libera vin a,
which form the staple of its lighter verse, there
is an impul siven ess an d aban donmen t to the pre
domin an t mood, which is in con sisten t with n icely
weighed an d measured diction . Here, therefore, a
more roomy style is required, an d on e which allows
the language to sitless closely to the thoughts.
12. I n this style there is room for a skilful ear in
the choice of a metre suited to the gen ius of the
thought, an d expressin g approximately the caden ces
an d rhythmical features of the origin al .
13. I n al l tran slation s whatever, the in fluen ce of
lan guage over thought is careful ly to be watched, n ot
watched in order to be excluded— if that in deed werepossible— butin order to observe the deflexion s from
the lin e of origin al thought which we en coun ter through
the phrases that occur in tran slatin g. To sum it upbriefly, w ords run after on e an other an d thoughts
after them. There is perhaps n o on e word in an y lan
IN T RO DUCT I O N . xxix
guage which exactly covers the same area of mean in g
as aword in an other . A n d all these words or phrasesso var iously difl
'
eren ced have their own procl ivities,”
an d ten d to warp this way or that the thought which
we are tryingto express by mean s'
of them. T hemost
broad example O f this iswhen it is required to tran slateametaphor . Suppose, then , the expression “ to r ide
atan chor ”(of a ship) be to be ren dered. In Latin a
ship was said to stan d at her moorin gs, motion
bein g rather lost sight of, an d rest substituted for it.
Perhaps our term is due to a habit of an chorin g in
deeper water, an d allowin g the ship more play upon
her cables, than was usual in the an cien t mode.* Thus
the basis of themetaphor in fact is wan tin g . Suppose
then , the term static, accompan ied by some verb or
adjective expressin g fluctuation , to be fixed upon .
S till, the term static will retain its own association s,an d wil l sen d the thought back stamped, as it were,with a n ew images] An d that which is true where
We fin d in Homer, plain ly however, I think, describingan ex
ception al practice
5’éu 1’07 q f izz! 7
’Oppw'av,
” 3. 785, 9. 55.
1 I n stan ces of this are copious. It is hardly possible to Open a
page of an y book of tran slation s withou t fin dingplenty. I take on eatran dom fromthe S al . C'or .
,139 . Shell ey’s lin es
An d S il en ce, too en amour ed of thatvoice,
L ocks itsmutemusic in her rugged cell,”
arethere ren dered, the tran slator havingon l y allowed himsel f a lin ean d ahalf,
etin ipsavoce laboran s
In cludittaciturnacavo Preserpina saxo.”
X X X IN T R O DUC T IO N .
ametaphor Is to be ren dered, is also true, al though
n ot so glarin gly, wherever the tran slatin g word or
phrase does n otcoin cide in sen se with the tran slated,although, of course, as there is n o microscope which
we can apply to expression , the fin er differen ces almost
always escape n otice.
14. This ten den cy of the lan guage to run away
with the sen se, rein forced as it con stan tly is in practice
by metrical exigen cies, should be watched an d kept
within boun ds in al l, even lyr ical tran slation s ; but
ea vi materiel? those boun ds w ill n ot in al l be the
same.
These merely gen eral remarks may be fitly con
cluded with a few hin ts on the comparative eligibility
of authors in furn ishin g passages suitable for the
tran slator’s han d .
15. For tran slation in to Latin , Dryden seems to meto offer greater facilities than an y poet whomaybe said
to have written sin ce the E n glish lan guage attain ed
its completen ess. There is a cer tain largen ess of
thought an d ease of expression in him,which imparts
a ductility to his diction . His imagery dealsmostly in
Here thein troduction of Proserpin e seems to require the epithet,
or further predicate, taciturn a, to assist it in stan dingfor S ilen ce
this again causes thedistin ctive obj ect of locks,”via,
“ mute music,”
to be dropped, an d“ locks” borrows its object fromthewiped coco of the
previous lin e. Here then Prom -
pin t; seemsto have reacted on the restof the tran slation , producingan effect certain ly divergent from the
E nglish. T hese remarks are n otto be taken as implyingany cen sureof thework of an emimnt scholar, but on ly as showinghow itexem
plifiestheabove observation s.
IN T R O DUC T IO N . xxxi
the broader features which strike al l min ds n ear ly
alike. There is little of recon dite metaphor, there isa gen eral absen ce of twists an d tan gles of thought
,
an d of strain an d in version of structure. Whatevereffect he aims at comes easily to han d . He was, n o
doubt, thoroughly permeated by the Virgil ian an d
O vidia'
n recollection s of his school - boy days atWest
min ster, O n tran slation s or imitation s of which he
did n otdisdain to build a part of his maturer fame. I
will add that,to ren der Dryden successfully, O vid
’s
Metamorphoses offer a more hopeful fiel d of studythan Virgil
, who is far less ductile to the imitator’s
han d .
16. There is n o poet, so'
far as I kn ow, that offers
facilities for Greek'
equal to those of Dryden for Latin
tran slation but, on the whole, I should be in clin ed to
putMilton for this purpose first . b bably n o poet of
first- Class n ote in this coun try has ever been so pro
foun d a scholar or so fon d of showin g his lore. It
woul d, I thin k, be more easy to arran ge from Milton
a ser ies O f passages graduated to represen t all degrees
of difficulty to the tran slator , whether in to Greek or
Latin , than from an y other poet . His style may, on
the whole, be pron oun ced ar chaic. It may have
been that, firmly r ooted in [ classical an tiquity, he
felt less than others his con temporaries, asWall er,
Den ham,an d Cowley, the chan ge which the period
of the Great R ebellion wrought in E n glish poetry. His
poetic diction seems at an y rate half a cen tury older
than theirs, an d perhaps asmuch older than his own
IN TR ODUCT IO N .
prose. O n the whole,his dramatic poetry is n aturally
preferable for Greek Iambics. His min or pieces maybe tr ied for Latin E legiacs, but w ill often be foun d
embarrassin g through the irregularity of their pauses.
They are better suited, accordin g to their matter,for lyr ics or the bucol ic hexameter, while heroic
hexameters may be taken from the two gran der
poems.
17 . S hakspeare seems to me to stan d by himself ;as in everythin g else, so in this respect, as regards his
degree of suitablen ess for tran slation , an d that n ot
wholly on differen t groun ds. He aboun ds with sudden
difi culties, which, in the midst of a passage of ave
rage facility, crop out on the path of the tran slator . .
Hen ce greater caution is requisite in the choice of his
passages than perhaps is n ecessary with an y other
E n glish"
poet . O f these difficulties the depth an d ful
n ess of his mean in g isperhaps the on e most con stan tly
presen t. He often troubles perspicuity with abstruse
con ceits, for in deed he n ever seems to have shrun k
from an y metaphor which crossed his fan cy. I n eed
hardl y men tion his pron en ess to play on the term em
ployed sUch ran dom quibblin g lies on the sur face, an d
is amark of what to avoid . He is difficult through theuse of terms often either an tiquated, or in sen se, an d
perhaps in form,un ique an d thr ough a syn tax O ften
requir in g asolution on un famil iar groun ds. Butover an dabove an y difficultiesar isin g outofthediction , as such, is
the exten t to which the sen se disten ds it themuchn ess
(if the expression be pardon able) of what his lan guage
IN T R O DUCT IO N .
con veys. He isd eep, n otas n oteasily reached, butasn oteasily fathomed . A n d when , as is O ften the Case,several of the above difficul ties combin ewith this Close
package of themean in g, tomeasur ehis thought by other
words than his own,an d in an other lan guage than his
own , requir es a combin ation of men tal grasp, critical
judgmen t, an d felicity of expression , which often task
tothe utmost the resources of tran slation .
18. I wil l give on e example on ly for the sake of
ill ustration, although such might easily be multipl ied.
It is from a speech in the four th act an d first scen e of
J ulius Caesar ,”where A n ton y says, in reply to a re
mar k that Lepidus is a tried an d valian t soldier,”
S o ismy horse, O ctavius an d for thatI do appoin t him store of proven der .
Itis a creature that I teach to fight,T o win d, to step, to run dirwtly on ,
His corporal motion govern ed by my spirit.An d, in some taste, is L epidus butsoH e must'be taught, an d train ed, an d bid go forth,A barren - spirited fel low ; on e that feedsO n objects , arts, an d imitation s ;Which outof use, an d staled by other men ,Begin his fashion . Do n ottalk of himButas a property.
”
It would n otbe difficul t to write down a series of
Greek w ords in iambic metre which might superficially
represen t the several terms of the latter por tion of this
passage, butthere is in it a subtle n ucleus ofmean in g,
to which the terms employed con verge rather than in
which they obviously meet, an d which they might
C
'
xxxiv INTRODUC TION .
easily be so ren der ed as to miss, when the whole de
scription would be'
vague an d poin tless.
19 . It is customary to setLatin Hexameters from
Pope . H is Windsor Forest,” his Messiah,
”an d
perhaps some other pieces which have a plainly classi
cal tin ge, are n o doubt appropriate . Buton the whole,his pol ished an d facetted style would be more suitable
for Greek - Iambics, wer e n ot his matter generally so
un congen ial to the dramatic cast of thought . I think
he is likely to be for nothin g so good as, when digested
in to couplets or short pieces, for detached epigrams.
On this class of tran slation , however, the present
exercises have n oten tered .
20 . Gray is, on the whole, difficul t . His careful
process of [ fil in g an d in layin g his lan guage will
gen erally impose a similar task on his tran slator . His
famou s Elegy is about as difficult a task for Latin
Elegiacs as an y in the lan guage, butas the best kn own
elegiac in that lan guage it seemed proper n otto leave
it wholly un tried.
21. ButI doubt if an y E n glish lyr ic writer, at any
rate sin ce Gray, more aboun ds with difficulties for ourpurpose than the pr esen t Laureate . I speak at present of
n o quality save this on e. Ther e is a character istic which
I can hardl y express in other than figurative terms, but
which seems to me to bear description as a certainshortn ess in the fibr e an d in tr icacy in the grain, which
too often turn s the edge of the tool an d baffles .the
workman . A n eclecticism of thought an d fastidiou s
n ess of language, parallel rather than similar to those
xxxvi INTRODUC TION .
n ecessary,n or often desirable, to begin atthe beginning
or to en d with what stan ds last . A s a ru le, begin with
what you can do best . Look out for some phrase
where you may satisfy your self, an d ahappy hit thussecured w ill often en courage you to succeed in mor e
doubtful matter . Itis, however , rather important that
the close should begood, an d this iswor thwhile spending some pain s upon . In poetry, as in oratory, theperoration should n otfall flat an d even in such wax
work stufi'
astran slation so f this class, the same maxim
of artapplies . T he rule which excludes the adj ective
epithet from the ‘close of the Ovidian distich depends ona pr in ciple of gen eral application . The last stan z a or
couplet is to the poem as the last word to the couplet : it
occupies the place of emphasis, an d should be strongA ccordin gly the last period or
distich, or other division accordin g to thesen se or themetr e, should be studied early, an d, of cour se, when
it is don e, in workin g downwards to it, the appearanceof the seam should be avoided .
'
A n d this advice seemsto me to hold good even of prose composition, so faras it is made a test of scholarlike skill an d power .
I beg toackn owledge my obligation s to the R ev. J .
D . Williams, late scholar of Trin ity College, C am
bridge, an d to the R ev . E . T . Hudson , Chaplain of St.Paul’s School, an d tomy colleagues,Mr . H . M . J effery,of St . Cathar in e’s College
,Cambridge
, an d Mr . J .
Bedford, late scholar of Lin coln College, Oxford, forman y valuable hin ts whilst these Exercises wer e preparin g for the press .
en ough for the place .
H . H .
n m r mv v ‘a tv Mm . 0 A.
N .B .— These Exercises, for the convenien ce alike
of teachers and studen ts, may be had
the tr anslations an d translated passages facin g each
other on opposite pages in the same volume ; or the
E n glish wholly in a separate volume, and the Gr eek
and Latin translation s if desir ed, a Tutor’s
K ey by themselves.
E R R AT A .
Page 5, lin e 39,f or Fen ao'wp,"read Fendd 'ng.
”
Page 13, l in e 62,f or Bope‘
p,"read Bope
’
p.
”
yna’ovs,
”
Page 43 , l in e 1,f or éBoq ynv,”r ead éBovAdpnu.
”
Page 45, lin e 9 ,f or ebBobv ,
"read ebBoév .
”
Page 49 , lin e4,f or read é86va7’
Page 56, add aten d the fol lowingT hese pleasures, Melan choly, give,An d I with thee will choose to l ive.
"
Page 143, l in e 6,f or stetpin eus aequor,” read sten twquora pin is.
"
Page 179, l in e 7 ,f or S esuper,”read Desuper .
”
Page 267, lin e 15,f or CE tas,”read JE tas.
”
ENGLISH POETRY FOR TRANSLATION .
I .
(1) This is my son , min e own T elemachus,
To whom I leave the sceptre an d the isle
Well - loved of me, discern in g to fulfil
This labour, by slow pruden ce to make mil d
5 A rugged people, an d thro’ soft degrees
Subdue them to the useful an d the good.
Most blameless is he, cen tred in the sphere
O f common duties,decen t n otto fail
In offices of ten dern ess, an d pay10 Meet adoration to my household gods,
When I am gon e . He works his work, I min e .
T her e lies the port : the vessel puffs her sail :
T her e gloom the dark broad seas . My mar iners,Souls that have toil’d, an d wrought, an d thought
with me
15 That ever with a frol ic welcome took
The thun der an d the sunshin e, an d opposed
Fr ee hearts, fr ee for eheads— you an d I are old
PASSAGES TRANSLATEDFROMENGLISH POETS .
I .
(1) This ismy son ,min e own T elemachus.”—T EN N YSON .
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'
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Fepryov i dimes: é
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fiEew Garcia-
ow '
yemi c-
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fipe’mv dftou si
’
n
a'
r‘7730 151: 7
’dfiavdrowr iaifiauev Ido
’l‘mixes-Hat.
T he digamma in thisword appears to be in con stantin Homer'
s usage.
See Iliad I . 151,and comp. II. 720.
4 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRANS LATION .
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil ;Death closes all : butsomething ere the en d,
20 Some work of noble note, may yet be done,Not un becoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twink le fr om the r ocks :
The lon g daywanes the slowmoon climbs : thedeepMoan s round with man y voices . Come, my friends,
25 ’T is not too late to seek a newer world .
Push off, and sitting well in order smiteThe sounding furrows for my purpose holdsTo sail beyond the sun set, an d the baths
O f all the western stars, un til I die.
30 It may be that the gulfs will wash us downIt may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,A n d see the great A chil les, whomweknew.
Tho’much is taken, much abides and tho’
We are n otn ow that stren gth which in old days
35 Moved earth and heaven thatwhich weare, weare;One equal temper of heroic hearts,Made weak by time and fate, butstrong in will
To strive, to seek, to fin d, an d not to yield.
TENNYS ON.
ENGLI S H POETRY FO R TRAN S LATION .
II .
T O him replied the bold S ir Bedivere
Itis n otmeet, S ir K in g, to leave thee thus,A idl ess, alone, an d smitten thr o
’ the helm.
A little thin g may harm a woun ded man .
YetI thy hest will al l perform at ful l,Watch what I see, an d lightly brin g thee word .
”
S 0 saying, from the ruin’d shrin e he stept
A n d in the moon athwart the place O f tombs,Wher e lay the mighty bon es O f an cien t men ,Old kn ights, an d over them the sea - win d san g
Shrill,chill, with flakes of foam. He
,steppin g
down ‘
By z ig- z agpaths, an d juts of poin ted rock,Came on the shining levels of the lake .
TENNYS ON .
GRE E K EPI C H RN AME T E R S . 7
II.
(2) T o him replied the bold S ir Bedivere.
”— T E N N YS O N .
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8 EN GLISH POETRY T OR T RAN S LAT ION .
I II .
(3) T hen w ent S ir Bedivere the second time
A cross the ridge, an d paced beside the mere,Coun tin g the dewy pebbl es, fix
’d in thought ;Butwhen he saw the won der O f the hilt,
5 How curiously and stran gely chased, he smote;
His palms together, an d he cried aloud,An d if indeed I cast the brand away,Surely a pr ecious thin g, on e worthy note,Should thus be lost for ever from the earth,
10 Which might have pleased the eyes O f man y men .
What good shall follow this, if this weredone
What harm, undon e Deep harm to disobey,Seeing Obedience is the bond of rule.Wer e it well to obey then, if a king demand
15 A n act unprofitable, again st himself ?The king is sick, and knows not what he does .What record, or what relic of my lord
Shoul d be to after time, butempty br eath
An d rumour s of a doubt? Butwere this kept,20 Stored in some tr easur e - house of mighty kings,Some on emight show it ata j oust of arms,Saying, K ing A rthur’s sword, E xcalibur,Wrought by the lon ely maiden of the Lake .Nin e years she wrought it, sitting in the deeps
25 Upon the hidden bases of the hills .’
S O might some oldman speak in the aftertime
GR E E K EP I C HEX AMETER S . 9
III .
(3) T hen wen t S ir Bedivere the secon d time.
”— T E N N YS O N .
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10 EN GLI S H POETRY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
To all the people, winn ingr everence .Butn ow much honour an d much fame were lost.”
S O spake he, clouded with his Own conceit,30 A n d hid Excalibur a secon d time,An d so strode back slow to the wounded king .
Then spoke K in g Arthur, breathing heavily :What is it thou hast seen ? or what hast heard ?”
A n d answer made the bold S ir Bediver e
35 I heard the water lappin g on the crag,A n d the lon g ripple washin g in the r eeds.
”
T O whom r eplied K in g A rthur , much in wrath“ Ah, miserable an d un kin d, un true,Unknightly, traitor - hearted ! Woe is me I
40 Authority forgets a dyin g king,Laid widow’d of the power in his ,eye
That how’d the will . I see thee what thou art,For thou, the latest - left of all my kn ights,In whom shoul d meetthe Offices of all,
45 Thou wouldst betray me for the precious hilt;E ither from lust of gold, or like a gir l
Valuing the giddy pleasur e of the eyes.
Yet, for a man may fail in duty twice,An d the third time may prosper, get thee hence ;
50 But, if thou spar e to flin g Excalibur,
I will arise and slay thee with my hands .”
Then quickly rose S ir Bedivere, an d ran,
A n d, leaping down the r idges lightly, plun ged
Among the bulrush - beds, an d clutch’d the sword,
30
40
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12 EN GLIS H PO E TRY FO R T RA N SLAT IO N .
55 A n d stronglywheel’d and threw it. The great brand
Made lightnings in the splen dour of the moon,A n d flashin g r ound and round, and whir l
’d in an
arch,Shot like a streamer O f the northern morn,Seen wher e the movin g isles O f win ter shock
60 By n ight, with noises of the northern sea .
So flash’d and fell the brand E xcalibur .
TEN NYS O N .
16 ENGLI S H PO E TRY FOR TRAN S LATION .
moon light sleeps upon this ban k
Here will we sit, an d letthe soun ds O f music
Creep in our ear s soft stilln ess, an d the n ight,Become the touches O f sweet harmon y .
5 Sit,J essica : Look, how the floor of heaven
I s thick in l aid with patin es O f br ight gold 3T her e’s n otthe smallest orb, which thou behold
’st,
Butin his motion like an an gel sin gs,
Still quirin g to the youn g eyed cherubin s
10 Such harmon y Is In Immortal soul s
But,whilst this muddy vesture O f decay
Doth grossly close it in , we can n ot hear it .
S HAK S PEAR E .
GR EEK IAMBI C S . 17
How sweet themoon light sleeps upon this ban kS K AK SPE ARE .
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18 E N GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SL A T IO N .
I see thou artimplacable, more deaf
T O prayer s than win ds an d seas yetwinds to seas
A re recon cil’d atlen gth
,an d sea to shore
T hy an ger un appeasable,stil l rages,
Etern al tempest n ever to be calm’d.
IVhy do I humble thus myself, an d suin g
For peace,r eap n othin g butrepulse an d hate I
Bid go w ith evil omen an d the bran d
O f in famy upon my n ame den oun c’d
IO T o mix with thy con cern men ts I desist
Hen cefor th, n or too much disapprove my own .
