famous in all ages. The greatest orators since Homer's time, including Demosthenes and Cicero, have studied them as models. No three orations are more unlike than those of the ambassadors; yet it has always been disputed which is the best, which is constructed with most art, which is most persuasive, or which is best calculated to disarm resentment; but Achilles is at no loss for a reply to the most ingenious and powerful arguments even of the wise and eloquent Ulysses. The hero proudly and scornfully denies that his ambition is for wealth, for great cities, or for kingdoms, although he receives and treats the ambassadors with the utmost courtesy and the most friendly hospitality. His anger is directed solely against Agamemnon, and the cause of it is insult and wrong. His beloved Briseis, of whom he is deprived by Agamemnon, is dearer to him than all the wealth of Greece. This he tells Ulysses in language very different from that of a 'ferocious barbarian,' justifying himself as follows: "For what cause Did Agamemnon, gathering from our realm An army, lead it hither? Was it not Of Atreus, then, the only men on earth Who love their wives? Nay, every good man loves Book ix, v. 417. "These lines serve at once as an argument against Mr. Bryant, and as a specimen of his translation; although regarded in either light, they do justice neither to Homer nor to Achilles. Another mistake which Mr. Bryant reveals in his peface is that the Homeric poems were written 'for the popular ear.' The intention of the poet can only be inferred from the character of his productions. Now, let it be remembered that there was no species of learning possessed by the contemporaries of Homer of which he did not make use, in one form or another, in the composition of the Iliad. First, the military art, as known to the ancients, is fully described in that wonderful poem; and the poet is equally communicative and instructive in regard to painting, sculpture, architecture, mechanics, medicine, politics, etc., etc. Thus, for example, he graphically and accurately describes a marble palace on arches, with many other works of art; but there is an amount of learning displayed, without ostentation, in his description of the famous Shield of Achilles alone, not to mention his celebrated catalogue, which never could have been 'popular' anywhere, in any age. "Again, a work designed for the vulgar ear, or the vulgar mind, could never have furnished to Aristotle the principles upon which he has founded his celebrated Laws. Still less could it have formed more than a model for poems like the Eneid and Paradise Lost; for these great epics are not merely constructed, as closely as possible, on the plan of the Iliad, but derive their chief beauties from it, either directly or indirectly. In short, take away from either Virgil or Milton what he owes to Homer, and he has but little left for any ear.' As for the 'popular ear,' the Homeric geography alone, wonderfully correct as it is, would have sorely puzzled it; and, what is worse in the present case, that it has frequently puzzled Mr. Bryant in a way that can hardly be regarded as comfortable, may be easily seen by the initiated, from a perusal of his third book. "We can only allude to one other thing which Mr. Bryant tells us in his preface: 'I have been sometimes, perhaps often, guided by the labors of my predecessors.' This is an honest admission, although it was hardly necessary. The difficulty is that our poet has been 'guided' by just that class of his predecessors who needed guiding themselves. But let us now give a specimen or two, in order that the reader may judge how much better, or how much worse, the blank verse translation of Mr. Bryant is than those of some of the 'predecessors' in whose wake he has followed. "There are few students who are not aware that every great epic commences with the principal subject. This is true both of the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as the Eneid and Paradise Lost. It is true of the two latter because true of the two former, Virgil and Milton having regarded Homer as their model. Thus, the first word of the Iliad is Mnviv (ire, or wrath), because the wrath of Achilles is the principal subject of the poem. Then, in the Odyssey "Avdpa (man, or hero) is the first word, the principal subject being Ulysses. On the same principle Virgil commences the Eneid Arma virumque,' and Milton's opening words are, 'Of man's first disobedience,' etc. The first word of the Iliad, as we have seen, is the noun wrath. Mr. Bryant's first word is an interjection, thus: "O Goddess! sing the wrath of Peleus' son, "Alas! this is a very different thing from the original. Homer introduces his goddess (0ɛa) into the middle of the line, and only tells her once to 'sing' (άɛide); whereas Mr. Bryant