They have brought
about a state of things which no cunning of the translator can
essentially alter, but to the emergencies of which he must
graciously conform his proceedings. Here, then, is the sole point
on which we disagree with Mr. Longfellow, the sole reason we have
for thinking that he has not attained the fullest possible
measure of success. Not that he has made a "realistic"
translation,--so far we conceive him to be entirely right; but
that, by dint of pushing sheer literalism beyond its proper
limits, he has too often failed to be truly realistic. Let us
here explain what is meant by realistic translation.
Every thoroughly conceived and adequately executed translation of
an ancient author must be founded upon some conscious theory or
some unconscious instinct of literary criticism. As is the
critical spirit of an age, so among other things will be its
translations. Now the critical spirit of every age previous to
our own has been characterized by its inability to appreciate
sympathetically the spirit of past and bygone times. In the
seventeenth century criticism made idols of its ancient models;
it acknowledged no serious imperfections in them; it set them up
as exemplars for the present and all future times to copy. Let
the genial Epicurean henceforth write like Horace, let the epic
narrator imitate the supreme elegance of Virgil,--that was the
conspicuous idea, the conspicuous error, of seventeenth-century
criticism.
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