Fame, if n otdouble- fac’d is double - mouth
’d,
A n d with con trary blast proclaims most deeds
O n both his w in gs,on e black, the other white,
15 Bear s greatest n ames in his wil d airy flight .
My n ame perhaps amon g the circumcis’d
T o all posterity may stan d defam’d,
With malediction ‘
men tion ’d,an d the blot
O f falsehood most un con jugal traduc’d.
20 Butin my coun try wher e I most desir e,
(2)
10
GREEK l AMB IC S .
V.
I see thou artimplacable, more deaf ."—MI L TO N .
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20 EN GLIS H POETRY FOR TRAN S LATION .
I shall be n am’d amon g the famousest
O f women , sun g at solemn festivals,Livin g an d dead recorded, who to save
Her coun try from a fierce destroyer , chose25 Above the faith of wedl ock ban ds 5 my tomb
With odour s visited an d an n ual flower s
N or less ren own ’d than in Moun t Ephraim
J as], who with in hospitable guil e
Smote Sisera sleepin g, through the temples n ail’
MIL T O N .
22 EN GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
VI .
(3) T O whom r eplied K in g Ar thur , much in wrath
Ah,miserable an d un kin d
,un true,
Un kn ightly,traitor - hear ted ! Woe is me I
A uthor ity forgets a dyin g kin g,5 Laid widow’
d of the pow er in his eyeT hat bow’d the will . I see thee what thou art
,
For thou, the latest - left of all my kn ights,In whom should meet the Offices O f al l ,T hou wouldst betray me for the pr eciou s hilt ;
10 Either fr om lust of gold,or like a gir l
Valuin g the giddy pleasur e of the eyes .Y et
,for a man may fail in duty twice,
A n d the third time may pr osper , get thee hen ce ;But
,if thou spar e to flin g Excalibur,
15 I wil l arise an d slay thee w ith my han ds .”
T hen qu ickly rose S ir Bediver e, an d ran ,
An d,leapin g down the r idges lightly, plun ged
Amon g the bulrush - beds, an d clutch’d the sword,
A n d str on gly wheel’d an d thr ew it . T he great
bran d
20 Made lightn in gs in the splen dour of the moon ,
An d flashin g round an d r oun d,an d whir l’d in an
ar ch,
Shot like a streamer of the n or thern morn ,Seen where the movin g isles O f win ter shock
By n ight,with n oises of the n or thern sea.
25 S O flash’(I an d fell the bran d Excalibur .
TE N N YSO N .
GR E EK I AMBI C S . 23
VI .
(3) T o whom replied K ingA rthur, much in wrath .
”
T E N N YS O N .
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EN GLI SH POETRY FOR TRAN S LATION .
VII .
J u liet— Wilt thou be gon e? Itis n ot yet n ear
day
Itwas the n ightin gale, an d n otthe lark,T hat pierc
’d the fearful hollow of thin e ear 3
Nightly she sin gs on you pomegran ate tr ee
Believeme, love, itwas the n ightin gale .
R omeo.— It was the lark, the herald of the
morn ,
N O n ightin gale : look, love, what en vious streaks
DO lace the severin g clouds in yon der east :
Night’s can dles are bur n t out,an d jocun d Day
Stan ds tiptoe on the misty moun tain tops
I mustbe gon e an d live, or stay an d die .
J u l .— Y on light is n otday - light,I kn ow it,
It is some meteor that the sun exhales,
T o be to thee this n ight a torch - bearer,
An d light thee on thy way to Man tua:
T herefore stay yet,thou n eed
’
stn otto be gon e .
S HA K S PE A R E .
G REEK I AMBI C S .
VI I .
25
(4) Wilt thou be gon e Itis n otyetn ear day.
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26 EN GLI S H POETRY FOR TRAN S LATION .
VIII .
(5) Soft, you a word or two befor e you go .
10
I5
I have don e the state some service, an d they kn owit3
No more of that I pray you ,in your letter s,
When you shall these un lucky deeds r elate,Speak of me as I am 3 n othin g exten uate
,
N or set down aught in malice : then must you
speak
O f on e that lov’d,n otwisely
, buttoo well ;O f on e, n oteasily jealous, but, bein g wr ought,Perplex’d in the extreme 3 of on e
,whose han d
,
Like the base J udean , thr ew a pear l away,R icher than al l his tribe of on e, whose subdu
’d
eyes,A lbeit un used to the meltin g mood
,
Drop tear s as fast as the A rabian tr ees
T heir medicin al gum : setyou down this
An d say, besides, that in Al eppo on ce,Where amalign an t an d a turban ’d T urk
Beat a Ven etian an d traduc’d the state
,
I took by the throat,the cir cumcised dog,
An d smote him thus .
S HAKSPEAR E .
GREEK I AMBI C S .
VIII.
(5)“ S oft, you aword or two beforeyougo.
”— S HAKe AR E .
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27
28 E N GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT I O N .
IX .
Bacchus, that first from outthe purple grape
C rush’d the sweet poison of mis- used w in e,A fter the Tuscan marin ers tran sform’
(1,
Coastin g the Tyrrhen e shore,as the win ds listed,
5 O n Circe’s islan d fell ; (who kn ows n ot Circe
T he daughter O f the S un ? Whose charmed cup
Wh oever tasted lost his upright shape,A n d down ward fell in to agrov
’l lin gswin e)This n ymph that gaz
’d upon his cl ust’r in glocks,
10 With ivy berries wreath’d, an d his blithe youth,
Had by him, ere he parted then ce, a son
Much like his father , but hismother more,Whom therefore she brought up, an d Comus
n am’d,
Who r ipe, an d frolic of his full - grown age,
15 R ovin g the Celtic an d Iber ian field,
Atlast betakes him to this omin ous wood.
MIL T O N .
30 EN GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
X .
L eann— Pray,do n otmock me :
I am a very foolish fon d old man ,
Fourscore an d upward ; an d, to deal plain ly,1 fear, I am n otin my perfect min d .
5 Methin ks, I should kn ow you, an d kn ow this man
YetI am doubtful for I am main ly ign oran t
What place this is an d al l the skill I haveR emembers n otthese garmen ts n or I kn ow n ot
Where I did lodge last n ight : do n otlaugh atme
10 For,as I am aman
,I thin k this lady
T O be my chil d Cordelia.
C ordelia — A n d so I am,I am.
L eann— Be your tears wet? Yes,’faith
,I pray
,
weep n ot:
If you have poison for me,I w ill drin k it .
I kn ow, you do n ot love me for your sisters
Have, as I do remember , don e me wron g :
You have some cause, they have n ot.
S HAKS PEAR E .
GR E E K IAM
(7) Pray, do n otmockme.
”— SHAKSPE AR E .
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32 EN GL ISH .BO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
R oman s, coun trymen , len d me your
Hath told you, Caesar was ambitions
S HAKSPEA RE .
GR E E K IAMBICS .
Frien ds, Roman s, coun trymen , len dme your ears.
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33
34 E N GL ISH PO E TRY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
X I I .
O An ton y begn otyour death O f
Though n ow we must appear bloody an d cruel,A s
,by O ur han ds, an d this our presen t act,
You see we do yetsee you butour han ds,
A n d this the bleedin g busin ess they have don e
O ur hearts you see n ot, they are pitiful
A n d pity to the gen eral wron g of R ome
(A s fire drives outfire, so pity, pity)Hath don e this deed on Caesar . For your part,
10 T o you our swords have leaden poin ts, Mark A n ton y :
O ur arms,in stren gth of malice, an d our hear ts
,
O f brothers’ temper , do receive you in
With all kin d love, good thoughts, an d reveren ce .
S HAK SPEAR‘
E .
GR E EK IAMBIcs. 35
X II .
O A n ton y ! begn otyour death of us. — SHAHSPE AHE .
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36 E N GL ISH PO E T R Y rO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
X III.
(10) I coul d be wellmov’d, if I were as you
If I coul d pray to move, prayers would moveme
ButI am con stan t as the n orthern star ,O f whose true- fix’d
,an d restin g quality,
5 T here is n o fell ow in the firmamen t.
T he skies are pain ted with un n umber ’d sparks,
T hey are al l fire, an d every on e doth shin e 3
Butthere’s buton e in all doth hold his place
So,in the world ’
tis fur n ish’
d well with men,
10 A n d men are flesh an d blood, an d apprehen sive
Yet, in the n umber, I do kn ow buton e
That un assailable holds on his ran k,
Un shak’d of motion : an d, that I am he.
L etme a little show it,even in this
15 T hat I was con stan t, Cimber shoul d be ban ish’d,An d con stan t do remain to keep him so .
S HAKS PEARE .
10
E N GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLA T IO N .
X IV.
Yetthin k n otthat I come to urge thy crimes,I did n otcome to curse thee, Guin evere,I, whose vast pity almost makes me die,
T O see thee, layin g there thy golden head,My pride in happier summers, atmy feet .
T he wrath which forced my thoughts on that fierce
law,
T he doom of treason an d the flamin g death,
(When fir st I learn t thee hidden here) is past .
T he pan g— which while I weigh’dthy heartwith on e
T O O wholly true to dream un truth in thee,Made my tears bur n —is also past
,in part .
A n d al l is past, the sin is sin n ’d, an d I,
L O I forgive thee, as E tern al God
Forgives do thou for thin e own soul the rest .
TE N N YSO N .
(11)
10
15
G RE EK IAMBI C S .
X IV.
Yetthin k n otthat I come to urgethy crimes.”
39
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4O EN GL ISH PO E T RY E O R T RAN SLAT IO N .
(12) T he quality of mercy is n otstrain’d 3
It dr oppeth,as the gen tle rain from heaven
Upon the place ben eath : it is twice bless’d 3It blesseth him that gives
,an d him that takes :
5 ’Tis mightiest in the mightiest 3 it becomes
T he thr on ed mon arch better than his crown ;H is sceptre shows the force of temporal power,T he attr ibute to awe an d majesty
,
Wherein doth sitthe dread an d fear O f kin gs 310 Butmercy is above this sceptr
’d sway,
It is en thron ed in the hearts of kin gs 3It is an attribute to God himself 3A n d earthly power doth then Show likest God’sWhen mercy season s justice.
S HAKSPEARE .
(12) T he qual ity of mercy is n otstrain’d.
”—S HAK SPEARE .
10
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41
42 E N GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
X VI .
(13) I had n otthought to have un locktmy lips
In this un hallow’d air,butthat this juggler
Would thin k to charmmy judgmen t, as min e eyes,O btrudin g false rules pran k’t in R eason ’
s garb .
5 I hate when Vice can bolt her argumen ts,
An d Virtue has n o ton gue to check her pride.
Impostor,do n otcharge most in n ocen t Nature,
A s if She would her children Should be riotous
With her abun dan ce3 She, good cateress,10 Mean s her provision s on ly to the good,That live accordin g to her sober laws,A n d holy dictate O f Spare temperan ce.
MILT O N .
GR E E K I AMB ICS . 43
XVI .
“ I had n otthought to have un locktmy lips.”— M-
I L T O N .
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their I n dices to the T ragedian s, ithas n otbeen adopted.
44 E N GL I SH PO E T RY PO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
J
(14) Spirit— Alas ! good ven t’rous youth,
I love thy courage yet, an d bold emprize 3
Buthere thy sword can do thee little stead 3
Far other arms,an d other weapon s must
5 Be those that quell the might of hellish charms
He with his bare wan d can un thr ed thy join ts,
A n d crumble al l thy Sin ews.
E lder Brother — Why, prythee, shepherd,How durst thou then thyself approach S O n ear ,
10 A s to make this relation
Spa— Care an d utmost shifts
How to secure the lady from surprisal,
Brought to my min d a certain shepherd lad,
O f small regard to see to, yetwell skil l
’d
I n every virtuous plan t an d healin g herb,
That spreads her verdan t leaf to th’morn in g ray .
MIL T O N .
46 E NGLI SH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
(15) An d she abode his comin g, said to him,
With timid firmn ess, Have I leave to speak?”
He said,“ You take it, speakin g,
”an d she spoke
There lurk thr ee vil lain s yon der in the wood,5 A n d each of them is wholly arm’d
, an d on e
Is larger - l imb’d than you are, an d they sayThat they will fall upon you while you pass.
”
To which he flun g awrathful an swer back :“ A n d if there were an hun dr ed in the wood,
10 An d every man were larger - limb’d than I,An d al l aton ce should sally outupon me,I swear it would n otruffle me so much
A s you that n otO bey me. Stan d aside,A n d if I fall, cleave to the better man .
”
15 A n d E n id stood aside to‘
waitthe even t ,TE N NYS O N .
10
GR EEK IAMBIcs.
XVIII.
An d she abode his coming, an d said to him.
T E N N Y S O N .
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48 E NGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SL ATIO N .
GR E E K I AMBI C S,
52 E NGL I SH PO E T RY FO R. T RAN SLAT IO N .
(1) to me with thin e eyes
A n d I wil l pledge with min e,O r leave akiss butin the cup,
A n d I’ll n ot look for win e.
5 T he thirst that from the soul doth rise,Doth ask a dr ink divin e 3
Butmight I of Jove’s n ectar sup,I woul d n otchan ge for thin e.
I sen t thee late a rosy wreath,10 Not so much hon ourin g thee,A S givin g ita hope that there
It coul d n otwither’d be 3Butthou thereon did’st on l y breathe
A n d sen t’stit back to me,
Sin ce when it grows an d smells, I swear,Not O f itself, butthee.
BEN JO N SO N .
54+ E N GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
(2) T he rain had fallen , thePoet rose,He pass
’d by the town an d outof the street,A light win d blew from the gates O f the sun ,
A n d waves O f shadow wen t over thewheat 35 A n d he sathim down in a lon ely place,
An d chan ted amelody loud an d sweet,That made the wil d - swan pause in her cloud,An d the lark drop down athis feet .
T he swall ow stopt as he hun ted the bee,10 T he sn ake Slipt un der a spray,
T he wil d hawk stood with the down on his beak,A n d stared, with his foot on the prey,
An d the n ightin gale thought, “ \ I have sun g man y
son gs,Butn ever a on e S O gay,
15 For he sin gs O f what the world will be
When the years have died away .
”
TEN NYS O N .
LAT IN E LEGIA CS . 55
X X I .
(2) The rain had fal len , the Poet rose.
”- T E N N YS O N .
Sol ex imbre seren us erat, per strata viarum
Protul itexsurgen s urbe poeta pedem 3
Mittitur e portis aurae levis horror E OiS ,Fluctuatumbrarum per sata lon ga sin us.
5 C on seditsolus : reson aban tavia can tu
MO K loca,dum liquido carmen ab ore dabat .
C on stititauscultan s vagus aére cygn us, alauda
Praecipitem ad n umeros se dedit an te pedes.
S ectatrix apium praedas n eglexithirun do,10 S ubrepsitcoluber delituitque rubis.
O bstupuit, trucia utplumis resperseratora,
Utferus un gue dapem presserat, accipiter 3Etsolitas recolen s arteS Philomela n egavit,
Un quam ita latificos se son uissemodos315 N ammemoratquae post an uos ven tura trahan tur,
Quid saeclo extin cto fiatin orbe, can it.
”
56 ENGL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
X X II.
(3) Butletmy due feet n ever fail
To walk the studious cloisters pale,A n d love the high embowed r oof,With an tic pillars massy proof,
5 An d storied win dows richly dight,Castin g a dim religious light .
There letthe peal in g organ blow,To the full voic’d quire below,
In service high, an d an thems clear,10 A smay the sweetn ess, thr ough min e ear,Dissolveme in to extasies,A n d brin g al l H eav
’n beforemin e eyes.
A n d may atlast my weary age
Fin d outthe peaceful hermitage,15 The hairy gown an d mossy cell ,Where I may sitan d r ightly spell
O f every star that Heav’n doth shew,
A n d every herb that sips the dew ;Till O ld Experien ce do attain
20 To somethin g like prophetic strain .
Pigg y “
A n t? 1'
w i lfif ( l ee 17 2/Z cl a n
MILT ON .
L AT IN E LE GIACS . 57
(3) “ Butletmy due feet n ever —MIL T O N .
N ecmusis desim n ec claustris debitus hospes
S edeque pallen ti Sit mihi ferre pedem 3
Daedala amem miralaqueariamole, column as
Marmoraque, artificis celsa tropaeaman tis 35 Mille ubi dissimulattabulata fen estra colores,
S axaque sublustri religion e ferit.
Dum spiran t paean a suum recin en tibus in fra
Plen ius altison is organ a mista choris.
Hie can tfis liquidacapiar dulcedin e, etima
10 Quod mihi cordamelos diluataure biham3Dummihimen s super astrarapi
,dumvisus O lympus
O bversari oculis stel l ifer ipse meis.
Den ique eremitae sedes tutosque recessus
Fracturus vitmtaedia lon ga petam 3
15 A ccolamuscosae rupi pel litus ab an tro
R ite n otem, verset quot sua sign a polus 3
Quotve biban therbae rores3 dum mun era tan gam
Fatidici doctus tempora lon ga sen eX .
Talia, T ristitiae n umen , modo cede fruen da,20 Hac tibi lege liben s jun gar, croque tuus.
58 E N GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
XX I II .
(4) Thus lived— thus died she 3 n ever more on her
Shal l sorrow light, or Shame. S he was n otmade
Thr ough years or moon s the in n er weight to bear ,Which colder hearts en dure till they are laid
5 By age in earth 3her days an d pleasures were
Brief,butdelightful— such as had n otstaid
Lon g w ith her destin y 3but She sleeps well
By the sea- shore
,whereon she loved to dwell.
That isle is n ow al l desolate an d bare 310 Its dwell in gs down , its ten an ts pass
’(1 away 3
Non e buther own an d father’s grave is there,A n d n othin g outward tells O f human clay ;
Ye could n otkn ow where lies a thin g so fair,
N0 ston e is there to show,n o ton gue to say
15 What was 3 n o dirge, except the hollow seas
Mourn s o’er the beauty of the Cyclades.
Butman y a Greek maid in a lovin g son g
Sighs o’er her n ame 3 an d man y an islan der
With her sire’s story makes the n ight less lon g 320 Valour was his, an d beauty dwelt with her 3If she loved rashly, her life paid for wron g
A heavy pr ice must all pay who thus err,I n some shape3 letn on e thin k to fly the dan ger,For, soon or late, Love is his own aven ger .
BYR O N .
L AT IN E LEGIAC S . 59
XX I II .
(4) T hus lived—thus died she 3 n ever more on her.”—BYBON .
A ccipe quavitafuer it quamorte, lacesset
Quam n ihil aetern um, cui maculamve dahit ;Scilicet in toleran s on eris, quod ferre per eun os
Pectora seu men ses frigidiora quean t ;5 Dum sen io in cin eres recidan t; sedmun us aman dae
Decerpen s vitae quod breve dulce tul it ;N ee lon gum sors atra dabat ; jam dormit arena3Litus amarat en im, mortua litus amat.
In sul a n uda vagos defen ditinhospita fluctus,10 C essatdeciduis in cola adesse casis.
Stan t tumuli, patr is atque Suus3 sad signa sepultis
Null a, ubi cum solafun era solus habet.
N on tituli n on testis adest 3 frustraque requires
Con dita quo lateatcaespite tan taVen us.
15 Ben fuit ! in fleta etrauci estn isi murmure pon ti
Dicta olim C ycladum praen ituisse choris.
Maaret athan c luctu permiscen s carmen Ion is
Plur ima, etextol litn avita gestaviri ;E tcitius n octem sen tit procedere, n arran s
20 QuaformaVirgo, qualis ad armapater lPerdite amasse fuit crimen quod morte luebat3Tan dem amor estaliquo res pretiose modo .
N60 tibi, Si quis amas, tua detrectan dapericla;O cyus ul tor amor serius ipse suus.
60 ENGL ISH PO E T RY Eon T RAN SLAT IO N .
(5) Nymphs an d Shepherds dan ce n o more
By san dy L adon ’s lilied banks,
O n O ld Lycaeus or Cyllen e hoar
Trip n o more in twilight ran ks,5 Though E ryman th your loss deplore,
A better soil shall give ye than ks.
