Omniana/Volume 2/Brevity of the Greek and English compared
205. Brevity of the Greek and English compared.
An an instance of compression and brevity in narration, unattainable in any language but the Greek, the following distich was quoted:
Χρυσον ανηρ ευρων ελιπε βροχον᾽ αυταρ ὁ χρυσον
Ον λἱπεν, ουκ ευρων, ηφεν ον ευρε βροχον.
This was denied by one of the company, who instantly rendered the lines in English, contending with reason that the indefinite article in English, together with the pronoun "his," &c. should be considered as one word with the noun following, and more than counterbalanced by the greater number of syllables in the Greek words, the terminations of which are in truth only little words glued on to them. The English distich follows, and the reader will recollect that it is a mere trial of comparative brevity, wit and poetry quite out of the question.
Jack finding gold left a rope on the ground;
Bill missing his gold used the rope, which he found.