Letters Concerning Poetical Translations | Page 6

The mixing of the singular and plural Numbers.
5th, The giving Majesty and Strength to his Verse with the connecting
Particles Que and Et.
6th, The Collocatio Verborum, or artful way of placing Words.
7th, The changing the common Pronunciation of Words.

8th, Verses contrary to the common Measure.
9th, 10th, and 11th, His Alliteratio, Allusio Verborum, and Assonantia
Syllabarum.
As these three last Articles arise from Observations perfectly new at the
time they were written by Erythræus, namely, about 200 Years ago;
and as new at this time, having been almost quite lost by I know not
what Accident to the World; I must follow my Master, and use his
Terms for his Discoveries, except where I differ a little from him.
1st, To begin with the first Article mentioned in this Letter, _The
Varying of the Pause_. This Subject I have met with in several Books,
but not fully explained in any one of them to my Capacity; for I must
confess I should never have thoroughly apprehended the Varying of the
Pause in any Language, if I had not thought of an Expedient to discover
what is the common Pause in a Verse that each Language naturally
stops at, of which I have any Knowledge.
To find out this, I consulted the middling sort of Poets, or the first
Practicers in this Art: In this Enquiry I observ'd from Hesiod and
Ennius among the Greek and Latin Poets, and afterwards from Ovid
with relation to the latter, and which I am now to speak of, that the
common Pause or Stop in all Latin Heroick Verse (to say nothing of the
Greek, which agrees with it in this Respect) is upon the 1st Syllable of
the 3d Foot. For Example,
"_Ante mare & tellus | & quod tegit omnia, cælum, Unus erat toto |
Naturæ vultus in orbe, Quem dixêre Chaos | rudis indigestaque moles;
Nec quicquam, nisi pondus, iners; | congestaque eodem Non bene
junctarum | discordia semina rerum. Nullus adhuc mundo | præbebat
lumina Titan; Nec nova crescendo | reparabat cornua Phoebe, Nec
circumfuso | pendebat in aëre tellus_--
Here we have eight Lines all paused in the same Place, except one, (the
4th); and in this kind of Measure the Metamorphosis is generally
written; from whence I collected the natural Pause in the Latin
Language to be as abovementioned: I then consulted the best Poem of

the best Latin Poet, which begins with these Lines.
"_Quid faciat lætas segetes, | quo Sydere Terram Vertere, | Mæcenas, |
ulmisque adjungere Vites Conveniat, | quæ cura Boum, | qui cultus
habendo Sit Pecori, | Apibus quanta experientia parcis Hinc canere
incipiam |._--
Here I observed that this great Master had artfully avoided the common
Pause till he came to the fifth Line; and he takes care to do it as much
as possible throughout the whole Work; from whence arises one of the
most material Differences in the Versification of Ovid and Virgil; and
to produce more Examples would be a needless Labour. In this Place
let me take Notice that it is on Account of Varying the Pause that Virgil
makes his broken Lines in the Æneid, which suspend all Pauses, and
the Ear is relieved by this Means, and attends with fresh Pleasure.
Whoever intends to come up to Virgil in Harmony in Heroick Numbers
in any long Work, must not omit this Art.
2d, The next thing to be attended to, is, _The Inversion of the Phrase_.
This flings the Stile out of Prose, and occasions that Suspense which is
the Life of Poetry. This builds the lofty Rhyme (as Milton expresses it)
in such manner as to cause that Majesty in Verse of which I have said
so much before, that there is no need of saying any thing more here.
3d. The third thing is, The adapting the Sound to the Sense.
Most People know such Instances of this Nature, as Quadrupedante,
&c. and Illi inter sese, &c. But few attend to an Infinity of other
Examples.
How is the Verse drawn out in length, and how does it labour when
strong heavy Land is to be ploughed!
"--_Ergo, age terræ Pingue solum, primis extemplo a Mensibus Anni
Fortes invortant tauri._--
How nimbly does the Verse move when the turning over very light
Ground is represented!

"--_Sub ipsum Arcturum, tenui s[=a]t erit suspendere sulco_.--
How slow does the heavy Waggon proceed in this Line!
"Tardaque Eleusinæ Matris Volventïa Plaustra.--
How does the Boat bound over the Po in these two Hemisticks!
"--_Levis innatat alnus Missa Pado._--
See Feathers dancing on the Water in this!
"--In aqua colludere plumas.--
No Stem of the Crab-tree is more rough than this Verse.
"Inseritur vero ex foetu nucis arbutus horrida:
Water is not more liquid than this.
"Speluncisque