tells her to do so twice in two lines. This is pressing the lady rather much. The 'wrath,' too, is repeated; in the first line it is simply 'wrath ;' in the second it becomes "deadly wrath." Homer uses the term only once in this passage; he qualifies it by the term ovλouavny (pernicious), and passes on. Homer says nothing about 'sweeping.' The term which Mr. Bryant translates "swept " (polaev) simply means 'prematurely sent' or 'dismissed.' "But let us turn over a leaf and see whether Mr. Bryant does not improve as he proceeds. Our eye happens to fall on that passage in which Agamemnon refuses to accept the ransom for his beautiful captive. The arrogant, surly king threatens the old man, telling him he need not expect ever to see his beloved daughter again. We quote Mr. Bryant :"This maiden I release not till old age Shall overtake her in my Argive home. Far from her native country, where her hand Go, chafe me not, if thou would'st safely go.-v, 38. "Now we want to satisfy any competent judge as to whether we are hypercritical in regard to Mr. Bryant. What is translated this maiden' is simply tv (her). Regarding the lady as his wife, Agamemnon does not say 'my Argive home,' but ' in our home in Argos'— ἡμετέρῳ ἐνὶ οιχῳ ἐν "Αργει, which is vastly more poetical, as well as more proper. Then, in reference to the 'couch' (léxos), Mr. Bryant disposes of it exactly as Madame Dacier does. A lady may be excused for translating (avτiówσav)' dressing' or 'making,' instead of 'sharing' or 'participating,' although there is not the slightest indelicacy in the original. There is much more indelicacy and more impropriety in making the beautiful and beloved daughter of Cryses a mere chambermaid and slave. But this reminds us of another passage in Mr. Bryant's translation. The reader will remember that, among the various valuable presents offered by Agamemnon to Achilles, as a bribe to rejoin the Greeks, were seven beautiful women. Mr. Bryant introduces these ladies as "Seven faultless women, skilled in household arts, He offers; Lesbians,' etc.-Book ix, v. 334. Honest old Homer makes no such statement as that they are 'faultless.' He knew human nature better than that. What he does say is that they are surpassingly beautiful in form-aμvμovas. Nor does the Greek poet say, or make Agamemnon or Ulysses pretend, that the arts in which those seven ladies are 'skilled' are 'household arts;' for the expression ɛpy' εiovías makes not the slightest allusion to the 'household.' "One other little passage, and we are done with Mr.Bryant's Iliad, although, if we find that he has given a better version of the Odyssey, we shall be most happy to give him full credit for it. Turning over the leaves of the first volume almost at random, we come to the opening of the third book, and transcribe these lines: "Now, when both armies were arrayed for war, Each with its chiefs, the Trojan host moved on, From winter and its mighty breadth of rain,' etc. "We have too much respect for the author of 'Thanatopsis ' to laugh at this, and therefore prefer to sigh for the innocent student who expects assistance from such a version in preparing his lesson. First, Homer compares the marching of the Trojans to that sort of noise made by the flight of birds in general, using the expression öpv10e5 as (like birds); then he introduces the cranes (yepávov). Mr. Bryant passes over the birds; he takes no notice of an expression at once so poetical and so well calculated to prepare the imagination for what is to follow. But, in order to compensate us for suppressing the rest of the feathered tribe, he informs us that the cranes were flying south' - a piece of information which Homer forgot to furnish, for he makes no mention of either north or south. Whether it is more poetical for cranes to fly from the mighty breadth' than from the mighty depth of rain,' is one of those questions which may be referred to our naturalists; for the Greek poet makes no mention of one or the other further than it may be supposed to be embraced in the term a0εsparov (immense, or prodigiously great). "But although we cannot regard that before us as a good or faithful version of the Iliad, we can conscientiously recommend it as much better and more instructive reading than three-fourths, even, of those publications of the present day which are regarded as standard works; for the style of Mr. Bryant's translation compares favorably with that of the best writers in our language. If, after all the noise that has been made in that regard, he is but an indifferent Grecian at best, far be it from us to blame him for needing a little more study." This was our estimate nearly eight months ago, and we see no reason to alter it to-day. But, need we say that no one could illustrate his views of a translation of the Iliad so |
