the miscellaneous writings and speeches-1-第14部分

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tions　which；　often　unperceived　by　ourselves；　connect　those　qualities　with　the　source　of　our　existence；　with　the　nourishment　of　our　infancy；　with　the　passions　of　our　youth；　with　the　hopes　of　our　agewith　elegance；　with　vivacity；　with　tenderness；　with　the　strongest　of　natural　instincts；　with　the　dearest　of　social　ties？

To　those　who　think　thus；　the　insensibility　of　the　Florentine　poet　to　the　beauties　of　nature　will　not　appear　an　unpardonable　deficiency。　　On　mankind　no　writer；　with　the　exception　of　Shakspeare；　has　looked　with　a　more　penetrating　eye。　　I　have　said　that　his　poetical　character　had　derived　a　tinge　from　his　peculiar　temper。　　It　is　on　the　sterner　and　darker　passions　that　he　delights　to　dwell。　　All　love　excepting　the　half…mystic　passion　which　he　still　felt　for　his　buried　Beatrice；　had　palled　on　the　fierce　and　restless　exile。　　The　sad　story　of　Rimini　is　almost　a　single　exception。　　I　know　not　whether　it　has　been　remarked；　that；　in　one　point；　misanthropy　seems　to　have　affected　his　mind；　as　it　did　that　of　Swift。　　Nauseous　and　revolting　images　seem　to　have　had　a　fascination　for　his　mind；　and　he　repeatedly　places　before　his　readers；　with　all　the　energy　of　his　incomparable　style；　the　most　loathsome　objects　of　the　sewer　and　the　dissecting…room。

There　is　another　peculiarity　in　the　poem　of　Dante；　which；　I　think；　deserves　notice。　　Ancient　mythology　has　hardly　ever　been　successfully　interwoven　with　modern　poetry。　　One　class　of　writers　have　introduced　the　fabulous　deities　merely　as　allegorical　representatives　of　love；　wine；　or　wisdom。　　This　necessarily　renders　their　works　tame　and　cold。　　We　may　sometimes　admire　their　ingenuity；　but　with　what　interest　can　we　read　of　beings　of　whose　personal　existence　the　writer　does　not　suffer　us　to　entertain；　for　a　moment；　even　a　conventional　belief？　　Even　Spenser's　allegory　is　scarcely　tolerable；　till　we　contrive　to　forget　that　Una　signifies　innocence；　and　consider　her　merely　as　an　oppressed　lady　under　the　protection　of　a　generous　knight。

Those　writers　who　have；　more　judiciously；　attempted　to　preserve　the　personality　of　the　classical　divinities　have　failed　from　a　different　cause。　　They　have　been　imitators；　and　imitators　at　a　disadvantage。　　Euripides　and　Catullus　believed　in　Bacchus　and　Cybele　as　little　as　we　do。　　But　they　lived　among　men　who　did。　Their　imaginations；　if　not　their　opinions；　took　the　colour　of　the　age。　　Hence　the　glorious　inspiration　of　the　Bacchae　and　the　Atys。　Our　minds　are　formed　by　circumstances：　　and　I　do　not　believe　that　it　would　be　in　the　power　of　the　greatest　modern　poet　to　lash　himself　up　to　a　degree　of　enthusiasm　adequate　to　the　production　of　such　works。

Dante；　alone　among　the　poets　of　later　times；　has　been；　in　this　respect；　neither　an　allegorist　nor　an　imitator；　and；　consequently；　he　alone　has　introduced　the　ancient　fictions　with　effect。　　His　Minos；　his　Charon；　his　Pluto；　are　absolutely　terrific。　　Nothing　can　be　more　beautiful　or　original　than　the　use　which　he　has　made　of　the　River　of　Lethe。　　He　has　never　assigned　to　his　mythological　characters　any　functions　inconsistent　with　the　creed　of　the　Catholic　Church。　　He　has　related　nothing　concerning　them　which　a　good　Christian　of　that　age　might　not　believe　possible。　　On　this　account　there　is　nothing　in　these　passages　that　appears　puerile　or　pedantic。　　On　the　contrary；　this　singular　use　of　classical　names　suggests　to　the　mind　a　vague　and　awful　idea　of　some　mysterious　revelation；　anterior　to　all　recorded　history；　of　which　the　dispersed　fragments　might　have　been　retained　amidst　the　impostures　and　superstitions　of　later　religions。　　Indeed　the　mythology　of　the　Divine　Comedy　is　of　the　elder　and　more　colossal　mould。　　It　breathes　the　spirit　of　Homer　and　Aeschylus；　not　of　Ovid　and　Claudian。

This　is　the　more　extraordinary；　since　Dante　seems　to　have　been　utterly　ignorant　of　the　Greek　language；　and　his　favourite　Latin　models　could　only　have　served　to　mislead　him。　　Indeed；　it　is　impossible　not　to　remark　his　admiration　of　writers　far　inferior　to　himself；　and；　in　particular；　his　idolatry　of　Virgil；　who；　elegant　and　splendid　as　he　is；　has　no　pretensions　to　the　depth　and　originality　of　mind　which　characterise　his　Tuscan　worshipper；　In　truth　it　may　be　laid　down　as　an　almost　universal　rule　that　good　poets　are　bad　critics。　　Their　minds　are　under　the　tyranny　of　ten　thousand　associations　imperceptible　to　others。　　The　worst　writer　may　easily　happen　to　touch　a　spring　which　is　connected　in　their　minds　with　a　long　succession　of　beautiful　images。　　They　are　like　the　gigantic　slaves　of　Aladdin；　gifted　with　matchless　power；　but　bound　by　spells　so　mighty　that　when　a　child　whom　they　could　have　crushed　touched　a　talisman；　of　whose　secret　he　was　ignorant；　they　immediately　became　his　vassals。　　It　has　more　than　once　happened　to　me　to　see　minds；　graceful　and　majestic　as　the　Titania　of　Shakspeare；　bewitched　by　the　charms　of　an　ass's　head；　bestowing　on　it　the　fondest　caresses；　and　crowning　it　with　the　sweetest　flowers。　　I　need　only　mention　the　poems　attributed　to　Ossian。　　They　are　utterly　worthless；　except　as　an　edifying　instance　of　the　success　of　a　story　without　evidence；　and　of　a　book　without　merit。　　They　are　a　chaos　of　words　which　present　no　image；　of　images　which　have　no　archetype：they　are　without　form　and　void；　and　darkness　is　upon　the　face　of　them。　　Yet　how　many　men　of　genius　have　panegyrised　and　imitated　them！

