Download Verses and Translations by Charles Stuart Calverley. Light verse and literary parody from a master of Victorian wit. Available in PDF, EPUB, and MOBI formats.
Verses and Translations Summary
Verses and Translations by Charles Stuart Calverley showcases the poet's renowned flair for parody, his classical scholarship, and his effortless command of rhyme. From mock-elegies to mock-Virgil, this collection celebrates wit without malice and learning without pretension, earning Calverley his place as one of Victorian England’s finest light poets.
Verses and Translations Excerpt
Short Summary: In this gleeful, erudite volume, Calverley applies classical poise to the ridiculous and infuses Victorian life with Homeric mischief. Whether translating Horace or teasing 19th-century manners, he makes lightness look effortless.
"If thou wouldst view fair Melancholy’s face, / Avoid the chemist’s shop, the tailor’s place..."
Here, Latin odes meet railway timetables; genteel sighs become comic echoes. In pieces like Theocritus, Calverley revels in mimicking classical elegance while winking at his audience. His Translations are both faithful and irreverent, a rare blend of precision and playfulness.
The collection is a masterclass in light verse—crafted with meter so perfect it barely seems labored, and ideas so sprightly they read like verse letters from a clever friend.
For lovers of literature who don’t mind a little laughter in their classics, this volume is a delight—a reminder that poetry can be high-minded and hilarious in the same breath.
