you pect that I am indebted to your partiality and politenefs only, for the exceffive encomiums which you have beftowed upon my translation of the two odes which I fent to you, as well as for the favourable opinion which entertain of my trifles. I am, however, ferioufly obliged to you for your animadverfions upon my inaccuracies, though when I confider their number, I must impute it to your indulgence that you have been fo fparing in your corrections. Without wishing to leffen my obligations to your kindness, I cannot avoid mentioning by way of apology, that it is only three months fince I resumed the task of writing verses, which I renounced when I left fchool; and not from any motive of vanity, or defire of reputation, but merely as an amusement of my leisure hours. My relapse has produced the tranflation of about fifty odes of our learned Hafez, For whom, each hour a growing fondness brings *, *These lines are taken from a juvenile translation of Sir William Jones. But obferving, in the progress of the work, the immenfe inferiority of my verfion to the original, I began to be difgufted with it. I recollect to have read fomewhere with great pleasure, the Prelections of the Bishop of Oxford, of which you fpeak fo highly, and which you propose to imitate, but I remember nothing more of this work, than that I thought both the ftyle and arrangement of it equally admirable. The Grecian and Oriental flowers fcattered throughout your letter, delighted me exceedingly, and your felection of them fhews your judgment. I also approve your idea of vifiting the East; but previously to your undertaking it, I would recommend to you, to make yourself mafter of the common language of the Turks, or of the vulgar Arabic, not only as indifpenfably neceffary to your communications with the Mohammedans, but as a means of deriving pleasure and profit from the journey. I do not mean to apply my cenfures on the fervile imitations of Turkifh authors to every fpecies of imitation; for in fome inftances the timitation, as in the cafe of Virgil with refpect to Hefiod, has furpaffed the original. Nor can Hafez himself deny the imputation of plagiarism, having actually transcribed whole lines from other poets; his collection of poems begins with an inftance of this kind, for the very first hemistich is transcribed from one of Yezid*, the fon of Mowavea, with an alteration only in the collocation of the words, not to mention nearly a complete ode in another place; but I am disgusted with the flat and perpetual imitation of the many Turkish poets, to whom we may aptly apply the words of Horace L O servile herd of imitators! Do you wish to know my opinion refpecting the other Persian poets, and whether I * Yezid was the son of Mowavea, the first Caliph of the race of Ommiah, and being reproached by his father for excessive drinking, replied as follows: Does this thy wrath inspire, because I quaff'd The grape's rich juice?-then doubly sweet the draught. Sweet is thy wrath, and sweet the flowing bowl. think Hafez alone elegant? far from it; fo who can read without ecstasy the first page of Sadi? Indeed, my paffion for Oriental literature was first excited by hearing the following lines of Sadi accidentally repeated by my teacher at Conftantinople, who explained them to me: All-bounteous Lord! whose providential care Whose boundless mercy to thy foes extends? But who can fupprefs his indignation, when he reads the wretched tranflation of this elegant writer, a Gentius? I acknowledge however, that I am more delighted with Hafez, who unites fine morality with cheerfulness. With respect to Jami, whose works I do not at prefent poffefs, I remember enough of what I read at Conftantinople to venture to affert, that he is the most fuccefsful of the Perfian poets. In the judgment of Sudi, Hafez is unequal; fome of his odes are excellent, others very inferior, and fome very tame, whilft Jami preferves an equality throughout. I have not tranflated the ode of Hafez, “If that fair maid," &c. * into Latin verfe, as the fenfe is fo unconnected: but a profe tranflation of it with notes, if you wifh to have it, is at your fervice. In the mean time, I send you my latest production, not complete indeed, but a mere embryo. Farewel. P.S. It is little to fay, I approve your Arabic verses; I really admire them, but dare not in this inftance attempt to imitate you. REVICZKI. † REVICZKI to Mr. JONES. London, March 17th, 1768. I was highly delighted with your letter, particularly with your various translations, imitations, and compofitions; they not only prove you have Made the Greek authors your supreme delight, (FRANCIS :) * See a poetical translation of this ode, in Sir William Jones's Works, vol. v. p. 316. † Appendix, No. 5. |