Written at the Hotwells, Bristol, July, 1789. By the Rev. W. L. Bowles. Published by Cadell and Davies, Strand, London. It commences as follows:

THE morning wakes in shadowy mantle grey,

The darksome woods their glimmering skirts unfold, Prone from the cliff the falcon whirls her way,

And long and loud the bell's slow chime is tol'd.

The redd'ning light gains fast upon the skies,
And far away the glist'ning vapours sail,
Down the rough steep th' accustom'd hedger hies,
And the stream winds in brightness thro' the Vale.

These are the first two verses of a long anonymous poem, published by J. and A. Arch, Cornhill, London, 1818.

ELEGY, WRITTEN IN A CITY CHURCHYARD.
AWAY from care-apart from earthly toil,
Let's court the stillness of the silent grave,
Where dwell-within the death-encumbered soil,
The ashes of the fair-the gay-the brave!
How many trophies mark the hallowed ground!
Vain mock'ry of the sad and peaceful tomb!
How many fabrics cast their shade around!

Emblems of death! of man's unerring doom!

*

From a long imitation, signed M. W. H., which appeared in Hood's Magazine. June, 1848.

TRANSLATIONS

OF

THE ELEGY.

THE Elegy has been translated into nearly every European language, whilst numerousGreek and Latin versions have also been printed.

It would be foreign to the objects of this collection to include these translations, but some bibliographical notes may be given which will enable students, and admirers of Gray, to obtain the works, in the Library of the British Museum, or in either of the other great public Libraries in Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, or Dublin.

Greek Versions of Gray's Elegy.
J. Norbury.
Professor Cooke.
C. Coote.

B. E. Sparke.

S. Weston.

E. Tew.

J. Plumtre.

Eton. Cambridge.

1793.

1785.

London.

1794.

Hon. G. Denman. Cambridge.

--:0:

Latin Versions.

Christopher Anstey.

1795.

1795.

1871.

Cambridge. 1762.

(This was in quarto, other editions have since been

Campagna, tradotta dall' Inglese in piu lingue con aggiunta di varie cose finora inedite per cura dell dottore Alessandro Torri. Veronese. Livorno Tipografia Migliaresi. 1843. This contains the original Elegy in English, followed by twelve Italian translations in different metres, five in Latin. one in Hebrew, six in French, one in German prose by William Mason, and three in German verse, or twentyeight translations in all, and it mentions others which are not included. There are also copious notes, and a biography of Thomas Gray. The press mark in the B. M. Library of this very curious volume is 1465 K.

In 1839, a Polyglott edition of Gray's Elegy was published by Mr. John Van Voorst, of Paternoster Row, London. This charming little volume contains some of the finest specimens of modern wood engraving, in which the artists have admirably succeeded in realising the spirit of the poem. The text consists of the original poem, with Greek, Latin, German, French, and Italian translations. The Greek translation was by Thomas J. Mathias, author of "The Pursuits of Literature," the Latin by Rev. William Hildyard, the Italian by Guiseppe Torelli, and the German by F. G. Gotter. The French version is ascribed to M. Le Fourneur, whose verses are of very unequal merit; in a few cases he com presses the sense of a verse into two lines, in others he spreads it over six lines, whilst some of Gray's most poetical ideas and images are entirely omitted.

The second verse :

Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight,
And all the air a solemn stillness holds,
Save where the Beetle wheels his droning flight,
And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds.
he renders

"Du soleil expirant la tremblante lumière
Délaisse par degrés les monts silencieux ;

Un calme solennel enveloppe les cieux." thus altogether losing the beautiful description contained in the last two lines of the original.

ELEGIE.

Le rappel a marqué le jour en son déclin,
Les troupeaux lentement quittent le pâturage,
Le laboureur courbé suit son triste chemin,
Laissant la sphère obscure à moi seul en partage.

Le paysage au loin passe et s'évanouit,
Un silence profond règne dans la nature,
Hormis où l'escarbot son vol bruyant poursuit,
Et le ruisseau lointain endort par son murmure.

Hors que, de cette tour que le lierre embellit,
Le nocturne hibou pousse une plainte amère
Quand quelque voyageur, approchant son réduit,
Vient troubler, par hazard, son règne solitaire.

