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by taking off from our pleasure, destroys that end." I will grant that, if the obscurity be great, constant, and unsurmountable, this is certainly true; but if it be only found in particular passages, proceeding from the nature of the subject and the very genius of the composition, it does not rob us of our pleasure, but superadds a new one, which arises from conquering a difficulty; and the pleasure which accrues from a difficult passage, when well understood, provided the passage itself be a fine one, is always more permanent than that which we discover at the first glance. The lyric Muse, like other fine ladies, requires to be courted, and retains her admirers the longer for not having yielded too readily to their solicitations. This argument ending as it does in a sort of simile will, I am persuaded, not only have its force with the intelligent readers (the ZYNETOI), but also with the men of fashion: as to critics of a lower class, it may be sufficient to transcribe, for their improvement, an unfinished remark, or rather maxim, which I found amongst our Author's papers; and which he probably wrote on occasion of the common preference given to his Elegy. "The Gout de Comparaison (as Bruyere styles it) is the only taste of ordinary minds. They do not know the specific excellency either of an author or a composition: for instance, they do not know that Tibullus spoke the language of nature and love; that Horace saw the vanities and follies of mankind with the most penetrating eye, and touched them to the quick; that Virgil ennobled even the most common images by the graces of a glowing, melodious, and well-adapted expression; but they do know that Virgil was a better poet than Horace; and that Horace's Epistles do not run so well as the Elegies of Tibullus." *

ODE VII.

This Ode, to which, on the title, I have given the epithet of IRREGULAR, İS the only one of the kind which Mr. Gray ever wrote; and its being written occasionally, and for music, is a sufficient apology for the defect. Exclusive of this, (for a defect it certainly is) it appears to me, in point of lyrical arrangement and expression, to be equal to most of his other odes. It is remarkable that, amongst the many irregular Odes which have been written in our own language, Dryden's and Pope's, on St. Cecilia's Day, are the only ones that may properly be said to have lived. The reason is (as I have hinted in a note, p. 229 of the Memoirs) that the mode of composition is so extremely easy, that it gives the writer an opening to every kind of poetical licentiousness: whereas the regularly-repeated stanza, and still more the regular succession of strophe, antistrophe, and epode, put so strong a curb on the wayward imagination, that when she has once paced in it, she seldom chooses to submit to it a second time. 'Tis therefore greatly to be wished, in order to stifle in their birth a. quantity of compositions, which are at the same time wild and jejune, that regular odes, and these only, should be deemed legitimate amongst us.

The Cambridge edition (published at the expense of the University) is here followed; but I have added at the bottom of the page a number of explanatory notes, which this Ode seemed to want, still more than that which preceded it, especially when given not to the University only, but the public in general, who may be reasonably supposed to know little of the particular founders of different colleges and their history here alluded to. For the sake of uniformity in the

page, I have divided the Ode into stanzas, and discarded the musical divisions of recitative, air, and chorus; but shall here insert them in their order, according as the different stanzas were set by Dr. Randal, professor of music.

Stanza 1. The first eight lines" air," the four last "chorus."

Stanza 2.

Stanza 3.

"Recitative" throughout, but accompanied at the sixth line.
"Air."

This stanza being supposed to be sung by Milton, is very judiciously written in the metre which be fixed upon for the stanza of his Christmas Hymn.

'Twas in the winter wild, &c.

Stanza 4. "Recitative" throughout, the last nine lines accompanied.

Stanza 5. "Air Quartetto." The musical reader will easily see and admire how well this stanza is suited to that species of music.

Stanza 6. First six lines " recitative;" the rest of the stanza, beginning at "thy liberal heart," "air."

Stanza 7. "Recitative" throughout.

Stanza 8. " Grand chorus," and well suited for that purpose.

ODE VIII.

1. The occasion of Mr. Gray's writing (for it may be rather called so than versifying this and the three following odes, however closely he has done them) has been given in the beginning of the fifth Section of the Memoirs, and his reason for first publishing them in the fifty-seventh Letter of the fourth. Their best comment, since it is the best illustration of their excellency, will be to insert here the Latin versions of the originals from whence they were taken; as it is probable that many readers, who have hitherto admired them as compositions, have not compared them with those literal versions for want of having the books (which are not common ones) at hand.