From the ston y Maen alus
Brin g your flocks an d live with us,
Here ye Shall have greater grace
10 T O serve the Lady of this place.
Though Syr in x your Pan’s mistress were,
YetSyrinx well might wait on her .
S uch a rural queen
All A rcadiahath n otseen .
MILTO N .
62 E NGLI SH PO E T RY PO R T RA NSLAT IO N .
X XV.
(6) 0 Thou dread Pow’r,who reign
’stabove,
I kn ow Thou wilt me hear 3When for this scen e of peace an d love,I make my pray
’r sin cere.
5 The hoary Sire— themortal stroke,
Lon g,lon g be pleas’d to spare3
To bless his little filial flock,
A n d Show what good men are.
S he who her lovely O ffspr in g eyes
10 With ten der hopes an d fears,O h bless her w ith aMother’s joys
,
ButSpare aMother’s tearsTheir hope, their stay
,their darlin g youth,
I n man hood’s dawn in g blush 315 Bless him, Thou God O f love an d truth
Up to a Paren t’s wish .
T he beauteous seraph Sister - ban d,
With ear n est tears I pray,
Thou kn ow’stthe sn ares on every han d
,
20 Guide Thou their steps alway.
When , soon or late, they reach that coast,O ’
er life’s rough ocean driven ,May they rejoice, n o wan d
’rer lost,
A family in Heaven .
BURN S .
I AT IN E L E GIACS .. 63
X XV.
(6) 0 T hou dread Pow’r, who reign
’stabove.
”—~BURN S .
Qui premis imperiis superos, formidin e ter ras,
T u,si T e n ovi, n on mihi sur dus eris
Dum pr ecor his laribus tua supplex mun era, sedesQuas sibi Pax O ptat, quas sociatus Amor .
5 Abstin eas can o capiti vim mortis, etadden s
O l tro lon ga sen i tempora,parce patri .
Dux gregis hie ten eros san cto beet omin e n atos,
S O Spitis exemplar , quid sithon estus,habes.
Quae pulchram assiduis prolem meditatur ocel lis,
10 C ui piamen s in ter spem trepidatquemetum 3
Matern os, matr i dan s quod juvet, exime fletus,A bsit ab O flicio pars
,Sin e,maesta suo .
Qui, decus etcolumen , vixdum puer exit ab an n is,Gn ive dies caepto vix rubet or ta viro 3
Hun c,T u
‘
Numen aman s fidei etpietatis, aman do,In tegra dum patr i sin t rata vota, fove.
Pro n uribus precor in lacrymas effusus— ah omn i
N ésti, qui vitien t, parte latere dolos
Nympharum decusbocce sororiaque agmin a serves5
20 O mn em perficiatT e duce quaeque viam.
Nactaque supremas qaum serius ocyus oras
Ibit,utocean um tran s ratis acta, domus3
Gaudeat, exciderittan to quod de grege n emo,E tn umerum in coelis expleatipsa suum.
64 E NGL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
X XVI .
(7) Haply some hoary - headed swain may say,
O fthave we seen him atthe peep O f dawn
Brushin g w ith hasty steps the dews away,T O meet the sun upon the uplan d lawn .
5 There,atthe foot of yon der n oddin g beech,
That w reathes its old fan tastic roots so high 3His listless len gth atn oon tide would he stretch,A n d pore upon the brook that babbles by .
Hard by yon w ood, n ow smilin g as in scorn ,10 Mutterin g his wayward fan cies he woul d r ove ;N ow droopin g, woeful, wan , like on e forlorn ,O r crazed with care, or crossed in hopeless love.
O n e morn I missed him on the’customed hill,
Al on g the heath, an d n ear his favourite tree 315 An other came 3 n or yetbeside the rill,
N or up the lawn , n or atthe wood was he ;T he n ext, w ith dirges due, in sad array
Slow thr ough the church - way path we saw him
born e3A pproach an d read (for thou can st read) the lay
20 Graved on the ston e ben eath yon aged thorn .
”
GRAY .
66 E N GL ISH PO E T R Y PO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
Here rests his head upon the lapA. Youth to fortun e, an d to Fame un kn own
Fair Scien ce frown ed n oton his humble birth,A n d Melan choly marked him for her own .
5 Large was his boun ty, an d his soul sin cere 3Heaven did a recompen ce as largely sen d
He gave to Miseryall he had, a tear 3H e gain ed from Heaven , (
’twas al l he wished) a
NO far ther seek his merits to disclose,10 O r draw his frailties from their dread abode,
(There they alike in trembl in g hope reposeT he bosom of his Father an d his God.
LAT IN E LEGIAC S . 67
X XVII.
(8) Hererests his head upon the lap of E arth.
”—GRAY .
Quod caput haud O lim fortun a autfama levarat,Hie fovetomn iparen s flebile terra Sin u .
N on Musae a ten u i n on Phoebus abhorruitortu,A tgregis hun c scr ipsit T ristitia ipsa sui.
5 Largitore an imo fuerat, purissimus idem,
Larga daban t Superi mun era proque datis.
Qui dederatlacrymasmiseris, n am pluran equibat,In votis quod erat, Numin a amica tul it.
Parce sed emeriti virtutes volvere, parcas
10 E xcutere in fan détsede tacen da vir i ;I llic speque metuque sin as sors pen deatan ceps,Causa Sit in Patris corde repostaDei.
68 EN GLI SH PO E T RY FO R. TRAN SLAT IO N .
(9) Leaves have their time to fall,A n d flowers towither atthen or th - Win d’s breath,
An d stars to set— butal l ,Thou hast al l season s for thin e own , 0 Death !
5 Day is for mortal care,Eve for glad gather in gs roun d the joyous hearth,
Night for thedr eams of sleep, the voice of prayer
Butal l for thee, thou mightiest of the ear th I
T he ban quet hath its hour ,10 Its feveri sh hour ofmir th, an d son g, an d win e ;There comes a day for grief
’s o
’erwhelmingpower,
A time for softer tears— butall are thin e 1
Youth an d the open in g r ose
May look like thin gs too glorious for decay,15 A n d smile atthee ; butthou artn otof those
Thatwait the ripen ed bloom to seize their prey.MR S . HEMAN S .
7O ENGL ISH PO E T RY E O R T RAN SLAT IO N .
XX IX .
(10)We kn ow when moon s shall wan e,Wh en summer - birds from far shall cross the sea,
When autumn ’s hue shall tin ge the golden grain 3
Butwho shall teach us when to look for thee?
5 Is it when sprin g’S first galeComes for th to whisper where the violets lie ?
Is it when roses in our path grow pale
They have on e season,al l are ours to die
Thou artwhere billows foam,
10 Thou artwhere music melts upon the air ,Thou artaroun d us in our peaceful home,A n d the world cal ls us forth, an d thou artthere I
Thou artwhere frien d meets frien d,Ben eath the shadow O f the elm to rest 3
15 T hou artwhere foemeets foe, an d trumpets ren d
T he Skies, an d swords beat down the prin cely
crest !
Leaves have their time to fall,A n d flowers to wither atthe n orth - Win d'
s breath,A n d stars to set— butall ,
20 Thou hast al l season s for thin e own , 0 Death !
MR S . HEMAN S .
10
15
LAT IN E LEGIACS. 71
(10) (T he same con tinued. )
N 6sse licet lun a in teritus,tran s aquoravectaS
S trymon ias vern o tempore n é sse grues 3N ovimus astates etflavescen tia cul ta,S ed te quo mon itis omin e n ésse licet ?
E stn e ubi jam veris violaque Favon ius auctor
Qualatean tFlora pign ora primamon et
A n te pedes ubi marcescitrosa? Scilicetun um
Tempus iis, n obis tempus atomn e mori !
In ter aqua mon tes, miscen tur utaquora, chordas
In ter ades, liquidos hauritutauramodos.
O tia seu quis amat L arium,Strepituve vir orum
Misceri, servas tu fora tuque L arT u n ecopin an ti, quum con ven turus amicum
Ulmos etrequiem quaritamicus, ades
Tuque, as quum can tu ferit astra, legitque virum
vir,
Adstas,Marsque apices preterit en se ducum.
Tempora en imfoliis, sylva sua fata caduca,
Hora estdeciduis flan te A quilon e rosis3Temporibus stella mergun tur in aquora ; sed tu
Tempora, Mors, quot cun tomn ia, sola ten es.
72 . E NGLI SH PO E TRY rO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
XXX .
(11) Call it n otvain— they do n oterr,Who say, that when the poet dies,Mute Nature mourn s her worshipper,An d celebrates his obsequies
0 Who say, tall cliff an d cavern lon e
For the departed bard make moan 3That moun tain s weep in crystal rill 3That flowers in tears of balm distil 3Through his loved groves that breezes sigh,
10 An d oaks in deeper groan reply 3An d rivers teach their rushin g wave
T O murmur dirges r oun d his grave.
Not that, in sooth,o’er mortal ur n
Those thin gs in an imate can mourn 3Butthat the stream
,the wood, the gale,
I S vocal with the plain tive wail
O f those, who, else forgotten lon g,Lived in the poet’s faithful son g
,
A n d, with the poet’8 partin g breath
,
20 Whosememory feels a secon d death .
SCO TT .
74 E N GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
(12) A n d stran gely on the K n ight looked he,A n d his blue eyes gleamed wild an d wide,A n d darestthou , warrior, seek to see
What heaven an d hell alike would hide ?
5 My breast, in belt O f ir on pen t,I
With shirt O f hair , an d scourge of them 3
For thr eescore years, in pen an ce spen t,My kn ees those flin ty ston es have worn
Yetal l too little to aton e,10 For kn owin g what Should n e’er be kn own .
VVould’stthou thy every future year
I n ceaseless prayer an d pen an ce drie ;Yetwait thy latter en d with fear
Then , darin g warrior, follow me
15 Pen an ce, father, will I n on e 3
Prayer kn ow I hardly on e 3For mass or prayer can I rarely tarry
,
Save to patter an Ave Mary,
When I ride on a border foray :O ther prayer can I n on e 3S O Speed me my erran d, an d letme be gon e.
”
SCO T T .
L AT IN E LEGIAC S . . 75
(12) A n d strangely on the K n ight looked he.” —S C OM‘.
Ille feros oculos in torquen s lumin e glauco,Torva tuen s, equiti talia voce refert:
Qualia Di superi cel arent, qual iaManes,Tu
,dure
,ausurus visere, mil es, eras ?
5 E n ego, qui caedor spin is, quemque aspera adurit
Pel l is,cui cingun tferrea claustra sin us
N on luiturus eram bin is mea crimina saeclis,Impr oba dum gen ibus tun ditur ista sil ex ;
O mn ia n am mea sun t leviora piacula culpa,10 A udax qui n érim qua mihi n é sse nefas .
T u quoque si cupias scalus exorare perenne,‘
S i macie aetern atempera agenda tibi
Hac l ege utpaveas seram bamen, improbe, mortem,
Vade, age, quod placuitme duce n actus eris .”
15 “ L onge ame macies pater a1me,man usque supin aa
Unam cal let en im Vix mea lingua precem
Hun c pia. votaagitare putes, hun c sacra, Mariam,
’
Vix qui dum fin es vastat, avere,’
jubet
S ic precor etpraedor, sed czetera. n il moror at tu
20 F21 0 missum,citius perfice jussa, pater .
”
76 EN GLISH PO E T RY roe T RAN S LAT IO N .
XXX II .
( l 3) Thou the light sail boldly spreadest,O
’er the furrowed waters glidin g,
Thou n or wreck n or foeman dreadest,Thou n or helm n or compass n eedest ;
5 Wh ile the sun is bright above thee,While the boun din g surges love thee,I n their deepen in g bosoms hidin g
,
Thou can st n otfear,Small Marin er ;
10 For tho’the tides with restlessmotion
Bear thee to the deser t ocean ,Far as ocean to the sky,’T is all thin e own , thin e empery .
78 EN GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RA N SLAT IO N .
X XX III .
(14) A n arrow from a bow just shot,Flew upward to heaven ’
s can opy,A n d cried, with pompous self - con ceit,To the kin g - eagle; scorn fully,
5 Look here I— I can as high as thou,A n d, towards the sun , even higher sail I
”
T he eagle smiled, an d said, O fool,
What do thy borrowed plumes avail ?By others
’strength thou dost ascen d,
10 Butby thyself dost down ward ten d .
”
MA C E LER .
LAT IN E L EGIA C S . 79
(14) A n arrow h om a. bow just shot.” —MAO HI .R R .
E volatad coelum n ervo pul san te sagitta,A dque avium regem
,n ubila n acta, refert,
Plurima dum vol itatjactan s etin enia, possum,
E cce, tuas alas aequipararemeis :
Quin , supero etPhoebi sublimisapricor in auris.
”
L en iter arriden s cui,“ misera,
” in quitavis,Quid quod habes alas, alien a levamin a? Jactas
Irrita, si terras ipsa caduca petis
80 ENGLI SH PO E TRY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
( l 5) Phyllis, why shoul d we delay
Pleasures shorter than the dayCould we (which we n ever can )Stretch our lives beyon d their span ,
5 Beauty like a Shadow flies,An d our youth before us dies
O r, would youth an d beauty stay,Love hath win gs, an d w ill away .
Love hath swifter win gs than T ime
10 Chan ge in Love to heav’n does climb 3
Gods, that n ever chan ge their state,Vary ofttheir love an d hate.
I
WAL L RR .
82 ENGLISH POE T RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
(16) For we were n ur st upon the self - same hill,Fed the same flock by foun tain ,
shade,an d rill .
Together both, ere the high lawn s appear’d
Un der the open in g eyelids O f the Morn ,
5 We drove a- field, an d both together heardWhat time the grey - fly win ds her sultry horn ,Batt
’n in gour flocks with the fresh dews of n ight,
0 ft till the star that r ose ateven in g bright,T ow’
rds heav’n’s descen t had S lop
’d his west’rin g
wheel .
10 Mean whil e the rural ditties were n otmute,T emper
’d to th’ oaten fluteR ough Satyr s dan c’d, an d Faun s with cloven heel
From the glad soun d would n otbe absen t lon g,
An d old Damaetas lov’d to hear our son g .
MILTON .
LATIN ELEGIA CS . 83
(16) For wewere Hurstupon the self -s ame hill .”—MIL T O N .
C ommun emad fon tes un iusmon tis alumn i
Duximus, ad sylvas, ad fluviosque, gregem :
Ambo un apastum pecus egimus, ardua saltus
Vix quum palpebratan geretorta dies5 Etsimul ambO bus cecin itmala bucin a
,quali
E stsolitusmedic str idere sole culex .
Dum, pasto n octem etrores grege, Vesper ab ortu
C aeperatocciduam‘
deproperare rotam.
N 60 siluere tameh gauden tes rur e C amaenm,10 N 60 min us in terea carmen aven a dedit
Duxeratherba simul bifidae vestigia calcis,Dum saltan t Satyr i C apripeduin que chori
Quemque carere’
diu can tus dulcedin e taedet;Damaetasque modos audit amatque sen ex.
84 EN GLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
XX XVI .
(17) ButO h the heavy chan ge, n ow thou artgon e,N ow thou artgon e, an d n ever must return
Thee, shepherd, thee the woods, an d desert caves
With w ild thyme an d the gaddin g vin e O’ergrown ,
5 An d al l their echoes mourn .
T he willows an d the hazel copses green ,S hall n ow n o more be seen ,Fan n in g their joyous leaves to thy soft lays.
A s killin g as the can ker to the r ose,10 O r tain t - worm to the wean lin g herds that graze,
O r frost to flowers, that their gay wardrobe wearWhen first the white thorn blows 3Such, Lycidas, thy loss to shepherds’ ear .
MILTON .
86
(18)
10
EN GLISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
X XXVII.
Seest thou yon bark ? It left our bayThis morn on its adven tur ous way,
A ll glad an d gaily br ight
A n d man y a gale its impulse gave,A n d man y a gen tly heavin g wave
Nigh bore it outof Sight .Butsoon that glorious course was lost,
A n d treacherous was the deep
Ne’er thought they there was per il most
When tempest seemed asleep .
That flower,that fairest flower that grew ,
Aye cher ished by the even in g dew,
A n d cheered by O pen in g dayT hat flower
,which I had spared to
Because it was so beautiful ,A n d shon e so fresh an d gay
Had all un seen a deathly Shoot,The germ O f future sorr ow
A n d there was can ker atits r oot,That n ipped it ere the morrow .
MARY H OWITT .
LATIN ELEGIACS . 87
(18) Seest thou yon bark? Itleftour bay.
”—MABY HOWI T T .
Qua viden’e curvan obis proram extulitora,
A udax man e, vocan omn ia fata, ratis,Quammulta ex ocul is cursu tulit aura secun do
,
Quammulta appulsu vix levis un da suo
5 Omin e quam falso n ituit! Quam,n auta, superbis
C ur sibus excideras, heu, male fisus aquae l
Scilicet ign arus, mar ia Obdormiscere cern en s,
Quum tran quilla satis, tummetuen da n imis.
Flos erat in pratis florum pulcherrimus ; illum
10 R oscida n ox aluitfovitetorta dies :
Hun o modo prae forman olebam carpere florem,
Parcebamque horto demere tale decus
S ed clam letiferas fovitsub cortice gemmas,In cluden s fibris fan era fraude sua ;
15 S en siten im vermem radix ea n oxa coman tem,
Frustra etpoll icitam crastin a, n octe tulit .
88 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRA NSLATION .
X XX VIII .
(19 ) Butwhy should I his boyish feats display ?
Con course an d n oise an d toil he ever fled 3
N or cared to min gle in the clamorous fray
O f squabblin g imps ; butto the forest sped,5 O r roam’d atlarge the lon elymoun tain ’
s head,O r where themaze O f some bewilder
’d stream
T O deep un trodden groves his footsteps led,There would hewan der wild, till Phcebus
’beam
Shot from the western clifl'
,released the weary
team.
10 T h’exploit O f stren gth, dexterity, or Speed,
T O him n or van ity n or joy coul d brin g.
His heart,from cruel sport estran ged, would bleed
To work the wee of an y livin g thin g,By trap, or n et3 by ar row ,
or by slin g 315 These he detested 3 those he scor n
’d to wield :
He wished to be the guardian ,n otthe kin g
,
Tyran t far less, or traitor of the field.
An d Sur e the sylvan reign un bloody joy might
yield .
BEATTIE .
90 EN GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
(20) O h that the Chemist’s magic art
Could crystallize this sacred treasure
Lon g Should it glitter n ear my hear t,A secret source O f pen sive pleasur e.
5 T he little brillian t, ere it fell,Its lustre caught from Chl oe’s eye 3Then tremblin g left its coral cell
T he sprin g O f sen sibil ity
Sweet drop O f pure an d pear ly light
10 In thee the rays of virtue shin e 3More calmly clear , more mildly bright,T han an y gem that gilds the min e.
Ben ign restorer O f the soul I
Who ever fly’stto brin g relief,
15 Wh en first we feel the rude con trol
O f love or pity, joy 0 r grief.
T he Sage’s an d the Poet’s theme,
In every clime, in every age 3Thou charm’
stin Fan cy’s idle dream,
In R eason’s phil O S O phie page.
That very law* which moulds a tear,An d bids it tr ickle from its source,That law preserves the earth a sphere,A n d guides the plan ets in their course.
R OGER S .
T he law of gravitation .
10
15
2O
LATIN ELEGIA CS . 91
(20) O h ! that the chemist’smagic art.”—R O GE BS .
Ar te Prometheaqueet, O , quis sistere guttam,C ogere etin vitrum qua pretiosa fluun t,
Pen dul a vi tacitapremeretpia bul lula n ostros,T ristitiasque eien s delieiasque, Sin us.
Gemma n iten s n itidis lapsurapepen ditocellis,E stque a lumin ibus l ueida facta Chloes;
Pun ieeis eadem laben s tremebun da cavern is,
E x an ima ten eris fon tibus ibataqua.
Can dida, lucen tes simulan s aspergin e bacas,Quam virtus radiis imbuitalma suis3
Mitior ipsamicas lueesque seren ior omn i,
Qua ten ebris terra gemmea flamma subest.
T e, lacryma, expectan t refici quaren tia, etn ltro
E se, quod poseun t, saucia corda cien t 3T u, stimulis an imus quum jam male suetus in iquis
Gaudet, amat, maret, commiserescit, ades.
