Letters Concerning Poetical Translations Part 3

As these three last Articles arise from Observations perfectly new at the time they were written by _Erythraeus_, namely, about 200 Years ago; and as new at this time, having been almost quite lost by I know not what Accident to the World; I must follow my Master, and use his Terms for his Discoveries, except where I differ a little from him.

1st, To begin with the first Article mentioned in this Letter, _The Varying of the Pause_. This Subject I have met with in several Books, but not fully explained in any one of them to my Capacity; for I must confess I should never have thoroughly apprehended the Varying of the Pause in any Language, if I had not thought of an Expedient to discover what is the common Pause in a Verse that each Language naturally stops at, of which I have any Knowledge.

To find out this, I consulted the middling sort of Poets, or the first Practicers in this Art: In this Enquiry I observ'd from _Hesiod_ and _Ennius_ among the _Greek_ and _Latin_ Poets, and afterwards from _Ovid_ with relation to the latter, and which I am now to speak of, that the common Pause or Stop in all _Latin_ Heroick Verse (to say nothing of the _Greek_, which agrees with it in this Respect) is upon the 1st Syllable of the 3d Foot. For Example,

"_Ante mare & tellus & quod tegit omnia, caelum, Unus erat toto Naturae vultus in orbe, Quem dixere Chaos rudis indigestaque moles; Nec quicquam, nisi pondus, iners; congestaque eodem Non bene junctarum discordia semina rerum.

Nullus adhuc mundo praebebat lumina t.i.tan; Nec nova crescendo reparabat cornua Phoebe, Nec circ.u.mfuso pendebat in aere tellus_--

Here we have eight Lines all paused in the same Place, except one, (the 4th); and in this kind of Measure the _Metamorphosis_ is generally written; from whence I collected the natural Pause in the _Latin_ Language to be as abovementioned: I then consulted the best Poem of the best _Latin_ Poet, which begins with these Lines.

"_Quid faciat laetas segetes, quo Sydere Terram Vertere, Maecenas, ulmisque adjungere Vites Conveniat, quae cura Boum, qui cultus habendo Sit Pecori, Apibus quanta experientia parcis Hinc canere incipiam ._--

Here I observed that this great Master had artfully avoided the common Pause till he came to the fifth Line; and he takes care to do it as much as possible throughout the whole Work; from whence arises one of the most material Differences in the Versification of _Ovid_ and _Virgil_; and to produce more Examples would be a needless Labour. In this Place let me take Notice that it is on Account of Varying the Pause that _Virgil_ makes his broken Lines in the _aeneid_, which suspend all Pauses, and the Ear is relieved by this Means, and attends with fresh Pleasure. Whoever intends to come up to _Virgil_ in Harmony in Heroick Numbers in any long Work, must not omit this Art.

2d, The next thing to be attended to, is, _The Inversion of the Phrase_. This flings the Stile out of Prose, and occasions that Suspense which is the Life of Poetry. This _builds the lofty Rhyme_ (as _Milton_ expresses it) in such manner as to cause that Majesty in Verse of which I have said so much before, that there is no need of saying any thing more here.

3d. The third thing is, _The adapting the Sound to the Sense_.

Most People know such Instances of this Nature, as _Quadrupedante_, &c. and _Illi inter sese_, &c. But few attend to an Infinity of other Examples.

How is the Verse drawn out in length, and how does it labour when strong heavy Land is to be ploughed!

"--_Ergo, age terrae Pingue solum, primis extemplo a Mensibus Anni Fortes invortant tauri._--

How nimbly does the Verse move when the turning over very light Ground is represented!

"--_Sub ipsum Arcturum_, tenui s[=a]t erit _suspendere sulco_.--

How slow does the heavy Waggon proceed in this Line!

"_Tardaque Eleusinae Matris Volventa Plaustra._--

How does the Boat bound over the _Po_ in these two Hemisticks!

"--_Levis innatat alnus Missa Pado._--

See Feathers dancing on the Water in this!

"--_In aqua colludere plumas._--

No Stem of the Crab-tree is more rough than this Verse.

"_Inseritur vero ex foetu nucis arbutus horrida:_

Water is not more liquid than this.

"_Speluncisque lacus Clausos, lucosque sonantis._--

_S. & L. liquescit Carmen instar aquarum_, says _Erythraeus_ in his Note on this Line.

How gently flow the Streams in this Verse!

"_Unde pater Tiberinus, & unde Aniena fluenta._--

What a roaring do the _Hypanis_ and _Caicus_ make in the next!

"_Sax[=o]sumque s[=o]nans Hypanis, Mysusque Cacus._

But now observe how he raises his Song to honour his Favourite _Erida.n.u.s_!

"_Et gemina_ auratus _taurino cornua vultu_ Erida.n.u.s; _quo non_ alius _Per Pinguia culta In mare purpureum v[=i]olent[=i]or [=i]nflu[=i]t amn[=i]s._

The former Line strikes the Ear with _Mysus_ and _Cacus_; here you have _Auratus_, _Erida.n.u.s_, and _Alius_. Then an Alliteration, _Per Pinguia_, and at last the whole Pa.s.sage rolls on in a Dactyl Line, and rushes into the Sea with an _a.s.sultus_ of the Vowel _i_, repeated five times in three Words.

"--_Violentior influit amnis._

The following Line tours into the Skies with the highest Mountain in _Italy_.

"--_Gaudetque nivali Vertice se attollens pater Appeninus, ad auras._--

This falls down as low as the deepest Valley.

"_Saxa per, & scopulos, & depressas convalles._

In short there is nothing in Nature that _Virgil's_ Verse does not convey to the _Ear_, and the _Eye_; so that this Subject is inexhaustible, and must be left to every one's particular Observation.

The learned _Morhophius_ has a Pa.s.sage relating to this Matter which comes in too properly here to be omitted.

"Solent Carminibus suae esse a Numeris Veneres, & certa quaedam Artificia, quae mirifice ornant versum, quales apud Virgilium, mirum numeri Poetici Observatorem, frequenter occurrunt, e.g. c.u.m versus terminantur Monosyllabis, ut: _proc.u.mbit humi bos: nascetur ridiculus mus_. Vel c.u.m Spondaei multi adhibentur, ut; _media agmina circ.u.mspexit: Illi inter sese magna vi brachia tollunt_. Aut c.u.m Dactyli & Spondaei ita miscentur, ut REI NATURAM EXPRIMANT, ut c.u.m de turri ruente ait:

"--_Convellimus altis Sedibus; impulimusq;, ea lapsa repente_ ruinam _c.u.m sonitu trahit_.--

"Talia infinita apud Virgilium habentur quae h.o.m.o in iis non exercitatus contemnat, doctus vero & prudens admiretur.

_Polyhist._

There is also a Remark of the judicious _Columna_ on a celebrated Line in _Virgil_, which is very much to the present Purpose.

_Unus h.o.m.o n.o.bis Cunctando Rest.i.tuit Rem._]

Virgilius de eodem loquens aeneid l. 6. integrum hoc carmen sumpsit, ita tamen, ut _spondeorum tarditate Fabii moram referret_,

--tu Maximus ille es, Unus, qui n.o.bis cunctando rest.i.tuis rem.

_Enn. Frag._

Sept. 21, 1736,