The　style　of　Dante　is；　if　not　his　highest；　perhaps　his　most　peculiar　excellence。　　I　know　nothing　with　which　it　can　be　compared。　　The　noblest　models　of　Greek　composition　must　yield　to　it。　　His　words　are　the　fewest　and　the　best　which　it　is　possible　to　use。　　The　first　expression　in　which　he　clothes　his　thoughts　is　always　so　energetic　and　comprehensive　that　amplification　would　only　injure　the　effect。　　There　is　probably　no　writer　in　any　language　who　has　presented　so　many　strong　pictures　to　the　mind。　Yet　there　is　probably　no　writer　equally　concise。　　This　perfection　of　style　is　the　principal　merit　of　the　Paradiso；　which；　as　I　have　already　remarked；　is　by　no　means　equal　in　other　respects　to　the　two　preceding　parts　of　the　poem。　　The　force　and　felicity　of　the　diction；　however；　irresistibly　attract　the　reader　through　the　theological　lectures　and　the　sketches　of　ecclesiastical　biography；　with　which　this　division　of　the　work　too　much　abounds。　It　may　seem　almost　absurd　to　quote　particular　specimens　of　an　excellence　which　is　diffused　over　all　his　hundred　cantos。　　I　will；　however；　instance　the　third　canto　of　the　Inferno；　and　the　sixth　of　the　Purgatorio；　as　passages　incomparable　in　their　kind。　The　merit　of　the　latter　is；　perhaps；　rather　oratorical　than　poetical；　nor　can　I　recollect　anything　in　the　great　Athenian　speeches　which　equals　it　in　force　of　invective　and　bitterness　of　sarcasm。　　I　have　heard　the　most　eloquent　statesman　of　the　age　remark　that；　next　to　Demosthenes；　Dante　is　the　writer　who　ought　to　be　most　attentively　studied　by　every　man　who　desires　to　attain　oratorical　eminence。

But　it　is　time　to　close　this　feeble　and　rambling　critique。　　I　cannot　refrain；　however；　from　saying　a　few　words　upon　the　translations　of　the　Divine　Comedy。　　Boyd's　is　as　tedious　and　languid　as　the　original　is　rapid　and　forcible。　　The　strange　measure　which　he　has　chosen；　and；　for　aught　I　know；　invented；　is　most　unfit　for　such　a　work。　　Translations　ought　never　to　be　written　in　a　verse　which　requires　much　command　of　rhyme。　　The　stanza　becomes　a　bed　of　Procrustes；　and　the　thoughts　of　the　unfortunate　author　are　alternately　racked　and　curtailed　to　fit　their　new　receptacle。　　The　abrupt　and　yet　consecutive　style　of　Dante　suffers　more　than　that　of　any　other　poet　by　a　version　diffuse　in　style；　and　divided　into　paragraphs；　for　they　deserve　no　other　name；　of　equal　length。

Nothing　can　be　said　in　favour　of　Hayley's　attempt；　but　that　it　is　better　than　Boyd's。　　His　mind　was　a　tolerable　specimen　of　filigree　work；rather　elegant；　and　very　feeble。　　All　that　can　be　said　for　his　best　works　is　that　they　are　neat。　　All　that　can　be　said　against　his　worst　is　that　they　are　stupid。　　He　might　have　translated　Metastasio　tolerably。　　But　he　was　utterly　unable　to　do　justice　to　the

〃rime　e　aspre　e　chiocce；　〃Come　si　converrebbe　al　tristo　buco。〃　（Inferno；　canto　xxxii。）

I　turn　with　pleasure　from　these　wretched　performances　to　Mr　Cary's　translation。　　It　is　a　work　which　well　deserves　a　separate　discussion；　and　on　which；　if　this　article　were　not　already　too　long；　I　could　dwell　with　great　pleasure。　　At　present　I　will　only　say　that　there　is　no　other　version　in　the　world；　as　far　as　I　know；　so　faithful；　yet　that　there　is　no　other　version　which　so　fully　proves　that　the　translator　is　himself　a　man　of　poetical　genius。　　Those　who　are　ignorant　of　the　Italian　language　should　read　it　to　become　acquainted　with　the　Divine　Comedy。　　Those　who　are　most　intimate　with　Italian　literature　should　read　it　for　its　original　merits：　　and　I　believe　that　they　will　find　it　difficult　to　determine　whether　the　author　deserves　most　praise　for　his　intimacy　with　the　language　of　Dante；　or　for　his　extraordinary　mastery　over　his　own。

。。。


CRITICISMS　ON　THE　PRINCIPAL　ITALIAN　WRITERS。

No。　II。　　PETRARCH。

（April　1824。）

Et　vos；　o　lauri；　carpam；　et　te；　proxima　myrte；　Sic　positae　quoniam　suaves　miscetis　odores。　　Virgil。

It　would　not　be　easy