Letters Concerning Poetical Translations | Page 4

to Greece the direful Spring Of Woes un-number'd,
Heav'nly Goddess, sing.
Is not Heav'nly as much an Expletive as O, and can either of these
Couplets deserve to be plac'd in the Front of the Iliad? I could wish Mr.
Pope would return these two Lines once more to the Anvil, and dismiss
all Expletives here at least. But enough of Expletives.
I shall now say something of Monosyllables, which seem to be
absolutely condemn'd in the second Line of the two Verses just
mention'd from Mr. Pope's Essay on Criticism.
And ten low Words oft creep in one dull Line.
Mr. Dryden indeed has said in several Places, that the vast Number of
Monosyllables in our Language makes it barbarous and rough, and
unfit for Poetry. I am apt to think Mr. Pope gave into Mr. Dryden's
Sentiment a little too hastily. I own ten low Words too frequently creep
on in one dull line, in a Poet's Works, whom Mr. Pope has formerly
celebrated with no mean Encomiums.
The following Lines afford an Example in this respect.
At the beginning of the third Book of the Davideis, this is the
Description of Goliah's Sword.
"A Sword so great, that it was only fit To take off his great Head, who
came with it. Cowley.
Here are ten dull Words most certainly in one dull Line.
"To take off his great Head, who came with it.
And miserable is the Metre in which they creep on. But hundreds of
monosyllable Lines are to be found in Milton that are as sublime, as

beautiful, and as harmonious as can possibly be written. Look only into
the Morning Hymn in the fifth Book.
"Speak ye who best can tell, ye Sons of Light.
Again,
"Thou Sun! of this great World both Eye and Soul.
Again,
"And when high Noon hast gain'd, and when thou fall'st.
Again,
"With the fixt Stars, fixt in their Orb that flies.
Again,
"Breathe soft or loud; and wave your Tops, ye Pines.
Again,
"Bear on your Wings and in your Notes his Praise.
Can it be said that ten dull Words creep on dully in any one of these
Lines? But Examples may likewise be given in rhym'd Verse, of the
Harmony of Monosyllables. Harmony consists in mixing rough and
smooth, soft and harsh Sounds. What Words can be rougher than such
as these, Rides, Rapt, Throws, Storms; or smoother than these, Wheel,
Hush, Lull?
"Then mounted on his radiant Carr he rides, And wheels along the level
of the Tides. Pit's 1st Æneid.
How rough is the first Line, how soft the latter! As soft as the Original,
which is a Masterpiece.
"Rapt by his Steeds he flies in open Day, Throws up the Reins, and

skims the watry Way.
"Has given to thee great Æolus to raise Storms at thy sov'reign Will,
and smooth the Seas.
"He spake, and speaking chas'd the Clouds away, Hush'd the loud
Billows, and restor'd the Day.
"Mean time the Goddess on Ascanius throws, A balmy Slumber and a
sweet Repose. Lull'd in her Lap to Rest, the Queen of Love, Convey'd
him to the soft Idalian Grove. Pit's 1st Æneid.
Where can a smoother Line than this be found in our Language?
"Lull'd in her Lap to Rest, the Queen of Love.
And it may be observed that this Line is all Monosyllables.
Monosyllables are likewise of great consequence on another account.
The Strength of the English Language is greatly owing to them: For to
them it is principally obliged for its Conciseness; and Conciseness is
Strength. Now Conciseness is not only to express ourselves in as few
Words as we can, but the Excellency of the Language shews itself, if
those few Words are composed of few Syllables. And herein upon
Examination, the Strength of the English Tongue will be found to lye;
and for this reason it may be said to be more concise than the Latin;
which will appear if Virgil is turned into English, I mean even English
Verse. For Example:
"--_Ubi tot Simois correpta sub undas Scuta virum, Galeasq; & fortia
Corpora volvit._
"Where Simois Streams incumber'd with the slain, Roll'd Shields, and
Helms, and Heroes to the Main. Pit's 1st Æneid.
To discover which of these two Passages is the most concise, it is not
sufficient to shew, that there are two whole English Lines, and but one
Line and three Parts of another in the Latin. Latin and English Lines

cannot be compared together, because in a Latin Line there are six Feet,
and in an English Line but five. Again, in Latin Verse there must be in
every Line one Foot of three Syllables, often three or four, or even five
Feet of three Syllables, and sometimes four or five Syllables in one