PROFESSOR JOHN STUART BLACKIE [1809-1895], in his day fondly called
"Scotland's greatest Greek scholar," began his translation of Æschylus
when he was still comparatively a young man, in 1837-8, and he did not
complete it, working intermittently, until 1846. Even then, there was a
process of revision and correction to be gone through, which carried on
the work by a further term of three or four years.
The translation had occupied twelve years, says Miss Stoddart, in her
biography (1895), but only the first three and the last three of those
years were specially devoted to the work. Carlyle interested himself in
finding a London publisher for the translation, and he characteristically
mingled his praise of it with blame. He spoke of it indeed as "spirited
and lively to a high degree," and added, "the grimmer my protest against
your having gone into song at all with the business." It was Professor
Aytoun who suggested the rhymed choruses. Leigh Hunt wrote to Blackie,
approving where Carlyle had demurred. He said: "Your version is right
masculine and Æschylean, strong, musical, conscious of the atmosphere of
mystery and terror which it breathes in;" and he especially admired the
poetic interpretation given "to the lyrical nature of these fine
Cassandra-voiced ringing old dramas."