Tome I. 1857. Tome IL

"The Chevalier de Chate- ^^^Noihing gains by a

lain is greatly increasing in translation but a Bishopy

favourwithEnglishscholars, said the wit, and, therefore,

for he présents to them, in even the cleverest endeavour

the most élégant French, to reproduce naiionality in

the choicest compositions another largage must fail. of their own language. Al- . Indeed, Byron mode it an

ready has he tried his hand eamest request, accompanied

at the Fables of Gay and the by a large bribe — that most

Poems of Bums; and now a^ent argument of ail — that

the quaint old-fashioned his poems might not be tor-

verse of Geoiïrey Chaucer is tured by the * infemcU ' ge-

metamorphosed into admi- nius of one who rendered

rable Frendi by the painstakîng Chevalier. Chaucer in French is indeed a curiosity; but whoever reads him page by page with the original, will find the spirit of the poem beautifully preserved, and the mètre as exact as could by any possibility be produced. The first volume of the *Canterbury Taies,' which is now before us, contains about a dozen of those old English stories, most faithfuUy translated — and the second, on the eve of publication, will include the remainder of the séries:

thus completing one of the most classical works of the âge, in a fresh and popular dress. It is impossible to compliment M. de Châtelain too highly on his performance ; and, great a favourite as old Chaucer always has been in this country, we very much question whether he will not find more readers now that he is in French costume, and embellished with some cleverly executed illustrations." —T7u Court Circular.yune 13, 1857.

' Wisp ûH the marass*

'a bundle qf hayP Shakespeare we hâve seen laiely subjected^ in Paris ^ ta hâve *J^ûmeo and Juliét* broken an the wheel of French ^ petitmaître^ -ism; in fact^ ù appears as if our great paets suffer posthumous pen€iiti€S for sins done in the bady by their intellectual remnants being ^mouthed and mangled without tnerçy* by every aliot linguist who thinks hintsetf a tnaster of our ianguage ^ he can only put the question, ^ Did it rain to-marrawV or repiy to it, * Yes, it V4is^

^^Now, the idea ofpoor old Chaucer, with his thorough Anglo-Scuxon quaintness and antiqudy wUional phrcueo^ logy, being ^done^ into French puts us in nUnd at once ofa pig in ruffles, a Yorkshire f armer in a harleçuitis suit, or an old mastiffin a cocked hat, shirt front and sword^ The thing is incongruitypersonified, andeven when well done, so grotesquely violcUes the consonance and harmony ofthe writer and the médium, by a breach of the Horaiian maxim, ^Denique sit quidvis simplexduntaxat et unum^as to entcUl an inévitable assent to the censorious question-—

DU CHEVALIER DE CHATELAIN

' Spectaium Admissi^ Resum TE- UATisamidf*

The Chev. de Châtelain has donc fus best, but translation^ in such a cascy can <mly bc travesty, We can allow him to put Gay into Galican periwigy and so long as he does not venture on Shakes* peare or Swift j wiU even strain a point of liberality^ and throw him in Pope^ who had a gpoddealofthepouncetbox ahotU him naturally ; but to couvert Chaueer's old trunk-hose poetry into silkstocking flummery, and to put Spenser into French tights and patent leather is wretched. They never did the Chevalier any injury in their lives^ andEngland has deservedly a great esteem for them; in mercy^ therefore^ to bot h the writers and their country, we entreat the gentle Frikell of the pres^ not to juggle with their fiime by his confoundedly dexterous transformatùm, but in mercy ta let them aloner—Tho Court Circular, January 23, 1858.

[Inutile de dire que le resum tematis appartient au 'Court Circular/ il faut laisser à César ce qui est à César. Seulement nous hasardons une interprétation de ce fameux resum tematis ; cela pourrait bien vouloir dire (traduction très libre) craignez le reseau: ce serait

3j^ LISTE GÉNÉRALE DES OUVRAGES

alors une sorte d'avis donné par le ^ Court Circular ' a.ux publishers à ce qu'ils aient à ne pas envoyer à son office des ouvrages écrits en grec, en français ou en latin (le latin de cuisine excepté toutefois), le 'Court Circulai-' ne sachant aucune langue morte, et presque pas la sienne, attendu... attendu sa noblesse morbleu 1— C. de C]

"The industrious Chevalier de Châtelain has completed his most difficult task of translating into French the * Canterbury Taies * of Chaucer. This second volume is as cleverly executed as was the first It will probably introduce England's earliest poet to a greater number of readers in France than he finds in England, where, like many others of our old authors, he is much more tâlked about than read. The translation is not literal — ^that would be impossible — ^but the translator has caught the spirit of the poet, and rendered his meaning, so far as it was capable of being expressed in a language whose genius is so essentially différent as the French." — The Critic, Feb. 15, 1858.

" We record the simple fact, that the second volume of his translation of the 'Çantorbéry' Taies, as he renders the title in French, does him great crédit There are évidences of great industry in it, and still more of sound judgment and good taste." — Athenaum^ Feb. 27, 1858.

"This very handsome volume, printed in Mr. Pickering's best style, complètes the arduous undertaking of the Chevalier de Châtelain, who, avoiding ail that is literal or paraphrastic, has found wonderful équivalents to the nervous diction and quaint and playful spirit of the old poet. It is a little surprising to ûnd the difficulties and the idioms of Chaucer so effectually understood, but to see them translated in so élégant and appropriate a manner is a triumph on the author's part not to be easily rivalled. The volume is also cleverly illustrated." — The Weekly DispaUh, Feb. 28, 1858.

"It is highly creditable to M. de Châtelain, that he has generally resisted the temptation to métamorphose

DU CHEVALIER DE CHATELAIN

the names he had to deal with, for which reason his translations possess a merit which we can attribute to no other French translations with which we are acquainted." — The Sunday Tïmes, March 6, 1858.

" We noticed the first volume of this work some time ago. It is in many respects remarkable. The author not only thoroughly appréciâtes the grand old English poet, but has such a mastery over his own brilliant but unmalleable language, as to be able to mould it so as to give a wonderfully correct resemblance to the original. The quaint and obsolète French words which he introduces so happîly in his translation remind one of early English. He softens as much as possible the coarseness of expression in Chaucer, and veils the indecency of idea. The new volume begins with the immortal story, * left half told,' the * Squire's Taie.* M. de Châtelain has evidently put forth his strength of affection to Chaucer in his version of it. It is admirable. The typography is excellent, of course, and it is to be regretted that Chaucer is only an author for students, and not for Êunily reading. This édition will, we doubt not, find a * fit * public, though ' few,* in the body of French literati." — The Globe, March 29, 1858.

" It is the most truthfiil and reliable translation that has ever been produced." — Rdiquary, page 188, Derby.

" . . . To such as read French fluendy the Chevalier de Chatelain's translation of the 'Canterbury Taies' will prove of great service. For through its médium they will be able to read and enjoy Chaucer without that continuai effort to interpret the true meaning of the poet, which is so detrimental to the effect of any kind of poetical composition. The work of the Chevalier is in many respects so well done, the use of slightly antiquated French words so judicious, the gênerai tone of the poef s thought so well rendered, and the crisp sharp ring of the old mètre so happily caught, that, deceived by the quaint tum of phrase, a reader, not deeply versed in the sub-