the unseen world and other essays-第39章

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hat　are　associated　with　our　homeliest　and　deepest　emotions；　while　words　of　the　second　classusually　acquired　somewhat　later　in　life　and　employed　in　sedate　abstract　discoursehave　an　intellectual　rather　than　an　emotional　function　to　fulfil。　Their　original　significations；　the　physical　metaphors　involved　in　them；　which　are　perhaps　still　somewhat　apparent　to　the　Frenchman；　are　to　us　wholly　non…existent。　Nothing　but　the　derivative　or　metaphysical　signification　remains。　No　physical　image　of　a　man　stepping　over　a　boundary　is　presented　to　our　minds　by　the　word　transgress；　nor　in　using　the　word　comprehension　do　we　picture　to　ourselves　any　manual　act　of　grasping。　It　is　to　this　double　structure　of　the　English　language　that　it　owes　its　superiority　over　every　other　tongue；　ancient　or　modern；　for　philosophical　and　scientific　purposes。　Albeit　there　are　numerous　exceptions；　it　may　still　be　safely　said；　in　a　general　way；　that　we　possess　and　habitually　use　two　kinds　of　language；one　that　is　physical；　for　our　ordinary　purposes；　and　one　that　is　metaphysical；　for　purposes　of　abstract　reasoning　and　discussion。　We　do　not　say　like　the　Germans；　that　we　〃begripe〃　（begreifen）　an　idea；　but　we　say　that　we　〃conceive〃　it。　We　use　a　word　which　once　had　the　very　same　material　meaning　as　begreifen；　but　which　has　in　our　language　utterly　lost　it。　We　are　accordingly　able　to　carry　on　philosophical　inquiries　by　means　of　words　which　are　nearly　or　quite　free　from　those　shadows　of　original　concrete　meaning　which；　in　German；　too　often　obscure　the　acquired　abstract　signification。　Whoever　has　dealt　in　English　and　German　metaphysics　will　not　fail　to　recognize　the　prodigious　superiority　of　English　in　force　and　perspicuity；　arising　mainly　from　the　causes　here　stated。　But　while　this　homogeneity　of　structure　in　German　injures　it　for　philosophical　purposes；　it　is　the　very　thing　which　makes　it　so　excellent　as　an　organ　for　poetical　expression；　in　the　opinion　of　those　who　speak　English。　German　being　nearly　allied　to　Anglo…Saxon；　not　only　do　its　simple　words　strike　us　with　all　the　force　of　our　own　homely　Saxon　terms；　but　its　compounds　also；　preserving　their　physical　significations　almost　unimpaired；　call　up　in　our　minds　concrete　images　of　the　greatest　definiteness　and　liveliness。　It　is　thus　that　German　seems　to　us　pre…eminently　a　poetical　language；　and　it　is　thus　that　we　are　naturally　inclined　to　overrate　rather　than　to　depreciate　the　poetry　that　is　written　in　it。

With　regard　to　French；　the　case　is　just　the　reverse。　The　Frenchman　has　no　Saxon　words；　but　he　has；　on　the　other　hand；　an　indigenous　stock　of　Latin　words；　which　he　learns　in　early　childhood；　which　give　outlet　to　his　most　intimate　feelings；　and　which　retain　to　some　extent　their　primitive　concrete　picturesqueness。　They　are　to　him　just　as　good　as　our　Saxon　words　are　to　us。　Though　cold　and　merely　intellectual　to　us；　they　are　to　him　warm　with　emotion；　and　this　is　one　reason　why　we　cannot　do　justice　to　his　poetry；　or　appreciate　it　as　he　appreciates　it。　To　make　this　perfectly　clear；　let　us　take　two　or　three　lines　from　Shakespeare：

　　　　　〃Blow；　blow；　thou　winter　wind！　　　　　　　Thou　art　not　so　unkind　　　　　　　As　man's　ingratitude；　　　　　　　Thy　tooth　is　not　so　keen；〃　etc。；　etc。；

which　I　have　somewhere　seen　thus　rendered　into　French：

　　　　　〃Souffle；　souffle；　vent　d'hiver！　　　　　　　Tu　n'es　pas　si　cruel　　　　　　　Que　l'ingratitude　de　l'homme。　　　　　　　Ta　dent　n'est　pas　si　penetrante；〃　etc。；　etc。

Why　are　we　inclined　to　laugh　as　we　read　this？　Because　it　excites　in　us　an　undercurrent　of　consciousness　which；　if　put　into　words；　might　run　something　like　this：

　　　　　〃Insufflate；　insufflate；　wind　hibernal！　　　　　　　Thou　art　not　so　cruel　　　　　　　As　human　ingratitude。　　　　　　　Thy　dentition　is　not　so　penetrating；〃　etc。；　etc。

