in the modern Greek superstition, is as real a personage as the Μοΐραι. Moigal. "The Guest's Departure," is pretty; and in the "Greek and the Janissary," the circumstance of the husband's slaying his wife in a moment of jealousy, and the next morning, in forgetfulness of what had past, summoning her with proud fondness to the village dance, of which she was wont to be the pride, would have been admired in a first-rate poet. "The Rape" resembles "young Lochinvar" as to its subject, but breathes a deeper passion. Nor ought we to pass unnoticed the waggish "Wish," the "Bride's Complaint," or the melancholy pathos of "The Moreot Mother," "The Banished Boy," and the others of the same class; or the gloomy sublimity of "The Plague." There is an appalling boldness in the picture of Death as a herdsman driving his charge before him, and carrying the younglings in his arms, as a shepherd his lambs. Nor can we avoid noticing the earthy palpability of the fiction, as shown in the question addressed to Death by his victims, and his reply; a palpability more in the spirit of the ancient mythology, than of the vague, shadowy allegories, of modern poetry. It reminds us of the Nexvía of Homer, or the Frogs of Aristophanes, or of the daring familiarities of Dante and Bunyan.
Our next extract, "The Marriage," is of a very different character. We give it in preference to another on a similar subject, "The Lovers," because the latter, although superior in merit, is rather too long for citation. "The Voice from the Tomb" is in the heroic spirit of the old Runic songs, and "The Night Journey" unites with domestic tenderness somewhat of the ghostly mystery of a Tale of Terror. "The Urn Crack'd," "Love's Tell-tales," the songs at p. 222 and 232, and "The Countersign," on the other hand, are marked by arch and sportive humor. We shall quote the second and third of these, the one being very short, and the other affording us an opportunity of subjoining, after Mr. Sheridan, the original Romaic.
When thou didst grant that kiss, my Then trust thy lover's word at once, love!
It was the depth of night;
Then who can e'er have seen and told
So scandalous a sight?
The moon and stars alone were up,
So only they could peep;
And dost thou think a falling star
Has told the noisy deep;
The deep an oar, the oar a youth,
The enamor'd youth a maid?
And be no more afraid.
Lady! thy son has caused our woe;
Twenty-three maidens love him;
Five are in rank as much below,
As eighteen are above him.
So communing, we all agreed
To buy a ring and staff;
The gift to be a corporate deed,
Lest older friends might laugh.
He takes our gift; with dogs and snares
Departs when morning dawns;
Catches some partridges and hares,
And then three beauteous fawns.
We guess for whom the first is meant ;
His sister, too, has one;
His mother got the third-he sent
Our corporation none.
Now if the landlord is within,
And dries with smiles our tears,
His hair will not grow gray or thin
Before an hundred years.1
Κυρά μου, τὸν υἱόκαν σου, κυρὰ, τὸν ἀκριβόν σου,
Πέντε μικρὲς τὸν ἀγαποῦν, καὶ δεκοχτὼ μεγάλες
Καὶ μιὰ τῆς ἄλλης ἔλεγε, καὶ μιὰ τῆς ἄλλης λέγει"
Ἐλᾶτε, κ ̓ ἂς τὸν πάρωμε κομπὶ καὶ δακτυλίδι,
τὸ δακτυλίδι νὰ φορῆ, καὶ τὸ κομπὶ νὰ παίξῃ.
νὰ περπατεῖ, νὰ χαίρεται 'ς τοὺς κάμπους καβαλλάρης.
'ς τοὺς κάμπους πιάνει τοὺς λαγοὺς, στα πλάγια τα περδίκια,
κ ̓ αὐτοῦ ἐς τὰ στρεφολάγκαδα πιάνει τρι' ἀλαφομόσχια.
τἕνα τὸ πάϊ τῆς μάννας του, τ' ἄλλο τῆς ἀδερφῆς του,
τὸ τρίτον, τὸ καλλίτερον, τῆς ἀγαπητικῆς του.
