8808 Copyright, 1893, BY WILLIAM HYDE APPLETON. All rights reserved. The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A. gift PREFACE. THE editor has attempted in this work to do for Greek poetry, through the medium of translations, what has been so often done for English poetry, that is, to give to the reader, within the compass of a single volume, some idea of its wealth, and at the same time to stimulate and guide him to further and more thorough reading. The study of the Greek language would seem to be coming more and more to be the study of the few. But a knowledge of Greek history, Greek art, Greek literature, thought, and feeling, is the concern of everybody. Fortunately, these things are not the monopoly of Greek scholars. The English language now contains much excellent translation from the Greek, both prose and poetry, scattered, however, through a multitude of volumes. With the additional aid of the histories of Greek literature, the many critical essays upon Greek subjects, together with such works as the series of "Ancient Classics for English Readers," it has become quite possible to pursue a Greek course in English. Indeed, there would seem to be no rea son why our higher schools and colleges should not give, in the English language, courses in the study of Greek and Latin literatures to their non-classical students. Mr. Richard G. Moulton, of England, who has had large experience in this matter of teaching ancient literature in translation, has shown in America, as in England, how attractive these themes may be made to large audiences of persons not supposed to be acquainted with the works in the original. The present work may be considered as a contribution in this direction. Its contents must speak in its behalf and furnish the reason for its being. It is hoped that to those little acquainted with the subject the book will at least reveal somewhat of the astonishing wealth of Greek poetry in spite of all its loss, - a poetry as rich "As is the ooze and bottom of the sea With sunken wreck and sumless treasuries." This very richness of material has made the task of selection one of no little difficulty. It is hoped that the passages given will be found to be fairly representative of the great ages and phases of Greek poetry. Still the editor regrets the absence of much which he would have been glad to introduce were greater space at his command. He fears, too, that as no book of selections can meet exactly the tastes and wishes of all, some one of his readers may miss the very thing that he hopes to find. In the case of Homer the choice of translators has been particularly embarrassing. The vexed question of Homeric translation cannot be discussed in this place, but it is safe to say that no version has yet met all demands. Nor shall we ever have a finality in this matter, though Homer will not cease to be translated while the world shall stand; for the lovers of his poetry must still puzzle over the haunting problem. Under the circumstances it has seemed best to the editor not to confine himself to the recognition of any single translator as supreme in merit. For the Iliad two passages have been given from Chapman on account of his position in literature as an Elizabethan classic. But, if the truth must be told, his is the last translation in the world to be recommended to the general reader. The reason is apparent. Chapman is hard reading. Every page has vigorous phrasing and passages of a sweet poetic charm, but at the same time, we can read scarcely a dozen lines consecutively without being brought up suddenly by some obscurity of the sense through his quaintness, indirectness, or looseness of construction. It is too much to ask of readers of translation that they should stop every few minutes to puzzle over the meaning of what they are reading. Pope, however inadequate from the point of view of the scholar, is in style vigorous and brilliant, and has the important merit demanded |