Studia Islandica - 01.06.1957, Síða 30

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the Norwegian poet, then so popular. Again it was at the
instance of friends, educated in Denmark, who had there
become acquainted with current literary tendencies,
that Þorláksson undertook translating Pope, Milton, and
Klopstock; and in so doing our poet was in reality, at
least as regards the first two, repeating what had only
shortly before been done in Denmark. In fact, as we shall
come to see in greater detail below, Þorláksson based his
translation of the Essay on Man entirely on a Danish
version and also translated the first three books of Para-
dise Lost from a Danish rendition. Regarding Klopstock
it is, in this connection, sufficient to point out that for a
long period (1754—1771) he resided in Copenhagen and
exerted great influence on Danish literature during the
latter half of the eighteenth century.1)
Pope’s Essay on Man, as is well known, found its way
into a number of languages. In fact, Leslie Stephen speaks
of it as the one work by which the author “was best
known beyond his own country.” 2) It is therefore not
surprising that the Essay should be translated into Ice-
landic.
The beginning of the translation was a landmark in
Þorláksson’s literary career. It was the first of his major
translations. Begun in 1789, it extended over a period of
several years, being completed in 1796. At the sugges-
tion of Þorláksson’s faithful friend, Governor Stefán Þór-
arinsson, the translation was published in 1798, under
the title Tilraun til að snúa á Islenzku Popes Tilraun um
Manninn, and was dedicated to Þórarinsson, who probably
encouraged the poet to undertake it. It was published
again in 1842, in the edition of Þorláksson’s collected
poems. A section from it is also included in Sir George
1) See P. Hansen, Illustreret Dansk Litteratur Historie, II.
2) Alexander Pope, p. 160. Cf. Elwin and Courthope: The Works
of Alexander Pope, Vol. V., pp. 250-251. Also M. Pattison’s edition
of the Essay on Man, pp. 22-23 (Introduction).