selves,
to conform our genius to his, to give his thought either the same
turn, if our tongue will bear it, or, if not, to vary but the dress,
not to alter or destroy the substance. The like care must be taken of
the more outward ornaments--the words. When they appear (which is but
seldom) literally graceful, it were an injury to the author that they
should be changed. But, since every language is so full of its own
proprieties, that what is beautiful in one is often barbarous, nay,
sometimes nonsense, in another, it would be unreasonable to limit a
translator to the narrow compass of his author's words; it is enough
if he choose out some expression which does not vitiate the sense. I
suppose he may stretch his chain to such a latitude, but, by
innovation of thoughts, methinks he breaks it. By this means the
spirit of an author may be transfused, and yet not lost; and thus it
is plain that the reason alleged by Sir John Denham has no further
force than the expression; for thought, if it be translated truly,
cannot be lost in another language; but the words that convey it to
our apprehension (which are the image and ornament of that thought)
may be so ill chosen, as to make it appear in an unhandsome dress,
and rob it of its native lustre. There is, therefore, a liberty to be
allowed for the expression; neither is it necessary that words and
lines should be confined to the measure of the original. The sense of
an author, generally speaking, is to be sacred and inviolable. If the
fancy of Ovid be luxuriant it is his character to be so; and if I
retrench it he is no longer Ovid. It will be replied, that he
receives advantage by this lopping of his superfluous branches, but I
rejoin that a translator has no such right. When a painter copies
from the life, I suppose he has no privilege to alter features and
lineaments, under pretence that his picture will look better: perhaps
the face which he has drawn would be more exact if the eyes and nose
were altered; but it is his business to make it resemble the
original. In two cases only there may a seeming difficulty arise;
that is, if the thought be notoriously trivial or dishonest; but the
same answer will serve for both, that then they ought not to be
translated--

'Et qua