The British Poets: Including Translations ...

Front Cover
C. Whittingham, 1822 - Classical poetry

From inside the book

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

Popular passages

Page 118 - Love has nothing of his own ; he borrows all from a greater master in his own profession, and, which is worse, improves nothing which he finds. Nature fails him, and being forced to his old shift, he has recourse to witticism. This passes indeed with his soft admirers, and gives him the preference to Virgil in their esteem.
Page 164 - Within a long recess there lies a bay : An island shades it from the rolling sea, And forms a port secure for ships to ride : Broke by the jutting land on either side, In double streams the briny waters glide...
Page 139 - The French have set up purity for the standard of their language; and a masculine vigour is that of ours. Like their tongue is the genius of their poets, light and trifling in comparison of the English — more proper for sonnets, madrigals, and elegies than heroic poetry. The turn on thoughts and words is their chief talent: but the epic poem is too stately to receive those little ornaments.
Page 241 - These rites and customs to the rest commend, That to your pious race they may descend.
Page 145 - The way I have taken is not so strait as metaphrase, nor so loose as paraphrase: some things too I have omitted, and sometimes have added of my own. Yet the omissions, I hope, are but of circumstances, and such as would have no grace in English; and the additions, I also hope, are easily deduced from Virgil's sense.
Page 206 - The vanquish'd triumph, and the victors mourn. Ours take new courage from despair and night; Confus'd the fortune is, confus'd the fight. All parts resound with tumults, plaints, and fears ; And grisly Death in sundry shapes appears. Androgeos fell among us, with his band, Who thought us Grecians newly come to land.
Page 143 - Segrais has distinguished the readers of poetry, according to their capacity of judging, into three classes. (He might have said the same of writers too, if he had pleased.) In the lowest form he places those whom he calls Les Petits...
Page 124 - ... t is grown fulsome, rather by their want of skill than by the commonness. In the last place, I may safely grant that, by reading Homer, Virgil was taught to imitate his invention; that is, to imitate like him; which is no more than if a painter studied Raphael, that he might learn to design after his manner.
Page 175 - With mists their persons, and involves in clouds, That, thus unseen, their passage none might stay, Or force to tell the causes of their way. This part...
Page 131 - Gods so visibly concerned in all the actions of their predecessors. We, who are better taught by our religion, yet own every wonderful accident, which befalls us for the best, to be brought to pass by some special providence of Almighty God and by the care of guardian Angels: and from hence I might infer that no heroic poem can be writ on the Epicurean principles.

Bibliographic information