POETICAL TRANSLATIONS FROM THE ANCIENTS. BY GILBERT WAKEFIELD, B. A Pofthabui tamen illorum mea feria ludo:---VIRGIL. But thofe, who cannot write, and those who can, --POPE. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THOMAS PAYNE, AT THE MEWS-GATE; AND MDCCXCV. ADVERTISEMENT. THE author of these flight performances abjures alļ pretenfions to genius for original poetry, feeling himself utterly deftitute of that inventive faculty, which characterizes the true bard of Nature; and, though he agrees with Horace, in thinking mediocrity in this art an intolerable evil, he is of opinion, that fome abatement from this rigorous decifion may be conceded in behalf of tranflation from the ancients; as thofe unacquainted with the Greek and Roman languages may not be displeased to view the sentiments of great authors even in a garb of inferiour embellishment. The fpecimens, here diffidently offered to the public judgement, will be found, he believes, tolerably faithful to their models, unless in those paffages, where deteftable obscenity required concealment, or too much diffonance with modern manners would have rendered a literal exhibition of his author uninterefting, or unintelligible. In feveral instances he has expatiated into paraphrase; when the naked idea of the writer would have appeared harsh, unpoetical, or disgusting in our language; when the subject feemed to allow fome additional ornament and diffufion; or when his own hatred of vice dipt in venom the fhaft of fatire. For these deviations, he throws himself on the candour of his reader; confcious of a heart untinctured by all malignity to the perfons of mankind, and claiming to himself an unreserved avowal of his own fentiments on every subject of intellectual difcuffion, without which he fhould ceafe to be himself. His late occupation, in the revifal of Pope's Homer, has led him to a more particular obfervation of the imperfection of rhyme even in our correcteft poets; and he thinks himself able to affert, without any violation of truth, that he here presents (and especially in the translation of Juvenal, very lately executed, with what celerity he is afraid to mention) the most unexceptionable specimens of poetry, with respect to the purity of it's rhymes, in the English language, to the best of his knowledge and obfervation. One precaution he must subjoin in justice to himself. The resemblances, that may be found to the translations of former artists, are wholly accidental; as the following pieces were faithfully executed without any obligation, of which he is conscious, to their labours. Some apparent fingularities in the formations of the verbs will not escape the notice, and, perhaps, the cenfure of the reader: but the tranflator believes them strictly analogical, and fuch as will be uniformly adopted, when our language has attained that stability of conftruction and accuracy of grammatical inflexion, fo lamentably wanting to the compofitions of our countrymen. Hackney, Feb. 22, 1795. |