And lines 8-9 smack unmistakably of Peder Paars.  In the second place, the translator often does not attempt to translate at all.  He gives merely a paraphrase.  Compare lines 1-3 with the English original; the whole of the speech of the first citizen, 17-24, 25-27, where the whole implied idea is fully expressed; 28-30, etc., etc.  We might offer almost every translation of Shakespeare’s figures as an example.  One more instance.  At times even paraphrase breaks down.  Compare

  And through the cranks and offices of man
  The strongest and small inferior veins,
  Receive from me that natural competency
  Whereby they live.

with our translator’s version (lines 50-51)

      jeg den flyde lader
  Igjennem Menneskets meest fine Dele.

This is not even good paraphrase; it is simply bald and helpless rendering.

On the other hand, it would be grossly unfair to dismiss it all with a sneer.  The translator has succeeded for the most part in giving the sense of Shakespeare in smooth and sounding verse, in itself no small achievement.  Rhetoric replaces poetry, it is true, and paraphrase dries up the freshness and the sparkle of the metaphor.  But a Norwegian of that day who got his first taste of Shakespeare from the translation before us, would at least feel that here was the power of words, the music and sonorousness of elevated dramatic poetry.

One more extract and I am done.  It is Coriolanus’ outburst of wrath against the pretensions of the tribunes (III, 1).  With all its imperfections, the translation is almost adequate.

Coriolanus:  Skal!  Patrisier, I aedle, men ei vise!  I hoie Senatorer, som mon mangle Al Overlaeg, hvi lod I Hydra vaelge En Tjener som med sit bestemte Skal —­Skjondt blot Uhyrets Taleror og Lyd—­ Ei mangler Mod, at sige at han vil Forvandle Eders Havstrom til en Sump, Og som vil gjore Jer Kanal til sin.  Hvis han har Magten, lad Enfoldighed Da for ham bukke; har han ingen Magt, Da vaekker Eders Mildhed af sin Dvale, Den farlig er; hvis I ei mangle Klogskab, Da handler ei som Daaren; mangler den, Lad denne ved Jer Side faae en Pude.  Plebeier ere I, hvis Senatorer De ere, og de ere mindre ei Naar begge Eders Stemmer sammenblandes Og naar de kildres meest ved Fornemhed.  De vaelge deres egen Ovrighed, Og saadan Een, der saette tor sit Skal, Ja sit gemene Skal mod en Forsamling, Der mer agtvaerdig er end nogensinde Man fandt i Graekenland.  Ved Jupiter!  Sligt Consulen fornedrer!  Og det smerter Min Sjael at vide, hvor der findes tvende Autoriteter, ingen af dem storst, Der kan Forvirring lettelig faae Indpas I Gabet, som er mellem dem, og haeve Den ene ved den anden.

C