Life of Lord Byron Volume IV Part 35

"I have written to you so often lately, that the brevity of this will be welcome. Yours," &c.

LETTER 393. TO MR. MURRAY.

"Ravenna, 8bre 17, 1820.

"Enclosed is the Dedication of Marino Faliero to _Goethe_.

Query,--is his t.i.tle _Baron_ or not? I think yes. Let me know your opinion, and so forth.

"P.S. Let me know what Mr. Hobhouse and you have decided about the two prose letters and their publication.

"I enclose you an Italian abstract of the German translator of Manfred's Appendix, in which you will perceive quoted what Goethe says of the _whole body_ of English poetry (and _not_ of me in particular). On this the Dedication is founded, as you will perceive, though I had thought of it before, for I look upon him as a great man."

The very singular Dedication transmitted with this letter has never before been published, nor, as far as I can learn, ever reached the hands of the ill.u.s.trious German. It is written in the poet's most whimsical and mocking mood; and the unmeasured severity poured out in it upon the two favourite objects of his wrath and ridicule compels me to deprive the reader of some of its most amusing pa.s.sages.

DEDICATION TO BARON GOETHE, &c. &c. &c.

"Sir,--In the Appendix to an English work lately translated into German and published at Leipsic, a judgment of yours upon English poetry is quoted as follows: 'That in English poetry, great genius, universal power, a feeling of profundity, with sufficient tenderness and force, are to be found; but that _altogether these do not const.i.tute poets_,' &c. &c.

"I regret to see a great man falling into a great mistake. This opinion of yours only proves that the '_Dictionary of ten thousand living English Authors_' has not been translated into German. You will have read, in your friend Schlegel's version, the dialogue in Macbeth--

"'There are _ten thousand_!

_Macbeth_. _Geese_, villain?

_Answer_. _Authors_, sir.'

Now, of these 'ten thousand authors,' there are actually nineteen hundred and eighty-seven poets, all alive at this moment, whatever their works may be, as their booksellers well know; and amongst these there are several who possess a far greater reputation than mine, although considerably less than yours. It is owing to this neglect on the part of your German translators that you are not aware of the works of * * *.

"There is also another, named * * * *

"I mention these poets by way of sample to enlighten you. They form but two bricks of our Babel, (WINDSOR bricks, by the way,) but may serve for a specimen of the building.

"It is, moreover, a.s.serted that 'the predominant character of the whole body of the present English poetry is a _disgust_ and _contempt_ for life.' But I rather suspect that, by one single work of _prose_, _you_ yourself have excited a greater contempt for life than all the English volumes of poesy that ever were written.

Madame de Stael says, that 'Werther has occasioned more suicides than the most beautiful woman;' and I really believe that he has put more individuals out of this world than Napoleon himself, except in the way of his profession. Perhaps, Ill.u.s.trious Sir, the acrimonious judgment pa.s.sed by a celebrated northern journal upon you in particular, and the Germans in general, has rather indisposed you towards English poetry as well as criticism. But you must not regard our critics, who are at bottom good-natured fellows, considering their two professions,--taking up the law in court, and laying it down out of it. No one can more lament their hasty and unfair judgment, in your particular, than I do; and I so expressed myself to your friend Schlegel, in 1816, at Coppet.

"In behalf of my 'ten thousand' living brethren, and of myself, I have thus far taken notice of an opinion expressed with regard to 'English poetry' in general, and which merited notice, because it was YOURS.

"My princ.i.p.al object in addressing you was to testify my sincere respect and admiration of a man, who, for half a century, has led the literature of a great nation, and will go down to posterity as the first literary character of his age.

"You have been fortunate, Sir, not only in the writings which have ill.u.s.trated your name, but in the name itself, as being sufficiently musical for the articulation of posterity. In this you have the advantage of some of your countrymen, whose names would perhaps be immortal also--if any body could p.r.o.nounce them.

"It may, perhaps, be supposed, by this apparent tone of levity, that I am wanting in intentional respect towards you; but this will be a mistake: I am always flippant in prose. Considering you, as I really and warmly do, in common with all your own, and with most other nations, to be by far the first literary character which has existed in Europe since the death of Voltaire, I felt, and feel, desirous to inscribe to you the following work,--_not_ as being either a tragedy or a _poem_, (for I cannot p.r.o.nounce upon its pretensions to be either one or the other, or both, or neither,) but as a mark of esteem and admiration from a foreigner to the man who has been hailed in Germany 'THE GREAT GOETHE.'

"I have the honour to be,

"With the truest respect,

"Your most obedient and

"Very humble servant,

"BYRON.

"Ravenna, 8bre 14, 1820.

"P.S. I perceive that in Germany, as well as in Italy, there is a great struggle about what they call '_Cla.s.sical_' and '_Romantic_,'--terms which were not subjects of cla.s.sification in England, at least when I left it four or five years ago. Some of the English scribblers, it is true, abused Pope and Swift, but the reason was that they themselves did not know how to write either prose or verse; but n.o.body thought them worth making a sect of.

Perhaps there may be something of the kind sprung up lately, but I have not heard much about it, and it would be such bad taste that I shall be very sorry to believe it."

END OF THE FOURTH VOLUME.