«Εὐρωπαϊκὸς Διαλέκτους μετεγλωττίσθη.» Καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ λόγῳ, οἱ Νεώτεροι, ἂν δὲν ἔπερναν δία ὁδηγοὺς τοὺς Προγόνους μας, ἤθελαν ἴσως περιφέρωνται ματαίως μέχρι τοῦ νῦν. Αὐτὰ δὲν εἶναι λόγια ένθουδιασμένου διὰ τὸ φιλογενὲς Γραικοῦ, εἶναι δὲ φιλαλήθους Γερμανοῦ, ὅστις ἐμετάφρασε τὸν Νέον Ανάχαρσιν ἀπὸ τοῦ Γαλλικοῦ εἰς τὸ Γερμανικὸν. Αν λοιπὸν καὶ ἡμεῖς θέλωμεν νὰ με θέξωμεν τῆς γνώσεως τῶν λαμπρών και τορθωμάτων ὁποῦ ἔκαμαν οἱ θαυμαστοὶ ἐκεῖνοι Προπάτορες ἡμῶν, ἄν ἐπιθυμώ μεν να μάθωμεν τὴν πρόοδον καὶ αὐξησίν των εἰς τὰς Τέχνας καὶ Ἐπιστήμας καὶ εἰς κάθε ἄλλο εἶδος μαθήσεως, ἂν ἔχωμεν περιέργειαν να γνωρίσωμεν πόθεν καταγόμεθα, καὶ ὁποίους θαυμαστοὺς καὶ μεγάλους ἄνδρας, εἰ καὶ προγόνους ἡμῶν, φεῦ, ἡμεῖς δὲν γνωρίζομεν, εἰς καιρὸν ὁποῦ οἱ ̓Αλλογενείς θαυμάζουσιν αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὡς πατέρας παντοιασουν μαθήσεως σέβονται, ας συνδράμωμεν απαν τες προθύμως εἰς τὴν ἔκδοσιν τοῦ θαυμασίου τούτου συγγράμματος του Νέου Αναχάρσεως. Ἡμεῖς οὖν οἱ ὑπογεγραμμένοι θέλομεν ἐκτελέσει προθύμως τὴν μετάφρασιν τοῦ Βιβλίου μὲ τὴν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἡμῖν καλὴν φράσιν τῆς νῦν καθ ̓ ἡμᾶς ὁμιλίας, καὶ ἐκδόντες τοῦτο εἰς τύπον, θέλομεν τὸ καλλωπίσει μὲ τοὺς Γεωγραφικοὺς Πίνακας μὲ ἁπλᾶς Ῥωμαϊκὰς λέξεις έγκε χαραγμένους εις εδοκεια: 90ς κα τιθέντες ότι της διον εἰς την Ιστοσε Όλον το Τόμους δώδεκα EL κῆς ἐκδόσεως. Ε γράμματος είναι ΠΕΤΣ νης δια την Σ πινάκων. Ο κ πρέπει να πετα ρίνι ένα και νης 3 καὶ τοῦ αλλ' εύθυς επι y birth, d feelings' thought ecame, ght, : t to tame, s too late! h the same t abate, ing Fate. v 'tis past, al. st; would feel, not, but r'd him steal he limb; ar the brim. nd he found ugh unseen, ; worn with t, and grew through many ad mix'd sind, In my youth's summer I did sing of One, The wandering outlaw of his own dark mind; Again I seize the theme then but begun, And bear it with me, as the rushing wind Bears the cloud onwards: in that Tale I find The furrows of long thought, and dried-up tears, Which, ebbing, leave a steril track behind, O'er which all heavily the journeying years Plod the last sands of life, where not a flower appears. IV. Since my young days of passion-joy, or pain, To me, though to none else, a not ungrateful theme. V. He, who grown aged in this world of woe, In deeds, not years, piercing the depths of life, So that no wonder waits him; nor below Can love, or sorrow, fame, ambition, strife, Cut to his heart again with the keen knife Of silent, sharp endurance: he can tell Why thought seeks refuge in lone caves, yet rife With airy images, and shapes which dwell Still unimpair'd, though old, in the soul's haun ted cell. VI. 'Tis to create, and in creating live Mix'd with thy spirit, blended with thy birth, And feeling still with thee in my crush'd feelings' darth. VII. Yet must I think less wildly:-I have thought Too long and darkly, till my brain became, In its own eddy boiling and o'erwrought, A whirling gulf of phantasy and flame: And thus, untaught in youth my heart to tame, My springs of life were poison'd. 'Tis too late! Yet am I changed; though still enough the same In strenght to bear what time can not abate, And feed on bitter fruits without accusing Fate. VIII. Something too much of this:-but now 'tis past, He of the breast which fain no more would feel, Wrung with the wounds which kill not, but ne'er heal: Yet Time, who changes all, had alter'd him In soul and aspect as in age: years steal Fire from the mind as vigour from the limb; And life's enchanted cup but sparkles near the brim. IX. His had been quaff'd too quickly, and he found Which pined although it spoke not, and grew keen, Entering with every step, he took, through many a scene. X. Secure in guarded coldness, he had mix'd And deem'd his spirit now so firmly fix'd And sheath'd with an invulnerable mind, That, if no joy, no sorrow lurk'd behind; And he, as one, might midst the many stand Unheeded, searching through the crowd to find Fit speculation; such as in strange land He found in wonder-works of God and Nature's hand. But who can view the ripen'd rose, nor seek To wear it? who can curiously behold The smoothness and the sheen of beauty's cheek, Nor feel the heart can never all grow old? Who can contemplate Fame through clouds unfold The star which rises o'er her steep, nor climb? Harold, once more within the vortex, roll'd On with the giddy circle, chasing Time, Yet with a nobler aim than in his youth's fond prime. XII. But soon he knew himself the most unfit Of men to herd with Man; with whom he held. Little in common; untaught to submit His thoughts to others, though his soul was quell'a In youth by his own thoughts; still uncompell'd, He would not yield dominion of his mind To spirits against whom his own rebell'd; Proud though in desolation; which could find A life within itself, to breathe without mankind. XIII. Where rose the mountains, there to him were friends; Where roll'd the ocean, thereon was his home; Where a blue sky, and glowing clime, extends, He had the passion and the power to roam; The desert, forest, cavern, breaker's foam, Were unto him companionship; they spake A mutual language, clearer than the tome Of his land's tongue, which he would oft forsake For Natures pages glass'd by sunbeams on the lake |