Page:The seven great hymns of the mediaeval church - 1902.djvu/80

50 of his compoition; and the inverion, "Dies illa, dies iræ" is the play upon words to which an imitator alone would reort.

The author of the firt tranlation given in this volume, in a preface to his work, ays:

"A production univerally acknowledged to have no uperior of its class hould be as literally rendered as the tructure of the language into which it is tranlated will admit. Moreover, no tranlation can be complete which does not conform to the original in its rhythmic quantities. The muic of the is as old as the hymn, if not older; and with thoe who are familiar with both, they are ineparably connected in thought. To atisfy the exactions of uch minds, the cadences mut be the ame."

In this endeavor the author has o well ucceeded, that when this verion is compared tanza by tanza with the original, it will be found to be in the ame trochaic meaure, in the