Page:The Craftsmanship of Writing.djvu/266

THE TECHNIQUE OF TRANSLATING

To produce upon an English reader the identical impression produced by any particular original work upon an ancient Greek or Roman, a modern Frenchman or Italian is, of course, an unattainable ideal. The thing at best can be done only approximately. In the case of the Iliad, for instance, a certain dominant note felt by every Greek must have been that of intense patriotism, a thrill of pride at the thought of his own nation's achievements,—and of course no dexterity of translation could ever duplicate that thrill in the alien Anglo-Saxon reader. But this is no [252]