Page:Atharva-Veda samhita.djvu/106

xcviii his skepticism grew with the progress of his work is clear from a comparison of the unrevised with the revised forms (cf. p. xxvii) of the early books. Thus at vi. 57. 2, as a rendering of jālāṣá, his manuscript at first read 'healer'; but on the revision he has crossed this out and put the Vedic word untranslated in its stead. With his skepticism, his desire for rigid literalness seems to have increased. At ii. 33. 5, the first draft translates prápada very suitably by 'fore parts of the feet'; but the second renders it by 'front feet.' Similarly, at vi. 42. 3, there is no reasonable doubt that pā́rṣṇyā prápadena ca means [I trample] 'with heel and with toe' (cf. viii. 6. 15; vi. 24. 2); but again he renders by 'front foot.' At iii. 15. 7, his prior draft reads 'watch over our life': 'life' is an unimpeachable equivalent of 'vital spirits' or prāṇā́s; but the author has changed it to 'breaths' in the second draft.

His presumable motive, a wish to leave all in the least degree doubtful interpretation to his successors, we can understand; but we cannot deny that he sometimes goes out of his way to make his version wooden. Thus he renders bhṛ, when used of skins or amulets (viii. 6. 11; 5. 13) by 'bear' instead of 'wear.' At iv. 21. 1,, he speaks of cows as 'milking for Indra many dawns,' although 'full many a morning yielding milk for Indra' can hardly be called too free. Cf. his apt version of úttarām-uttarām sámām at xii. 1. 33, 'from one year to another,' with that given at iii. 10. 1; 17.4, 'each further summer.' In a charm to rid the grain of danger, vi. 50. 1 d, 'make fearlessness for the grain' is needlessly inept. It is easy for Sanskritists, but not for others, to see that 'heroism' (vīryà), as used of an herb at xix. 34. 8, means its 'virtue' (and so he renders it at xii. 1. 2); that 'bodies' of Agni at xix. 3. 2 are his 'forms' (çivās or ghorās); and so on; but to others, such versions will hardly convey the intended meaning. The fact that svastíbhis, in the familiar refrain of the Vasiṣṭhas, is a plural, hardly justifies the infelicity of using such a plural as 'well-beings' to render it at iii. 16. 7; and some will say the like of 'wealfulnesses ' (iv. 13. 5), 'wealths,' and 'marrows.'

It lies entirely beyond the province of the editor to make alterations in matters of this kind. It is perhaps to be regretted that these infelicities, which do not really go below the surface of the work, are the very things that are the most striking for persons who examine the book casually and without technical knowledge; but the book is after all primarily for technical study.

Poetic elevation and humor.—The places in which the AV. rises to any elevation of poetic thought or diction are few indeed. Some of the funeral verses come as near it as any (among them, notably, xviii. 2. 50); and some of the philosophic verses (especially of x. 8 under Deussen's sympathetic treatment) have an interest which is not mean. The motive