No　such　effect　would　be　produced　upon　a　Frenchman。　The　translation　would　strike　him　as　excellent；　which　it　really　is。　The　last　line　in　particular　would　seem　poetical　to　us；　did　we　not　happen　to　have　in　our　language　words　closely　akin　to　dent　and　penetrante；　and　familiarly　employed　in　senses　that　are　not　poetical。

Applying　these　considerations　to　Mr。　Longfellow's　choice　of　words　in　his　translation　of　Dante；　we　see　at　once　the　unsoundness　of　the　principle　that　Italian　words　should　be　rendered　by　their　Romanic　equivalents　in　English。　Words　that　are　etymologically　identical　with　those　in　the　original　are　often；　for　that　very　reason；　the　worst　words　that　could　be　used。　They　are　harsh　and　foreign　to　the　English　ear；　however　homelike　and　musical　they　may　be　to　the　ear　of　an　Italian。　Their　connotations　are　unlike　in　the　two　languages；　and　the　translation　which　is　made　literally　exact　by　using　them　is　at　the　same　time　made　actually　inaccurate；　or　at　least　inadequate。　Dole　and　dolent　are　doubtless　the　exact　counterparts　of　dolore　and　dolente；　so　far　as　mere　etymology　can　go。　But　when　we　consider　the　effect　that　is　to　be　produced　upon　the　mind　of　the　reader；　wretchedness　and　despairing　are　fat　better　equivalents。　The　former　may　compel　our　intellectual　assent；　but　the　latter　awaken　our　emotional　sympathy。

Doubtless　by　long　familiarity　with　the　Romanic　languages；　the　scholar　becomes　to　a　great　degree　emancipated　from　the　conditions　imposed　upon　him　by　the　peculiar　composition　of　his　native　English。　The　concrete　significance　of　the　Romanic　words　becomes　apparent　to　him；　and　they　acquire　energy　and　vitality。　The　expression　dolent　may　thus　satisfy　the　student　familiar　with　Italian；　because　it　calls　up　in　his　mind；　through　the　medium　of　its　equivalent　dolente；　the　same　associations　which　the　latter　calls　up　in　the　mind　of　the　Italian　himself。＇41＇　But　this　power　of　appreciating　thoroughly　the　beauties　of　a　foreign　tongue　is　in　the　last　degree　an　acquired　taste；as　much　so　as　the　taste　for　olives　and　kirschenwasser　to　the　carnal　palate。　It　is　only　by　long　and　profound　study　that　we　can　thus　temporarily　vest　ourselves；　so　to　speak；　with　a　French　or　Italian　consciousness　in　exchange　for　our　English　one。　The　literary　epicure　may　keenly　relish　such　epithets　as　dolent；　but　the　common　English　reader；　who　loves　plain　fare；　can　hardly　fail　to　be　startled　by　it。　To　him　it　savours　of　the　grotesque；　and　if　there　is　any　one　thing　especially　to　be　avoided　in　the　interpretation　of　Dante；　it　is　grotesqueness。

＇41＇　A　consummate　Italian　scholar；　the　delicacy　of　whose　taste　is　questioned　by　no　one；　and　whose　knowledge　of　Dante's　diction　is　probably　not　inferior　to　Mr。　Longfellow's；　has　told　me　that　he　regards　the　expression　as　a　noble　and　effective　one；　full　of　dignity　and　solemnity。