2. Ex Orcadibus Thormodi Torfæi. Hafniæ, 1697.

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Densabimus gladiis

Hanc victoriæ telam.

Prodeunt ad texendum Hilda,

Et Hiorthrimula,

Sangrida, et Swipula;
Cum strictis gladiis ;
Hastile frangetur,
Scutum diffindetur,
Ensisque

Clypeo illidetur.

Texamus, texamus
Telam Darradar!

Hunc (gladium) Rex juvenis
Prius possidebat.
Prodeamus,

Et cohortes intremus,
Ubi nostri amici

Armis dimicant!

Texamus, texamus
Telam Darradi;
Et Regi deinde

Deinde adhæreamus !
Ibi videbant
Sanguine rorata Scuta
Gunna et Gondula,
Quæ Regem tutabantur.
Texamus, texamus
Telam Darradi!

Ubi arma concrepant
Bellacium virorum,
Non sinamus eum
Vitâ privari :

Habent Valkyriæ
Cædis potestatem.

Illi Populi terras regent,
Qui deserta promontoria
Anteà incolebant.
Dico potenti Regi
Mortem imminere.

Jam sagittis occubuit comes;

Et Hibernis

Dolor accidet,

Qui nunquam

Apud viros delebitur.
Jam tela texta est,

Campus verò (sanguine) roratus;
Terras percurret

Conflictus militum.

1

Nunc horrendum est
Circumspicere,

Cum sanguinea nubes
Per aëra volitet:
Tingetur aer

Sanguine virorum,

Antequam vaticinia nostra
Omnia corruant.

Benè canimus
De Rege juvene,

Victoriæ carmina multa:
Benè sit nobis canentibus.
Discat autem ille,
Qui auscultat,

Bellica carmina multa,

Et viris referat.

Equitemus in equis,

Quoniam efferimus gladios strictos
Ex hoc loco.

In the argument of this Ode, printed at the bottom of the page in this edition, it is said that the battle was fought on Christmas Day; on which Mr. Gray, in his manuscript, remarks, that "the people of the Orkney islands were Christians, yet did not become so till after A. D. 966, probably it happened in 995; but though they, and the other Gothic nations, no longer worshipped their oid divinities, yet they never doubted of their existence, or forgot their ancient mythology, as appears from the history of Olaus Tryggueson."-See Bartholinus, lib. viii. c. i. p. 615.

3. Iron sleet of arrowy shower. L. 3.

IMITATION.

How quick they wheel'd; and flying, behind them shot
Sharp sleet of arrowy shower. Mil. Par. Regained. G.

4. Hurtles in the darken'd air. L. 4.

IMITATION.

The noise of battle hurtled in the air. Shakes. Jul. Cæs.

* So Thormodus interprets it, as though Darradar were the name of the person who saw this vision; but in reality it signifies a range of spears, from Daur Hasta, et Rudir Ordo. G.

ODE IX.

1. The Vegtams Kvitha, from Bartholinus, lib. iii. c. ii.

Surgebat Odinus,

Virorum summus
Et *Sleipnerum
Ephippio stravit.
Equitabat deorsum
Niflhelam versus.

Obviam habuit catellum

Ab Helæ habitaculis venientem; Huic sanguine aspersa erant

Pectus anterius,

Rictus, mordendi avidus,

Et maxillarum infima:

Allatrabat ille,

Et rictum diduxit

Magiæ Patri,

Et diu latrabat.
Equitavit Odinus

(Terra subtus tremuit)
Donec ad altum veniret
Helæ habitaculum.
Tum equitavit Odinus
Ad orientale ostii latus,
Ubi Fatidicæ

Tumulum esse novit.
Sapienti carmina
Mortuos excitantia cecinit,
Boream inspexit,

Literas (tumulo) imposuit,
Sermones proferre cæpit,
Responsa poposcit,
Donec invita surgeret,

Et mortuorum sermonem proferret.
FATIDICA. Quisnam hominum

Mihi ignotorum

Mihi facere præsumit

Tristem animum?

