Letters Concerning Poetical Translations Part 7

"_Caudam_ Cristamque--

Lastly, The full Rhyme in the fourth Line makes the whole Paragraph very harmonious. It is not improper to produce here the Conclusion of the Description of _aeolus_'s Cave, which is one of the finest Pa.s.sages in the _aeneid_.

"_Sed pater omnipotens spelunc_is _abdidit at_ris _Hoc metuens_, mo_lemque &_ mo_ntis insuper altos Imposu_it, _regemque ded_it, _qui foedere certo Et premere, & lax_as _sciret dare jussus haben_as.

Would not any body think that _Vanerius_ intended to vie with _Virgil_ in this Place?

October 2. 1736.

_I am_, SIR, _&c._

_P.S._

The Examples I have given in this Letter of _plain direct Rhyme_ are only in _long_ or _heroic_ Verse, but I might have instanc'd in _Lyric Lines_. _Horace_ abounds in Rhyme. In the first Ode we find

_Metaque fervidis Evitata rotis Palmaque n.o.bilis Illum si proprio Condidit horreo_

and several others.

In two of his finest Odes the following Lines are as full Rhymes as can possibly be made,

_Nec venenatis Gravida sagittis Pone me Pigris Ubi nulla campis Arbor aestiva Recreatur Aura Aut in umbrosis Heliconis Oris Aut super Pindo Gelidove in Haemo._

The two last are doubly rhym'd.

LETTER V.

_SIR,_

I am now to consider _Milton_'s Versification under the same Heads as I have considered _Virgil_'s, so far as there is Opportunity of doing it.

I. To begin with _The Varying of the Pause_, which is the Soul of all Versification in all Languages. Verse is Musick, and Musick is more or less pleasing as the Notes are more or less varied, that is, raised or sunk, prolonged or shortned. In order to judge of the varying of _English_ Versification, I first endeavour'd (as I have already said, with respect to the _Latin_) to find out the common Pause in _English_ Verse, that is, where the Voice naturally makes some sort of Stop when a Verse is read. To this purpose I look'd into Mr. _Cowley_'s _Davideis_ (for it would be of no use to quote such Authors as _Quarles_ and _Ogilby_, who never had any Reputation for Poetry; but this Gentleman has been stil'd, and is at present recorded in _Westminster-Abbey_, as _Anglorum Pindarus_, _Maro_, _Flaccus_) and there I soon found the common Pause to be upon the last Syllable of the second Foot. For Example:

"I sing the Man who _Judah_'s Sceptre bore In that Right-hand, which held the Crook before; Who from best Poet, best of Kings _did_ grow: The two chief Gifts Heav'n could on Man bestow.

Much Dangers first, much Toil did he sustain, Whilst _Saul_ and h.e.l.l crost his strong Fate in vain.

Nor did his Crown less painful Work afford--

Here we have seven Lines, and all of them, except the third, paus'd in the same place.

Thus I discovered from _Cowley_ in _English_ what I perceived from _Ovid_ in _Latin_. I then turned to the _Paradise Lost_, and there I found _Milton_ even surpa.s.ses _Virgil_ in this particular. _Virgil_ uses the common Pause at the fifth Line of the _Georgicks_, but _Milton_ does not use it till he comes to the sixth Line in his _Paradise Lost_.

"Of Man's first Disobedience and the Fruit Of that forbidden Tree whose mortal Taste Brought Death into the World and all our Woe, With Loss of _Eden_ 'till one greater Man Restore us and regain the blissful Seat, Sing Heavenly Muse --

It would be needless to produce more Examples to this purpose; and I believe I may venture to affirm that the Verse is varied at least with as much Skill in the _Paradise Lost_, as even in the _Georgick_ itself: I am inclinable to think with more, because in this respect the _English_ Language surpa.s.ses the _Latin_, by reason of its Monosyllables, of which I have said enough for any body at all versed in these Matters, to be able to make out what is here advanc'd. But before I quit this Article, I will observe that it is to the artful and uncommon varying the Pause, that the Harmony is owing in those two celebrated Lines of Sir _John Denham_.

"Tho' deep yet clear; tho' gentle yet not dull.

Strong without Rage, without o'erflowing full.

This is one of those Mysteries in Versification which the late Duke of _Bucks_ would not suffer Mr. _Dryden_ to communicate to the Publick.

To the same Art is owing the Delicacy of two of the finest Lines in all the _Latin_ Tongue.

"_Te dulcis conjux te solo in littore sec.u.m, Te veniente die te decedente canebat._

Of the same Nature are many Lines in _Milton_, of which this is one:

"Him first Him last Him midst and without End.

II. I come now to the second Particular: _The Inversion of the Phrase_. Every Page affords Instances of this Nature.

"--Him the Almighty Pow'r Hurl'd headlong flaming from the ethereal Sky.

Again,

"--Up stood the Corny Reed Embattell'd in her Field.--

Again,

"--Him the most High Rapt in a balmy Cloud with winged Steeds Did, as thou saw'st, Receive.

And in one of _Milton_'s juvenile Poems we have

"Trip the pert Fairies.--

And,

"Revels the spruce jocund Spring.

_Comus._

III. The third thing to be consider'd, is, _The adapting the Sound to the Sense_.

Who does not hear the Warbling of a _Brook_, the Rustling of _Wings_, the rough Sound of _Trumpets_ and _Clarions_, and the soft one of _Flutes_ and _Recorders_ in the following Lines?

"Fountains, and ye that warble as ye flow Melodious Murmur warbling, tune his Praise.

Again,

"--But Chief the s.p.a.cious Hall Thick swarm'd, both on the Ground and in the Air, _Brush'd with the Hiss of rustling Wings_.

Again,