T e seriptis adhibetsapien s, n overe Caman a 3Qua te n on celebran t tempora, quidve solum
T e, seu Socratica charta versen tur, amamus,S eu n os fieta juvetsomn iamen te sequi.
N am lacryma in vitreum qualege volubil is orbem
It globus, etpropr io fon te caduca perit,
Lege orbis terra pen detglobus alter eadem,Volvitur in spatiis Sidus etomn e suis.
94 E N GL I SH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SL AT IO N .
(1) S O the false Spider , when her n ets are Spread,Deep ambush’d in her silen t den does lie,
A n d feels far off the tremblin g O f her thread,Whose filmy cord shoul d bin d the strugglin g fly .
5 Then if at last she fin ds him fast beset,S he issues forth an d run s alon g her loom 3
S he joys to touch the captive in her n et,
A n d drag the little wretch in triumph home.
DRYDE N .
X L I .
(2) T he r iders r ode abr east, an d on e his shield,H is lan ce of corn el - wood an other held 3T he thir d his bow,
an d glor ious to behold,
T he costly quiver , all of bur n ished gold.
5 T he n oblest O f the Grecian s n ext appear ,A n d weepin g, on their shoul ders bore the bier 3With sober pace they march’d, an d O ften staid,A n d thr o’
the master - street the corpse con vey’d.
T he houses to their tops with black were spread,10 A n d even the pavemen ts were with mour n in g hid.
DRYDEN .
LA TIN HEXAMETER S . 95
(1) S o the false spider, when her n ets are spread.
”— DR YDE N .
S ic ubi fraude malasuspen dit aran ea easses,
L ustris in sidiata Silet, dum fila corusco
Fun e trahi lon ge n oscat, jam sign a ten eri
Posse reluctan tem viscosaeompede muscam 3
5 Quam simul basisse in ven iat, se proripit imis
S edibus, ettelas decur ren s improba gaudet
C aptive imbutas fraudes tractare reten to 3
E tmiseram exultan s rapitin pen etralia pradam.
XL I .
(2) T he riders rode abreast, an d on e his shiel d.
”— DBYDE N .
Fron te par i in eessere equites 3 hie scuta ferebat,Ill e bastam corn i de vimin e, tertius areum,
E ttotam e levi decus aure in sign e pharetram,
A dmirabile O pus: MO K il lustrissimus or tu5 Grajugen fim quisque in sequitur , jun ctisque feretrum
Fer t subien s humer is it flen S segn i pede turba,Per que Viam S acram S isten s se sapius agmen
Triste on us edueit: paries supremus ad imum
Quisque atra in dueratmaren s sibi tegmin a, maren t
10 Ipsa pavimen ta O bducto celata tapete.
96 ENGLISH PO ET R Y FO R. TRAN SLATION .
X LII .
(3) The right side of the pall O ld (E geus kept,An d on the left the royal Theseus wept 3Each bore a golden bowl O f work divin e,With hon ey fill ’d
, an d milk, an dmix’d w ith ruddy
5 Then Palamon, the kin sman of the slain ,
A n d after him appear’d th
’ illustr ious train
To grace the pomp came Emily the br ight,With cover
’d fire the fun’ral pile to light .
With high devotion was the service made,10 A n d al l the r ights of Pagan hon our paid 3S O lofty was the pile
,a Parthian bow ,
With vigour drawn,must sen d the shaft below .
T he bottom was full twen ty fathom broad,
With cracklin g straw ben eath in due proportion
strow’d .
DRYDEN .
98
(4)
10
E N GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
X LIII .
fabr ic seem’d a wood of r isin g green ,With sulphur an d bitumen cast between ,
To feed the flames the trees were un ctuous fir ,A n d moun tain - ash , themother O f the Spear .
The mour n er yew , an d builder oak were there
T he beech, the swimmin g alder , an d the plan e,Hard box, an d lin den O f a softer grain
,
A n d laurels, which the gods for con qu’riug chiefs
ordain ,
How they were ran k’d shall rest un told byme,
With n ameless n ymphs that l iv’d in ev
’ry tree
N or how the Dryads, an d the woodlan d train ,
Disherited . ran how lin g o’er the plain
N or how the birds to foreign seats repair’d,
O r beasts, that belted out, an d saw the forest bar’d
N or how the groun d, n ew clear’d
,w ith ghastly fright
Beheld the sudden sun,a stran ger to the light .
DRYDEN .
LATIN HEXAMETER S . 99
X LIII .
(4) (T he same con tin ued. )
E xsurgen s viridem S imulabatfabr ica sylvam
T um fomes flamma sulfur, spar sumque bitumen
I n tererat tadis 3 abies ibi pin guis, etor n us
Hastarum gen itr ix ,flen tique simil lima taxus
,
5 A tque O pifex quercus, fagus quoque, etaptior aln us
Fluetibus,etplatan i
, ettilia ,mollissima lign a,
E tbuxus pradura, Deorum etmun ere. laurus
Vietori con cessa aderan t sed n il mor or ordo
Qui fuerit memorare, aut qua sin e n omin e n ympha
10 S ylvarum quamque in eoleren t, qual ive ululatu
E xil ium sylvestre sororiaque agmin a ducen s
Fugeritorba Dryas latebris 3 n ee dicere versu
S edibus eversis coelum mutasse volucres,A utprofugas stupuisse feras sua lustra carere
15 Fron dibus 3 .autjubar immissum formidin e lucis
Quot loca perculeritn on an te O bn oxia soli .
100 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
(5) A ll n ation s n ow to R ome O bedien ce pay,T O R ome
’s great emperor
, whose w ide domain
In ample territory, wealth, an d power ,
Civility ofman n er s,ar ts
,an d arms,
5 An d lon g ren own,thou justly may
’st-prefer
Before the Parthian 3 these two thr on es except,T he rest are barb’
rous, an d scarce worth the sight,
Shar’d amon g petty kin gs too far remov’d .
These havin g shown thee, I have Shown thee al l10 T he kin gdoms ofthe world
,an d al l their glory .
This emp’ror hath n o son , an d
‘
n ow is old,
O ld an d lascivious, an d from R ome retir’d
To Caprea ,an islan d small butstron g
O n the Campan ian Shore, with purpose there15 His horrid lusts in private to en joy .
MLL'
I O N .
102 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
XL V .
I,wretched I, have other fortun es seen ,
T he wife of Capan eus, an d on ce a queen 3AtThebes he fell 3 cursed be the fatal day,A n d all the rest thou seest in this ar ray,
5 T O make their mean,their lords in battle lost
Before that town besieg’d by our con f ederate host
ButCreon , O ld an d impious, who comman ds
T he Theban city,an d usurps the lan ds,
Den ies the r ites O f fun ’ral fires to those
10 Whose breathless bodies yethe calls his foes.
Un burn ’d,un bury’d
, on a heap they lie 3
S uch is their fate, an d such his tyran n y .
N O frien d has leave to bear away the dead,Butwith their lifeless limbs his houn ds are fed.
”
15 A s this she shriek’d aloud, the mour n ful train
E cho’d her grief, an d grov
’lin gon the plain
With groan s,an d han ds upheld, tomove his min d,
Besought his pity to their helpless kin d
DRYDEN .
<6)
10
15
LATIN HEMME T E R S . 103
I,wretched I , have other fortun es seen .
”— DR YD E N .
Me miseram ! quan tum mutor C apan eia con jux
L en gé aliaregin a fruebar sor te sed il le
O cciditad T hebas lux heu sceleratior omn i
S ustulit3 etquam cern is, e0 certamin e ma ret
A n te ur bem extin ctos, sociis quam cin ximus armis,C atera turba Vires, flen tes lon ge agmin e matres.
S ed false qui jure Creen se jactatin arce,
Impius ille sen ex, Dircaesque ar regatagres,Ign es etmiseris n egatultima jura, sepulerum,
I n vidus exan imis etin ipsa cadavera savus.
Haud rogus,haud tumulus sed strage oppressa
frequen ti
In dign atur humus fera fata etjussa tyran n i .
N ee ven ia estmiseris tollen di corpus amicis
Flebil e, membra can es divell un tmor tua r estris.
”
Illi turba comes,dum vece ulul abatad auras
Talia, fletque simul , prejectaque pulvere sordet ;
Atque supin atis man ibus gemituque frequen ti
O mn es corda cien t, miseris sueeurratamicis.
104 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRANSLATION .
XL VI .
(7) In this remembran ce Emily, ere day,
Ar ese, an d dress’d herself in r ich ar ray 3
Fresh as the mon th, an d as the morn in g fair
A down her Shoulders fell her len gth O f hair .
5 A ribbon did the braided tresses bin d,T he rest was loose, an d wan ten
’d in the win d
A urora had butn ew ly chas’d the n ight,
A n d purpled o’er the sky w ith blushin g light,
When to the garden - walk she took her way,
10 To Spor t an d trip alon g in cool O f day,
A n d O ffer maiden vows in hon our O f themay .
A tevery tur n She made a little stan d,
A n d thrust amon g the thorn s her lily han d,T o draw the rose 3 an d ev
’ry rose she drew
15 S he shook the stalk, an d brush’d away the dew
Then party - eeleur’d flew
’rs O f white an d red
S he wove to make a garlan d for her head 3T his don e
,she sun g an d carol
’d outso clear ,T hat men an d an gels might rejoice to hear .
20 E v’n Wen d
’rin gPhilemel forgetto sin g 3
A n d learn’d from her to welcome in the sprin g .
DRYDEN .
106 EN GLISH PO E T R Y FO R TRAN SLATION .
XL VII .
(8) T he city which thou seest n o other deem
Than great an d glori ous R ome, queen of the earth,S o far ren own ed, an d with the spoils en riched
O f n ation s. There the Capitol thou seest,5 A bove the rest liftin g his stately head
O n the Tarpeian rock, her citadel
Impregn able 3 an d there Moun t Palatin e,T he imperial palace, compass huge an d high
T he structure, skill O f n oblest architects,10 With gilded battlemen ts con spicuous far,
'Ihir rets an d terraces an d glitterin g spires.
MILTON .
LATIN HEXAME T E R S . 107
X LVII .
(8) T he cit-y which thou seest n o other deem.
”—MIL T O N .
Quam speetas urbem,r erum estpul cherrima R oma,
N e credas aliam 3 ter rarum lauta rapin is,
Imper ium ocean e famam qua termin atastr is.
E n C apitol in as sedes etPergama quali
5 Majestate alias supra caput extulitarces
Un a hac, exsurgen s per in expugn abile saxis
T arpeium eece,Palatin usque etPrin cipis a
‘des
C ircuitu immodiee eductastan t mole sub astra,Miran da in gen iis, magn a res laudis etartis 3Culmin a fastigate aur e leteque cerusca
,
Luce suadistin ctus apex, solaria, turres.
108 ENGLISH PO E TRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
XLVIII.
(9) S O spake he 3 an d was bucklin gTighter black A uster’s ban d,When he was aware O f a prin cely pairThat rode athis right han d .
5 S O like they were, n o mortalMight on e from other kn ow 3
White as sn ow their armour was3Their steeds were white as sn ow .
Never on earthly an vil10 Did such rare armour gleam3A n d n ever did such gal lan t steedsDrin k of an earthly stream.
An d all who saw them trembled,A n d pale grew every cheek 3
15 A n d A ulus the DictatorS carce gathered voice to SpeakS ay by what n ame men call you ?What city is your home
A n d wherefore r ide ye in such guise20 Before the ranks O f R ome
'
3”
“ By man y n ames men call us 3In man y lan ds we dwell :
Well Samothracia kn ow s us 3Cy
‘
ren e kn ows us well 325 O ur house in gay Taren tum
I s hun g each morn w ith flowers 3High o
’er the masts O f Syracuse
O ur marble portal towers 3Butby the proud E urotas
30 I s our dear n ative home 3A n d for the right we come to fightBefore the ran ks O f R ome 1”
S O an swered these stran ge horsemen ,A n d each couched low his spear 3
An d forthw ith all the ran ks of R omeWere bold an d O f good cheer .
MAOAULAY .
110 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
(10) There lives an d works
al l thin gs, an d that soul is God .
He setsthe br ight precession on its way,
A n dmarshals al l the order O f the year 3_5
t
R ussetan d rude,folds up the ten der germ
A n d, ere on e flowery season fades an d dies,10
T he L ord of al l , Himself through al l diffused,S ustain s, an d is the life of al l that lives.
C OWPER .
LATIN HEXAME T E RS .‘ 111.
(10)“ T here lives an d wo
'
rlrs
A soul in -all things.”— C OWPE R .
In sun tn empe omn ibus haustus
E therii,‘ Deusauctor in estO perosus eun tes
Dirigithie'
stel las, etvos decetathere cursus,Lumin a, laben tem ceelo quaducitis an n um.
5 Ille hiemi fin es etin eluctabile vin clumImposuit,mul cen s iras ettela retun den s.
Germen etimplicui’
tfusco squal ors ten ellum
Vagin arum O pifex n on Ille imitabilis : an te
Pr oxima con cipien s rerummiracula, prasen s
10 Quam r osa deperiitquamque hac defloruitastas.
A rbiter Hie vita magn e se corporemiscen s
Fit quodcun que vides, etvita an imantibus Ipse est.
112 EN GLI SH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
L.
(11) 0 ftlist’n inghow the houn ds an d horn
Cheerily reuse the S lumb’ringmorn ,From the side O f some hear hill,Thr ough the high wood echoin g shrill 3
5 Some time walkin g n otun seen
By hedge- row elms, on hillocks green ,
R ight again st the eastern gate,
Where thegreat sun begin s his state,R ob’d in flames, an d amber light,
10 The clouds in thousan d liveries dight 3Whil e the plowman n ear athan d
Whistles o’er the fur row’d lan d,A n d themilkmaid sin geth blythe
,
A n d themower 'whets his scythe,15 An d every shepherd tell s his tale
Un der the hawthorn in the dale.
MILTON .
114 EN GLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
LI.
(12) Straight min e eye hath caught n ew pleasures,Whil st the lan dscape roun d it measures,R usset lawn s an d fallows gray,Where the n ibblin g flocks do stray
,
5 Moun tain s on whose barren breast
The lab’ringclouds do O ften rest
,
Meadows trim with daisies pied,Shallow brooks an d rivers wide.
Towers an d battlemen ts it sees
10 Bosom’d high in tufted trees,Where perhaps some beauty l ies
,
T he cyn osure of n eighb’rin geyes.
Hard by, a cottage chimn ey smokes
Frombetwixt two aged oaks,15 Where C orydon an d Thyrsismet,A re attheir savoury din n er set
O f herbs, an d other coun try messes,Which the n eat - han ded Phyllis dresses 3An d then in haste her bower she leaves,
20 With Thestylis to bin d the Sheaves 3O r if the earlier season lead,To the tan n ’d haycock in themead.
MILTON .
LATIN H ExAME T ERs. {115
LI .
(12) (The same con tin ued. )
Mex eireumspicio n ova gaudia ; pascor inani ‘
Men te viden s tin ctas seraferrugin e sylvas,A dmiSsas pecudes, etcan a n ovaliamersuDeten sa erran tfim, etmen tes qui vertice n ude .
5 Sape trahun tn imbos in n ixumque agmen aquarum.
T um juvat appictus per prata n itentia cnitu
Flosculus, autbreviora vada, aut latissimus amn is.
Hie sese in sin uare locrs sylvestribus arces,Ma n ia queis tumida
,ambitiesa cacumin a, fagi
10 C inxere 3his forsan lateatmiran da puelle,S i
'
dereeque trahatvultusibi lumin a : fumus
Nec proen l in de casa, gemin is qua quercubus exstat
An n osismedia hie Corydon cum T hyrsidemiscetC ongredien s escas, etagrestia fercula Phyl lis
l 5 Dexteramun ditiis herbas con tun ditolen tes.
‘
Qua tugu’
ri heSpitie cedit cite, T hestyli, tecum .
C ollatura operas C erealibus herdea culmis
S trin gen te3 autsi ducat opusmaturior hora,Pascua sicca petit flavi studiosaman ipli.
116 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRANSLATION .
LII .
(l 3) A rcite return’d
, an d, as in hon our ty’d
,
His fee with beddin g an d w ith food supply’(I 3Then , ere the day, two suits of armour sought
,
Which born e before him on his steed he brought :
5 Both were of shinin g steel, an d wr ought so pure,A smight the strokes O f two such arms en dure.
N ow atthe time an d in th’appoin ted place,
T he challen ger an d chal leng’d, face to face,
A pproach 3 each other from afar they kn ew,
10 An d from afar their hatred chang’d their hue.
So stan ds the Thracian h erdsman with his spear,Ful l in the gap, an d hopes the hun ted bear,An d hears him rustlin g in the wood, an d sees
H is cour se atdistan ce by the ben din g trees 315 A n d thin ks,
“ here comesmy mortal en emy,A n d either hemust fal l in fight, or I 3
”
This while he thin ks, he lifts aloft his dart 3A gen
’rous chilln ess seizes ev’
ry part 3T he vein s pour back the blood an d fortify the heart.
DRYDEN .
E N GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
LIII.
(14) Thus pale they meet 3 their eyes with fury, burn 3Non e greets3 for n on e the greetin g will return :
Butin dumb surlin ess, each arm’d with care
His foe prefest, as brother of the war
5 Then both, n o momen t lost, aton ce advan ce
A gain st each other, arm’d with sword an d lan ce3
They lash,they fO in , they pass, they strive to bore
Their corslets, an d the thin n est parts explore.
Thus two lon g hours in equal arms they stood,10 A n d woun ded, woun d ; till both were bath’d in
blood 3An d n ota foot ofgroun d had either get,Asif the world depen ded on the spot.
Fell Ar cite like an an gry tiger far’d
,
A n d l ike a lion Palamon appear’d
15 O r astwo boars whom love to battle draws,With risin g br istles an d with frothy jaws,Their adversebreastsw ith tusks oblique theywoun d;With grun ts an d groan s the forest r in gs aroun d.
So fought the kn ights,an d fightin g must abide
,
20 T ill fate an umpire sen ds their difl’ren ce to decide.
DRYDEN .
LATIN HEXAME T ER S . 119
LIII .
“ T hus pale they meet 3_their eyes with
'
firr'
yburn .
"
Haud secus adversi pal len t, stan t lumin aflammaE fl
'
era ; ab in vitis voces dare, reddere, n eutra
Parte salutatur 3 sed torve Obmutuitarman s,.Fratris id ofliciumman ifesto in Marte, virum vir .
5 N ee mora, p rocursan tin festis cemin us hastis,
Bemve gerun tgladiis 3mucron e acieve lacessun t3Hie ferit, ille fodit, cadit, premit ietibus ictus.
L orieam explorat, ten uisSima quaque requiren s,Hasta3 furitMars aquus, .
ethorasuperven ithoram,
10 Tadia l on ga : flagran t in mutua vuln era dextris,Cade maden t ambo
,pede n ee con ceditur ul li,
C eu'
station e istaVictoria pen deat orbis.
E cce, In im10us atrox A rcites, tigridis in star,Bella .ciet, Palamon a feri rapitira leon is
15 S en quales, gemin is si quan do amor in cidit un us,Horrescun tsetis spumescun tfaucibus apr i,E tden te adversos obliquan t vul n era in armes
Fulmin eo 3 gemitu imman i sylva in ton atomn isFren den tfimque fragore sen at : sicmiles uterque
20 Depugn at, certaturus sin e fin e,recidan t
Ni Par ca pugn as, etidon eus arbiter exstet.
120 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
0
LIV .
(15) Then ce to the gates cast roun d thin e eye, an d see
What con flict issuin g forth, or en terin g in ;Prators, procon sul s, to their provin ces
Hastin g, or on return , in r obes of state,
5 Lictors an d rods, the en sign s O f their power,Legion san d cohorts, turms of horse an d win gs 3O r embassies, from region s far remote,In various habits on the A ppian road,O r on the ZEmilian . Some from fur thest south,
10 Syen e, an d where the shadow both way falls,Meroe, Nilotic isle3 an d, more to west,T he realm of Boechus to the Black -moor sea3From th
’A sian kin gs, an d Parthian amon g these,From In dia an d the golden Cherson ese,
15 An d utmost In dian isle T abropan e,Dusk faces, with white silken turban s wreathed 3From Gallia, Grades, an d the British west,German s an d Scythian s
,an d Sarmatian s n orth,
Beyon d Dan ubius to the Tauric pool .MILTON .
