, A volume of Translations of the Oxford Latin Prize
Poems has made its appearance. We cannot well imagine a more barren task. Prize poems in Latin, when at their best, are ingenious cantos from the works of a few classical writers ; and the closer they adhere to.the original both in phrase and sentiment, and also in Imagery, the more likely are they to be applauded by the scholar. To convert: such productions into free and flowing modern verse, is undoubtedly a labour which, to most poetically-constructed minds, would he least of all congenial. Nevertheless, a gentle- man who signs his dedication to Sir ROBERT HARR.Y INGLIS, "NICHOLAS LEE TolutE," has undertaken it, and has found a very numerous and distinguished list of subscribers to patrenize his en- . deavours. The first volume contains some bar dozen pr.ize,poems, including those of CANNING and Corlasrorr; and we perceive that a second series is promised. We have read the work, out of a kind of curiosity : we were desirous of seeing how it was possi- ble to clothe such compositions in an English garb. We must confess that it is done with tolerable success : the verses sound very well, and as they come jingling together at the rhyme, give assurance of sense. This is enough. We know nothing of Mr. LEE TORRE, but we can conjecture that a better poet might have done his task worse.
Previous page
