22.6.
mvp-aristotle-comment-93
22.14
ARIPHRADES ALSO RIDICULES THE TRAGIC POETS FOR EMPLOY- ING FORMS OF LANGUAGE THAT ARE NOT USED IN COMMON CONVERSATION, AND INVERTING THE ORDER OF THE WORDS, THOUGH THEIR DIFFERING FROM COMMON USE IS THE VERY CIRCUMSTANCE THAT ELEVATES THE STYLE.
MUCH depends on the judgement of the poet in the proper regulation of this inversion of language. When judicioufly managed it poffefses in a high degree the requisite mentioned by Aristotle, of rendering the style elevated and yet perfpicuous, provided the perfpicuity is not injured by too bold a deviation from the usual forms of speech, which in the [1] modern languages, where the connection of the words in a fentence [1] For a comparison between the French and Italian in this respect, see the defence of Maffei quoted in Note 1. of this Chapter. Indeed the Italian is superior to all modern languages in this. For an instance in the translation of a passage in Horace by Metastasio, see Note v. Chap. xxvI. The arrangement of the words in the following stanza of Tasso cannot be imitated in any other modern European language. " Dio messagier mi manda; io ti rivelo " La sua mente in suo nome; ò quanta spene " Haver d'alta vittoria, ò quanto zelo "De l'hofte a te commessa hor ti conviene." Tacque, e sparito rivolò del cielo ' A le parti più eccelse, e più serene. • Resta Goffredo à i detti, à lo splendore ‹ D'occhi abbagliato, attonito di core.' GIERUS. DELIB. Canto I. Stanza XVII. depends
depends so much on juxta-position and where there is no distinction of case except in the pronouns, will often unavoidably create obscurity. Mr. Jackson of Exeter [K] objects to such transpositions as 'thunders 'the sky,' ' shakes the ground;' for 'the sky thunders,' ' the ground Thakes;' in these cases he says, ' we are inclined to refer to some antecedent nominative.' I think for this reason the impropriety or propriety of fuch expreffion is clearly marked by the examples produced. When, as in the first instance, the verb is strictly neuter the deviation can occafion no ambiguity and is therefore allowable; but in the second instance where the verb has also a transitive sense, the inconvenience and ambiguity mentioned by Mr. Jackson will certainly arife. In the use of this license, narrative poetry has a greater latitude than dramatic; but even there obfcurity and doubt should be avoided. The effect of this arrangement of words in a verfe may be seen in a line of Prior's Henry and Emma, where, without altering the essential cadence, the words may be placed in three different ways, two of which will have different meanings, and the third, which Prior has chosen, may be applied to either, and depends folely on the context and the stops [L] for precifion. The line in question is, ، For feldom, archers say, thy arrows err; remove the first comma and it may mean, • For archers seldom say, thy arrows err;' and may be applied rather to the partiality of his companions than his skill. But the following arrangement puts the meaning of the poet beyond the reach of doubt, [K] Letter III. [L] See Note Ix. Chap. xxv. For
POETIC OF ARISTOTLE. • For archers say, thy arrows feldom err.' In dramatic poetry, and all other poetry that is recited, if juxtaposition is too much violated, though the sense will be sufficiently obvious, it will be impossible to mark it well by the voice. The following passage of Shakespear will defy the powers of elocution to give it proper force. • Foul deeds will rise, Tho' all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes.' For this reason Latin verse, however clear the whole fentence may be from the place of every word being clearly marked by the construction, can never be pronounced, by us at least, with energy; this occafions that monotony which the best reciters of it always fall into. How often does the whole force of a sentence depend on the connection of two words that relate to each other; but how can this be marked by the voice when they are in different parts of the sentence? as in this instance: • Pan etiam Arcadia mecum fi judice certet.' • Pan etiam Arcadia dicat se judice victum.' Here certainly the force of the boast which arises from the poet's challenging the god to a contest before judges the most partial in his favor, requires the connexion between ARCADIA and JUDICE to be particularly marked, which it is impossible for the voice to execute clearly, or to hinder the hearer of the last line from connecting se and JUDICE in his mind, till he has perfectly convinced himself the speaker had been correct in the last vowel of Arcadia.. Greek verse though poffeffing the same powers, by no means exerts them in the fame arbitrary manner. Virgil also, in the dramatic parts of
of his Æneid, has avoided this. In the speeches of Drances and Turnus all the emphatic epithets are closely connected with their substantives.
