The Latin Poets - An Anthology #271493

Whether deservedly or not, the Latin language has been familiar to vastly more men and women than has the Greek. Until within a comparatively short time it was the language of polite and diplomatic communication among scholars and nations. Poland and Rome were thus united, while Russia stood aloof from Europe. It is in deed a wonderful language. What other unless Russian, which with its difficult alphabet and its sibilant syllables is nevertheless a wonderfully satisfactory medium of thought can equal the Latin for conciseness, for accuracy of thought, for apt symmetry of expression, for delicacy of harmony, for grace of rhythm What sonorous ful ness of vowels, what strength of varying consonant, how musical, even when pronounced after the barbarous old habit of giving the vowels the English sound! One may prefer Greek; but the fact remains that Latin is far nearer to us and is acquired with much less effort. Our English tongue looks back to Latin as its mother.