Letters Concerning Poetical Translations Part 4

_I am_, SIR, _&c._

_P.S._

The Pa.s.sage in the learned _Muhlius_, which I should have inserted at the beginning of this Letter, I send you in a Postscript. You have seen it before, but it is worth reading more than once. You know it belongs princ.i.p.ally to the Article that treats of _the varying the Pause_.

"Neque potest unus idemque semper tenor in carmine usurpari, sed debet is pro varia periodorum Poeticarum ratione distingui. Et ut insurgat decore & intumescat aliquando, iterumque remittat, ubi opus est, consequimur caesorum ac periodorum sola inaequalitate. Quod pulcerrime observat _Virgilius_, cujus alia mensura, alia pedum compositio est in narrationibus, descriptionibus, orationibus, & tanta periodorum numerorumque variatio, ut ad eam perfectionem nihil addi possit. Hujus rei quanta negligentia in _Statio_, _Lucano_, _Claudiano_, _Silio Italico_? Ubi admirabilis illa harmonia, suavitas, gravitas ipsorum pedum aequaliter, inaequaliter temperatorum, per clausulas verborum fractorum, ac intra regiones suas aliter aliterq; interceptorum? Ut de junctura illa literarum nihil addam, c.u.m vocales ac consonantes ipsaeque syllabae ita miscentur, ut rei naturam tam apte jucundeque exprimant, ut ea _geri_ potius quam _cani_, _spectari_ magis quam _audiri_ videatur.

Talia infinita sunt apud _Virgilium_, quae captum imperitorum longe excedunt, doctiores vero & prudentiores impense admirantur; quae nihil tritum, vulgare, hiuclum nihil elumbe ac contortum patiuntur, at nescio quid virile & stupendum plane, ac majus humana voce videntur sonare. _Claudia.n.u.s_ certe istud fastigium non attingit, & quod in _Maroniana_ dictione, in illa periodorum ac numerorum varietate praeclarum putamus, vix est, ut ejus vel levem umbram ostentet. Sic eadem semper oberrat chorda, quod ridiculum existimat magnus iste dicendi magister."

LETTER IV.

_SIR_,

[Sidenote: IV.]

The fourth thing to be consider'd is, _Virgil_'s _mixing the Singular and Plural Numbers_. This has a wonderful Effect, and is very diligently attended to by _Virgil_; but I believe never once thought of by _Ovid_, or any other _Roman_ Writer in the Days of _Augustus_.

"_Quid faciat laetas_ Segetes, _quo sidere_ terram _Vertere, Maecenas, ulmisque adjungere_ vites, _Conveniat: quae cura boum, qui cultus habendo Sit_ pecori, apibus _quanta experientia parcis_.

Here you have _segetes_ and _terram_, and then _vites_, and after that _pecori_ and _apibus_.

Again,

"--_Camposque, & flumina late Curva tenent: ut molle_ siler, _lentaeque_ genistae, Populus, & _glauca canentia fronde_ Salicta.

_Pars autem posito surgunt de semine: ut altae_ Castaneae; _nemorumq; Jovi quae maxima frondet_ Esculus, _atque habitae Graiis oracula_ quercus.

Here are _Siler_ and _Genistae_, _Populus_ and _Salicta_, _Castaneae_ and _Esculus_, and _Quercus_.

Again,

"Arma Virumque _cano, Trojae qui primus ab oris_ Italiam, _fato profugus_, Lavinaque _venit_ Litora. _Multum ille &_ terris _jactatus &_ alto, _Vi_ Superum _saevae memorem_ Junonis _ob iram.

Multa quoq; & bello pa.s.sus, dum conderet_ urbem, _Inferretque_ Deos _Latio_: genus _unde Latinum Albanique_ patres, _atque altae moenia Romae_.

These _two first Words_ of the _aeneid_ are an Example of what I am taking notice of; and then we have in this Introduction _Italiam_ and _Litora Lavina_, _Terris_ and _Alto_, _Superum_ and _Junonis_, _Urbem_ and _Deos_, _Genus_ and _Patres_.

