"He spake, his speech a mutt'ring short befell, Though private 'mongst the princes at counsell No doubt here fals. * The olde man silenst here. What thoughts, what breasts, Thou in the hermite dost enspire these heasts, And in the knights' harts thou the same dost shrine; So as both Gwelfe and Gwilliam chiefe in place Now let us see Fairefax's. "This said, the Hermite Peter rose and spake, In private cell who earst liv'd closed long, What Godfrey wills of that no question make, * There cast no doubts where truth is plaine and strong.— And therewith staid his speech. O gratious Muse! What kindling motions in their brests doe frie? What grace divine the hermit's talk infuse, That in their harts his words may fructify; That Godfrey ruler of those wars should be." How very much superior are the first lines of this last stanza in Carew's translation, and how finely they breathe the spirit of their great original, which is absolutely lost in Fairefax's tame imitation. Quì "Qui tacque il veglio. Hor quai pensier, quai petti, Son chiusi a te, sant 'aura, e divo ardore?" Carew. "The olde man silenst here. What thoughts, what breasts, Are shut from thee, breath sacred! heat divine!" Fairefax. And therewith staid his speech. O gratious muse! The first of these stanzas too is very incorrectly translated by Fairefax. We completely lose the fine idea in the first line of the original, "Disse: e ai detti segui breve bisbiglio," and the characteristic epithet, il solitario Piero, is weakened and extended through a whole line, "In private cell who earst liv'd closed long." while Peter is made to declare himself the cause of the war,words which, both in Tasso and Carew, are not put in the mouth of the Hermit, but form part of the narrative. There is one verse in the Episode of Sofronia and Olindo, of which we give both the versions, and which may serve as a proof that we cannot always trust Fairefax in point of accuracy, though, at the same time, we must observe that his deviation, in this instance, has been productive of additional beauty. It is Sofronia about to depart on her magnanimous purpose: Fairefax. "And forth she went, a shop for merchandize Carew. Full of rich stuff, but none for sale expos'd; A vail obscur'd the sunshine of her eyes, By curious chance, or carelesse art, compos'd; This maide alone through preace of vulgar went, With manner coy, yet coy in noble plight, I note where car'de, or carelesse ornament, Where chance or art her fairest count'nance dight. Her mere neglects most artificial prove." Now Tasso has nothing like the simile which Fairefax has introduced at the commencement of this stanza, and which certainly is not the most poetical one which was ever invented— then, the sense of the second line, which is most literally translated by Carew, "Non coprì sue bellezze, e non l'espose;" a line beautifully characteristic, is altogether neglected; but, to counterbalance these inaccuracies, Fairefax has inserted a line of his own, of singular deliciousness "The rose within herself her sweetnes clos'd;" there is, however, nothing of the kind in the original. We shall draw another parallel, in which we think Carew will not be deemed inferior to his successor. It is the description of Night, at the end of the second book-a description evidently taken by Tasso from Virgil. Fairefax. "Now spread the Night her spangled canopie, Carew. And sommon'd every restlesse eie to sleepe: Now was it night, when in deepe rest enrol'd, Are waves and winds, and mute the world doth show, Of billow'd sea, and of moyst streames that flow, And painted flyers in oblivion low, Under their secret horrours silenced, Stilled their cares, and their harts suppelled." The following is the description, given by our translators, of the youthful Tancred preparing for the fight. Fairefax. "Mast-great the speare was which the gallant bore, As windes tall cedars tosse on mountaines hore. To her that neere him seated was before, Who felt her hart with love's hot fever quake, *As a proof of the very unwarrantable alterations in the edition of Fairefax, published in 1749, we may observe that this line is given thus: "Sooth'd mortal cares, and lull'd the world to rest.” Say who is he showes so great worthinesse, That rides so ranke, and bends his lance so fell? Her hart with sighes, her eies with teares did swell; "Till hart with sighs, and eyes with teares ron over. Book III. Carew. So strong great launce he beares, and in such guyse Him deemes amongst the best a chosen knight, nyes, What then is he that doth so seemely frame On lips a sigh, and in her eyes a teare; Tainted, and hoarse halfe sigh brake forth to aire." We may again remark the interpolation of a simile in the first book of these stanzas from Fairefax. "As windes tall cedars tosse on mountaines hore." Carew's translation of the combat between Clorinda and Tancred is very spirited, though quaint. "Tancred's assault this while Clorinda plyes, From off her head, (a blow whence wonder growes,) Her eyes do flash, her lookes do lighten bright, They hold? Tancred, whereon think'st thou? thy sight Flames burn'st, thy hart (her picture's shrine) the case He that of painted shield, and of her crest Tooke earst no keepe, now seeing her doth grow She may, and him assayles, he gets her fro, From whence his bow Love uneschewed bends; Falles vaine, but in my heart findes lighting place." The description of Armida in the following stanza, though fantastic, is exceedingly beautiful-the four last lines are quite singular for the minute accuracy, yet happy elegance, of the translation.-Had it been possible that the whole Poem could have been so perfectly transmuted into English, we might, indeed, believe that we were reading Tasso.-The copy is absolutely verbatim. "The winde new crisples makes in her loose haire, Her sparing lookes a coy regard doth beare, With yvorie is spirst and mingelled, But in her mouth whence breath of love outgoes, The four last lines in Tasso run thus: "Dolce color di rosse in quel bel volto * Concealed.-A wimple is a covering for the neck. |