Charles Bagot Cayley (1823–1883) was an English
linguist, best known for translating
Dante into the metre of the original, with annotations. He also made metrical versions of the ''
Iliad'', the ''
Prometheus'' of
Æschylus, the ''
Canzoniere'' of
Petrarch.
The translations from the
Greek are a laboured attempt to mirror the versification rules of the originals. His version of ''
The Divine Comedy'' is much more successful, preserving the Dante's ''
terza rima'' rhyme scheme while using a relatively simple English which reflects Dante's own use of ordinary
Italian. Charles Bagot Cayley also published a collection of his own poems, ''Psyche's Interludes''.
From Mr Pollecary's school, Blackheath, Charles Cayley went to
Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating in 1845 with a BA in the classical tripos.
He also studied at
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
, under
Gabriele Rossetti.
In his youth he obtained a post in the Patent Office, but gave this up when he embarked on an early venture into billboard advertising at railway stations. The venture was ahead of its time and he lost most of his money. The rest of his life he spent in relative poverty. The accounts of
William Michael Rossetti (brother of Christina) portray him as a shy and unworldly intellectual with a cerebral sense of humour. He was a leading figure in the
London Philological Society
The Philological Society, or London Philological Society, is the oldest learned society in Great Britain dedicated to the study of language as well as a registered Charitable organization, charity. The current Society was established in 1842 to ...
. He is said to have been asked by the
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge to translate the New Testament into
Iroquois; not knowing Iroquois, he allegedly learnt sufficient of