THE ENGLISH CAPTAIN.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—In the World of September 12th, describing a night. watch on the Trondhjem Fjord with the first mate of the
Ragnvald Jarl,' I said :—" He was a fine scholar. He talked to me of strange Norwegian poems, and gave me a striking version in English prose which he had made of one of them " (author unknown) " himself, and I have promised to render it for him some day into English verse." Hence my poem in the Spectator. The mate's English was a little rough and obscure, and I had to construct and write the ballad out of it, adhering to him as best I could. Ignorant of either metre or original, I was puzzled as to my form of verse ; but as Homer, man or limited company, was before all the poet of the sea, I chose the hexameter. " Freely rendered from the Norwegian" was the best description I could find. That is all I know about it. If it ought to have been " the Danish," it ought. But if the story is Danish, the method is Norwegian. And " The English Captain " as a title (the mate's) is worth a good many "Pictures from 1807." I never heard of Bagger; but should not be surprised to learn that Bagger bagged, as I did. Such things have been. For myself, I leave much to be desired as a Scandinavian scholar. But I am glad to clear myself of the rather mixed charge of not knowing Norwegian from Danish, before borrowing my sub- ject from the Norse.—I am, Sir, &c.,
Felt ham. HERMAN MERIVALE.
Previous page
