The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 1, December, 1835Various
General
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 1, December, 1835
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
This article is written in the most exquisite spirit of banter, and is
irresistibly amusing. It commences with a sketch of the history,
present state and _literature_ of cookery! and concludes with a
particular Notice of the books at the head of the article.
"Mirabeau"--says the critic--"used to present Condorcet with _voilà ma
théorie_, and the Abbé Maury with _voilà ma pratique_. We beg leave to
present M. Brillat Savarin as _our_ theory, M. Ude as _our_ practice."
A biographical account of Savarin is introduced--full of wit. Savarin
was Judge of the Court of Cassation, Member of the Legion of Honor,
and of most of the scientific and literary societies of France. His
work consists of "a collection of aphorisms, a dialogue between the
author and a friend as to the expediency of publication, a
biographical notice of the friend, thirty meditations, and a
concluding Miscellany of adventures, inventions, and anecdotes."
Article VII. 1. "Souvenirs, Impressions, Pensées, et Paysages pendant
un Voyage en Orient, 1832, 1833. Par M. Alphonse de Lamartine, 4 vols.
Paris: 1835."
2. "A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, &c. By Alphonse de Lamartine, 3
vols. London: 1835."
An English translation of Lamartine's Pilgrimage, and even a pirated
Bruselles edition of the original, were read in London before the
publication of the original itself. This is high evidence of the
writer's popularity, at least, however prejudicial it may have proved
to his literary and pecuniary interests. The Remarks in the Review
under consideration are deduced from the English translation, which is
from the pen of Miss Landon. With the exception of the French verses
scattered throughout the work, and which are not very happily rendered
(we should think it impossible to translate them) L. E. L. has
executed her task with much ability--at least so says the Quarterly,
and we believe it. Some singular misconceptions of the meaning of the
original are, however, occasionally met with, and we are at a loss
whether to attribute them to carelessness or an imperfect acquaintance
with the French. The Review cites the following as an instance, and we
have noted several others equally glaring.
N'attends donc plus de moi ces vers où la pensée
Comme d'un arc sonore avec grace élancée
Et sur deux mots pareils vibrant à l'unisson
Dansent complaisamment aux caprices du son!
Ce froid écho des vers répugne à mon oreille.
From me expect no more the verse where thought
Glances in grace as from the sounding bow,
When two words vibrating in unison
Complacent dance to the caprice of sound.
Now verse in its cold echo shocks my ear.
The Review lavishes many compliments upon Lamartine, and enters into a
compendious sketch of his Pilgrimage.
Article VIII. "Yarrow Revisited and other Poems. By Wm. Wordsworth.
12mo. pp. 349. London, 1835."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account