into English with considerable facility; but to translate from a
foreign language into your own, is a widely different thing from
translating from your own into a foreign language; and, in my first
attempt to render the publisher into German, I was conscious of making
miserable failures, from pure ignorance of German grammar; however, by
the assistance of grammars and dictionaries, and by extreme perseverance,
I at length overcame all the difficulties connected with the German
language. But alas! another difficulty remained, far greater than any
connected with German--a difficulty connected with the language of the
publisher--the language which the great man employed in his writings was
very hard to understand; I say in his writings, for his colloquial
English was plain enough. Though not professing to be a scholar, he was
much addicted, when writing, to the use of Greek and Latin terms, not as
other people used them, but in a manner of his own, which set the
authority of dictionaries at defiance; the consequence was, that I was
sometimes utterly at a loss to understand the meaning of the publisher.
Many a quarter of an hour did I pass at this period staring at periods of
the publisher, and wondering what he could mean, but in vain, till at
last, with a shake of the head, I would snatch up the pen, and render the
publisher literally into German. Sometimes I was almost tempted to
substitute something of my own for what the publisher had written, but my
conscience interposed; the awful words _Traduttore traditore_ commenced
ringing in my ears, and I asked myself whether I should be acting
honourably towards the publisher, who had committed to me the delicate
task of translating him into German; should I be acting honourably
towards him, in making him speak in German in a manner different from
that in which he expressed himself in English? No, I could not reconcile
such conduct with any principle of honour; by substituting something of
my own in lieu of these mysterious passages of the publisher, I might be
giving a fatal blow to his whole system of philosophy. Besides, when
translating into English, had I treated foreign authors in this manner?
Had I treated the minstrels of the Kiaempe Viser in this manner? No. Had
I treated Ab Gwilym in this manner? Even when translating his Ode to the
Mist, in which he is misty enough, had I attempted to make Ab Gwilym less
misty? No; on referring to my translation, I found that