Part 5 (2/2)

Hunferth the son of Eglaf spake, _he_ that sat at the feet of the Lord of the Scyldings; he bound up[4] a quarrelsome speech: to him was the journey of Beowulf, the proud sea-farer, a great disgust; because he granted not that any other man should ever have beneath the skies, more reputation with the world than he himself: 'Art thou the Beowulf that didst contend with Brecca on the wide sea, in a swimming match, where ye for pride explored the fords, and out of vain glory ventured your lives upon the deep water? nor might any man, friend or foe, blame[5] your sorrowful expedition: there ye rowed upon the sea, there ye two covered the ocean-stream with your arms, measured the sea-streets, whirled them with your hands, glided over the ocean; with the waves of the deep[6] the fury of winter boiled; ye two on the realms of water laboured for a week: he overcame thee in swimming, he had more strength: then at the morning tide the deep sea bore him up on Heathoraemes, whence he sought his own paternal land, dear to his people, the land of the Brondings, where he owned a nation, a town, and rings.

All his promise to thee, the son of Beanstan truly performed.'

_Criticism of the Translation._

Kemble's scholars.h.i.+p enabled him to get a full understanding of the poem, and thus to make the first really adequate translation of _Beowulf_. He was the first to recognize the significance of kenning, metaphor, and compound. Thus his work is to be commended chiefly because of its faithfulness. All preceding studies had been wofully inaccurate[7]. Kemble's editions became at once the authoritative commentary on the text, and held this position until the appearance of Grein's _Bibliothek_ (1857). In this latter book, Kemble's text was the princ.i.p.al authority used in correcting the work of Thorpe[8]. In spite of the fact that this is a literal translation, it sometimes attains strength and beauty by reason of its very simplicity.

[Footnote 1: See Wyatt's text, lines 51, 158, 250, 255, 599, &c.]

[Footnote 2: See article in the _Dictionary of National Biography_.]

[Footnote 3: See infra, pp. 56 ff.]

[Footnote 4: _bound up_, onband, now generally translated 'unbind.']

[Footnote 5: _blame_, belean, rather 'dissuade' than 'blame.']

[Footnote 6: _with the waves of the deep_, &c., geofon-yu weol wintrys wylm, so Kemble reads in his text, and for this reading the translation is correct, but he failed to discern the kenning to 'geofon' in 'wintrys wylm.']

[Footnote 7: See supra on Turner, p. 9; Thorkelin, p. 15; Grundtvig, p. 22; Conybeare, p. 28.]

[Footnote 8: See infra, p. 49.] [[Thorpe]]

ETTMuLLER'S TRANSLATION

Beowulf. Heldengedicht des achten Jahrhunderts. Zum ersten Male aus dem Angelsachsischen in das Neuhochdeutsche stabreimend ubersetzt, und mit Einleitung und Anmerkungen versehen von Ludwig Ettmuller. Zurich, bei Meyer und Zeller, 1840. 8vo, pp. 191.

First German Translation. Imitative measures.

_Ettmuller._

Ernst Moritz Ludwig Ettmuller (1802-77), at the time of the publication of this book, was professor of the German language and literature in the Gymnasium at Zurich. He had already appeared as a translator with a work ent.i.tled _Lieder der Edda von den Nibelungen_. Later he edited selections from the _Beowulf_ in his _Engla and Seaxna Scopas and Boceras_ (1850). This text incorporated many new readings. Ettmuller was the first to question the unity of the _Beowulf_, and sketched a theory of interpolations which has since been developed by Mullenhoff. The first announcement of these views is found in the introduction to this translation.

_Theory of Translation._

Ettmuller gives full expression to his theories and aims:--

'Vor Allem habe ich so wortlich als moglich ubersetzt, da Treue das erste Erforderniss einer guten ubersetzung ist. Dann aber war mein Augenmerk vorzuglich auf Wohlklang und Verstandlichkeit gerichtet. Letztere werden bei ubersetzungen dieser Art nur zu oft vernachla.s.sigt, da manche der Ansicht sind, ihre Arbeit sei um so besser, je treuer sie die aussere Form des Originals in allen Einzelheiten wiedergebe. Aber dieweil diese so muhsam an der Schale knacken, entschlupft ihnen nicht selten der Kern. Mein Bestreben war demnach keineswegs, z.B. jeden Vers angstlich dem Originale nachzubilden, so da.s.s die genaueste ubereinstimmung zwischen der Silbenzahl und den Hebungen oder gar dem Klange der Verse Statt fande. Das ware ohnehin, ohne der deutschen Sprache die schreiendste Gewalt anzuthun, unmoglich gewesen. Ich habe vielmehr darnach mit Sorgfalt gestrebt, die Versbildung des angelsachsischen Gedichtes mir in allen ihren Erscheinungen klar zu machen, und dann frei nach dem gewonnenen Schema gearbeitet.

Daher kann ich versichern, da.s.s man fur jeden Vers meiner ubersetzung gewiss ein angelsachsisches Vorbild findet, wenn auch nicht grade jedesmal die Verse einander decken. Da.s.s dabei ubrigens der hoheren Rhythmik, d.h. dem asthetisch richtigen Verhaltnisse des Ausdruckes zu dem Ausgedruckten oder, mit Klopstock zu reden, des Zeitausdruckes oder Tonverhaltes (der Bewegung) zu dem Gedanken, uberall die grosste Sorgfalt zugewendet ward, das braucht, dunkt mich, keiner besondern Versicherung; dies aber kann erreicht werden auch ohne knechtische Nachbildung des Originals.' --Page 59.

_Text, and Indebtedness to Preceding Scholars._

The translation is founded on Kemble's text of 1835[1], to which the introduction and notes are also indebted.

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