No. 5.—1850.] 



THE ELU LANGUAGE. 



265 



to the so-called " Kotte version." I shall not, however, 

 here pause to consider the disputed question regarding 

 the pronouns (to) and ©©©eoatf®^ (pbawahanse) ; 



nor indeed do I blame the pious and learned gentlemen 

 who introduced the innovation, believing as I do that 

 they were actuated with the best of intentions. But that 

 the simplicity so much studied by the new translators 

 after " an elegant English style " is opposed to the 

 genius of the Sinhalese language, I trust I have already 

 shown by exhibiting the difference between English and 

 Sinhalese compositions. I admit that long parenthetical 

 clauses and laboured periods should, if possible, be avoided 

 in the translation of the Scriptures, and that clearness 

 of expression should be the first endeavour of any writer 

 or translator. But I do indeed object to one or more 

 concurrent ideas which can be well and elegantly expressed 

 in one continuous sentence being broken into two or three 

 periods, either in writing in, or translating into, the 

 Sinhalese. 



I shall here extract a few paragraphs from a paper 

 written by me some time ago : — 



It will be perceived that in the English version the first three 

 verses of our Lord's Sermon on the Mount (St. Matt. v. 1-4) 

 comprise one period : 



1. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and 

 when he was sat, his disciples came unto him : 



2. And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 



3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs' is the kingdom of heaven. 



The Kotte translators have divided the above into four com- 

 plete sentences ; and that, too, in a language whose very elegance 

 consists in the introduction of as much matter as one can into one 

 continuous sentence. 



