The Translations of Beowulf Part 13

which Botkine renders:--

Dans la porte se trouvait une barque bien equipee. (p. 29.)

The princ.i.p.al pa.s.sages which Botkine omits entirely are: 1002b-1008a; 1057b-1062; 1263-1276; 1679-1686.

_Text Used._

The author seems to have been well acquainted with the scholarly work done on _Beowulf_ up to his time. He mentions in his Notes the interpretations of Grein, Grundtvig[7], Ettmuller[8], Thorpe[9], and Kemble[10]. He appears to follow, in general, the text of Heyne, not, however, invariably.

EXTRACT.

IX.

Hunferth, fils d'Ecglaf, qui etait a.s.sis aux pieds du prince des Scyldingas, parla ainsi (l'expedition de Beowulf[11] le remplissait de chagrin, parce qu'il ne voulait pas convenir qu'aucun homme[12] eut plus de gloire[13] que lui-meme):

'N'es-tu pas le Beowulf qui essaya ses forces a la nage sur la mer immense avec Breca quand, par bravade, vous avez tente les flots et que vous avez follement hasarde votre vie dans l'eau profonde?

Aucun homme, qu'il fut ami ou ennemi, ne put vous empecher d'entreprendre ce triste voyage.--Vous avez nage alors sur la mer[14], vous avez suivi les sentiers de l'ocean. L'hiver agitait les vagues[15]. Vous etes restes en detresse pendant sept nuits sous la puissance des flots, mais il t'a vaincu dans la joute parce qu'il avait plus de force que toi. Le matin, le flot le porta sur Heatho-raemas et il alla visiter sa chere patrie[16] le pays des Brondingas, ou il possedait le peuple, une ville et des tresors. Le fils de Beanstan accomplit entierement la promesse qu'il t'avait faite.'

_Criticism of the Extract and Translation._

If the translation is compared with the text, the reader will be struck by the characteristic beauty of the words omitted. We may agree with the translator regarding the difficulty of rendering compound and kenning into French, and yet the very absence of an attempt to do this jeopardizes the value of the translation more than the omission of many episodes, for it brings it dangerously near to paraphrase. 'Vous avez nage alors sur la mer, vous avez suivi les sentiers de l'ocean,' cannot possibly be called a translation of--

a git on sund reon; ?r git eagor-stream earmum ehton, m?ton mere-str?ta, mundum brugdon, glidon ofer gar-secg.

ll. 512, ff.

A part of the story has been thrown away with the adjectives. The force and beauty of the pa.s.sage are gone.

But there is another danger in this paraphrastic method. In omitting words and phrases, the translator will often misinterpret his original.

This is especially true of Botkine's work in the obscure episodes where he wishes to make the meaning perfectly clear. In attempting to simplify the Old English, he departs from the original sense. Instances of this may be brought forward from the Finn episode:

Folcwaldan sunu dogra gehwylce Dene weorode, Hengestes heap hringum wenede, efne swa swie sinc-gestreonum f?ttan goldes, swa he Fresena cyn on beor-sele byldan wolde.

ll. 1089 ff.

The idea is misinterpreted in Botkine's--

Le fils de Folcwalda (stipulait qu'il) leur ferait chaque jour une distribution de tresors. (p. 50.)

Again, at line 1117 it is said of the lady--

earme on eaxle ides gnornode,

meaning that the lady stood by the body (shoulder) of the corpse as it lay on the pyre. Botkine makes of this--

'Elle poussait des lamentations en s'appuyant sur le bras de son fils.' (p. 50.)

The rendering is not without its amusing features, chiefly ill.u.s.trations of the inability of the French language to accommodate itself to typically Germanic expressions. Thus when Hrothgar says what is the equivalent of 'Thanks be to G.o.d for this blessed sight,' Botkine puts into his mouth the words: 'Que le Tout-Puissant recoive mes profonds remerciments pour ce spectacle!'--which might have been taken from a diplomatic note.

[Footnote 1: See infra, p. 123.] [[Sandras]]

[Footnote 2: Save Michel. An account of his work may be found in Wulker's _Grundriss_, - 102.]

[Footnote 3: _a.n.a.lyse historique et geographique._ Paris, Leroux, 1876.]

[Footnote 4: p. 4.]

[Footnote 5: See supra, p. 55.] [[Grein]]

[Footnote 6: See supra, p. 63.] [[Heyne]]

[Footnote 7: See supra, p. 22.] [[Gruntvig]]

[Footnote 8: See supra, p. 37.] [[Ettmuller]]

[Footnote 9: See supra, p. 49.] [[Thorpe]]

[Footnote 10: See supra, p. 33.] [[Kemble]]

[Footnote 11: Omits modges mere-faran.]

[Footnote 12: Omits middan-geardes.]

[Footnote 13: Omits under heofonum.]

[Footnote 14: Omits lines 513-515a.]

[Footnote 15: Omits wintrys wylum.]

[Footnote 16: Omits leof his leodum.]

LUMSDEN'S TRANSLATION

Beowulf, an Old English Poem, translated into Modern Rhymes, by Lieut.-Colonel H. W. Lumsden[1]. London: C. Kegan Paul & Co., 1881.

8vo, pp. xx, 114.

Beowulf, an Old English Poem, translated into Modern Rhymes, by Lieut.-Colonel H. W. Lumsden, late Royal Artillery. Second edition, revised and corrected. London: Kegan Paul, Trench and Co., 1883. 8vo, pp. x.x.x, 179.

Fifth English Translation. Ballad Measures.

_Differences between the two Editions, and Indebtedness to Preceding Scholars._