The cadence is the fame in all; and the worst ear will find a chiming in them, wonderfully expreffive of harmony. As nobody, that I know of, hath attempted to fhew the measure of this ode, I hope I shall be indulged in a plain unpretending conjecture concerning it. IN the first place, then; Whoever confiders it, will find it plainly divided into fix diftinct parts, or heads, of complaint and lamentation. These parts I take to be fa many stanza's; like the strophe, antistrophe, and epode of Pindar. And if fo, then the beginnings of fix of the verfes are plainly pointed out to us. ; EVERY fentence I take to be a verfe because real grief is fhort and fententious. And, to me, many of these verses plainly demonstrate their own beginnings and endings, without the aid either of unnatural elifions, or those monftrous and ridiculous mutilations and divifions of words, with which criticks have, to fuch fimple eyes as mine, defaced some of the best odes of Pindar, and turned some of his finest verses into downright burlefque; confining him to their fantastick measures, who fcorned to be be confined to any, but those of his own free ear. THAT noble exclamation, How are the mighty fallen! with which three stanzas are marked, I take to be the fimple dictate of forrow upon every topick of lamentation ; and is therefore, I think, to be confidered, as a kind of burden to the fong, and to be either inferted in each stanza, as in the first ; or added to it, as in the two last. AND as the author did not take the trouble of transcribing it in every stanza, (as no writer. does at this day) I apprehend it to be tranfmitted to us, under the disadvantage of that omiffion, just as it was left in the author's copy: which, by the way, is no bad proof of the transcriber's fidelity, IF these principles be right, then, I think, the measures are as follow. taken, I fhall be very glad to amended. I. If I am mif fee my errors הצבי ישראל על במותיך חלל איך נפלו גבורם אל תגידו בנת אל תבשרו בחוצת אשקלון פן תשמחנה בנות פלשתים פן תעלזנה בנות הערלים I. Hatfbi Ifrael al tebafferu behutfoth Askelon הרי .2 STANZA 4. Ver. 4. This is faid in the true fpirit of friendship, and in one of its fineft diftreffes: --- He felicitates them upon that happy circumftance of their friendship, to be undivided in death; and in fo doing, finely laments himself upon that head. VER. 5, 6. The rapidity of the first line, and the strength and majefty of the second, are strong instances on which to ground that fine poetick precept: The found fhould be an echo to the fenfe. STANZA 6. His grief, as it began with Jonathan, naturally ends with it. It is well known, that we lament ourselves in the lofs of our friends; and David was no way folicitous to conceal this circumftance. It may be the work of fancy: but to me, I own, this last stanza is the strongest picture of grief I ever perufed. To my ear, every line in it is either fwelled with fighs, or broken with fobs. The judicious reader will plainly find a break in the first line; very probably fo left in the original, the writer not being able to find an epithet for Jonathan answering to the idea of his diftrefs. I have ventured to fupply it in the English character, I think not unnaturally; I will not presume to say, justly. To conclude: Few have ever perused this lamentation with fo little attention, as not to perceive it evidently animated with a spirit truly martial and magnanimous! It is the lamentation of a brave man over brave men! It is, in one word, a lamentation equally pathetick and heroick! The END of the FIRST BOOK. Bb |
