Page:The Earliest English Translations of Bürger's Lenore - A Study in English and German Romanticism - Emerson (1915).djvu/49

 ornament; an elegant version of the same ballad has been published by Mr. Pye. Had the author of this translation foreseen the intentions of the Laureat, he would not probably have risked a contest with such a distinguished competitor; but, as he had long entered the field before Mr. Pye appeared as his adversary, he will not now shrink from a combat where doubtful victory must ensure applause, and even complete failure allow the consolation of "Æneae magni dextra cadet."

In addition, Mr. Spencer's Preface gives a somewhat accurate estimate of Bürger and his poem. He speaks of him as "universally esteemed wherever the German language prevails as a national idiom, or is cultivated as a branch of education." He mentions "simplicity" as "the characteristic of his composition." Especially does he call supernaturalism the most important element of his power, and recognizes its relation to the new romanticism in England, as it had shown itself in fiction. Thus he writes:

Finally Mr. Spencer sums up the excellences of the particular poem he was presenting to his English readers. It will be noticed, too, that he emphasizes, much as Mr. Stanley had done, the moral of the piece. In this he seems as peculiarly English as his predecessor:

Spencer's translation, which appeared on the first of July,