122 ENGLISH POETRY '
FO R TRAN SLATION .
L V.
(16) Who loves a garden loves a greenhouse too 3Un con scious of a lesspropitious clime,
There blooms exotic beauty, warm an d sn ug,
While the win ds whistle an d the sn ows descen d .
5 T he spiry myrtle with un wither in g leaf
Shin es there an d flour ishes. T he golden boast
O f Portugal an dWestern In dia there,T he ruddier oran ge, an d the paler l ime,Peep thr ough their polish
’d foliage atthe storm,
10 A n d seem to smile atwhat they n eed n otfear .
T he amomum therew ith in termin glin g flowers
A n d cherries han gs her twigs. Geran ium boasts
H er crimson hon ours, an d the Span gled beau,Ficoides, glitters bright thewin ter lon g.
15 Al l plan ts, of every leaf, that can en dure
T hewin ter’s frown , if screen’d from his shrewd bite,
Live there, an d prosper . Those A uson ia claims,
Levan tin e region s these.
COWPER .
LATIN HEXAME T E R S . 123
LV.
( 16) “ Who loves agarden loves agreenhousetoo.
”—C OWPER .
S i quis amas hortos, tibi vitrea; claustra placebunt.E xulathis felix, mutar i n escia coelum
,
Tuta calere loci,
‘
peregrin e flore ven usta
S ylvul a,’dum Boreas fremit et toto ae
'
re .1
5 H is formosa apices n on decussura virescit I
Myr tus, etHesperia ul terior qua mun era jactatA urea,mitescun t, etqua sub sole calen tes
O cciduo praben tIn di 3 sun t altera rubra,
A ltera sed pal len tacidos‘
celan tia succos.
10 H ie n imbos levi de tegmin eprospicitarborUtraque, derisur amin as sin e fraude proeel la .
Hie flore etbacismiscen tur vimin a amomi,
Pun ieeeque n iten t perfusa geran ia* cocco 3Distin guitque sues
,splen den s bel lissimus, ign es
15 Fic'
oides, tardas expectan s flore pruin as.
T um n ullan on fr on de hiemem qua torva tuen tem
Ferre queat, mersu modo n on obn oxia acerbo,Felix sylva viget solis sub origin ematrem
Ha'
repetun tSyr iam, A uson ias pars altera sedes.
b
T his n ame an dficot'
des followinglack poetical an thority, an d thesecon d, as far as I kn ow, has n o place in L atin . T hey are here treatedas preper n amesmerely, whichmay excuse the arbitrary lengthen ingoftheafrom yepavos, an d shorten ingof the i from «Ms.
124 ENGLISH POETRY E O R TRANSLATION .
LVI .
( l 7) N O forest fell
When thou would’stbuild 3 n o quarry sen t its stores‘
To en r ich thy wall s 3 butthou didst hew the floods,An d make thy marble of the glassy wave.
5 I n such a palace A ristaus foun d
Cyren e, when he bore the plain tive tale
O f his lost bees to her matern al ear 3In such a palace Poetry might place
T he armoury ofWin ter 3 where his troops,10 T he gloomy clouds, fin d weapon s, arrowy sleet,Skin - piercin g volley, blossom- bruisin g hail,
A n d sn ow,that often blin ds the traveller’s course,
An d wraps him in an un expected tomb .
Silen tly as a dream the fabric rose 315 No soun d of hammer or of saw was there :
I ce upon ice, the well adjusted parts
Were soon con join’d, n or other cemen t ash
’d
Than water in terfused to make them on e.
Lamps gracefully disposed, an d of al l hues,20 Il lumin ed every side : awatery light
Gleam’d thr ough the clear tran sparen cy, that seem’d
An other moon n ew risen , or meteor fallen
From heaven to earth, of lamben t flame seren e.
COWPE R .
126 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLA TION .
LVII .
(18) The stable yields a stercoraceous heap,Impregn ated with quick fermen tin g salts,A n d poten t to resist the freez ing
‘blast3
For , ere the beech an d elm have cast their leaf
5 Deciduous, when n ew November dark
Checks vegetation in the torpid plan t
E xposed to his cold breath, the task begin s.
War ily,therefore, an d w ith pruden t heed,
H e seeks a faveur’d spot : that,where he builds
10 T h’agglomerated pile, his frame may fron t
T he sun’s meridian disk, an d atthe back
E n joy close Shelter , wall, or reeds, or hedge,Impervious to the win d . First he bids spread
Dry fer n or litter’d hay, that may imbibe
15 The ascen din g damps 3 then leisur ely impose,A n d lightly, shakin g it with agile han d
From the full fork, the saturated straw .
What lon gest bin ds the closest forms secure
T he shapely side, that as it rises takes
20 By just degrees an overhan gin g breadth,S helt
’rin gthe base with its projected eaves 3
T h’ uplifted frame, compact atev’ry join t
,
A n d overlaid w ith clear tran slucen t glass,He settles n ext upon the slopin g moun t
,
25 Whose sharp declivity Shoots O ff secur e
From the dash’(I pan e the deluge as it falls.
He shuts it close, an d the first labour en ds.
C OWPER .
LATIN HEXAME T ER S . 127
LVII .
T he stableyields a stercoraceous heap.
”— C OWPE R .
Pin gue fimo stabulum immun dos prabebitacervosHis vivos n atura sales
,tardosque caleres
,
Nescia hyperboreis vin ci fermen ta pruin is,S ubdidit an te eten im sylvis quam fagus etulrn us
5 Deciduas posuere comas, flatuque N ovembris
Jampridem r igido astrictus sub cortice succus
C on stitit, accin gen dum O peri, summaque peten dus
A r te locus laterum aSpectu cir cum un dique tutus.
Hue den sas glomerare operas, utvin ea soles
10 S uspiciatmedics etapr icafron te cal escat3
O mn ia ata tergo ben e tecta fevere memen to,
S eu muro,seu sepe placet, seu claudere jun cis,
Pel lere qui pessin tBorea pen etrabile frigus.
T um bibulas stern i fil ices stipulasque man iplis
15 E ffusas, n ebulam hausturas fumosque volucres,
Profuit in deman u, modo n e trepidan te, solutes
E gravidis leviter culmos superin jice fureis
T u satures tum,quod stringat ben e claustra,
ten aci
R obore texe latus justateres ar te soloque
20 Latin s exsurgen s impen deatun dique culmen .
C ratitium succedit O pus, cempagibus arctum
U n dique, et O bducto tran smitten s lumin a vitro
E rige, etaicclivi sedeatsuper aggere dorso .
Dorsa resultan tes acuan tur ver tice ad imbres,
25 S itque ira illisa pluvii Jevis irrita lamn a .
Claude latus 3clause estpars pr ima exhausta laboriS .
128 EN GLISH POETRY E O R TRAN SLATION .
LVIII .
(19) T he sequel of to - day un solders al l
The goodl iest fellowship O f famous knights
Whereof this w or ld holds record. Such a sleep
They Sleep— themen I loved. I thin k that we
5 Shall n ever more, atan y future time,Delight our souls with talk of kn ightly deeds,Walkin g about the garden s an d the hall s
O f Camelot, as in the days that were.
I perish by this people which I made,10 Though Merlin sware that I should come again
T O rul e on cemore— but.letwhat will be, be,I am so deeply smitten thr o’the helm,
That without help I can n ot last till morn .
Thou, therefore, takemy bran d E xcalibur,15 Which wasmy pr ide : for thou rememberest howIn these old days, on e summer n oon , an arm
R ose up from outthe bosom of the lake,Clothed in white samite, mystic,won derful,Holdin g the sword— an d how I row’d across
20 A n d took it, an d have wor n it, like Akin g
An d, wheresoever I am sun g or told
In aftertime, this also Shall be kn own :
Butn ow delay n ot; take E xcalibur ,A n d flin g him far in to the middle mere
25 Watch what thou seest, an d lightly brin g me word.
T ENN YSON .
130 ENGLISH POET RY FO R TRANSLATION .
(20) Then first I heard the voice of her, to whom
Comin g thro’ heaven ,like a light that grows
Larger an d clearer , with on e min d the gods
R ise up for reveren ce . S he to Paris made
5 Profl'
er of r oyal power,ample rule
U n question’d
,overflowin g reven ue
Wherew ith to embellish state, from man y a vale
A n d river - sun der’d champaign clothed with corn ,
O r labour’d min es un drain able of ore,Hon our ,
”she said
,an d homage
,tax an d tell ,
From man y an in lan d town an d haven large,Mast - thron g
’d ben eath her shadow in g citadel
In glassy bays amon g her tallest towers.
”
T ENNYSON .
LA TIN HEXAMETER S . 131
L IX .
20)“ T hen first I heard thevoice of her
,to whom.
”- T E N N YS O N .
T um mihi prima Dea coelo vex fertur ad aureS
C ui, simul ingreditur , con sen su assu rgit O lympus 3Qualis en im lampas radiis
,in claruitore
Amplier illucen s . Paridi regin a ferebat5 R egale imper ium
,n ul lo obtrectan te 3 ter amplis
Fin ibus adjiciebat O pes sin e fin e,superbi
Par decus id r egn i valles ubi,” dixit
,opirn as
Vestiitalma Cer es, ubi flava in ter luitamn is
A rva secan s,ubi in exhaustis man us a rametallis
10 E xsudat, tibi hon or, tibi O pes, porter ia, largo
Vectigale fluen t cin ctas region ibus urbes
T u dition e premes,seu qua ten et O bsitamalis
Umbrosos pertus atque areibus in n atatun dis,A tque videt vitreo olan di sua Pergama Avern o .
”
132 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRANSLATION .
L X .
(21) Min e eye, descen din g from the hill, surveys
Where Thames amon g the wan ton vallies strays :
Thames, the most loved of al l the O cean’s son s
By his ol d sire,to his embraces run s,
5 Hastin g to pay his tr ibute to the sea,
Like mortal life to meet etern ity
Though with those streams he n o resemblan cehold,Whose foam is amber , an d their gravel gold 3H is gen uin e an d less guilty wealth to explore,
10 Search n othis bottom, butsurvey his Shore,O ’
er which he kin dly spreads his spacious win g,A n d hatches plen ty for the en suin g spr in g 3N or then destroys it with too fon d a stay,Like mothers which their in fan ts overlay 3
l 5 N or w ith a sudden an d impetuous wave,
Like profuse kin gs, resumes the wealth he gave.
No un expected in un dation s spoil
T he mower’s hopes, or mock the ploughman ’
s toil 3Butgod - like his un wearied bounty flow s 3
20 First loves to do, then loves the good he does.
N or are his blessin gs to his ban ks con fin ed,Butfree an d common as the sea or w in d 3Wh en he to beastor to disperse his stores,Full of the tributes of his grateful shores,Visits the world, an d in his flyin g towers
Brin gs home to u S,an d makes both In dies ours3
Fin ds wealth where ’tis
,bestows it where it wan ts,
Cities in deserts, woods in cities, plan ts
S o that to us n o thin g, n o place, is stran ge,
134 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRANSLATION .
30 While his fair bosom is the wor ld’s exchan ge.
0 coul d I flow like thee, an d make thy stream
My great example, as it is my theme 3Though deep yetclear, though gen tle yetn otdull 3Stron g without rage
, without o’erflowin gfull !
L X I .
(22) So said he, an d the barge ear an d sail,Moved fromthe br in k
,like some full - breasted swan ,
That, flutinga wild car ol ere her death,R uffles her pure cold plume, an d takes the flood
5 With swarthy webs. Lon g stood S ir Bedivere
R evolvin g man y memor ies, till thehull
L ook’d on e black dotagain st the verge of dawn ,
An d on the mere the wailin g died away.
T ENN YSON .
LATIN H EXAMETER S . 135
Quaritopum tribuitque in opi, utdeserta colan tur
Urbe loca, atque ultro median emus urbe virescat.3O O rbis merce n ites, Thamesis, tote aquore, n obis
N e quid in experti, n e quis peregrin us in erbe.
0 utin am ista fluam referen s exempla fluen ti
Teque orn em orn ate similis 3 simque altus atidem
35 Purus ! S im, liceat, len is n eque segn is eun do,
E trabie fortis demptaque voragin e plen us ;A tque imiter sin ever tice aquas Sin emurmur e lapsas
L X I .
(22) S o said he, an d the barge with car an d sail .”—T EN NY S O N .
Dixerat, etremis velisque e margin e cymba
Qualis olor cessit, plen is qui turgidus alis,In doctum exspiran s moribun do e pectore carmen ,
Per colla excutien s n iveas purissima plumas,5 Palmulaaquas liven te capit : vestigia rerum
Mul ta diu volven s steteratcomes3 usque n igrescen s
Dum mera fit macula extremes adversa per ertus
C ymbulavisaproen l , periitque ululatus ab un dis .
136 ENGLISH POETRY PO R TRAN SLATION .
LX II .
(23) T he trumpets n ext the gate in order plac’d,A tten d the sign to soun d the martial blast 3T he palace- yard is fil l ’d with floatin g tides,A n d the last comers bear the former to the sides.
5 T he thron g is in the midst 3 thecommon crew
Shut out, the hal l admits the better few .
In kn ots they stan d, or in a ran k they walk,Ser ious in aspect, ear n est in their talk 3Faction s
,an d fav
’rin gthis or t
’other side,10 A s their stron g fan cies an d weak reason guide 3
T heir wager s back their wishes n umbers hold
With the fair freckled kin g an d beard of gold 3S o vig
’rous are his eyes, such rays they cast
,
S o promin en t his eagle’s beak is plac’d.
15 Butmost their looks on the black mon arch ben d,His r isin g muscles an d his brawn commen d 3
H is double - bitin g axe,an d beamy spear
,
E ach askin g a gigan tic force to rear .
A ll.
spoke as par tial favour mov’d the min d 320 An d safe themselves, at others cost divin
’d .
DRYDEN .
138 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRANSLATION .
LXI II .
(24) 0 Win ter, ruler of the in verted year ,T hy scatter’d hair , with sleet like ashes fill’d,T hy breath con geal
’d upon thy lips, thy cheeks
Frin ged with a beard made white w ith other sn ows
5 Than those of age, thy forehead wrapp’d in clouds,
10
15
A leafless bran ch thy sceptre, an d thy thr on e
A slidin g car,in debted to n o wheels,
Buturged by storms alon g its slippery way 3I love thee, all un lovely as thou seem’
st,
A n d dreaded as thou art. Thou hold’stthe sun
A pr ison er in the yetun dawn in g east,
Shorten in g his journ ey between mor n an d n eon ,
A n d hurryin g him,impatien t of his stay
,
Down to the rosy west ; butkin dly still
Compen satin g his loss with added hour s
O f social con verse an d in structive case,
A n d gatherin g, atshor t n otice, in on e group
The family dispersed,an d fixin g thought
,
Not less dispersed by daylight an d its cares.
C OWPER .
LATIN HE XAME 'I‘E R S . 139
LX III .
(24) 0 Win ter, ruler of the in verted year .
”— C OWPE R .
Tr istis Hiems,raros glaciali aspergimo cr in es
C eu cin ere impleris, verso domin aris etan n o .
Halitus ipse gelat tibi labra,rigen sque pruina
Can ities men tum in spicat, n on illa sen ilis,5 Sparsa gen is 3 n imbis obn ubere tempora
,ramus
Fronde caren s sceptrum,n ul loque volubilis orbe
Badit iter cur rus levi per’ lubrica lapsu
Vique procellarum pernix in amabil is utsis
Visa,places n obis
, quatu formidin e gen tes
10 Cun que premas n am te Phoebus custode ten eturN equicquam ten tan s ertus, spatioque min ore
Sen tit iter fieri que matutin us ad arces
J am properetmedias eadem n on p ‘
assamorari
Urges,etroseos in tercipis aquore currus
,
15 Deque die partem demis, sed dempta repon is,
S ermen umque vices etculta sodalibus adden s
O tia : tu subito revocas quam sparserathora,
C on ciliasque domum ; n ec secius agra diurn o
Mun ere corda foves utrursum in se ipsa residan t .
140 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRANSLATION .
LX IV.
Al l in amomen t thr ough the gloom were seen
T en thousan d ban n ers rise in to the air,With ori en t colours wavin g 3 with them rose
A forest huge of spears 3 an d thron gin g helms
5 Appear’d
,an d serried shields in thick array
O f depth immeasurable. An on they move
In perfect phalan x to theDorian mood
O f flutes an d soft recorders 3 such as raised
To height of n oblest temper heroes old
10 Armin g to battle, an d instead of rage
Deliberate valour breathed,firm an d unmoved
With dread of death to flight or foul retreat.MILTON .
142 EN GLISH POETRY PO E TRAN SLATION
L XV .
(26) Hast thou a charm to stay themorn in g star
I n his steep course‘
1’ S O lon g he seems to pause
O n thy bald awful head, 0 sovran Blan e 1
T he Arve an d Arveiron atthy base
5 Rave ceaselessly 3 butthou, most awful form,
R isest from forth thy silen t sea of pin es,How silen tly A roun d thee an d above,Deep is the air an d dark, substan tial, black ;An ebon mass : methin ks thou piercestit,
10 A s with awedge ! Butwhen I look again ,It is thin e own calm home, thy crystal shr in e,Thy habitation from etern ity l
C O LERIEGE .
LATIN HEXAMETER S .
( 26) Hast thou acharmto stay themorn ingstar .
”— C O L EBIDGE .
Queis potes il lecebris scan den tes carul a currus
S istere Lucifer i‘ ? T am len tis vertice n ude
Pen detequis, ingén s rerum caput A lpin arum,
Ille tuo, dum val lem A rve A rviron que per imam
5 Usque fremun tfluvii facies quam,n umin is in star
,
Dira tibi Atcircum, tan quam statW ,
Sylva immota silet tu cingeris arduus atro
A ere, tan quam eben i solidacaligin e septus
Desuper 3 atcun eatus apex ea robora rupit,
10 Dissiluitqu‘
e polus referen s sed lumin a sedes
T e retin ere tuas video, crystallin amon tis
C oelicola delubra, atern apace seren a.
.144 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
LXVI .
(27) T he curren t, that with gen tlemurmur
Thou kn ow’stbein g stopped, impatien tly doth rage:
Butwhen his fair course is n othin dered,H e makes sweet music w ith the en amelled ston es,
5 Givin g a gen tle kiss to every sedge
He overtaketh in his pilgrimage 3An d so by man y win din g n ooks he strays
With willin g sport to the wild ocean .
Then letme go,an d hin der n otmy cour se 3
10 I’l l be as patien t as a gen tle stream,
A n d‘
make a pastime of each weary step,T ill the last step have brought me to my love 3An d there I’ll rest
,as after much turmoil
A bless ed soul doth in E lysium.
S HAE SPEAR E .
E N GLISH PO E T RY FOR T RAN SLAT IO N .
L XVII .
(28) Atlast appear
Hell- boun ds, high reachin g to the hor rid roof,An d thrice three- fold the gates 3 three- fold were
brass,Three iron , three of adaman tin e rock
5 Impen etrable, impal’d with cir clin g fire,
Yetun con sum’d . Before the gates there sat
O n either side a formidable shape 3T he on e seem’d woman to the waist, an d fair,Buten ded foul in man y a scaly fold
10 Volumin ous an d vast, a serpen t arm’d
With mortal stin g ; about her middle roun d
A cry of hell - houn ds n ever ceasin g bark’6.
With wide Cerberean mouths ful l loud, an d run g
A hideous peal ; yetwhen they list, would creep,15 If Ought disturb’d their n oise
,in to her womb,
An d ken n el there, yetthere still bark’d an d hewl’d,
Within un seen . Far less abhorr’d than these
Vex’d Scylla bathin g in the sea
,that parts
Calabria from the hoarse Tr in acrian shore
2O N or uglier follow the n ight hag, when call’d
I n secret, ridin g through the air she comes,Lur’d w ith the smell of in fan t blood
,to dan ce
With Laplan d witches, while the lab’r ingmoon
E clipses attheir charms. T he other shape,25 If shape it might be call’d
,that shape had n on e
Distin guishable in member, join t, or limb,
LATIN .HEXAMETER S . 147
LXVII .