Those　who　have　read　over　Dante　without　reading　into　him；　and　those　who　have　derived　their　impressions　of　his　poem　from　M。　Dore's　memorable　illustrations；　will　here　probably　demur。　What！　Dante　not　grotesque！　That　tunnel…shaped　structure　of　the　infernal　pit；　Minos　passing　sentence　on　the　damned　by　coiling　his　tail；　Charon　beating　the　lagging　shades　with　his　oar；　Antaios　picking　up　the　poets　with　his　fingers　and　lowering　them　in　the　hollow　of　his　hand　into　the　Ninth　Circle；　Satan　crunching　in　his　monstrous　jaws　the　arch…traitors；　Judas；　Brutus　and　Cassius；　Ugolino　appeasing　his　famine　upon　the　tough　nape　of　Ruggieri；　Bertrand　de　Born　looking　（if　I　may　be　allowed　the　expression）　at　his　own　dissevered　head；　the　robbers　exchanging　form　with　serpents；　the　whole　demoniac　troop　of　Malebolge；are　not　all　these　things　grotesque　beyond　everything　else　in　poetry？　To　us；　nurtured　in　this　scientific　nineteenth　century；　they　doubtless　seem　so；　and　by　Leigh　Hunt；　who　had　the　eighteenth…century　way　of　appreciating　other　ages　than　his　own；　they　were　uniformly　treated　as　such。　To　us　they　are　at　first　sight　grotesque；　because　they　are　no　longer　real　to　us。　We　have　ceased　to　believe　in　such　things；　and　they　no　longer　awaken　any　feeling　akin　to　terror。　But　in　the　thirteenth　century；　in　the　minds　of　Dante　and　his　readers；　they　were　living；　terrible　realities。　That　Dante　believed　literally　in　all　this　unearthly　world；　and　described　it　with　such　wonderful　minuteness　because　he　believed　in　it；　admits　of　little　doubt。　As　he　walked　the　streets　of　Verona　the　people　whispered；　〃See；　there　is　the　man　who　has　been　in　hell！〃　Truly；　he　had　been　in　hell；　and　described　it　as　he　had　seen　it；　with　the　keen　eyes　of　imagination　and　faith。　With　all　its　weird　unearthliness；　there　is　hardly　another　book　in　the　whole　range　of　human　literature　which　is　marked　with　such　unswerving　veracity　as　the　〃Divine　Comedy。〃　Nothing　is　there　set　down　arbitrarily；　out　of　wanton　caprice　or　for　the　sake　of　poetic　effect；　but　because　to　Dante's　imagination　it　had　so　imposingly　shown　itself　that　he　could　not　but　describe　it　as　he　saw　it。　In　reading　his　cantos　we　forget　the　poet；　and　have　before　us　only　the　veracious　traveller　in　strange　realms；　from　whom　the　shrewdest　cross…examination　can　elicit　but　one　consistent　account。　To　his　mind；　and　to　the　mediaeval　mind　generally；　this　outer　kingdom；　with　its　wards　of　Despair；　Expiation；　and　Beatitude；　was　as　real　as　the　Holy　Roman　Empire　itself。　Its　extraordinary　phenomena　were　not　to　be　looked　on　with　critical　eyes　and　called　grotesque；　but　were　to　be　seen　with　eyes　of　faith；　and　to　be　worshipped；　loved；　or　shuddered　at。　Rightly　viewed；　therefore；　the　poem　of　Dante　is　not　grotesque；　but　unspeakably　awful　and　solemn；　and　the　statement　is　justified　that　all　grotesqueness　and　bizarrerie　in　its　interpretation　is　to　be　sedulously　avoided。

Therefore；　while　acknowledging　the　accuracy　with　which　Mr。　Longfellow　has　kept　pace　with　his　original　through　line　after　line；　following　the　〃footing　of　its　feet；〃　according　to　the　motto　quoted　on　his　title…page；　I　cannot　but　think　that　his　accuracy　would　have　been　of　a　somewhat　higher　kind　if　he　had　now　and　then　allowed　himself　a　little　more　liberty　of　choice　between　English　and　Romanic　words　and　idioms。

A　few　examples　will　perhaps　serve　to　strengthen　as　well　as　to　elucidate　still　further　this　position。

〃Inferno；〃　Canto　III。；　line　22；　according　to　Longfellow：

　　　　　〃There　sighs；　complaints；　and　ululations　loud　　　　　　　Resounded　through　the　air　without　a　star；　　　　　　　Whence　I　at　the　beginning　wept　thereat。〃

According　to　Cary：

　　　　　〃Here　sighs；　with　lamentations　and　loud　moans　　　　　　　Resounded　through　the　air　pierced　by　no　star；　　　　　　　That　e'en　I　wept　at　entering。〃

According　to　Parsons：

　　　　　〃Mid　sighs；　laments；　and　hollow　howls　of　woe；　　　　　　　Which；　loud　resounding　through　the　starless　air；　　　　　　　Forced　tears　of　pity　from　mine　eyes　at　first。〃＇42＇

＇42＇　〃Quivi　sospiri；　pianti　ed　alti　guai　　　　　　　Risonavan　per　l'　ner　senza　stelle；　　　　　　　Perch'　io　al　cominciar　ne　lagrimai。〃

Canto　V。；　line　84：

LONGFELLOW。〃Fly　through　the　air　by　their　volition　borne。〃　CARY。〃Cleave　the　air；　wafted　by　their　will　along。〃　PARSONS。〃Sped　ever　onward　by　their　wish　alone。〃＇43＇

＇43＇　〃Volan　per　l'　aer　dal　voler　portate。〃


Canto　XVII。；　line　42：

LONGFELLOW。〃That　he　concede　to　us　his　stalwart　shoulders。〃　CARY〃That　to　us　he　may　vouchsafe　　　　　　　The　aid　of　his　strong　shoulders。〃　　PARSONS。〃And　ask　for　us　his　shoulders'　strong　support。〃＇44＇

＇44＇　〃Che　ne　conceda　i　suoi　omeri　forti。〃


Canto　XVII。；　line　25：

LONGFELLOW。　〃His　tail　was　wholly　quivering　in　the　void；　　　　　　　　　　　　Contorting　upwards　the　envenomed　fork　　　　　　　　　　　　That　in　the　guise　of　scorpion　armed　its　point。〃　CARY。　〃In　the　void　G