But the most beautiful Pa.s.sage of this Nature is in the _Georgics_.

Here the thing to be done, and the Instrument with which it is to be done, are varied alternately.

"_Quod nisi & a.s.siduis_ terram _insectabere_ rastris, _Et_ sonitu _terrebis_ aves, _& ruris opaci_ Falce _premes_ umbras, votisq; _vocaveris_ imbrem.

Terram _rastris_, sonitu _aves_, falce _umbras_, votis _imbrem_.

Upon which _La Cerda_ makes this Remark:

"_Placet_ Virgilius _semper, sed cur placeat saepe ignoratur. In rebus quatuor recensendis numquam pluralem c.u.m plurali, neque singularem c.u.m singulari, quod minus ad varietatem: sed semper c.u.m singulari pluralem. Unica terra multis rastris insectanda est, unica pluvia multis votis petenda. Contra, multae aves terrendae unico sonitu, multae umbrae unica falce compescendae._"

Now in _Ovid_ nothing of this Art is to be found.

"_Ante_ mare & tellus, _& (quod tegit omnia)_ coelum, _Unus erat toto naturae_ vultus _in orbe, Quem dixere_ chaos: _rudis indigestaque_ moles, _Nec quicquam nisi_ pondus _iners_.

Here are _Mare_, _Tellus_, _Coelum_, _Vultus_, _Chaos_, _Moles_, and _Pondus_, without any one word of the Plural Number amongst them.

V. The next Particular to be taken notice of, is _Virgil_'s uncommon Use of the Particles _Et_ and _Que_.

"--_Multum ille_ et _terris jactatus_ et _alto_; _Multa quoque_ et _bello pa.s.sus_-- Et _premere_, et _laxas sciret dare jussus habenas_.

And more frequently in his most finish'd Piece.

_Quid tibi odorato referam sudantia ligno.

Balsama_que, et _Baccas_-- _Quod nisi_ et _a.s.siduis terram insectabere rastris_, Et _sonitu terrebis aves_, et _ruris opaci Falce premes umbras, votis_que _vocaveris imbrem.

Si vero viciam_que _seres, vilem_que _Faselum_.

This Manner of using these connecting Particles, gives Majesty and Strength to the Verse. It gives Majesty, because it occasions Suspense and raises the Attention. For Example:

_Si vero Viciam_que _seres_--

Here the _que_ hinders the Sense from being concluded, till you have read the rest of the Line,

--_Vilemque Faselum._

But if the Poet had writ (supposing the Verse would have allowed it)

_Si vero Viciam seres_--

the Reader would have understood him without going any farther; and it is easily perceiv'd the Verse would have been very flat to what it is now. This double Use of the Particles gives Strength to the Verse; because, as the Excellent _Erythraeus_ observes, the copulative Conjunctions are in Language of the same Use as Nerves in the Body, they serve to connect the Parts together; so that these Sorts of Verses which we are speaking of may be very properly called, Nervous Lines.

This Art _Virgil_ most certainly learnt from _Homer_: for there is nothing more remarkable in _Homer_'s Versification, nothing to which the Majesty of it is more owing, than this very thing, and I wonder none of his Commentators (that I have seen) have taken notice of it.

There are four in the 23 first Lines of the Iliad, of this Kind. I will put the _Latin_ for the sake of the generality of Readers.

_Atrides_que, _rex virorum,_ et _n.o.bilis Achilles.

Redempturus_que _filiam, ferens_que _infinitum pretium liberationis, Atridae_que, et _alii bene ocreati Achivi, Reverendum_que _esse sacerdotem,_ et _splendidum accipiendum pretium_.

Clarke's _Translation_.

VI. I come now to the _Collocatio Verborum_, of which there is no occasion to give any more than one Instance:

"_Vox quoque per lucos vulgo exaudita silentes_ Ingens.--

The Reader cannot but perceive that the Manner of placing _Ingens_ has a wonderful Effect; it makes him hear the melancholy Voice _groan through the Grove_.

VII. The _changing the common p.r.o.nunciation of Words_, as thus: