On the Sublime · 1st century AD
Chapter XLII
Translated by H. L. Havell (1890)
Sublimity is further diminished by cramping the diction. Deformity instead of grandeur ensues from over-compression. Here I am not referring to a judicious compactness of phrase, but to a style which is dwarfed, and its force frittered away. To cut your words too short is to prune away their sense, but to be concise is to be direct. On the other hand, we know that a style becomes lifeless by over-extension, I mean by being relaxed to an unseasonable length.
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Cite this text
MLA
Longinus. On the Sublime, Chapter XLII. Translated by H. L. Havell. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/work/longinus-on-the-sublime-havell/41/.
Chicago
Longinus. On the Sublime, Chapter XLII. Translated by H. L. Havell. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/work/longinus-on-the-sublime-havell/41/.