" SMILES " OR " LAUGHTER P" [To THE EDITOR
OF THE " SPECTATOR:1 Sin,—In the interesting article on "Laughter," in the Spectator of January 19th, I observe that your contributor translates. both yiAcariza and 7eXciaceact by the idea of "smiling."
I once asked Charles Kingsley—we were together at Bourne- mouth, looking out to sea from the cliff, which was not then covered with houses—whether,— " The ocean waves' innumerable smiles,"
Or,—
" The countless laughter of the ocean waves," would be the better rendering of,- Ilorrirsr XV,Ctkredl CiP4p1914471, ^AA GP7tteC.
" The latter," he said at once. " A Greek knew very well the difference between a laugh' and a smile.' He could use puStried, when he wanted it. A river smiles,' or a lake, or a merely rippling sea. But as soon as there are waves, the sea, laughs.' You have the opening of a mouth, the baring of teeth, the noise. And under a fresh breeze, the sea laughs from shore to horizon; the laughter is really 'innumerable.' And so," he went on of his own accord, "the aocxpvoir yarigaux of Andromache is not the pretty sentimentalism of a 'tear- ful smile.' It is that awful thing to see and hear,—laughter, when for anguish the eyes are streaming with tears." I thought Kingsley was right then, and I think so still.—I am,
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