KEATS’S SONNET ON CHAPMAN’S TRANSLATION OF HOMER: MANUSCRIPT OF EARLY DRAFT AND INITIAL PUBLICATION*

This study presents the earliest known manuscript of Keats's sonnet to Chapman’s translation of the Iliad (1611), in comparison with the first publication of the poem by Keats (1816). A comparative reading is provided, along with related philological and literary comments.


1
The purpose of the present study is to present a copy of a manuscript of Keats's sonnet on Chapman's translation of Homer, in comparison with the text of the initial publication of this sonnet, along with some related philological and literary comments.
Keats's sonnet on Chapman's translation of the Iliad is well known, having frequently been included in collections of Keats's works. Later authors with references to Keats's sonnet include Edgar Allen Poe, Thomas Wolfe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Vladimir Nabokov and P.G. Wodehouse.
Following partial translations from the Iliad in 1598 and 1608, Chapman released the complete twenty-four books under the title The Iliads of Homer in 1611. 1 Prior to composing the sonnet (1816) on Chapman's work, Keats had completed a translation of The Aeneid, in 1811.
For purposes of reference, the manuscript reproduced here is identified as: Keats, John, 1795-1821 Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold. A. MS., early draft, MS Keats 2.4, Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge MASS.
The following is a reading of the manuscript, presented beside the text of the first publication of the same sonnet, for purposes of comparison. The following philological comments are made for the purpose of clarifying the lexical structure of the sonnet, in addition to indicating the nature of Keats's vocabulary. Line 1: realm, Middle English roialme, realme, Old French realme, French royaume «kingdom», from late Latin *rāgālimen, accusative of rāgālis «royal», from Indo--European *reg-«to move in a straight line» with derivatives meaning «to direct in a straight line», oldest form *hreĝ-. Lengthened-grade form *rēg -was Indo -European word for a tribal king, source of Old High German -rīh «king, ruler», suffix in personal names. Suffixed *rēg -en -: source of Sanskrit rājā, rājan-«king, rajah», rājni «queen, rani», rājati «he rules». Greek ορέγω «reach, stretch», Latin regere «direct, lead», Irish rigim «stretch out», Gothic uf-rakjan «stretch out». Lehmann (1986: R18) lists Sanskrit rāt, rāja, Latin rēx, Old Irish rī «king» from Proto -Indo -European *rēĝ -s «ruler». (Watkins 2011: 72b, Pokorny 1. reĝ -854.) 4 Line 2: goodly is the combination of good plus the suffix -ly, meaning «somewhat large, considerable», with good via Old English gōd, from Germanic *gōdaz, «fitting, suitable», allied to Old Slavonic god «fit season», Russian годный «fit, suitable» and Polish godny «worthy», from common 4 The principal source for identification of Indo-European roots is Watkins (2011), with additional information from Pokorny (1959) and from data from on-going Indo-European research on Proto-Indo-European Etyma (Pokorny Master PIE Etyma) at the Linguistics Research Center of the University of Texas at Austin. Skeat (1980) is a useful source for cognate forms in the Germanic languages and for description of words from Latin via Old French, Vasmer (1958Vasmer ( , 1987 for related forms in the Slavic languages, Lehmann (1986) for Gothic and related words in other Indo-European languages, and Johnson (1755) for earlier meanings of English words. origin in the earlier Indo -European *ghedh -«to unite, join, fit» (Watkins 2011: 29a, Pokorny ghedh-423.) The derived form kingdom «country, state ruled by a king» is from Old English cyningdōm: king + dom, hence literally the «domain of a king». The base word king is from the Indo -European root *genɘ-, also *gen-, «to give birth, beget, with derivatives referring to aspects and results of procreation and to familial and tribal groups»; oldest form *ĝenh-. The word king is from the zero -grade form *gņɘ-. Related words in English include, among many others, gene and indigenous. Related forms in other languages include Anglo -Saxon cyning «king» (literally, a man of good birth), cyne -«royal», cyn «tribe, kin, race», Latin gignere (past participle genitus) «to beget» and gnāscī, nascī (gnātus, natus) «to be born», Greek γόνος «procreation» and γονή «seed, offspring», and Sanskrit janaḥ v «offspring», jāta-«born», janate «he is born» (Watkins 27a, The ultimate source of