Letters Concerning Poetical Translations | Page 6

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, c?lum, Unus erat toto | Natur? vultus in orbe, Quem dix��re Chaos | rudis indigestaque moles; Nec quicquam, nisi pondus, iners; | congestaque eodem Non bene junctarum | discordia semina rerum. Nullus adhuc mundo | pr?bebat lumina Titan; Nec nova crescendo | reparabat cornua Phoebe, Nec circumfuso | pendebat in a?re 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 l?tas segetes, | quo Sydere Terram Vertere, | M?cenas, | ulmisque adjungere Vites Conveniat, | qu? 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 ?neid, 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 terr? 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 Eleusin? Matris Volvent?a 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 lacus Clausos, lucosque sonantis.--
S. & L. liquescit Carmen instar aquarum, says Erythr?us in his Note on this Line.
How gently flow the Streams in this Verse!
"Unde pater Tiberinus, & unde Aniena fluenta.--
What a roaring do the Hypanis and Caicus make in the next!
"Sax[=o]sumque s[=o]nans Hypanis, Mysusque Ca?cus.
But now observe how he raises his Song to honour his Favourite Eridanus!
"Et gemina auratus taurino cornua vultu Eridanus; quo non alius _Per Pinguia culta In mare purpureum v[=i]olent[=i]or [=i]nflu[=i]t amn[=i]s._
The former Line strikes the Ear with Mysus and Ca?cus; here you have Auratus, Eridanus, and Alius. Then an Alliteration, _Per Pinguia_, and at last the whole Passage rolls on in a Dactyl Line, and rushes into the Sea with an Assultus of the Vowel i, repeated five times in three Words.
"--Violentior influit amnis.
The following Line tours into the Skies with the highest Mountain in Italy.
"--_Gaudetque nivali Vertice se attollens pater Appeninus, ad auras._--
This falls down as low as the deepest Valley.
"Saxa per, & scopulos, & depressas convalles.
In short there