(28) At last appearH elL boun ds, high reaching.
”—MIL T O N .
Tan dem in con spectu surgun t, quos Tartara fin esUl tima haben t, edueta in fan da ad tecta column a .
T er tern as habuere fores, tres a re revin etas,
Tres ferre, solidus teloque impervius omn i
5 Tres adamas firmat, flammis circum un dique septas,N ee tamen exesas duplex custodia visa est
Vestibulo, dira facies qua limin a servan t
Can dida famin eamedic ten us altera formfi,Dein ceps vasta tamem, sin uan sque volumin a subter,
10 Desin itin squamas succin cta per in guin a n exu
A n guin eo etden te in festo : latran tiamon stra
Pon e trahi visa, horrison oque imman is biatu
Cerberus attollen s cen tum circumton atera.
S ed placet in terdum celari 3 uterosque sub ipsos,15 Si quid Obest, pestis se corripit; n ee tamen ipsos
Fit requise uteros quin impleatusque ulul atu
Ca ca imos. N on lautamar i, quod dividitoram
Trin acriaC alabram,tales Scyl la horruithydr os 3
N ee magis obscan as Hecate trahit agmin e Diras
20 Noctivago, juvat utmagicaclam vece vocatam
A érias carpsisse vias, etsan guin e n ares
Implésse in fan tum 3 Borealis saga choreas
Qaummiscet, S tygiasqueartes exosa laborat
Phoebe deficien s. Forma altera (dicere formam
148 EN GLISH POETRY PO R TRAN SLATION.
O r substan cemight be call’6. that shadow seem’d,For each seem’d either 3 black it stood as n ight,Fierce as ten furies, terrible as hell
30 An d shock a dreadful dart 3 what seem’d his head,
T he l iken ess of a kin gly crown had on .
MILTON .
150 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
L X VIII.
(29) That day I oft remember, when fr om Sleep
I first awak’d, an d foun d myself repos
’d
Un der a shade on flowers, much won d’ringwhere,
An d what I was,when ce thither br ought, an dhow .
5 ‘ Not distan t far fr om then ce amurm’ringsoun d
O f waters issued fr om a cave, an d spread
In to a liquid plain,then stood unmov
’d
Pure as th’ expan se of heav’n 3 I thither wen t
With un experien c’d thought, an d laid me down
10 O n the green ban k, to look in to the clear
Smooth lake, that to me seem’d an other sky.
A s I ben t down to look, justl
opposite
A shape within the watery gleam appear’d,Ben din g to look on me : I started back,
15 It star ted back 3 butpleas’d I soon return
’d,
Pleas’d it return ’d as soon with an sw’ringlooks
O f sympathy an d love : there I had fix’d
W e eyes til l n ow,an d pin
’d with vain desire,Had n otavoice thus waru’d me : What thou seest,
20 What there thou seest, fair creatur e, is thyself ;With thee it comes an d goes 3 butfoll ow me,A n d I will brin g thee where n o shadow stays
T hy comin g, an d thy soft embraces, he
Whose image thou art; him thou shalt en joy
25 In separably thin e, to him shal t bear
Mul titudes like thy elf, an d then ce be call’6.
Mother of human race.
MILTON .
LATIN HEXAME T E R S . 151t
LXVIII.
3 !
3(29) T hat day I oftremember when from S leep.—MIL T O N .
Quammemin i, quaprima die resoluta sopore
Me stupui exsomn is molli recubare sub umbraFlore 3 ibi dum jacui meditabar in amia rerum,
Queve loco, quidve ipsa forem, quaforte ven ire
5 Un deve ducta rogan s S ed aquarum fertur ad aures
Haud proen l in de son us, lymphasque exire loquaces
Nosco an tris, videoque cfl'
usi flumin is aquor
Immotum, vivosque lacusmagis athere puros.
C arpsi iter, adque sin us ign ara locique meique
10 Procubui herbosos 3 vitrea etmex stagn a tuebar
Desuper : en , flexis stabat polus alter ocell is,
E tgemin a coeli facies 3 turn forma tuen ti
A dverse, etspeculum radiabat imagin e aquosum
Me cupien te pedem referebam,retulitilla
15 S e 3 redii sed aman s, rediitsed aman tior'
ultro 3
E tsimili afl'
eetu petere etdare con scia visa est
O btutus 3 potuique etiamn um fixaman ere,
E tdesiderio lan guen tem paseere in an i
Usque an imum ad r ipas, n i vex ven issetad aures
20 Quam formosa vides ipsius credefiguram 3
T e fugien te fugit redit etredeun te sed adsis,
Me duce deven ies verum,n on corporis umbram.
H ie man et adven tus molles, cui debita figas
O scula, cui formam visa esttua forma referre.
25 Hun c, thalamo jun ctum stabili, tu prole paren tem
In n umere facies, etmagn aab origin emater
Ipsa homin um audieris.
”
152 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
an d to the border comes
O f E den , where delicious Paradise,N ew n earer, crown s with her in closure green ,A S with a rural moun d,the champaign head
5 O f a steep wildern ess, whose hairy sides
With thicket overgrown , gr otesque an d wild,A ccess den y
’d 3 an d over - head up grew
In superable height of loftiest shade,Cedar, an d pin e, an d fir
,an d bran chin g palm,
10 A sylvan scen e, an d, as the ran ks ascen d
Shade above shade, a woody theatre
O f stateliest view . Yethigher than their tops
T he verd’rous wal l of Paradise upsprun g :
Which to our gen eral Sire gave pr ospect large
In to his n ether empire n eighb’ringroun d .
MILTON .
154 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
L XX .
(31) What won der, then , if fields an d region s here
Breathe for th elixir pure, an d r ivers run
Potable gold, when with on e virtuous touch
T h’areh - chemic sun , so far from us remote,5 Produces, with terrestrial humour mix
’d,Here in the dark so man y precious thin gs
O f colour glorious, an d effect S O rare
Here matter n ew to gaze the devil met
Un dazzled 3 far an d w ide his eye comman ds 310 For light n o obstacle foun d here, n or shade,
Butal l sun shin e,as when his beams atn oon
Culmin ate from th’equator 3 as they n ew
Shot upward still direct, when ce n o way roun d
Shadow from body O paque can fall an d th’air
No where so clear, sharpen’d his visual ray
To O bjects distan t far .
MILTON.
LATIN HEXAME T E R S . 155
L XX .
(31)“ What won der, then , if fields an d region s here.
” —MIL T O N .
Quis stupetergo istos tote passim a quore campos
Felices spirare aura'
i simplicis ign cm,
Quis potar i aurum fluviis, S i semin a rerum
Tot miran darum Titan variosque colores,5 A rte Prometheaca lestis Mulciber
,addit,
Temperie tactuque poten s, procul in de remotis
Vel n obis, ubi n ox etterreus oflicithumor
Lucifer hie n ovamiratur , n on ille retortis
Cun eta oculis, n am cun eta ten et 3 simul objice etumbr
10 Visa caren t, par iter jubar estquodcun que videtur ;C eu quum solstitiummedias a vertice terras
Perculit hie eten im pen itus feritathera sur sum
Un dique in offen sum lumen , n eque corpus obumbrat
Hie ullum coelos, n ee factus opacior ullaest
15 Parte polus, sed visum aen eus ten uissimus aér
Longin qua adducit.
158 ENGLISH PO ET RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
LXX I .
(S APPHIGS . )
(1) I am this foun tain’s god 3 below
My waters to a r iver grow,
A n d ’twixt two ban ks with osiers set,That on ly prosper in the wet,
5 Through themeadows do they glide
Wheelin g still on every side,Sometimes win din g r oun d about
To fin d the even ’stchan n el out.
FLETCHER .
LAT IN LYRIC S
(SAPPHIcs. )
C rescitin rivum mea
Cen sita ex utraque salicta r ipe.
N on n 1s1 In udo
S apius in Se.
1 9
160 EN GLISH POE TRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
(SAPPHIO S .)
To grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall,The - Snail sticks close, n or fears to fall,As if he grew there, house an d al l,
Together 35 Within that house secure he hides,When dan ger immin en t betides
O f storm, or other harm besides
O f weather .
Give buthis horn s the slightest touch,10 His self- collectin g power is such
He Shr in ks in to his house with much
Displeasure.
162 EN GLI SH POETRY PO R TRAN SLATION .
LXX III .
(SAPPHIcs.)
(3) Where’er he dwel ls, he dwells alon e,
Except himself has chattels n on e,Well satisfied to be his own
Whole treasure.
5 Thus, hermit - like, his life he leads,Nor partn er of his ban quet n eeds,A n d if hemeets on e, on l y feeds
T he faster .
Who seeks himmust be worse than blin d
10 (He an d his house are so combin ed),If, fin din g it, he fails to fin d
Itsmaster .
C OWPER .
LATIN LYR ICS .
(S APPHIcs.)
S icubi sedes colat illa, solas
O ptat3 his secum fruitur , n ee extra
Vult sibi tota.
5 S ic eremita juvat acta vita,
S eu qua Sit con viva, edit illa tan to
O cyus escas.
Ipsa quem fal lat, demibus repertis,10 C acior cacismerito vocetur 3Lege tam stricta
‘
placetusque jun gi
In colam eta des.
164 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
(4) Gather ye rose- buds while yemay,O ld Time is still a- flyin g;
An d this same flower that smiles to - day,To - morrow will be dyin g.
5 The glorious Lamp of Heaven , the S un ,T he higher he’s a- gettin g,
T he soon er will his race be run ,
A n d n earer he’s to settin g .
That age is best which is the first,10 When youth an d blood are warmer ;Butbein g spen t, the worse, an d worst
Times, still succeed the former .Then be n otcoy, butuse your time 3An d while ye may go marry ;
15 For havin g lost but on ce your prime,Yemay for ever tarry.
HE E R IOK.
EN GL I SH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
LXXV.
(S APPHIcs.)
T HE SE CULA R MA SK .
(5) J AN US . Chron os, Chr on os, men d thy pace3A n hun dred times the r ollin g sun
A roun d the radian t belt has run
I n his revolvin g race.
5 Behold, behold, the goal in Sight,Spread thy fan s, an d win g thy flight.
E n ter C HRONOS, with a scythe in his han d, an d aglobe
on his back, which he sets down athis en tra n ce.
C HRON OS . Weary, weary ofmy weight,L etme, letme drop my freight,An d leave the world behin d.
10 I could n otbear,An other year,
T he load of human - kin d.
E n ter MOMUS, laughing.
MOMUS . H a ha ha ha 1 ha ha Well hast then
don e,To lay down thy pack,
15 A n d lighten thy back 3The world was a fool, e
’er Sin ce it begun 3
A n d sin ce n either Jan us, n or Chron os, n or I
C an hin der the cr imes,
O r men d the bad times,20 ’T is better to laugh than to cry.
LAT IN LYRIC S . 167
LX XV.
(SAPPHIC S .)
(5) FABUL'
A S E C ULAR IS .
JAN US . Perge tu,Saturn e
,age, perge pen
‘
n is :
Phoebus in cen tum revolutus orbes,A ureae zon ae Spatiis peractis,Ambiitastra.
5 C en ties en , jam man ifesta.meta. est,Praepes impletas quate laetus alas.
SAT URN US . Quippe quem dudum pigeatferen diPon deris, adsum
'
Tardus excussus mihi fascis esto
10 His lever terris, homin umque prole
A lterum n am n on potero per an n um
Mun us obire.
MOMUS . 0 bon e, excussusmihi r isus esto
E uge ; mox ibis levior reposta
15 S arcin fi ‘
: vecors fuit usque ab ortu
H ic globus ipso .
Quumque tu,'
Saturn e, ego, etipse Bifron s,Tampor i adsimus moderamen impar,T emperetfletu m
'
elior cachin n us
Improba. seecla.
168 E NGL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT I O N .
(SAPPHICS .)
(6) J AN US . Sin ce Momus comes to laugh below,
O ld Time begin the show,
That hemay see in every scen e,What chan ges in this age have been ,
C HRO N os. 5 Then goddess of the silver bow, begin .
[Horn s or hun tingmusic, within ]
E n ter DIAN A .
DIANA . With horn s an d with houn ds I waken the day,An d hie to the woodl an d - walks away ;I tuck up my robe an d am baskin ’d soon ,An d tie to my forehead a wexin g moon .
10 I course the fleet stag, un ken n el the fox,An d chase the wild goats o
’er the summits
of rocks
With shoutin g an d hootin g we pierce thr ough
the sky,
A n d echo turn s hunter , an d doubles the cry.
JANUS . Then our age was in its prime.
CHR O N O S . Free from rage
DIA NA . 15 An d free from crime.
Momus. A very merry, dan cin g, dr in kin g,Laughin g, quaffing, an d un thin kin g time.
[Du/n ee of Dian a’s atten dan ts.]
170 ENGLIS H PO E T RY ros T RAN S LAT IO N .
LXXVII .
(SAPPHICS . )
E n ter MAR S .
(7) MAR S . In spire the vocal brass, in spire ;T he world is past its in fan t age ;Arms an d hon our, .
A rms an d hon our
5 S etthemartial min d on fire,
An d kin dleman ly rage.
Mars has look’d the sky
i
to red ,
A n d Peace, the lazy good, is fled.
Plen ty,Peace, an d Pleasure fly 3
10 T he sprightly green
In woodlan d walks n o more is seen
T he sprightly green has drun k the Tyr ian die.
DRYDEN .
10
L AT IN LYR IC‘S '
s
Mars polum aspectu rubefecitipso, et
EN GL I SH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
LXXVIII.
(SAPPHICS . )
(8) Soun d the trumpet, beat the drum
Through al l the world aroun d .
15 Soun d a reveil le, soun d, soun d,T he warrior god is come !
Momus. T hy sword within the scabbard keep,A n d letman kin d agree 3
Better the wor ld were fast asleep
Than kept awake by thee.
T he fools are on ly thin n er,With al l our cost an d care3
Butn either side a win n er,For thin gs are as they were.
l 74d: EN GLISH PO E T RY FOR TRANSLATION .
LXX IX .
(SAPPHICS .)
A l l hail I in exorable Lord
A twhose destruction - breathin g word,T he mightiest empires fall !
T hy cruel, wo—delighted train ,
5 T he min isters of grief an d pain
A sullen welcome al l
With ster n - resolved, despairin g eye,
I see each aimed dar t ;For on e has cutmy dearest tie,
10 An d quivers in my heart .
Then low’ringan d pour in g,
T he storm n o more I dread,T ho’thick’
n in g an d black’n ing
R oun d my devoted head.
L AT IN LYR IC S .
LX XIX .
(SAPPHI CS .)
All hail ! in exorable L ord I”—BURN S .
Raptor, haud ullis precibus moven do,Voce qui magn os mala fulmin an teE xoutis reges O pibus superbis,
Maxime, salve
5 Quem ferum semper comitatur agmen ,Quem Dolor circumvolatatque L uctus
Lugubri salvere jubemus Omn emVoce catervam.
Figor, etvultu sedethorror exspes,
10 Tela dum torques, pen itusque cordeCopulavuln us ten erum resectfi.
Sedit in imo .
O brutus n on dmn timeo procellas
Jamque secur um ferit, etsacratum
l 5 Den sior circa caput atriorque
Ingruitimber .
175
176 ENGLISH PO E T RY PO R TRANSL ATIO N .
(SAPPH I O S . )
(10) A n d Thou, grim Power, by‘
life abhorred,While life a pleasure can afford,O h hear a wretch’
s prayer
No more I shrin k appal l’d, afraid,
5 I court,I begthy frien dly aid,
To close this scen e of care !
When shall my soul in silen t peace
R esign life’s joyless dayMy weary heart'its thr obbin g cease,
10 Cold, moul d’rin gin the clay
N o fear mor e, n o tear more,To stain my lifeless face
E n clasped, an d grasped,Within thy cold embrace
BURN s.
178 EN GL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
(SAPPHICS . )
(l l ) Distracted with care
For Phyllis the fair ,Sin ce n othin g can move her,Poor Damon
,her lover ,
5 R esolves in despai r
No lon ger to lan guish ,
N or bear so much an guish 3But, mad w ith his love,To a precipice goes,
10 Where a leap from aboveWould soon fin ish his woes.
When in rage he came there,Beholdin g how steepT he sides did appear
,
15 A n d the bottom how deep 3H is tormen ts projectin g,A n d sadly reflectin g,That a lover forsakenA n ew love may get,
20 Buta n eck when on ce brokenC an n ever be set;
A n d, that he coul d die
When ever he w oul d,
Butthat he could live25 Butas lon g as he cou ld 3How grievous soeverT he tormen t might grow
,
He scor n’d to en deavour
To fin ish it so .
30 Butbold,un con cern
’d
A tthoughts of the pain ,H e calmly r etur n ’
(I
To his cottage again .
WAL SH .
LA T IN LYR ICS .
LX X X I .
(S APPHI O S . )
(11) Distracted with care.
”- WAI.S II .
Phyllida in felix sibi n on moven dam
DeperitDamon 3 face dum puellae
N il spei dan tismale maceratur 3N on tulit aeger
5 Vuln us ; imman es furialis arces
S can dit, in praeoeps, meditan s, ruina
.2) S esuper facta, subituI n dolori
Queerere fin em.
J am puer n actus soopulos frequen ti
10 Cote dejectus etacuta leto
Saxa etimmen sum stupuitpr ofun dum
Queis sibi visie
C ogi
tattr istis, stimul os recen sen s,Posse amatorem n ova ferre vin cla,
15 N ec tamen cervice caput refracté.
Posse repon i ;
E tdar i mortem sibi se volen te,E sse sed quan tum dederin t S oror es
C uique viven dum. Pudet in de caepti
20
C rescatin pejus dolor, atferen dus
Virque jam con stan s' an imo, dolore
Fortiter spreto, ten ues requirit
Ille Pen ates.
180 EN GLISH PO E T RY PO R TRAN SLATION .
LX XX II .
(S APPH IO S . )
(12) on yon der swellin g bush,Bigwith man y a cOmin grose,This early bud began to blush,A n d did buthalf itself disclose3
5 I plucked it, though n o better grown ;A n d n ow you see how full it’s blown 3Still as I did the leaves in spire,With such a pu rple light they shon e,
A s if they had been made of fire,10 A n d spreadin g so woul d flame an on .
A ll that was mean t by air an d sun,
To the youn g flower my breath has don e.
If on e loose breath so much can do,What may the same in forms of love,
15 O f purest love an d music too,When Flavia it aspires to move ?When that, which lifeless buds persuadesTo wax more soft
,her youth in vades
WALLER .
182 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRANSLATION .
LXX XI II.
(n ames )
(13) An cien t dame, how wide an d vast,To a race like ours appears,
R oun ded to an orb atlast,Al l thy mul titude of years
5 We, the herd of human kin d,Frailer an d of feebler powers 3
We, to n ar row boun ds con fin ed,Soon exhaust the sum. of ours.
Death’s delicious ban quet we
10 Perish even from the womb,Swifter than a shadow flee,
N ourish’d butto feed the tomb .
Seeds ofmerciless disease
Lurk in al l that we en joy 315 Some that waste us by degrees,
Some that sudden ly destroy.
An d if life o’er leap the bourn
Common to the son s ofmen,
What remain s, butthat we mourn ,20 Dream,
an d dote, an d dr ivel then ?
COWPER .
LATIN L YRICS . 183
LXX X III .
(A L OAIcs. )
(13)“ A n cien t dame, how wide an d vast.”—C OWPE R .
A n n osa, quan tos adn umeras tibi
Fastos stupemus, quale sumus gen us,Completa, totdum volvis an uos,O rbe suo tua saecla con di .
N os impoten ti de grege volvimur
A ngustiorem temporis in modum,
N os ten uiores, quosque vitae
Summa brevis miseros coé rcet.NOS O ptatescas, eque uter o rapit
In pr ole preedam Mors volucri magis
Umbrafugaces 3 crescit O rco
In que r ogos al itur propago .
Ipsaque morbi semen in estdape 3l 5 Hos pestis improvisa toll it,
Hos min uit mora lon ga tabis.