the suffix -dom is from the Indo -European root *dhē-«to set, put» (contracted from earlier dheh-), origin of Old English doe̅ d «doing, deed» via Germanic *dēdiz. Variant *dhō -is origin of current English «do» from Old English dōn «to do», Germanic *dōn. Suffixed o-grade form *dhō -mois origin «doom» from Old English dōm «judgement», while -dom is from Old English -dōm, abstract suffix indicating state, condition or power, also Old Norse -dōmr «condition» in compound hōrdōmr. Related forms in other branches of Indo -European include Russian дума «thought, council» and Ukranian дума «thought, narrative poem», both from a Germanic source akin to Gothic dōms «judgement». (Watkins 2011: 18a-b, Pokorny 2. dhā-235.) The word state comes via Old French estat from Latin statum, accusative of status «standing, condition», supine of stāre «to stand», Indo -European root *stā -«to stand», with derivatives meaning «place or thing that is standing», oldest form: *steh, colored to *stah, contracted to *stā -. Also origin of Avestan and Armenian stāya «stand, place», Latin sistō , stō «stand», Anglo -Saxon standan «stand», Old Irish tair-«stand», Old High German stān, stān «stand», Greek єςτην «I stood», Sanskrit sthā «to stand», Russian стοять «to stand», Lithuanian stóju «stand», Tocharian B ste «is». (For related words in English, see Watkins 2011: 86b-87b; Pokorny stā-1004.) Line 4: bard is from Welsh barrd and Gaelic Irish bard, origin of Greek βάρδος. In Latin, the term bardus is found in Lucan. The word was originally used in reference only to Celtic poets and, in lowland Scotland, to wandering minstrels; the meaning was later extended for general reference to poets. Although both the New English Dictionary (Oxford 1884) and the Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford 1971) indicate that the earliest documentation of the word is from the mid-fifteenth century, Bard had already become a surname by the end of the thirteenth century. Cf. Scottish surname Baird. The Indo -European root is *g w era -«to favor». Celtic *bardo refers to a «praise poet», one who produced and bestowed praise poetry as gratification to his patron. (Watkins 2011: 35b, Pokorny 4. guer(ə)-478.) Line 5: expanse is related to the Latin verb expandere, from pandere, pans-«to spread». The Indo -European root is *petɘ-«to spread», also the origin of Old English foethm «fathom», from Germanic *fathmaz «length of two arms extended». There are numerous derivatives from Latin patāre «to be open» and pandere (past participle pāssus < *patto-) «to spread out», as well as from Greek πέταλον, «thin plate», neuter of πέταλος, origin of French pétale and English petal, πατανέ (?<*πετάνα [petanā] > Latin patina) «platter» and πέταςος «broad-brimmed hat». (Watkins 2011: 69b, Pokorny 2. pet-825.) Line 5 begins with «Oft» in the manuscript, with «But» in the first published version. The former emphasizes the frequency of a certain special reference to Homer, the latter contrasts Homer's domain with that of other literary references in the sonnet.
In terms of the use of punctuation and capitalization, there is close similarity between the features of the early manuscript shown above and those of the version of the sonnet first published in The Examiner on December 1, 1816. 5 Most of the capital letters of the manuscript are preserved in the initial publication of the sonnet. The use of capitals in the manuscript is more extensive, including words that take the place of proper nouns, as well as some employed for emphasis. The punctuation is similar, with few differences. Both versions divide the octave into just two sentences, of four lines each, and both treat the sestet as a single sentence. It can be noted, however, that later publications have more differences, in relation to the texts considered here, with regard to the use of both punctuation and capitalization, with the later publications tending to be increasingly conservative with regard to contemporary pedagogical norms (hence, reflecting to a lesser degree the features of earlier versions). 6 Keats's generation was familiar with the translations by John Dryden and Alexander Pope, in blank verse or heroic couplets, rendering Homer in a way similar to Virgil.
From the content of the sonnet, it is evident that Keats was profoundly impressed by Chapman's rendition. Keats had a special affinity with Chapman: both possessed good knowledge of classical culture, both were poets and Keats also translated a classical epic poem.
