of space" is a very unnecessary interpolation of the translator. "Though none understand what his mysterious music says"—a specific construction is here put upon the words of the original, which we do not think they will bear. It is not the sun's music merely that the angels are unable to fathom: it is himself and all his wondrous ways.
In the Honourable Mr Talbot's stanza there is not much to applaud; but where can words be found strong enough to condemn the verse in which this expression appears?
"The foaming deep
To lash the sea-cliffs' base appears."
Appears to lash!!—why, it does lash these same foundation-rocks with a force which, unless they had been rooted to the centre, would long ago have knocked them off their legs.
We now make our bow to our third archangel, Mr Birch. Who this gentleman is, we know not; but if he should take umbrage at our having placed him at the head of his stanza as Michael Birch, we beg to refer him to his own pompous preface, from which it appears that be himself has indulged in far more extravagant liberties with the name "his godfathers and godmothers" gave him, than any that we, even in our wildest imaginations, could ever have dreamt of taking. "That my proper name," (says he, p. 10,) "is unknown to the literary world; is true; yet have two of the productions of my pen passed the ordeal of criticism, and received the reviewer's meed of praise; namely, my 'Fifty-one original Fables and Morals,' published five years ago as written by Job Crithannah; and my recently published 'Divine Emblems,' as by Johann Abricht, both being anagrams of my proper name." The capitals are his own. Now, if Mr Birch prefers the name of Job Crithannah to that of the archangel Michael, we will not quarrel with him about it. De gustibus, &c., only to our ears the latter sounds rather more euphonious.
It was not without a profound weighing of the subject, that Job Crithannah undertook and went through with his translation of "Faust." Various friends appear to have tried to dissuade him from publishing his version, it being, they thought, an article of which "there was no want." But Job was not so to be done. His only fear, he tells us, was, "lest I should be charged with presumption or affectation in so closely imitating Goethe;" and accordingly he listened to the remonstrances of his friends "with feelings something akin to pity towards such persons."—(Preface, p. 9.) It Job Crithannah is guilty of no presumption or affectation, except that of "closely imitating Goethe," we beg to assure him that he must be about the most unpresumptuous and unaffected individual now alive. He informs us that in early life he was partially acquainted with "Faust;" but that about three years ago it again fell in his way. "I gave it much attention," says he, "and was rewarded by astounding delight." With regard to his own translation he speaks thus. "I have proposed to myself to give the meaning of my author fully, neither skipping over, nor avowedly[1] leaving out any part; but studiously masking such passages as might be considered objectionable to delicacy—to give it in poetry line for line, and literally, where the genius of the two languages admitted of such closeness; for if too verbally given, Goethe becomes increasingly obscure, and his beauties remain undeveloped. I have, therefore, considered it better on such occasions to give a good liberal English equivalent rather than a cramped verbality, so that the verse might flow, [italics in original,] without which no poetical version could ever become agreeable to the English reader, or approach to a display of Goethe's versification. In fact, a spirited translation, palpable, interesting, and pleasing, from its euphony, to the Englishman; and satisfactory to the German scholar from its correctness."
Here Job Crithannah promises well, but we much doubt whether, even with the assistance of Johann Abricht, he will be found able to make good his word. Let as examine the short sample of his performance which we have quoted. In the second line, literally, "from sea to land, from land to sea,"—the whole beauty of which verse depends upon the second clause being made to play back in totidem verbis, upon the first,—he has
- ↑ By avowedly he evidently means intentionally, otherwise he must mean that he has left out some parts, but has resolved not to confess what they are.
