I received the favour of your obliging letter and the valuable present of
the two British Odes translated into English. They have afforded me
great pleasure, and they display a rich vein of poetry. I think a select
collection of such pieces, thrown into a shilling pamphlet, would not
fail to prove as acceptable to the public as the Erse Fragments, and
would be far more satisfactory, because you could remove all suspicions
of their genuineness, which, I am afraid, Mr. Macpherson is not able to
do. I observe with you a remarkable similarity between our Runic and
your British pieces. As our Runic Poetry will be fit for publication
towards Michaelmas, I wish you could get ready such another Collection of
British Poetry to follow it in due time, while the curiosity of the
public is fixed on these subjects. And, when all these pamphlets have
had their day, then throw them into a volume under some such title as
this, "Specimens of the Ancient Poetry of different Nations." I have for
some time had a project of this kind, and, with a view to it, I am
exciting several of my friends to contribute their share. Such a work
might fill up two neat pocket volumes. Besides the Erse Poetry, the Rune
Poetry, and some Chinese Poetry, that was published last winter, at the
end of a book called "Han Kirn Choaan," or the Pleasing History, 4
vols.,--besides these, I have procured a MS. translation of the "Tagrai
Carmen," from the Arabic; and have set a friend to translate Solomon's
Song afresh from the Hebrew, with a view to the Poetry. This also is
printing off, and will soon be published in a shilling pamphlet. Then I
have myself gleaned up specimens of East Indian Poetry, Peruvian Poetry,
Lapland Poetry, Greenland Poetry; and inclosed I send you a specimen of
Saxon Poetry. The subject is a victory gained by the Anglo-Saxon,
Athelstan, over the Dane Anlafe and his confederate Constantius King of
Scotland. If you compare it with the Runic Ode of Regner Lodbrog, you
will see a remarkable affinity between them, some of the phrases and
imagery being common to both, as the play of arms, &c., &c. The Latin
version falls from the pen of my very learned friend Mr. Lye, who has
made many important emendations in the original. The English was a
slight attempt of my own, to see if one could not throw a little spirit
into a literal interlineary version, but I have no reason to boast of my
success. I believe the best way would be to publish the English by
itself, like the Runic Odes, and throw the two columns of Latin and Saxon
to the end. Give me your opinion of my proposal, with regard to the
various specimens mentioned above, and the share I would recommend to
yourself in particular. Be pleased also to return my Saxon Ode, when
perused, for I have kept no copy.
I suppose you have no British Poetry extant, that was written before the
conversion to Christianity, as we have of the Runic, and as they affect
to have of the Erse; if not, then the most ancient you have is to be
chosen. Could not you give some of the Poetry of Taliesin and Merddin?
I must observe one thing, that your Odes will require a few explanatory
Notes, chiefly with regard to the proper names; and, if you would not
think it too great an innovation, I could wish you would accommodate some
of your ancient British names somewhat more to our English pronunciation.
This is what the Erse translator has done, and, I think, with great
judgment. The word might be a little smoothed and liquidated in the
text, and the original spelling retained in the margin. Thus Macpherson
has converted Lambhdearg into Lamderg, Geolchopack (a woman's name) into
the soft word Gealcossa, &c. This is a liberty assumed in all languages;
and indeed, without it, it would not be possible for the inhabitants of
one nation to pronounce the proper names of another.
You tell me you have read Bartholinus's book of Danish Antiquities; it is
a most excellent performance. There is a celebrated Frenchman, the
Chevalier Mallet, historiographer to the present King of Denmark, who has
lately published a work in French on the same subject, at the end of
which he has given a French translation of the famous Edda or Alcoran (if
you suffer me to use the word) of the ancient Teutonic nations. If I
have health and leisure, I intend to translate this book into English,
though it is a formidable undertaking, being a quarto of no small size.
I have got the book, which is a capital performance.
I should have one advantage over most others for such an attempt, which
is, that my learned neighbour, Mr. Lye, has got the Islandic original of
the Edda, and would compare my version with it. I have one thing still
to mention, and then I have done. I have lately been employed in a small
literary controversy with a learned friend, about the original and
antiquity of the popular notion concerning Fairies and Goblins. My
friend is for fetching that whimsical opinion from the East, so late as
the time of the Crusades, and derives the words Elf and Goblin from the
Guelfe and Gibbeline factions in Italy. But I think it would be
impossible for notions so arbitrary to have obtained so universally, so
uniformly, and so early (see Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale), if they had
not got possession of the minds of men many ages before. Nay, I make no
doubt but Fairies are derived from the _Daergar_ or Dwarfs, whose
existence was so generally believed among all the northern nations. Can
you, from any of your ancient British writers, enable me to ascertain any
of these disputed points, or any resemblance to the name of Fairy, Elf,
Goblin, in your language? I should think, that these popular
superstitions are aboriginal in the island, and are remains of the
ancient Pagan creed. Favour me with your opinion on this subject when
you write next, which, as your letters are so extremely curious and
fraught with entertainment, I beg may be soon.
I remain, Sir, your very faithful servant,
THOMAS PERCY.
* * * * *
The same to the same.