Nikolai F. Emin’s Imitations of the Ancients and their French Source

Abstract

The article establishes the source of Imitations of the Ancients, published in 1795 in Saint Petersburg. The translator and compiler of this book was Nikolai F. Emin (1767–1814), son of Fedor A. Emin (1735–1770), the famous Russian writer and adventurer of Turkish origin who died when his son was only three years old. Emin junior did not know ancient languages and therefore used a French anthology by Julien-Jacques Moutonnet de Clairfons (1740–1813), which was printed many times in the 18th century. For his book Emin choose poems by Sappho, Anacreon (to be precise, Anacreontic poetry), Theocritus, Bion, Moschus, Horace and Catullus. Emin also used the biographical preambles to their poems, which he shortened significantly. In the preface to his book, Emin expounded upon the theory of “imitation,” denying the possibility of precision in poetic translation. He also defended the necessity of rhyme in “imitations” of ancient Greek and Latin poetry. Despite these declarations, Emin generally followed quite closely Moutonnet de Clairfons’ French prose. Only once did Emin make fundamental changes. This was in his “imitation” of Theocritus’ eleventh idyll. In this case, he explained his logic in an extensive footnote. Emin changed the ugly cyclops Polyphemes into the gallant and handsome shepherd Menalk, substantiating his decision with the declaration that such a hero better suited “our present age.” In other cases, deviations from ancient texts can be explained not by Emin’s arbitrariness, but by changes made by Moutonnet de Clairfons in the French translation. For example, it was he who combined two poems by Catullus (XCII и LXXXV), a decision that Emin followed. To the famous lament for a sparrow, Moutonnet de Clairfons added an appeal to “sensitive lovers” which is also found in Emin’s text.