TR5.1786 Gǒ, lítěl bók, gǒ, lítěl mýn trǎgédy̌e,
TR5.1787 Thěr Gód thǐ mákerě yét, ěr thát hě dýě,
TR5.1788 Sǒ séndě mýght tǒ máke ǐn sóm cǒmédy̌e!
TR5.1789 Bǔt lítěl bóok, nǒ máky̌ng thów n'ěnvíě,
TR5.1790 Bǔt súbgǐt bé tǒ állě póěsýě;
TR5.1791 Ǎnd kís thě stéppěs whére ǎs thów sěest pácě
TR5.1792 Vírgǐle, Óvǐde, Óměr, Lúcǎn, ǎnd Stácě.

Line Information

• Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
• English translations (Windeatt: 1998): Go, little book! Go, my little tragedy! May God yet send your maker before he die the power to compose some comedy! But, little book, do not vie with any other composition, but be humble before all poetry; and kiss those footsteps where you see Virgil, Ovid, Homer, Lucan, and Statius pass by.
• Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): 行け、ささやかな書物よ、去れ、ささやかなわが悲劇よ、神が汝の作者に、その命が果てぬうちに、喜劇を創作する力を授けたまわんことを！しかし、ささやかな書物よ、対抗心を燃やさず、すべての詩に対して謙虚であれ、そしてウェルギリウス、オウィディウス、ホメロス、ルカヌス、スタティウスが歩んだと分かるその足跡にキスして敬いなさい。
• Chinese translations (Fang: 1956): 去吧，小小的一本书，去吧，我这部短篇的悲剧，愿上帝在作者未死之前再赐他力量写出几部喜剧！但愿这本小小的书勿引起了嫉视，只消能在一般的诗歌中取得一个卑微的地位；步着浮及尔，渥费德，荷马，史德替斯，以及吕根等作家的后尘，吻着他们的足迹。

Word Information

• Etymology: OE
• Addresser: Narrator
• Addressee: N/A
• Adjectives with which juxtaposed: N/A
• Counterpart in its source (Fil): N/A
• Noun(s) (NPs) modified: book (book)
• Attributive/ Predicative: attributive

Information in Previous Studies

• OED: Not quoted
• MED: Not quoted

• Commented in other previous works:
• Windeatt (2003): N/A
• Fisher (1989): N/A
• Benson (1987): N/A
• Davis et al. (1979): Not quoted
• Donaldson (1975): N/A
• Baugh (1963): N/A

Possible Definitions

of size: small

Comments from the Editor

As to this stanza, Windeatt (1998: 188) has a detailed comment: “prologues and epilogues deprecating envy are a conventional device; see Chaucer’s Treatise on the Astrolabe, Prologue, 59–64. For the kissing of footprints, see the close of Statius’ Thebaid, 12.816–17 (‘nor try to match the divine Aeneid, but follow from afar and evermore worship its footprints’). For the list of poets, cf. Boccaccio’s envoy to Filocolo, which mentions Virgil, Lucan, Statius, Ovid, and Dante (2.376–8); see also Inferno, 4.88–90 (Dante, guided by Virgil, meets Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan), and House of Fame, 1456-1512”.