17 MAY 1913, Page 17

THE GREEK ANTHOLOGY.

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIE,—Your reviewer may well say that Mr. Grundy's version of the Greek epitaph—ascribed to Plato—on a shipwrecked mariner-

" A sailor's tomb am I; o'er there a yokel's tomb there be ;

For Hades lies below the earth as well as 'neath the sea "- " somewhat grates on the English ear." The latter part of the first line is downright bad grammar—unless, indeed, a realistic imitation of the " yokel's " dialect was intended. Minor blemishes are the pseudo-poetical " o'er there " for the collo- quial " over there" (as in " that girl over there with the flaming red hair "), 'and the use of the two different words " below " and "'neath" where there is no difference of meaning. Wellesley's "Anthologies Polyglotta" contains translations of the epigram into Latin, Italian, German, and English—none very good. By the way, why does your critic in a previous paragraph render /see& ?Lode, " the dun nightin- gale" P Surely Swinburne's word ("tawny body and sweet

small mouth") is better.—I am, Sir, &c., C. L. D.