A l'ombre de ces ifs, sous ces ormeaux noueux,
Où la terre en monceaux au passage s'oppose,
Renfermé pour toujours dans son caveau poudreux,
Le rustique habitant du village repose.

Le souffle parfumé du zéphir matinal,

Le moineau gazouillant sur leur paisible asyle, Le chant perçant du coq, le cor aux cerfs fatal, Ne les tireront plus de leur couche d'argile.

Ah! ils ne verront plus le fagot pétiller,

A leur donner ses soins l'active ménagère, De chers enfans grimper pour saisir un baiser, Begayant à l'envi le tendre nom de père.

Souvent le champ céda ses moissons a leurs faulx,
Et leur soc entrouvrit la glèbe limoneuse,
Comme ils siffloient gaiement en menant leurs chevaux
Comme le bois plioit sous leur main vigoureuse.

Grands, ne méprisez point leurs soins industrieux,
Leurs plaisirs innocens et leurs destins sans gloire ;
Orgueilleux, reprimez ce souris dédaigneux,
Au récit peu connu de leur obscure histoire.

Tous ces titres pompeux, ce pouvoir imposant,
Les dons de la beauté, les ris de la fortune,
Ne peuvent exempter du terrible moment;
Le chemin des honneurs mène à la fin commune.

Et vous, ambitieux, ne les accusez point

Si leurs simples tombeaux nul ornement ombrage, Dans les murs révérés de cet asyle saint,

Où des chants vers les cieux s'élèvent en hommage.

Des faits sur l'urne inscrits, des bustes animés, Peuvent ils rappeller le souffle irrévocable? L'honneur peut-il toucher des corps inanimés, Ou l'encens appaiser la mort inexorable?

Peut-être un cœur rempli jadis d'un feu divin, Se trouve renfermé dans ce lieu de tristesse, Un bras propre à régler d'un peuple le destin, Ou sonner à ravir la lyre enchantéresse.

Mais loin d'eux la science éloigna son trésor,
Des dépouilles du tems amplement enrichie ;
L'affreuse pauvreté retint leur noble essor,
En sa source glaça le courant du génie.

Tambour qui se bat sur le rampart des villes frontières, vers le coucher du soleil, pour y rappeller les habitans.

Mr. Elliot Stock published an illustrated edition of the Elegy, containing a facsimile of the fair copy of the poem in Gray's hand writing, (which is in Pembroke College, Cambridge,) together with notes of the principle variations in different copies of the Elegy preserved in other collections.

The following articles also contain information on Gray's poems, and more especially concerning the Elegy.

The Quarterly Review, London, December, 1853. Walford's Antiquarian Magazine and Bibliographer for November and December, 1883.

In 1884, Mr. K. L. Munden issued a prospectus of a proposed work, intended to contain Parallel Poems, Parodies, and Imitations of Gray's Elegy. The book was to have been in quarto, and issued at the price of one guinea, but it does not appear in the British Museum Catalogue, so it is probable that it was not published.

In a small publication entitled Edgbastonia for November, 1884, there appeared an article on Parodies, and imitations of Gray's Elegy, signed by K. L. Munder, probably a misprint for Munden. This contained very little additional information to that previously given in the two admirable articles in Walford's Antiquarian Magazine above named.

A subscriber to this Collection writes that a parody entitled "An Elegy written in a London Churchyard appeared in "The Literary Sketch Book," for 1825, London. No such work however appears in the catalogue of the British Museum Library, the parody mentioned cannot therefore be included.

Dr. Tisdall, of Dublin, has courteously written to point out a few errors which occurred in his parody, The Elegy on Mrs. Mulligan, as it originally appeared in The Elocutionist, as well as in the reprint of it on page 37 Parodies. The corrections are as follows:

Verse 2, line III.
Verse 4, line II.

chiefs, and frills.

:

A tender mother-a devoted wife. With vests, he-mises, with handker

Verse 12, line III. And scatter snowdrops as ye pass along. Verse 13, line II. No fulsome epitaph, no flattering trope.

This concludes the Parodies, Imitations, and Translations of Gray's Elegy in a Country Church Yard. Such a collection has never before been attempted; every endeavour has been made to gather materials from all available sources, and it is believed that no parody of any interest, or merit, has been omitted. Should, however, attention be drawn to any omission, mention will be made of it in a future issue.