APPENDIX. I. ANNOTATIONS. P. 26-27, line 9, 'dew.' I am unable to say how this word came into my text. In Shakespeare (as Mr Aldis Wright has pointed out to me) the true, and evidently right, reading is 'rain.' The Greek line may be corrected thus: εἰς τὴν κάτω γῆν ὄμβριον στάζει γάνος. As 'falsior' wants authority, the line may run thus: ⚫ crastina transacta luce dolosa magis.' p. 81, line 9 of second piece: for 'serius ore' read 'seria uoce,' as ore soon recurs. p. 108, line 9: fertur correptus, is said to have been seized. See Public School Latin Grammar, p. 428 (note) and Preface P. p. 164, last line, for Combination-room' read Common Room.' p. 282, line 6, semicolon at close of line, not period. xi. II. VIRGIL'S ECLOGUES, p. 304. The Commentary in my School Edition of Virgil (London, 1876) contains occasional verse translations of passages, chiefly in the Aeneid. My Preface speaks of these as designed to stimulate and guide the poetic feeling of young readers.' Some critics seem to have dealt with these words and with the translations, as if my purpose had been to exhibit specimens of my own skill as a translator1. Assuredly no such thought was in my mind. My wish was simply to help boys to render in poetic English the exact thought of Virgil, neither more nor less: to supply them with specimens of such translation as might fairly be recited to the master in lesson as a just rendering by any boy in the highest Form, after reading aloud the Latin passage. The places selected by me for rhythmic version were partly indeed chosen on account of their beauty. Such are Geo. II. I &c., 467 &c., Aen. I. 159 &c., 588 &c., iv. 529, &c. VII. 511 &c., and others. Oftener, however, the selection was made with a view to smoothe some inherent difficulties. Such is the description of the 'Troiae Ludus' in Aen. v. 580 &c. Wherever it seemed extremely difficult, if not impossible, to unite poetic expression in English with strict adherence to Virgil's exhibition of his thought in Latin, I have refrained from giving a verse translation, preferring to illustrate my view of the passage by rendering it in a more or less free prose form. Such instances are by far the most numerous; as Aen. I. 19 &c., 116—17, II. 136, III. 453 &c., IV. 15 &c., 289 &c., and others. 1 My version of the simile in Aen. XII. 746-757, was cited in company with some other versions by a critic (?) who did not perceive that one or more of those cited spoil Virgil's picture by a misinter pretation of 1. 751, introducing a huntsman where the poet has only two live figures; a hound (venator canis) which represents Aeneas in pursuit of Turnus, and a stag, which denotes Turnus flying from his pursuer. The Eclogues are far more easily rendered into English rhythm than either the Georgics or the Aeneid. I have given a version of them here, in order (if this book should fall into the hands of any students of Virgil) to exemplify for their use the principle of translation explained above. They will, I think, find that I have endeavoured to maintain it throughout. It does not debar me from modifying Virgil's forms of construction so as to suit English idiom and rhythm, provided I keep his thought exact. Thus in Ecl. II. 10, where he says, 'Thestylis bruises rank herbs,' it suits me to write, 'rank herbs by Thestylis are bruised': in 56, he has, 'you are a clown, Corydon :' I, 'O Corydon, you clown,' in III. 4, he has, and fears lest,' &c.; I, 'full of fear lest,' &c., and the like. There are not many places where the Latin construction is such as to compel wider departure from a literal English version. The lines IV. 55-57 seemed to enforce that broken English rendering which I have there adopted. In two places only I have thought it well to depart from Virgil's practice of not dividing a line between two speakers. These are III. 2 and v. 8. By paring down the original, I could have written III. 1, 2, M. Whose flock, Damoetas? that of Meliboeus? D. No, Aegon's; Aegon lately charg'd me with it. and v. 8-9, Me. None on our hills strives with you but Amyntas. This is done in each case at the expense of having two consecutive lines of eleven syllables; and by suppressing in the former instance Virgil's 'dic mihi,' in the latter (which is less important) his 'idem.' 'Charged me with it,' is not a pleasing expression, and 'gave it to me' would be ambiguous. On the whole, I think I was bound in III. to write as I have done: but in v. I might have adopted the compression into two lines. |