Unnumber'd herds of cattle ftray ;. Thy harness'd steeds with sprightly voice, Make neighbouring vales and hills rejoice, While smoothly thy gay chariot flies o'er the fwiftmeasur'd way. To me the ftars with less profufion kind, And no untuneful Lyric vein, But a fincere contented mind That can the vile, malignant crowd disdain *. * Otium divos rogat in patenti Prenfus Egeo, fimul atra nubes Condidit Lunam, neque certa fulgent Sidera nautis. Otium bello furiosa Thrace, Otium Medi pharetrâ decori, Grosphe, non gemmis, neque purpurâ ve nale, nec auro. Non enim gazæ, neque Confularis Summovet lictor miferos tumultus Mentis, et curas laqueata circum Vivitur parvo bene, cui paternum Nec leves fomnos Timor aut Cupido Sordidus aufert. Quid Quid brevi fortes jaculamur ævo Sole mutamus? Patriæ quis exul, Scandit æratas vitiofa naves Cura, nec turmas equitum relinquit, Lætus in præfens animus, quod ultra eft Abftulit clarum cita mors Achillem: Te greges centum, Siculaque circum Veftiunt lanæ mihi parva rura, et HOR. Od. 2. 16. CHAP. CHAPTER XI. Of the Tranflation of Idiomatic Phrafes.Examples from Cotton, Echard, Sterne. -Injudicious Ufe of Idioms in the Tranflation, which do not correfpond with the Age or Country of the Original.--Idiomatic Phrafes fometimes incapable of Translation. HILE a translator endeavours to WHILE give to his work all the ease of original compofition, the chief difficulhe has to encounter will be found in ty the the tranflation of idioms, or those turns of expreflion which do not belong to univerfal grammar, but of which every language has its own, that are exclufively proper to it. It will be eafily understood, that when I fpeak of the difficulty of translating idioms, I do not mean those general modes of arrangement or conftruction which regulate a whole language, and which may not be common to it with other tongues: As, for example, the placing the adjective always before the fubftantive in English, which in French and in Latin is most commonly placed after it; the ufe of the participle in English, where the prefent tense is used in other languages; as he is writing, fcribit, il écrit; the use of the prepofition to before the infinitive in Englifh, where the French use the prepofi tion 240 tion de or of. These, which may be termed the general idioms of a language, are foon understood, and are exchanged for parallel idioms with the utmost eafe. With regard to these a translator can never err, unless through affectation or choice*. For example, in translating the French * There is, however, a very common mistake of translators from the French into English, proceeding either from ignorance, or inattention to the general conftruction of the two languages. In narrative, or the description of past actions, the French often use the prefent tenfe for the preterite: Deux jeunes nobles Mexicains jettent leurs armes, et viennent à lui comme déferteurs. Ils mettent un genouil à terre dans la posture des fupplians ; ils le faififfent, et s'élancent de la platforme.-Cortez s'en débaraffe, et fe retient à la balustrade. Les deux jeunes nobles périssent sans avoir exécuté leur généreuse entreprise. Let us obferve the aukward effect of a fimilar use of the present tenfe in English." Two young Mexicans "of noble birth throw away their arms, and come to "him as deferters. They kneel in the pofture of fup"pliants; they feife him, and throw themselves from "the platform.-Cortez difengages himfelf from their "grafp, and keeps hold of the balluftrade. The noble "Mexicans + consinthere in the 3 edition 1813. this note is introduced into the text. |