Formally, Keats's poetic tribute to Chapman is a sonnet in the style of Petrarch, consisting of an octave and a sestet, in iambic pentameter. The meanings of the parts are closely interrelated. That the manuscript is a draft 5 The website http://spenserians.cath.vt.edu/TextRecord.php?action=GET&txtsid=36006 presents a version of the text as a copy of «On first looking into Chapman's Homer», as published in The Examiner (1 December 1816) 762. It is not, however, a faithful copy of the original publication, for, unlike the version published in The Examiner, it shows both of the names Chapmen and Cortez completely in capital letters: CHAPMAN... CORTEZ. There is no apparent justification for this change.
6 To the extent that they represent interference with the poet's intended forms and meanings, such versions must be considered distortive. Without additional specific information, one can only speculate with regard to the causes of such textual interference, which seems to be the result of greater concern for normative grammatical features of common usage than for the special aspects of poetic discourse (such as linking and emphasis) in accordance with the poet's own vision of his topic. One can imagine the distortions that would result from the use of normative principles by an overly zealous and disoriented editor for «correcting» the lack of capitalization in the poetry of e e cummings (Edward Estlin Cummings) or the lack of punctuation in the prose of Portuguese Nobel Prize winner José Saramago.
(rather than merely a copy) is indicated both by the change in the text (line 6) and by marks connecting paired lines.
It is clear the «realms of gold» refers to literary riches, as evidenced by the successive references, in the first eight lines, to the Aegean islands, to Apollo (god of poetry, born at the sacred island of Delos, in the Aegean), to Homer, then to Chapman, preceded by «Yet could I never know what Men could mean», which calls attention to the value of literary translation in making works available to those who otherwise would not have access to them, and especially to the value of quality in translation. The sestet concerns the magnitude of the experience of the first reading of Chapman's translation, through two comparisons: first with taking knowledge of a new planet, then with an initial sighting of the Pacific.
Keats's generation knew of the discovery of Uranus, the first planet to become known modern times (not known in antiquity). Uranus (named after the Greek god ruler of the heavens) had been found fortuitously by Herschel in 1781. The phrase «swims into his ken» suggests the mode of the discovery (--contrary to the case of Neptune, to be discovered more than half a century later, through mathematical calculations, in 1846). Literary connections with the planet Uranus include the names of its seventeen satellites, all for characters in Shakespearean plays.
The second and final comparison is with the initial viewing of the Pacific Ocean by Cortez with «eagle eyes» (as shown in Titian's painting of this subject), changed from «wond'ring eyes», hence denoting close attention, in addition to the wonderment indicated by «wild surmise» and «silent»), while «all his men look'd at each other in wild surmise». The two comparisons show the vastness of the discovery and the nature of its impression.
There are several links between words of like meaning, such as «Realms» (line 1), «Kingdoms» (line 2) and «Demesne» [=domain] (l. 6), between the reference to the Aegean Islands (l. 3), suggesting water, extended through the use of «swim» (l. 10), culminating in the reference to the awe -inspiring Pacific Ocean, and between the vastness suggested by the use of wide expanse (l. 5) , the reference to a planet (l. 10), then the reference to the Pacific (l. 12). Such connections contribute to the emphasis and unity of the poetic composition. The climactic impression made by the total imagery of these comparisons is one of awe, caused by reading Chapman's Homer.
Historically, the reference to Cortez viewing the Pacific from the Darién province in Panama is an error: it was Balboa, not Cortez, who viewed the Pacific Ocean from Panama. It has been suggested that Keats did not change the reference to Balboa, because doing so would have added another syllable. Such a motive seems hardly likely: Keats gave ample evidence of poetic skill in more than fifty compositions. The differences both within the manuscript of the «early draft» reproduced here (line 6) and between it and the later publication (lines 7 and 11) show that it would not have been difficult for Keats to make additional changes required by alteration of the reference. The name of Cortez, who conquered Mexico and served as its governor, has different connotations and imagery from that of Balboa. Moreover, it is Cortez, not Balboa, who was immortalized in a portrait by Titian. Of course, many early explorers and conquistadores viewed the Pacific, as did Cortez, one of the most famous leaders of sixteenth century European expansion.
The final comparison in the sestet, with «stout Cortez», recalls the attributes determined, bold and strong, qualities also to be associated, as mental courage and artistic prowess, with both «deep-browed Homer» and Chapman, the principal English translator of The Iliad.