Page:The Earliest English Translations of Bürger's Lenore - A Study in English and German Romanticism - Emerson (1915).djvu/54

 which a friend had caught up from a spirited version recited at Edinburgh, at the celebrated Dugald Stewart's, by Mrs. Letitia Barbauld. Assure yourself, Sir, my recollection of the obligation is infinitely stronger than that of the mistake; and if you have preserved, which I have little reason to expect, the letters I wrote at so early a period, you will find that they are subscribed by my baptismal name, Sir, Your most humble servant, Walter Scott.

The last link in the story of the making and publication of Scott's Bürger translation is found in Capt. Basil Hall's Schloss Hainfeld. In this romantic work occurs an account of a visit to the Countess Purgstall, the Jane Cranstoun of Scott's young manhood and a most helpful friend. The Countess related the following incident:

About the year 1793 Bürger's extraordinary poem of Leonora found its way to Scotland, and it happened that a translation of it was read at Dugald Stewart's, I think by Mrs. Barbauld. Miss Cranstoun described this strange work to her friend [Scott]; the young poet, whose imagination was set on fire by the strange crowd of wild images and novel situations in this singular production, never rested till, by the help of grammar and dictionary, he contrived to study it in the original; and she, as usual, encouraged him to persevere: and at the end of a few weeks' application to the German language, he had made out the sense, and had himself written a poetical translation of the poem.

One morning at half-past six, Miss Cranstoun was roused by her maid who said Mr. Scott was in the dining-room, and wished to speak to her immediately. She dressed in a great hurry and hastened down stairs, wondering what he could have to say to her at that early hour. He met her at the door, and holding up his manuscript eagerly begged her to listen to his poem! Of course she gave it all attention, and having duly praised it sent him away quite happy, after begging permission to retain the poem for a day or two, in order to look it over more carefully. He said she might keep it till he returned from the country, where he was about to proceed on a visit to the house where the lady to whom he was attached was residing.

His friendly critic was duly aware of this intended visit, and an idea having suggested itself to her during his animated perusal of the poem, she lost no time in putting it into execution. As soon as he was gone she sent for their common friend,, and confided her scheme to him, of