ἐδῶ ποῦ τραγουδήσαμεν, πέτρα νὰ μὴ ῥαγίσῃ,
κ' ὁ οἰκοκύρης τοῦ σπητιοῦ χρόνους πολλοὺς νὰ ζήση,
νὰ ζήσῃ χρόνους ἑκατὸν, καὶ νὰ τοὺς ἀπεράσῃ,
κ' ἀπὸ τοὺς ἑκατὸν κ' ἐμπρὸς, ν' ἀσπρίσῃ, νὰ γεράσῃ.
We shall add some of the best of the yváμa or distichs. In the first we have altered a word, to preserve the point of the original.
Smiles, though, as sprung from gladness, The heart is question'd by the eyes; They certainly are kin
To tears, the babes of sadness,
May wed without a sin.
“O heart! what art thou brooding on?" "How blind ye are," the heart replies, "Not to have seen my friend is
The following thought is original and fine:
They say, "No more regard thy foes;
Contempt affords relief :”
It ne'er occurs to souls like those,
That scorn itself is grief.
Black eyes ought to seem
Two bright cherries dropt in cream.
We would willingly add to our extracts the spirited epitaph on the truly illustrious Marcos Botzares, the Leonidas at once and Aristides of modern Greece; but we must conclude. Yet we cannot close these records of patriotism, of chivalrous valor and domestic affection, without one word, not indeed of surprise, but of indignation, that writers should have been found in this country to calumniate the Greek people,
This latter should evidently have been expressed in the form of a wish. The song itself is one of a number of holiday carols, sung by children, and adapted, with variations of innocent flattery, to the circumstances of the particular families at whose doors they are chanted.
crisis of their heroic and unaided struggle for independence, as a mere mass of dishonesty and licentiousness-and that readers should be found to believe them!
CAMBRIDGE TRIPOSES, FOR 1826.
Stat contra ratio, et secretam gannit in aurem,
Ne liceat facere id, quod quis vitiabit agendo. PERS. Sat. 5.
NIMIRUM veteres Alfredo rege Britannos,
Quantum dissimiles hodierno tempore natis !-
Credimus indoctos penitus vixisse, rudesque
Artibus ingenuis ;-tunc sane temporis omnem
Scribendi populum pariter, pariterque legendi
Insontem-Mystas nescisse, ipsumque dynasten
Expertem studiis solitum traducere vitam,—
Rem præda parere, et crassis dispendere partam
Contentum dapibus, belloque domique suorum
Se præstare ducem, tineisque relinquere libros.
Talia dum priscis annalibus eruta mecum
Haud dubius reputo, (quis enim diffidere tantis
Testibus audebit ?) quæ gaudia pectore surgunt!
Qua non voce libet patriæ gratarier ipsi,
Et mihi temporibus longe melioribus orto!
O nos felices, O ter felicia nostri
Sæcula, quæ solum nescire, et discere nolle
Turpe putant! Salve, post pessima tempora ferri,
Altera, quæ fulges auro pretiosior, ætas.
Jam non divino Sapientia lumine sedes
Illustrat proprias tantum, notosque Penates
Invida; -nunc omnes trivias, omnesque tabernas
Incolit, atque casas ;-hominum jam scilicet agmen
Mercuriale juvat studiis incumbere; agresti
Duro nocturnis placet impallescere chartis.
Mutantur studiis quæstus, crepidamque relinquit
Heu! frustra monitus sutor, setosaque barba
Nequidquam tonsoris opem deposcit, at ille
Sedulus egregiis festinat adesse magistris.
Discipuli coëunt, genus admirabile, fabri,
Fossores, lanii cum piscatoribus uncti,
Cerdones, lixæ, ne te morer, omne macellum.
Dissimilis quæstu, studio conjunctus eodem,
Quisque venit; sed tota uno velut ore caterva
Postulat institui, parilique cupidine flagrat.
Obvius ex turba quemdam fuligine nigrum
Forsitan astantem sectæ Coryphæus honestæ
Talibus aggreditur verbis ;—" Vi'n' discere?-Vi'n' tu
Plus dominis sapere, et causas cognoscere rerum?
En! tibi naturæ secreta resolvimus, ipse
Et fratres damus insignes, en! accipe, libros!