Nive eram, et

Nimbo aspersa,

Pluviâque rorata:

Mortua diu jacui.

ODINYS. Viator nominor,

Bellatoris filius sum.

Ego tibi quæ in mundo.

p. 632.

Cuinam sedes auro stratæ sunt,

Lecti pulchri

Auro ornati?

F. Hic Baldero Medo

Paratus extat,

Purus potus,
Scuto superinjecto:
Divina verò soboles
Dolore afficietur.
Invita hæc dixi,

Jamque silebo.

O. Noli, Fatidica, tacere.

Te interrogare volo,

Donec omnia novero.
Adhuc scire volo,

Quisnam Baldero

Necem inferet,

Ac Odini filium

Vità privabit?

F. Hodus excelsum fert
Honoratum Fratrem illùc.
Is Baldero

Necem inferet,
Et Odini filium
Vitâ privabit.
Invita hæc dixi,
Jamque tacebo.

O. Noli tacere, Fatidica,
Adhuc te interrogare volo,
Donec omnia novero.
Adhuc scire volo,
Quisnam Hodo
Odium rependet,

Aut Balderi interfectorem
Occidendo rogo adaptet?

F. Rinda filium pariet

In habitaculis occidentalibus:
Hic Odini filius,

Unam noctem natus, armis utetur;
Manum non lavabit,

Nec caput pectet

Enarra mihi, quæ apud Helam geruntur: Antequam rogo imponet

.

Sleipner was the horse of Odin which had eight legs.--Vide Edda.

Balderi inimicum.

Invita hæc dixi,
Jamque tacebo.

O. Noli tacere, Fatidica,

Adhuc te interrogare volo.
Quænam sint virgines,

Quæ præ cogitationibus lachrymantur,

Et in cœlum jaciunt

Cervicum pepla?

Hoc solum mihi dicas,

Nam prius non dormies.

F. Non tu viator es,

Ut antea credidi;

Sed potius Odinus,

Virorum summus.

O. Tu non es Fatidica,

Nec sapiens fœmina,

Sed potius trium
Gigantum mater.

F. Equita domum, Odine,

Ac in his gloriare:
Nemo tali modo veniet

Ad sciscitandum,

Usque dum Lokus
Vinculis solvatur,

Et Deorum crepusculum
Dissolventes aderint.

2. Hela's drear abode. L. 4.

Hela, in the Edda, is described with a dreadful countenance, and her body half flesh-colour and half blue. G.

3. Him the Dog of Darkness spied. L. 5.

The Edda gives this dog the name of Managarmar; he fed upon the lives of those that were to die.

4. The thrilling verse that wakes the dead. L. 24. The original word is vallgaldr; from valr mortuus, et galdr incantatio. G. Thrilling is surely in this place a peculiarly-fine epithet.

5. Tell me what is done below.

L. 40.

Odin, we find both from this Ode and the Edda, was solicitous about the fate of his son Balder, who had dreamed he was soon to die. The Edda mentions the manner of his death when killed by Odin's other son Hoder; and also that Hoder was himself slain afterwards by Vali, the son of Odin and Rinda, consonant with this prophecy.

6. Once again my call obey.

Prophetess, &c. L. 51.

Women were looked upon by the Gothic nations as having a peculiar insight into futurity; and some there were that made profession of magic arts and divination. These travelled round the country, and were received in every house with great respect and honour. Such a woman bore the name of Volva Seidkona or Spakona. The dress of Thorbiorga, one of these prophetesses, is described at large in Eirick's Rauda Sogu, (apud Bartholin. lib. i. cap.iv. p. 688.) She had on a blue vest spangled all over with stones, a necklace of glass beads, and a cap made of the skin of a black lamb lined with white cat-skin. She leaned on a staff adorned with brass, with a round head set with stones; and was girt with a Hunlandish belt, at which hung her pouch full of magical instruments. Her buskins were of rough calf-skin, bound on with thongs studded

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