Camoens - The Lyrics part 1 - Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890)

12 LYRICKS OF CAMOENS.taken from him by Luis BE CAMOENS forthe acutenessof his conceits and the propriety of his Diction,as well as for the ability of submitting to impossibleRules, an ability which he displayed much more in hisother Rhythmas, as we shall presently say.And pursuing with the Poet (which be the thirdpart of this itPrologue), were evident Rashness toattempt his Eulogy. For albeit many others wonFame in some individual Perfection ; natheless not afew of them wanted the natural Disposition whichwould have made easy to them the contexture ofVerse ; hence they elaborated it with such Asperityand Difficulty that they would seem todeflower theirwords and to beget upon them Conceits par force, 20and thus they fail of this Suavity wherein Poesy herselfconsists, agreeably to the Doctrine of Fracastorttts inhis "Dialogue" entitled Naugerio and taken from\JBoratius and Quintilianm. Others again, who drewnearer to Nature, fell short either because they wereunhappy in choice of Terms ; or because they lackedthe Wealth of Words wherewith to attire and toadorn Speech, together with the Beauties ofLanguage, such as the Tropes and Figures, withoutwhich Cicero and Virgilius never spake ; or, finally,because they employ expressions so homely andcommonplace, as if the very constitution of Poesywere not Elevation above vulgar usage, conformablywith the opinion of Plutarchus in his Tractate, " Deroesiis " and of Khodiginus (Lib. iv. Cap. 4).Others, who have better Gifts of Langmge possess