En! præceptores miros! Num scribere calles,
Num legere?" "Haud vero."-" Nil refert, me duce summas
Noscere litterulas ante ipsa elementa licebit,
Tanquam ungues digitosque tuos ; quæ nempe labore
Assiduo quidam vitioso nomine docti
Acquirenda putant, brevior tibi semita præstat.
Da modo te totum mihi: per compendia fies,
Grammaticus, lector, juris legumque peritus,
Ut nemo, vates, geometres, omnia, quæ vis.
Spe lucri ductum noli me credere; namque,
Admoveas aurem propius, tibi commoda tanta
Constabunt nihilo."-Quis non promissa libenter
Talia captaret?—Quis non evadere doctus,
Præcipue propria nihil impendente crumena,
Vellet?-An exspectas, ut non faber audiat illa
Argumenta, viro nullam poscente laborum
Mercedem ?-Sane monitis liberrimus aurem
Præbet, et ingenti Sophiæ percussus amore,
Mercurio steriles commutat Apollinis aras.
Ecce autem tibi Crsipinus, mirabilis hujus
Ille gregis fautor, totusque effusus in iras
More suo sermone minaciter instat acerbo ;-
"Tune viros speras impune lacessere sunimos,
Et bene de patria meritos --Tune, improbe, pergis
Fallere callentem tanta farragine plebem?
Dogmata nostrorum rides incredulus? Ævi
Præteriti sordes tenebrasque reducere tentas,
O animi vere servilis ?"-Non ego vero;
O bone, ne tantum sævi; quin ecce libenter
Vestras suscipimus partes, vestrosque magistros.
Delicias hominum! Felices omine dextro
Pergite; magnanimis ausis Fortuna secundet!
Vosque etiam linguis animisque favete coloni;
Parcite jam vacuum manibus tractare ligonem ;
Discite, vos fabri !-Quid enim? Non ille theatri
Cecropii decus æternum, quem tota loquentem
Græcia mirari solita est, incude relicta,
Ibat ad eximium turpis squallore magistrum?
Principio parili contingat et exitus idem.
" Aëra sublimi lustro pede," (Socratis hæc sunt
Suspensi cophino verba,) "et mortalia temnens,
Contemplor solem.-Sensus tibi, more farinæ,
Succernam; subtile, et ab omni parte politum
Ingenium referes. Imprimis discere rhythmos,
An modulos mavis?" "Modulos ego," rusticus inquit,
"Nam vafer elusit pistor me nuper-" " At illa
"At
Mitte, precor. Tibi quis modulum gratissimus exstat,
Dic age! Num trinis pedibus qui clauditur, an qui
Senis?""Pace tua, bone vir, sextarius."
"At te
Dique Deæque omnes perdant, insulse!" "Negasne ?-
Accipe jam pignus, nostrum quem diximus." "Hinc te
Ni rapis, insignes tergum dabit, improbe, pœnas."
Atque etiam jam nunc dum talia ludimus, eheu!
Securi nimium, fieri quas undique turbas
Aspicimus! clamor quis tollitur! O ego demens,
Et capitis crurumque oblitus, homunculus ausus
Tot caligas, tot contractos offendere pugnos.
Ut sim vitalis, metuo, ni protinus ore
Occluso, pedibus posthac confidere pergam.
Providus haud aliter miles discesserit, et queis
Obstaret frustra, fugiendo eluserit hostes.
Miratur molem Eneas, magalia quondam ;
Miratur portas, strepitumque, et strata viarum.
Si te, Plance, fori fecere negotia fessum,
Et libet urgentes paullum deponere curas;
Dum fera tempestas tota bacchatur in Urbe,
Dum nihil est nisi rupta fides, et terror ubique,
Dum facies populi longa est, et Deficit ille,'
'Deficit hic,' rursus vicinia tota reclamat,
Sis sapiens, nostramque urbem dignatus adire,
Otia tutus ama: nostris nam sæpe sub umbris,
Tranquillas inter sylvas et amoena fluenta,
Sollicitam dulces frontem explicuere Camœnæ.
Αεροβατῶ, καὶ περιφρονῶν τὸν ἥλιον, κ. τ. λ. ARIST. Nub.
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