Page:Blackwood's Magazine volume 047.djvu/249

 ?" It simply means "indefatigably" or "assiduously;" but neither of these words could be made to rhyme to "locked" or to "barred." Similar monstrosities are to be met with in almost every page of most of these translations. Here is one. Faust—gazing upon certain visions, is made to exclaim—

Here is a still better one. When Wagner knocks at the door. Faust exclaims—

If Paul Pry, instead of saying, "I hope I don't intrude," had come forward, saying, "I hope I don't intercide," we wonder what his success would have been before a London audience. What could have tempted Mr Blackie on one occasion to put these words into Faust's mouth addressing Mephistopheles:—

But there would be no end to it if we were to on extracting (tender dentist) such carious specimens as these. Verily, much requires to be done before the English public can know any thing at all about the veritable Faust. We do not pretend to be able to "imitate Goethe closely;" but, in our humble opinion, the following version of the opening soliloquy is more like the original than some of the samples we have given.