And now where'er he strays Among the Galilean
mountains Or more unwelcome
ways, He's followed by
two faithful fountains; Two walking baths;
two weeping motions; Portable and
compendious oceans.
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It is almost impossible to translate verbally and well at the same time; for the Latin (a most severe and compendious language) often expresses that in one word which either the barbarity or the narrowness of modern tongues cannot supply in more. ...But since every language is so full of its own proprieties that what is beautiful in one is often barbarous, nay, sometimes nonsense, in another, it would be unreasonable to limit a translator to the narrow compass of his author's words; it is enough if he choose out some expression which does not vitiate the sense.
john dryden