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to be very tactful and eclectic in his approach. For instance,of the three methods of translation which Drydendistinguishes in his preface to the translation of Ovid'sEpistles (1680), 'metaphrase' or word-for-word might shacklethe translator to the original work whereas 'paraphrase' orsense-for-sense and 'imitation', whereby he abandons the textof the original, both bestow upon him a freedom whichwould necessarily distance him from the original. Therefore,one may well concur with Adams (1973: 11), who assertsthat literary works are harder to translate than they were tocompose, "for the original composition is the art of choosingthe exactly right word or expression, and includes the optionof changing and modification as deemed appropriate whereasthe art of translation is the art of choosing among a set ofpossible compromises; it simply does not allow thatimportant option".53