S in vita praescriptum superet, sen i
Fun esta deliran s sequatur
S omnia depereatque n ugas.
184 EN GLISH PO E T RY PO R TRANSLATION .
(AL OAIO S . )
(14) T he star that bids the Shepherd fold,N ow the top of heav’n doth hold .
An d the gilded car ofDay,His glowin g axle doth allay
5 In the steep A tlan tic stream,
A n d the Slope S un his upward beam
Shoots again st the dusky pole,Pacin g toward the other goal
O f his chamber in the E ast .
10 Mean while welcome J oy an d Feast,Midn ight Shout an d R evelry,Tipsy Dan ce, an d J O l lity,Braid your looks wi th r osy twin e,Droppin g odours, droppin g w in e.
15 R igour n ow is gon e to bed,A n d A dvice with scrupulous head,Str ict Age an d sour Severity
With their grave saws in slumber lie.
We that are of purer fire
20 Imitate the star ry quire .
MIL T O N .
186 ENGLISH PO ET RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
(A L OAI GS . )
’T is time this heart should be un moved,Sin ce others it hath ceased to move3
Yet, though I can n ot be beloved,Stil l letme love I
My days are in the yellow leaf 3T he flow
’rs an d fruits of love are gon e 3
T he worm,the cank er, an d the gr ief,
Ar e min e alon e
T he fire thaton my bosom preys
10 Is lon e as some volcan ic isle3N O torch is kin dled atits blaze
A fun eral pile.
LATIN LYR ICS . 187
(15)’T is time this hear t should be unmoved.
”- B.YBO N .
Budum moveri desieritsin us
Immobilem qui sen seritalterum
A st, ipse quamvis haud aman dus,Fas Sit amem. Periitjuven tae
5 Fl os omn is, aret pampin eum decus
E xsors racemo etpalmite meman et
E ruca robigoque solum ;Me dolor heu populan te pectus
Absumor ign i solus,inhospitaut
10 Sen tit Cyclopes in sula, n ec focis
Taedaemin istrat; solus ur or
Sic ego, S ic rogus ipse fio .
E NGL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
But’tis n '
otthus— an d ’tis n othere.
n or n ow
O r bin ds h is br ow .
Glory an d Greece, aroun d me see
Was n otmore free.
190 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SLATI O N .
LXXXVII .
(AL O AIcS . )
Sweet E cho, sweetest n ymph, that liv’stun seen ,
Within thy aery shell,By slow Mean der’s margen t green ,A n d in the violet - embroider’d vale,
5 Where the love- lorn n ightin gale
Nightly to thee her sad son g mourn eth wel lCan st thou n ot tell me of a gen tle pair
That likest thy Narcissus are
O h, if thou have
10 Hid them in some flow’ry cave,
Tell me butwhere,
Sweet queen of Parly, daughter of the Sphere,S O may
’stthou be tran slated to the Skies,
A n d give resoun din g grace to al l Heav’n
’s
harmonies.
MILT O N .
LAT IN L YR ICS .
LXXX VII.
(AL OA IO S . )
(17) S weet E cho, sweetest n ymph- that liv’stun seen .
”
O Nympha, testae dulce decus tuae,E cho, sub auras abdita, sen laten s
Quasegn eMsean dri fluen tis
R ipa viret, viO lwve pingun t5 Valles, amorem quaben e perditum
Decan tatAtthis n octe avis an potes
Narrare Narcissi ten ellam
Par juven um referen s figuram?
O , Si sub an tr o tu pueros mihi
10 Celas ro arum floribus O bsito,
Quo furta con dan tur looorum
Dic modo, dul cison ae loquelae
R egin a, oceli filia con cavi ;Sic rapta tan gas aethera, S ic son o
C rescan trepercusso Deorum
Carmin a,‘
bis placitura O lympo.
191
192 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRANSLATION .
LXXXVIII .
(ALOAI O S .)
(18) Start n ot—n or deem my spirit
In me behold the on ly skull
From which, un like a livin g head,Whatever flows is n ever dul l .
I lived, I loved, I quafl’d
,like thee 3
I died 3 letearth my bon es resign :
Fill up— thou can st n otin jure me 3
T he worm hath fouler lips than thin e.
Better to hold the sparkl in g grape,10 Than n urse the earth - worm’
s slimy brood 3A n d circle in the goblet’s shape
T he drin k of gods, than reptile’s food.
i194. ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
(ALCA ICS . )
(19) Where O n ce my wit, perchan ce, hath shon e,I n aid of others letme shin e 3
An d when ,alas our brain s are gon e,
What n obler substitute than win eQuaff while thou can st 3 an other race
,
When thou an d thin e,like me, are sped
,
May rescue thee from earth’s embrace,
A n d rhyme an d revel with the dead .
Why n o— sin ce through life’s little day10 O ur heads such sad effects produce,R edeem’
d from worms an d wastin g clay,This chan ce is their s
,to be of use.
BYR O N .
LATIN LYR ICS . 195
F’
estivu‘
s olim,n un c adero salis
Min ister 3 ex me prome facetiae
R estituatpotin s Faler n o
Dum fas, biben dum te quoque cum tuis,Uhn os, sepu ltum gen s n ova suscitet
A d vin a rursum barbiton que
C um tabe vermes,in que vitae
196 EN GLISH PO E T RY PO R TRAN SLAT ION .
X C .
(AL CA ICS . )
(20) When coldn ess wraps this su fferin g clay,
Ah ! whither strays the immortal min d ?It can n ot die, it can n ot stray,Butleaves its darken ’d dust behin d.
5 Then , un embodied, doth it traceBy steps each plan et’s heaven ly way
O r fil l aton ce the realms of Space,A thin g of eyes, that al l survey
E tern al, boun dless, un decay’d,
10 A thought un seen,but seein g all
,
A ll , al l in ear th, or skies display’d,
Shall it survey, shall it recall :
E ach fain ter trace that memory holds
So darkly of departed years,
15 In on e broad glan ce the soul beholds,An d al l , that was, aton ce appears.
BYRON .
198 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRANSLATION.
(ALCA ICS . )
(21) When Time, or soon or late, Shall brin g
T he dreamless sleep that lulls the dead,O blivion may thy lan guid win g
Wave gen tly o’er my dyin g bed !
5 N0 ban d of frien ds or heirs be there,T o weep or wish the comin g blow 3
No maiden , with dishevell’d hair
,
To feel,or feign , decor ous woe .
But Silen t letme sin k to ear th,
10 With n o O flicious mou r n er s n ear :
I would n otmar on e hour of mir th,
N or startle frien dship w ith a tear .
Yetlove, if love in such an hour
Could n obly check its useless Sighs,Might then exert its latest pow
’r
I n her who lives an d him who dies.
’Twere sweet,my Psyche to the last
T hy features still seren e to see :
Forgetful of its struggles past,
E ven pain itself should smile on thee.
BYR O N .
LATIN LYR ICS . 199
(ALCA ICS . )
(21) When T ime, or soon or late, Shall bring.
”—BYBO N .
O blivio quum serius ocyu S
N ox immin ebitquee Sin e somn iis
Ducat soporem,tu cubil e
as susurr o
5 A larum atabsin tqui socii flean t
Quique O ptethaeres fatamihi , etn urus,Sin cera quae, seu ficta ploran s,
S olvatad officium capillos .
S ed me sil en tem terra premat3 procul
10 Sit turba fletu sedula 3 n aen ia
N olite con victum,sodales
,
R umpere, n eve epulas in horam
Feedare atO si tum gemitus queat
Fren are in eptos for tis Amor , regat
S upremus ambos 3 base super stes
Pareat, hic mOr ien S , Amor i .
Psyche, seren a! preeteriti tibi
R ideretoblitus laborie
C um placido Dolor ipse vultu .
200 ENGLISH PO E T RY E O R TRANS LATION .
X CII .
(ALCA ICS . )
O n Lin den when the sun was low ,
A ll bloodl ess lay the un trodden sn ow,
An d dark' as W in ter was the flow
O f Iser , rollin g rapidly .
5 ButLin den saw an other sight,When the drum beat atdead of n ight
,
Comman din g fir es of death to light
T he darkn ess of her scen ery.
By torch an d trumpet fast arrayed,
10 E ach horseman drew his battle- blade,A n d furious every charger n eighed
,
T o join the dreadful revelry .
Then shook the hills w ith thun der riven ,Then rushed the steed to battle driven ,
15 An d louder than the bolts of heaven,
Far flashed the red artillery .
202 ENGLISH PO E T RY PO R TRANS LATION .
X CIII .
(ALCA ICS . )
Butredder yetthat light shall glow
O n Lin den ’s hills of stain ed sn ow ,
An d bloodier yetthe torren t flow
O f Iser , rollin g rapidl y.
5 ’T is morn,butscarce yon level sun
C an pierce the war - clouds, rollin g dun ,
Where fur ious Fran k, an d fiery Hun,
Shout in their sul ph’
rous can opy.
T he combat deepen s. O n, ye brave,
10 Who rush to glory, or the grave !
Wave, Mun ich I all thy ban n ers wave,A n d charge with al l thy chivalry
Few,few
,shall part where man y meet
T he sn ow shall be their win din g sheet,15 An d every turf ben eath their feet
Shall be a soldier’s sepulchr e.
CAMPBE LL .
L AT IN LYR ICS
X CIII.
(AL CA ICS . )
(23) (T he same
Mox erubescen s tetrior ign eoT ingetcruen tas osede n ives color
Mon tesque 3 jam torquen s Isara
S anguin eas pr operabitun das.
5 Vix eequa tollen s o-ra dies n eci
Fumum obvolutum rumpit,ubi S cythes
Gallique permisto furore
S ul fureae reboan t ten ebra .
Mars crescithastis, laurea seu vocat
10 S en quem cupressus 3Mun ichium viros,Vexilla pr ofer , n un c in hostem
Calcar , eques, preme, perge, miles.
E tot man iplis quan tula pars redit !
Nivale tegmen corpora quot virfim
15 Volvet, quot heroum tumesc’
en s
Relliquiis pI-
emet ossa caespes !
2 204 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
X CIV .
(ALCAI CS . )
Triumphal arch, that fil l’st sky,
When rain s begin to par t 3I ask n otproud philosophy
T o teach me what thou art.
5 Still seem,as to my boyhood
’s Sight,
A midway station given ,
For happy spir its to alight,Betvvixtthe E arth an d Heaven .
C an all that optics teach un f old
10 T hy form to please me so,
A S when I dreamt of gems an d gold
H id in thy radian t bow
When Scien ce from creation ’s face
E n chan tmen t’S veil withdraws,
15 What lovely vision s yield their placeTo cold material laws
$206 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRANSLATION .
X CV.
(AL C AI O S .
A n d yet, fair bow, n o fablin g dreams,Butwords of the Most High,Have told why fir st thy robe of beams
Was woven in the sky .
5 When o’er the green un delug
’d earth
Heav’n’s cov
’n an tthou didst shin e,
How came the world’s grey fathers forth,To watch thy sacred Sign .
A n d when its yellow lustre smiled
l o 0’er moun tain s yetun trod,
E ach mother held aloft her child
To bless the bow of God .
Methin ks, thy jubilee to keep,The fir st made an them run g
,
15 O n earth delivered from the deep,An d the first poet sun g.
LAT I N LYR ICS .
X C V.
(A LC A ICS . )
(25) (T he same con tin ued. )
N on , pulcher arcus, fabul a n asceris,
C ui testis A uctor n arrator igin es,E tveste cur cingas O lympum
Fulmin earadiisque textis.
5 Omen ren atis e refluo mar i
C oeleste terris ver r eferen s suum,
Utte, relictan ave, seecli
Fon s, veteres stupuere patres
Bisu ten en tem tum croceo juga
10 Vestigiorum n escia te, Dei
A roum, salutabat levato
A d supe‘
ras piamater auras
In fan te : credo, S O Spes ab aequore
T e terra pr imis laudibus extulit;15 N on an te ten tatis poetae
T e n umeris cecin ere primi .
2
208 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRANSLATION .
X CVI .
(ALCA ICS . )
(26) N or ever shall the muse’S eye
Un raptured greet thy beam
Theme of primeval prophecy,Be still the poet’s theme.
5 T he earth to thee her in cen se yields,T he lark her welcome sin gs
,
When , glitter in g in the freshen ed fields,T he sn owy mushroom spr in gs.
How glor ious is thy gir dle cast10 O ’
er moun tain,tow ’
r,an d town ,
O r mirror ’d in the ocean vast,
A thousan d fathoms down i
A S fresh in you hor izon dark,A s youn g thy beauties gleam,
15 A S when the eagle from the ark
Fir st sported in thy beam .
For , faithful to its sacred page,Heav
’n stil l rebuil ds thy span
,
N or lets the type grow pale with age,20 That first spoke peace to man .
CAMPBE LL .
210 ENGLISH PO E T RY E O E TRANSLATION .
X CVI I .
(ALCA ICS . )
(27) It is the day when he was born ,A bitter day that early san k
Behin d a purple - frosty ban k
O f vapour , leavin g n ight for lorn .
5 T he time admits n otflowers n or leaves
T O deck the ban quet . Fiercely flies
T he blast of n orth an d east, an d ice
Makes daggers atthe sharpen ed eaves,
An d bristles al l the brakes an d thorn s
10 T o you hard crescen t,as She han gs
A bove the wood which grides an d clan gs
Its leafless r ibs an d iron hor n s
Together , in the dr ifts that pass,T o darken in the r ollin g brin e
15 That breaks the coast . Butfetch the w in e,A rran ge the board, an d brim the glass 3
Brin g in great logs, an d letthem l ie,To make a solid core of heat 3Be cheerful - min ded, talk an d treat
20 O f al l thin gs e’en as he were by 3
We keep the day, w ith festal cheer,With books an d music. Sur ely weW il l dr in k to him, whate
’er he be,
A n d Sin g the son gs he loved to hear .
T ENN YSON .
LATIN LYR ICS . 211
X CVII .
(ALCAI CS . )
(27) “ Itis the day when he was born .
”- T E N NYS O N .
N atalis illi lux redit asperam
Matur ior vis . con diderat diem
Tin gen s pruin osos vaporesSole brevi
, viduan sque n octem
5 Luce. Haud rosarum tempus, egen trosisMen sae 3 sed E urus cum Boreafer oxBacchatur ; in spicata pen det
Stiria sub trabibus, rubosque
Vepresque O barmat3 dum rigeteethere
10 Phoebe r en ascen s,rostraquemugien s
Collisa cum ferri fragore et
Nuda fer o quatit ossa plan ctu
Sylva3 etprocellapraepete n ix salo
Delen da fertur can dida livido
15 T un den te aren as : sed biben dum,
Vin a l iques, n itean tque men ses ;
Ign is medul lam lign a super foco
Large repon en s exstrue 3 n ec min us
Sermon e festivo retractes
O mn ia, dan s cyathos amici,Tan quam hic, colen dus, quicquid erit
, suis
Con viva adesset: n eu requies lyree
Sit,n eve caps&
,dum can atur
Quod recin i placuissetipsi .
212 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRANSLATION .
X CVIII .
A SCLEPIADEAN GLYCONIC,
CARM. I .
Gay hope is fed,
Less pleasin g when possest
T he tear forgot as soon as Shed,T he sun shin e of the breast 3
T heir s buxom health of rosy hue,
An d lively cheer of vigour bor n 3T he thoughtless day, the easy n ight,T he spir its pure, the slumbers light,
10 That fly th’approach of mor n .
214 ENGLISH PO ETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
A SCL E PIA DEAN WIT H GL YCO N IC, C ARM. I .
A las regardless of their doom,
T he little victims play
N o sen se have they of ills to come,
N or care beyon d to - day 3
Yet see how all aroun d ’em wait
T he min isters of human fate,A n d black Misfor tun e’s baleful train
Ah Show them wherein ambush stan d,
To seiz e their prey, the ‘murd’rous ban d
A h tell them they are men .
LATIN LYR ICS . 215
Quan torum immemor es ln der e homun cul os
E n,human a premen s collaNecessitas,
E n,fun esta trahit Sors Fur ias, viam
C in gen s obsidiis un dique Quis sua
E rgo estqui pueris can at
Fata, O rcique min as il lacrymabilis,Human -amve homin es edoceatvicem,
T igresve hin n uleis in dicetasperas,Agn isque in sidias lupi ?
216 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION.
(A SCLEPIADEAN WITH GLYCONIC, CARM. I .
L o in the vale of years ben eath,A gr isly troop are seen ,
T he pain ful family of Death,More hideous than their Queen
This racks the join ts, this fires the vein s,T hat ev’
ry lab’rin gsin ew strain s
,
T hose in the deeper vitals rage 3L o Poverty, to fil l the ban d,
10 A n d slow - con sumin g Age.
ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
WITH GLYCONIC,HO R . CARM .
T o each his sufi’rings 3 all ar e men
Con demn ’d alike to gr oan ,
T h’un feelin g for his own .
Yetah why should they kn ow their fate,Sin ce sorrow n ever comes too late,A n d happin ess too swiftly flies
Thought woul d destroy their paradise.
No more 3 where ign oran ce is t s
LA T IN LYR ICS .
(A SCLEPIADE AN WI TH GLYCO N IC .)
(31) (The same contahmed . )
Sor tes quisque suas lege homin um dolet 3Nul li n on gemitus n on lacrymas dates 3
Quum tangan tten erum fata alien a, n ec
Expers ille molestiis,
5 Durus qui sua flet,n ec n isi quee sua.
C ur ergo properen tcrastin a n oscere ?
Nun quam sera n imis tr istis adest dies,Felix heu fuger e occupati
Quid plura? E lysium perditn r his suum,
10 Mis con sil iis : scir e quid expedit
Quos n escir e juvat ? Quid sapere estn isi
Delirare operosius
219
2 20 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRANSLATION .
CII .
(A S C L EPIADE AN HO R . O ARM. I .
(32) Ah, O selia where are n ow the charms
That did such won drous passion s move
Time, cruel time, those eyes disarms,A n d blun ts the feeble dar ts of Love.
5 What malice does the tyran t bear,To women
’s in terest, an d to our s
Beauties in which the public share,
T he greedy vill ain first devours.I
Who, without tear s, can see a prin ce,10 That train s of fawn in g cour tiers had,A ban don ’
(1,leftwithout defen ce
N or is thy hapless fate less sad.
222 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
CIII .
(ASCLEPIADEAN STAN Z A, H O R . CARM. I .
(33) S ee the ungrateful slaves, how fast
They from thy settin g glories run 3A n d in what crowds they haste
To worship Flavia’s r isin g sun I
5 In vain are al l the practis’d wiles,
In vain those eyes woul d love impart ;Not al l the advan ces, all the smiles,C an move on e un relen tin g heart .
10 By cruelty her cause main tain s3A n d scarce vouchsafes a careless smil e
To the poor Slaves that w ear her chain s.
Well, t a,letthem waste their tears 3
Butsure they will in firm repin e,15 That thou hast n ota face like hers,
O r She has n ota hear t like thin e.
WALSH.
LATIN LYR ICS .
CIII.
(A SCLEPIADE AN STAN Z A . )
(33) (T he same contin ued. )
S pern itturbaprocorum occidn as faces
Nun c in grata tuas, exor ien s imul
ProditFlavia sidus,Pron i in servitium n ovum.
5 N equicquam il lecebris sollicitas viros,In torquen s oculos ign ibus 3 han d prece,Haud risu potes un um
J am tor rere procax j ecur .
S ed fastu in terea Flavia rem levi
10 Dign atur gerere, etquos pueros ten et
Grate. compede, risu
T emn itlubr ica Flavia.
Quin perdan t, lacrymas, Coel ia3 sed brevi
Flebun tquod facies n on tibi man serit
15 Qual is color huic, aut
Huic n on qual e tibi jecur .
223
224 ENGLISH POETRY E O R TRAN SLATION .
(A SCLEPIADEAN HO R . CARM.
I come fr om haun ts of coot an d heme,
To bicker down a valley .
By twen ty thorps, a little town ,A n d half a hun dr ed br idges.
Then last by Philip’s farm I flow,To join the br immin g riv’er 3
ButI go on for ever I
T ENNYSON .
226 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
CV.
