An examination of these shows that the
text he used was a manuscript one, the readings he translates
being in more than one instance those of the manuscript, as
opposed to the printed, tradition.
text he used was a manuscript one, the readings he translates
being in more than one instance those of the manuscript, as
opposed to the printed, tradition.
John Donne
The text is based on the
edition of 1719. A complete and separate edition was published
at Boston in 1850. This has an eclectic text, but the editor
has relied principally on the editions after _1633_. Variants
are sparingly and somewhat inaccurately recorded.
In 1802 F. G. Waldron printed in his _Shakespeare Miscellany_
'Two Elegies of Dr. Donne not in any edition of his Works'. Of
these, one, 'Loves War,' is by Donne. The other, 'Is Death so
great a gamster,' is by Lord Herbert of Cherbury. In
1856-7 Sir John Simeon printed in the _Miscellanies_ of the
Philobiblon Society several 'Unpublished Poems of Donne'. Very
few of them are at all probably poems of Donne.
Of Grosart's edition (1873), the Grolier Club edition (1895),
and Chambers's edition (1896), a full account will be given
later. ]
[Footnote 13: Huyghens sent some translations with the letter.
He translated into Dutch (retaining the original metres,
except that Alexandrines are substituted for decasyllabics)
nineteen pieces in all.
An examination of these shows that the
text he used was a manuscript one, the readings he translates
being in more than one instance those of the manuscript, as
opposed to the printed, tradition. In a note which he prefixed
to the translations when he published them many years later
in his _Korenbloemen_ (1672) he states that Charles I, having
heard of his intention to translate Dr. Donne, 'declared he
did not believe that anyone could acquit himself of that task
with credit'--an interesting testimony to the admiration
which Charles felt for the poetry of Donne. A copy of the 1633
edition now in the British Museum is said to have belonged to
the King, and to bear the marks of his interest in particular
passages. Huyghens's comment on Charles's criticism shows what
it was in the English language which most struck a foreigner
speaking a tongue of a purer Germanic strain: 'I feel sure
that he would not have passed so absolute a sentence had he
known the richness of our language, a moderate command of
which is sufficient to enable one to render the thoughts of
peoples of all countries with ease and delight. From these I
must, however, except the English; for their language is all
languages; and as it pleases them, Greek and Latin become
plain English. But since _we_ do not thus admit foreign words
it is easy to understand in what difficulty we find ourselves
when we have to express in a pure German speech, _Ecstasis_,
_Atomi_, _Influentiae_, _Legatum_, _Alloy_, and the like. Set
these aside and the rest costs us no great effort. '
At the end of his life Huyghens wrote a poem of reminiscences,
_Sermones de Vita Propria_, in which he recalls the impression
that Donne had left upon his mind:
Voortreffelyk Donn, o deugdzaam leeraer, duld
Dat ik u bovenal, daar'k u bij voorkeur noeme,
Als godlijk Dichter en welsprekend Reednaer roeme,
Uit uwen gulden mond, 'tzij ge in een vriendenzaal
Of van den kansel spraakt, klonk louter godentaal,
Wier nektar ik zoo vaak met harte wellust proefde.
'Suffer me, all-surpassing Donne, virtuous teacher, to name
you first and above all; and sing your fame as god-like poet
and eloquent preacher. From your golden mouth, whether in
the chamber of a friend, or in the pulpit, fell the speech
of Gods, whose nectar I drank again and again with heartfelt
joy. '
Vondel did not share the enthusiasm of Huyghens and Hooft. ]
[Footnote 14: That is, many poems of his early years. ]
[Footnote 15: Tot verschiedene reizen meen ik U. E.
onderhouden te hebben met de gedachtenisse van Doctor Donne,
tegenwoordigh Deken van St Pauls tot Londen, ende, door dit
rijckelick beroep, volgens 't Engelsch gebruyck, in hooghen
ansien, in veel hooger door den rijckdom van sijn gadeloos
vernuft ende noch onvergelijckerer welsprekentheit op stoel.
edition of 1719. A complete and separate edition was published
at Boston in 1850. This has an eclectic text, but the editor
has relied principally on the editions after _1633_. Variants
are sparingly and somewhat inaccurately recorded.
In 1802 F. G. Waldron printed in his _Shakespeare Miscellany_
'Two Elegies of Dr. Donne not in any edition of his Works'. Of
these, one, 'Loves War,' is by Donne. The other, 'Is Death so
great a gamster,' is by Lord Herbert of Cherbury. In
1856-7 Sir John Simeon printed in the _Miscellanies_ of the
Philobiblon Society several 'Unpublished Poems of Donne'. Very
few of them are at all probably poems of Donne.
Of Grosart's edition (1873), the Grolier Club edition (1895),
and Chambers's edition (1896), a full account will be given
later. ]
[Footnote 13: Huyghens sent some translations with the letter.
He translated into Dutch (retaining the original metres,
except that Alexandrines are substituted for decasyllabics)
nineteen pieces in all.
An examination of these shows that the
text he used was a manuscript one, the readings he translates
being in more than one instance those of the manuscript, as
opposed to the printed, tradition. In a note which he prefixed
to the translations when he published them many years later
in his _Korenbloemen_ (1672) he states that Charles I, having
heard of his intention to translate Dr. Donne, 'declared he
did not believe that anyone could acquit himself of that task
with credit'--an interesting testimony to the admiration
which Charles felt for the poetry of Donne. A copy of the 1633
edition now in the British Museum is said to have belonged to
the King, and to bear the marks of his interest in particular
passages. Huyghens's comment on Charles's criticism shows what
it was in the English language which most struck a foreigner
speaking a tongue of a purer Germanic strain: 'I feel sure
that he would not have passed so absolute a sentence had he
known the richness of our language, a moderate command of
which is sufficient to enable one to render the thoughts of
peoples of all countries with ease and delight. From these I
must, however, except the English; for their language is all
languages; and as it pleases them, Greek and Latin become
plain English. But since _we_ do not thus admit foreign words
it is easy to understand in what difficulty we find ourselves
when we have to express in a pure German speech, _Ecstasis_,
_Atomi_, _Influentiae_, _Legatum_, _Alloy_, and the like. Set
these aside and the rest costs us no great effort. '
At the end of his life Huyghens wrote a poem of reminiscences,
_Sermones de Vita Propria_, in which he recalls the impression
that Donne had left upon his mind:
Voortreffelyk Donn, o deugdzaam leeraer, duld
Dat ik u bovenal, daar'k u bij voorkeur noeme,
Als godlijk Dichter en welsprekend Reednaer roeme,
Uit uwen gulden mond, 'tzij ge in een vriendenzaal
Of van den kansel spraakt, klonk louter godentaal,
Wier nektar ik zoo vaak met harte wellust proefde.
'Suffer me, all-surpassing Donne, virtuous teacher, to name
you first and above all; and sing your fame as god-like poet
and eloquent preacher. From your golden mouth, whether in
the chamber of a friend, or in the pulpit, fell the speech
of Gods, whose nectar I drank again and again with heartfelt
joy. '
Vondel did not share the enthusiasm of Huyghens and Hooft. ]
[Footnote 14: That is, many poems of his early years. ]
[Footnote 15: Tot verschiedene reizen meen ik U. E.
onderhouden te hebben met de gedachtenisse van Doctor Donne,
tegenwoordigh Deken van St Pauls tot Londen, ende, door dit
rijckelick beroep, volgens 't Engelsch gebruyck, in hooghen
ansien, in veel hooger door den rijckdom van sijn gadeloos
vernuft ende noch onvergelijckerer welsprekentheit op stoel.
