not have been added by any translator whatever; and the same may be said of the other " gratuitous additions" marked for reprobation by the same writer.* That there are in this translation a certain number of errors-slips of the pen of the most obvious kind— is unquestionable. The wonder is, that in so hasty a performance, the number is so small. And although, as regards the total effect of the work, they are of next to no importance to the English reader, it is well that they should be pointed out. A list of them, taken from the above article, is given at the end of this volume; and the Editor can truly say that he would have been well pleased if he could have made his acknowledgment for the service thus rendered without reserve or qualification. * Of the critic's own taste and judgment, the following may be taken as a specimen : The ramparts all around with multitudes, With peaceful multitudes are thronged, that fill (Such is his translation of the lines Literally Von Menschen sind die Wälle rings erfüllt With people are the ramparts round quite filled, "The following is Coleridge's construction of this passage The ramparts are all filled with men and women- Which they make breezy with affectionate gestures. "Making the air 'breezy with affectionate gestures' is what we are quite at a loss to understand. Perhaps it means 'raising the wind.'” De gustibus non est disputandum. The Editor had marked this passage as strikingly beautiful in itself, whatever might be its merits as a translation. But which of the two renderings, neither being literal, is the most faithful? Is it better to evade the meaning, or to expand it? It is only necessary to add that the four plays have been reprinted from the first editions, with the original stage-directions and notes, the omission of which in later editions has led to some misapprehension, and can in no respect be regarded as an improvement. |