Cheval de FondAuthor(s): Samuel GarnerSource: Modern Language Notes, Vol. 10, No. 7 (Nov., 1895), p. 222Published by: The Johns Hopkins University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2919155 .

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443 November, I895. MODERN LANG UAGE NOTES. Vol. x, No. 7. 444

tions quoted falls far short of the requirements set up by Dr. Betz himself-" Geist urnd Stim- mung des Originals beizubehalten, so dass das iibertragene Lied analog auf Verstand und Gemuit des Fremden einwirkt." A care- ful and even appreciative perusal of the efforts of these French translators singularly con- firms the conviction, that the Frenchmani who is ignoranit of German, even if he be an admirer of these translations, will forever ad- mire an entirely fictitious, or rather factitious, Heine.

As for the usefulness of translation, that is another question; doubtless it is well that non-Germans should possess a base imitation of Heine, rather than no Heine at all.

In the fifth and final chapter, we come to the most important and most difficult part of the author's investigation, the study of Heine's influence in France. This chapter is certainly a contribution to the comparative literature of France and Germany, at least in the sense of offering a considerable fund of material, and frequent indications as to fruitful subjects of investigation. The chapter is, indeed, too fragmentary and disjointed to leave a very clear final impression, but that is perhaps inev- itable under the circumstances. The author traces Heine's inifluence in the works of a host of French poets, beloniging to a very prismatic variety of " schools:"-Gautier and Musset, Banville, Catulle Mendes, Copp6e and Lon Valade, the Goncourts, Bourget, Baude- laire, Richepin, Verlaine and many others. These individual studies are too brief to be exhaustive, and not sufficiently systematized to place Heine's total influence in the proper light; but they inspire confidence in the author's fitness for the difficult and exceed- ingly delicate task here attempted, and prom- ise valuable results for the monographs which will doubtless follow the present work, and from which alone Heine's account with French literature can be correctly balanced. Dr. Betz certainly deserves all encouragement to continiue the work he lhas so auspiciously be- guln.-The somewhat niegligent proof-readilng of the presenit volume, occasional lapses in stvle, and several onmissiolns from the very useful Index, call for a passing word of criti- cism.

JOHN S. NOLLEN. Iowa- College.

CORRESPONDENCE.

CHEVAL DE FOND.

TO THE EDITORS OF MOD. LANG. NOTES.

SIRS:-In their little tilt, in your May num- ber, over certain translations, it seems strange that neither Dr. Symington nor Dr. Lewis appears to have understood the precise equiv- alent, in English, of cheval de fond. Littr6, underfond, says: "avoir du fond, se dit d'un cheval qui supporte un long exercice sans se fatiguer." Of such a horse we say, in English, he has bottom, good staying qualities or good wind. Hence un citeval defond is a horse of bottom, or good bottom, as is more commonly said; that is, the literal translation is the exact English equivalent. Dr. Lewis's free render- ing ("a horse of good qualities ") is wide of the mark, since a horse may have most excel - lent qualities and yet have no bottom. Again, his literal translation (" a horse of depth ") is equally faulty, since depth is rarely ever the equivalent of Jond, which may usually be ren- dered by bottom or further end.

SAMUEL GARNER.

U. S. Naval Acaaenmy.

GO THIC haaibi.

TO THE EDITORS OF MOD. LANG. NOTES.

SIRS:-This word has been connected by some with Skt. ks'era-m. This is, however, phonetically improbable if we derive kse-fa-mn from v k'i "to dwell," Gk. xrwf-5i;. The original meaninig of the Germanic xaib,bi- is a 'treeless, uncuiltivated plain' (Kluge). It is in direct conitrast, therefore, witlh the word for 'mountain,' wlhich interchanges with that for ' forest.' Thus Goth. fazirgini, ' moiii- tain ': O.H.G. forsi (cf. Kluge, E/yni. [V/b. sub Fors/, andcl Noreen, Urg. Lan//ebre, pp. 131, I75) and Skt. giri-', Av. gairi-s, ' mouin- tain ' Lith. gire, ' forest.'

Now, the Germanic Xaipio might well mean 'low-lying land,' and we may refer it to pre- Germaniic koi-/a- froln the I.E. v ki-, seeln in Skt. fe-/e, Av. sae-/J, Gk. xeZ-raz, moi-r/-, and, according to Miklosich, in 0. Slav. se omin, Litlh. szei-injygna, etc.

FRANCIS A. WOOD. Chicago.

222

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