himself to the full possession of the spirit which shall speak through
him, he receives, also, a portion of the same creative power. Mr. Lewes
reaches this conclusion: "If, therefore, we reflect what a poem _Faust_
is, and that it contains almost every variety of style and metre, it
will be tolerably evident that no one unacquainted with the original can
form an adequate idea of it from translation,"[E] which is certainly
correct of any translation wherein something of the rhythmical variety
and beauty of the original is not retained. That very much of the
rhythmical character may be retained in English, was long ago shown by
Mr. Carlyle,[F] in the passages which he translated, both literally and
rhythmically, from the _Helena_ (Part Second). In fact, we have so many
instances of the possibility of reciprocally transferring the finest
qualities of English and German poetry, that there is no sufficient
excuse for an unmetrical translation of _Faust_. I refer especially to
such subtile and melodious lyrics as "The Castle by the Sea," of Uhland,
and the "Silent Land" of Salis, translated by Mr. Longfellow; Goethe's
"Minstrel" and "Coptic Song," by Dr. Hedge; Heine's "Two Grenadiers," by
Dr. Furness and many of Heine's songs by Mr Leland; and also to the
German translations of English lyrics, by Freiligrath and Strodtmann.[G]


[D] Life of Goethe (Book VI.).

[E] Mr. Lewes gives the following advice: "The English reader would
perhaps best succeed who should first read Dr. Anster's brilliant
paraphrase, and then carefully go through Hayward's prose translation."
This is singularly at variance with the view he has just expressed. Dr.
Anster's version is an almost incredible dilution of the original,
written in _other_ metres; while Hayward's entirely omits the element of
poetry.