(A SCLEPIADEAN H O R . CARM. r.
(35) Tellin g how the Coun t A rn aldos,With his hawk upon his han d,
S aw a fair an d stately galley,Steerin g on ward to the lan d 3
5 How he heard the an cien t helmsman
Chan t a son g so wild an d clear,That the sailin g sea- bird slow ly
Poised upon the mast to hear .
Till his soul was ful l of lon gin g,10 An d he cried with impulse stron g,Helmsman for the love of heaven ,Teach me, too, that won drous son g
Woul dst thou,
”so the helmsman an swer
’d,
Learn the secret of the sea?
15 O n l y those who brave its dan gers
Comprehen d its mystery.
”
L O NGPELLO W.
LATIN LYR ICS . 227
C V.
(AS CLE PIADE AN STAN Z A .)
(35)“ T ellinghowthe C oun t Ar n al dos.
”—L O N GFE L L OW.
Ar n aldo comiti visa, refert, man u
Gestan ti accipitrem, quae fuer it ratis,R ecto l itora cursu
Pictis puppibus appeten s ;
5 sen ex quod can eretmelos
T iphys, tam liquidum ctlege caren s,larus
Utraden s iter alis
S taretlen tus in arbore
A uditurus ; athun o corda cupidin e
10 Percul sum, petiisse, etsuperos prece
Testatum, doceamur
Mir os n os etiam,modos
R ector .
”sen ior,
“visn emaris sacrum
Carmen scire ? O pus estexperiare aquas :
15 Ista ar can a patebun t
Unalege periculi .”
1228 ENGLISH POETRY E O R TRAN SLATION.
CVI .
(AL T E RN AT E A SCL E PIADEA N , HO R . CARM. I . 3.
To the ocean n ow I fly,
An d those happy climes that lie
Where Day n ever Shuts his eye,Up in the broad fields of the Sky :
5 There I suck the liquid air
All amidst the gar den s fair
O f Hesperus, an d his daughters thr eeThat sin g about the golden tree
Al on g the crisped shade an d bowers
1O R evels the spruce an d jocun d sprin g,
T he grace, an d the r osy - bosom’d hour s
,
Thither al l their boun ties brin g .
That there etern al summer dwells,An d west win ds with musky win g
15 A bout the cedar n al leys flin g
Nard,an d Cassia’s balmy smells.
Ir is there with humid bow
Waters the odorous ban ks, that blow
Flowers ofmore min gled hue
2O T han her purpled scarf can Show,
A n d dren ches with E lysian dew
(List, mortal s, if your ear s be true,)
Beds O f hyacin th an d roses,Where youn g A don is oft reposes,
230 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
25 Waxin g well O f his deep woun d
In slumber soft,an d on the groun d
Sadly sits th’ A ssyr ian queen 3Butfar above in Span gled Sheen
Celestial Cupid, her fam’d son
,advan c
’d,Holds his dear Psyche sweet in tran c’d
MILTON .
LATIN LYR IC S . 231
Hie fit (Si
Somn o
Distin ctos tetigitDeos.
2232 EN GLISH POETRY FO R. TRANSLATION .
CVII.
A SCLEPIADE AN,H O R . I .
(37) T he n ymph must lose her female frien d,Ifmore admired than she 3
Butwhere will fierce con ten tion en d,
If flowers can disagree ?
5 Within the garden ’s peaceful scen e
A ppear’d two lovely foes,A spir in g to the ran k of queen ,T he lily an d the rose .
The rose soon r edden’d in to rage,
10 An d, swellin g w ith disdain ,
A ppeal’d to man y a poet’s page,To pr ove her r ight to reign .
The S height bespoke comman d,A fair imperial flower 3 l
15 S he seem’d design’d for Flora’s l an d,
The sceptre of her power .
234 ENGLISH POETRY E O R TR ANSLATION .
CVIII.
(AL TERN ATE A SCLEPIADEAN , I .
This civil bickerin g an d debate
T he goddess chan ced to hear,
A n d flew to save, ere yettoo late,T he pride of the par terre 3
5 Your s is, She said, the n obler hue,A n d your s the statelier mien
An d, till a third surpasses you,
L eteach be deem’d a queen .
Thus, soothed an d recon cil’d,each seeks
10 T he fairest Br itish fair 3T he seat of empir e is her cheeks,They reign un ited there.
COWPE R .
LATIN LYR ICS . 235
CVIII .
(AL T E RN AT E
(38) (T he same con tin ued. )
Compon i properatmin asPreesen s pace suaFlora subaudien s
Tan tas, n e pereat decusC ultis
, si fuer it segn ior , hortulis.
Quan to,
” in quit,“
.color est tibi
Praestan s, tan to apices imperiosius
T u jactas situtrique idem
R egn um, dummelior vin catutrumque hon os.
”
Pacatis ben e con ven it
10
Formosissima quaeque cr it
A nglarum, etsociare imperia in gen es.
236 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
C IX .
(ALTERNATE A SCL E PIADEAN, HO R . CARM. I .
(39) Sabrin a fair ,Listen where thou artSittin g
Un der the glassy, cool, tran slucen t wave,In twisted braids of lilies kn ittin g
5 The loose train of thy amber - droppin g hair ;Listen for dear hon our’S sake,Goddess of the silver lake.
Listen an d save.
Listen an d appear to us
10 In n ame of great O cean us,
By th’earth - shakin g Neptun e’s mace,
A n d Tethys’ grave majestic pace,By hoary Nereus
’wrin kled look,
An d the Carpathian w izard’s hook,*
15 By scaly Tr iton ’s win din g Shell
,
A n d old soothsayin g Glaucus spell ,By Leucothea
’s lovely han ds
,
A n d her son that rul es the stran ds.
Hook” here foll ows up the pastoral an alogy, in modern E nglish“crook,
”L atin ped/u/m, Virg. B ucol . v. 88. T he wiz ard
”is Proteus ;
comp. Georg. iv. 387, 395.
EN GL I SH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
C X .
A LTERNATE A SCLEPIADEAN, HO R . CARM . , I . 3.
(40) By Thetis’ tin sel - S lipper
’d feet,A n d the son gs of Siren s sweet,By dead Parthen ope
’s dear tomb,
A n d fair L igea’S golden comb,
5 Wh erewith She Sits on diamon d rocks,Sleekin g her softallurin g locks,By al l the n ymphs that n ightly dan ce
Upon thy streams with wily glan ce,R ise, rise, an d heave thy rosy head
10 From thy coral - paven bed,An d bridl e in thy headlon g wave,Till thou our summon s an swer’d have.
Listen an d save.
MILTON .
LAT IN LYR IC S .
OX .
(ALTERN AT E A SCLEPIADEAN .)
(40) (T he same con tin ued.)
T e plan tas Thetis oblitaAr gen to, etliquids. voce son an tium
Siren um moveatmelos 3T eflectan ttumul i Parthen ope
'
ii,
5 Sedes heu tibi flebiles 3Flectatcum terati crin e L ige
‘
ium
Pecten , quo n itetaureo
In siden s soopulis pulchr a adaman tin is.
Per pulsata choris vada
10 N octu N aiadum, perque oculos putres,O ramus, roseum e specu
Strato curaliis surge levan s caput,In jectoque procacibus
Fren o vorticibus, dum fueris preci
15 R espon sura vocan tium,
Exaudi, fer opem Supplicibus, dea.
239
2 240 E NGLI H PO E T RY PO R TRAN SLATION .
C X I .
(HIPPONACTEAN , HO R . C ARM. II .
T he sun is bright, the air is clear,T he dartin g Swallows soar an d sin g,
An d from the stately elms I hear
T he blue bir d prophesyin g sprin g .
5 S O blue yon win din g river flows,It seems an outlet from the sky 3
There waitin g till the west win d blows,T he freighted clouds atan chor lie.
Al l thin gs are n ew ; the birds, theleaves,10 That gil d the elm tree’s n oddin g crest,A n d even the n est ben eath the eaves3There are n o birds in last year’s n est l
242 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
CXI I.
(HIPPONAC TEAN , H O R . CARM. II . 18.
(42) A ll thin gs rejoice in youth an d love,T he ful n ess of their fir st delight !
An d learn from the soft heaven s above
T hemeltin g ten der n ess of n ight .
5 Maiden , that read’stthis simple rhyme,
E n joy thy youth, it will n otstay 3E n joy the fragran ce of thy prime,For oh it is n otalwaysMay
E n joy the Spr in g of love an d youth,
10 To some good an gel leave the rest 3For time will teach thee soon the truth
,
T here are n o bir ds in last year’s n est
L O N GPEL LOW.
LAT IN LYRIC S .
C XII .
(HIPPO N A C TEAN .)
(42) (T he same con tin ued.)
Plen aamore gestiun t
Dulcedin e, exultan tque cun cta, prima;Auspice etFavon io
Vel n octe molli moll iora fiun t.
5 Quae rudes legismodos,Virgo, juven tam carpe tn fugacem 3
Carpe tempus hoc fragran s,Ver etVen us n on men se regn at omn i.
Flos Amorque (caetera
10 Permitte Divis) horn us estfruen dus 3‘
In stathoratemon cus
A n n otin os jam n il fovere n idos.
243
241 EN GLISH POETRY RO R TRAN SLATION .
CX III .
(LON G A SCL E PIADEAN, HO R . CARM. I .
(43) 0 ft in the stilly n ight,E re Slumber’s chain has boun d me,
Fon d memory brin gs the light
O f other days aroun d me 3
T he smiles, the tears, of boyhood’s years
,
T he words of love then Spoken 3T he eyes thatshon e
,n ow dimmed an d gon e,
T he cheerful hearts n ow broken .
When I remember al l
10 T he frien ds,so lin ked together
,
I’ve seen aroun d me fall,Like leaves in win try weather 3
I feel like on e who treads alon e
Some ban quet - hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled,whose gar lan d’s dead
A n d al l buthe departed
MO O R E .
246 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATION .
CX IV
(AR CHILOCHIAN , N O . 1, HO R . I .
(44) R iver, that roll estby the an cien t walls,Where dwells the lady ofmy love, when she
Walks by thy br in k, an d there perchan ce recalls
A fain t an d fleetin g memory ofme 35 What if thy deep an d ample str eam Should be
A mirror ofmy heart, where She may read
T he thousan d thoughts I n ow betray to thee,Wild as thy wave, an d headl on g as thy speed
BYR ON .
LATIN LYR ICS . 247
(AR CHILO CHIAN , N O . 1.
R iver, that rol lestby the an cien t wal ls.”—BYB.O N .
Heus, fluvie, an tiquequi labere subter arce, n ostras
Sedes amatas al luen s puel lee,Huic, quan doque vagee ad ripas, Si forte
“corda imago
Nostri revisetmobil is fugaxque ;5 S is, quidn i
‘
? Speculum,dum defluis arbiter pro
fun dus,S uspiriorummil le, mil le amorum :
Auspice te legat il la fera vorticum fur ore
Haec corda etun dis aestuosiora !
ENGL ISH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLAT IO N .
C X V
(AR CHILOCHIAN , N o. 2, H O R . CARM. 1v.
(45) Bright be the place ofthy soul !
No lovelier Spirit than thin e
E ’er bur st from its mortal con trol,I n the orbs of the blessed to Shin e.
5 O n earth thou wer t al l butdivin e,A s thy soul shall immor tally be 3
A n d our sor row may cease to repin e,When we kn ow that thy God is with thee.
Light be the turf of thy tomb
10 May its verdure like emeralds be :
There should n otbe the Shadow of gloom
In aught that remin ds us of thee.
Youn g flow’rs an d an evergreen tree
May Sprin g from the spot of thy rest
15 Butn or cypress n or yew letus see ;
For why Shoul d we mourn for the blest
BYRO N .
250 ENGLISH PO E T RY EO R TRANS LATION .
CXVI .
(T RIME TE R AND DIME TE R IAMBIC H O R . E FO D. I . 10.
(46) S he leftthe n ovel hal f un cut
Upon the rosewood shelf ;She leftthe n ew pian o Shut
,
S he coul d n otplease herself.
5 Then ran she, gamesome as the colt,
An d livelier than the lark
S he sen t her voice thr o’ al l the holt
Before her, an d the park .
A light win d chased her on the win g,10 A n d in the chase grew wil d
,
A s close asmight he would he clin g
About the dar lin g child.
T ENN YSON .
LATIN LYR ICS. 251
(TR IMETER AN D DIME T E R IAMBIC .)
(46) She left the n ovel half un cat.”—T ENNYS ON .
Parte irresectam liquit illa fabulam
Capsarepostam citrea3
In tacta plectra, clausum ebur liquitn ovum,
Discors sibique displicen s.
5 T um fugit ipse. tr imaequaprocacior,Ipsasque alaudas provocan s 3Luden s per omn e voce preemissan emus,A rbusta rumpen s carmin e .
Mox aura praepes in volare gestiit
10 In virgin em, etfactus fuga
Ferox amabatdulce complexu caput
Fovere quam potissimum.
252 EN GLISH PO E T RY PO R TRAN SL ATION .
CXVI I .
(TR IMET ER AN D DIMETER IAMBIC HO R . E PO D. I . x. )
(47) Butlight as an y win d that blows,So fleetly did She stir,
T he flower, She touch’d on dipt an d rose,
An d turu’d to look ather .
5 A n d here she came, an d roun d me play’d,
A n d san g to me the whole
O f those three stan zas that you made
A bout my gian t bole 3”
A n d in a fitof frolic mir th
10 S he strove to Span my waist 3A las, I was so broad of girth,I coul d n otbe embraced.
I wish’d myself the fair youn g beech
That here besideme stan ds,15 That roun d me, claspin g each in each,
Shemight have lock’d her han ds.
T EN NYSON .
54 ENGLISH PO E T RY FO R TRAN SLATION .
CXVI II.
(THE DACTYLO - TROCHA IC O E H O R . I .
(48) Go, lovely rose,Tell her that wastes her time an d me,That n ow she kn ows,When I r esemble her to thee,
5 How sweet an d fair She seems to be.
Tell her that’s youn g,An d shun s to have her graces spied,That hadst thou Sprun g
In deserts where n o men abide,10 Thou must have un commen ded died .
LAT IN L YR ICS . 255
C XVIII .
I,rosa
,
Perdito n os tempore, tu pulchramon e,Quam sitamata n obis
,
256 EN GLISH POETRY FO R TRAN SLATIO N .
(49) Small is the worth
O f beauty from the light retired .
Bid her come forth
S ufi'
er herself to be desired,5 A n d n otblush so to be admired .
Then die 3 that sheT he common fate of al l thin gs rareMay read in thee,
How small a part of time they share,10 That are so won drous sweet an d fair .
WAL L E R .
258 ENGLISH POETRY FO R TRANSL ATION .
(H EN DE C A S YLL AR I C S , CATULL . I . )
daughter of Locrin e,Sprun g of old A n chises’ lin e,May thy
'
brimmed waves for this
Their full tribute n ever miss,
5 From a thousan d petty r ills
That tumble dow n the sn owy hills
Summer dr ought or sin ged air
Never scorch thy tresses fair,N or wet O ctober’s torren t flood
10 T hy molten crystal fil l with mud
May thy billows roll ashor e
T he beryl an d the golden ore 3
May thy lofty head be crown ed
With man y a tower an d terrace roun d,
A n d here an d there, thy ban ks upon ,With groves ofmyrrh an d cin n amon .
MILTON .
LATIN LYR ICS . 259
C XX .
(HEN DE CA SYLL ABICS . )
Virgin daughter of L ocrin e.
”—MI I.T O N .
O rta An chisiadis patre etLucrin o
Virgo, sic latices scaten te ripa
O b tale oflicium fluan tperen n es,Mill e etfon ticuli e jugis n ivosis
5 Un darum tibi con feran ttr ibuta
Sic n un quam populetcomas decen tes
A rden s Sir ius a stuan te coelo :
N ec fuso lutulen tus imbre fadet
O ctober vada puriora vitr o
10 Aur o ripa n atet, foran t beryllum
Un da 3 sten t capiti coron a celsa
A r ces etspatia etter amplus agger :
Sin t r ipis Ar abum arboreta odora
Sparsa, etcin n ama, myrteaque sylva .
260 EN GLISH POETRY E O R TRAN SLATION .
CXX I .
(51) Un dern eath this myrtle Shade,O n flowery beds supin ely laid,With odorous O ils my head o
’erflowing,
A n d aroun d it roses growin g,
5 What shoul d I do butdrin k away
T he heat an d troubles Of the day ?In this more than kin gly state,Love himself shall on me wait .
Fill tome,Love
,n ay, fill it up 3
10 A n dmin gled cast in to ‘ the cup
Witan dmirth an d n oble fir es,
Vigorous health an d gay desires.
COWLEY .
C:
W2 ENGLISH POETRY EO R TRAN SLATION.
(52) Far in the bosom of the deep,0 ’er these wild Shelvesmy watch I keep 3
A ruddy gem of chan geful light,Boun d on the dusky brow of n ight :
5 T he seaman bidsmy lustre hail,An d scorn s to strike his timorous sail.
S COTT.
LATIN LYR ICS . 263
264 EN GLISH POETRY E O R TRANSLATION .
CXX III .
(53) Come live with me, an d bemy love,A n d we will al l the pleasures pr ove,That valleys, gr oves, or hil ls, or field,O r woods an d steepy moun tain s yield .
5 Where we will Sit upon the rocks,A n d see the Shepherds feed our flocks,By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds Sin g madr igals.
A n d I will make thee beds of roses,10 An d then a thousan d fragran t posies,A cap of flowers, an d akir tle
Embroider’d all with leaves ofmyr tle.
A gown made of the fin est wool,Which from our pretty lambs we pull 3
l 5 Slippers lin ed choicely for the cold,With buckles of the purest gold.
A belt of straw an d ivy- buds,
With coral Clasps an d amber studs 3An d if these pleasur es may thee move,
20 Come live with me, an d be my love.
MARLOW.
10
15
20
E N GL I SH PO E T RY FO R T RAN SLA T IO N .
If al l the world an d love wereyoun g,A n d truth in every Shepherd’S ton gue,These pretty pleasur es might me move
To live w ith thee an d be thy love.
Buttime dr ives flocks from field to fold,When rivers rage an d rocks grow cold 3Then Philomel becometh dumb,A n d age complain s of care to come.
T he flowers do fade an d wan ton fields
T O wayward win ter reckon in g yields 3A hon ey ton gue, a hear t of gall,I s fan cy’s spr in g, butsor row
’s fall .
T hy gown s, thy Shoes, thy beds of roses,T hy cap, thy kirtle, an d thy posies,Soon break, soon wither , soon forgotten
I n folly r ipe,in reason rotten .
T hy belt of straw an d ivy- buds,
T hy coral Clasps an d amber studs
Al l these in me n o mean s can move
To come to thee an dbe thy love.
R ALEIGH .
10
L AT IN LYR ICS .
GE N .
(541)“ If al l the world an d love were young.
" — R AL E IGH .
Si floreretAmor recen te saclo,
N ec fall ax foret n l lus ore pastor ,Bellis S ic ego forte capta don is
Tecum vivere amore jun cta amarem.
S ed grex tempore septa adit relictis
Pratis, flumin e saxa quum Obstrepen te
Frigen t3 tum Philomela con ticescit,
E tcuras queritur sen ex futuras.
C eu defloruitan te ager protervus,Pen di quum sibi vult hiems tributa3S ic quoi mel fluatore, felqu
‘
e corde,A uctumuo dolet, an te vern a fingen s.
Vestes, calceolos, toros rosarum
Istos, fascicul os, pepla, atquemitram,15 fi tas perduitimmemorque tol lit3
R iden t hac stolidis, catis putrescun t.
Z on a e stramin e gemmulis corymbi
Picto, curaliisque juncta etapta
E l ectro estn ihili : haud movebor istis.
20 In vota utven iam atque amore jun gar .
267
N .B.- These Exercises, for the con ven ien ce alike
of teachers an d studen ts, may be had either with
the tran slation s an d tran slated passages facin g each
other on opposite pages in the same volume 3 or the
E n glish wholly in a Separate volume, an d the Greek
an d Latin tran slation s desired, a Tutor’s
Key by themselves.
HARRILD, PRIN T E R , L O N DO N .
