Sort by. RAGE: Sing, Goddess, Achilles' rage, Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks Incalculable pain, pitched countless souls Of heroes into Hades' dark, And left their bodies to rot as feasts For dogs and birds, as Zeus' will was done. Close. One nice thing about Fagles is he did the Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aeneid, and the introductory essays to all those, by Bernard Knox, are worth reading even if you choose other translations. The Lattimore translation is to me by far the best translation of the "The Iliad," readable, dramatic, accurate, and very, very beautiful. Here's Keat's "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer.". Log in or sign up to leave a comment Log In Sign Up. The most poetic and lovely translation is Pope's. report. Any of those beats Rouse! Make sure to read the translator's note though! The present translation of the Iliad will, it is hoped, be found to convey, more accurately than any which has preceded it, the words and thoughts of the original. I agree with the others and Lombardo's is a very good translation in that it's one I would like to read. Now that I've read others, I find it sometimes a little "overdone," with more self-conscious poetry than is sometimes needed. And while it gives us some compelling characters, it yields no easy answers. 9 Comments Emily Tuck. But the best adaptation of the Iliad in English is Rosemary Sutcliff's Black Ships Before Troy. Incensed at the king he swept a fatal plague through the army — men were dying and all because Agamemnon spurned Apollo's priest.”, ”Anger – sing, goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that accursed anger, which brought the Greeks endless sufferings and sent the mighty souls of many warriors to Hades, leaving their bodies as carrion for the dogs and a feast for the birds; and Zeus’ purpose was fulfilled. You can find a very readable translation of the Iliad into prose by novelist Samuel Butler (1898) on numerous Internet sites, as well as in newly published books. My weird opinions: I love Chapman's early 1600's translation and Dryden's ~1700 edition. The first complete Iliad was published in 1940. His Odyssey is not so great. and Barry B. Powell's translations? The first translation of the Iliad into Japanese was attempted by Tatsusaburo Uchimura in 1910 who translated Books I-IV. I know it is more of an adaptation than translation, but I think Alexander Pope's poetry is extremely well-written: The wrath of Peleus' son, the direful springOf all the Grecian woes, O Goddess, sing!That wrath which hurled to Pluto's gloomy reignThe souls of mighty chiefs untimely slain,Whose limbs, unburied on the naked shore,Devouring dogs and hungry vultures tore:Since great Achilles and Atrides strove,Such was the sovereign doom, and such the will of Jove! Finally, there is also a new translation of The Iliad … Summary Read an overview of the entire poem or a line by line Summary and Analysis. The Iliad. Translations of literary works are to a high degree works of the translator. The only translation I've seen that does Homer's 'starkness' justice is Martin Hammond's. Begin it when the two men first contending broke with one another—”. … I revisit it every time I am reading his Vergil translations, and it does a great job of bringing their intertextual tradition to the fore. To paraphrase Hamlet, we can’t easily pluck out the heart of its mystery. The Iliad is an Ancient Greek epic poem by Homer that was first published in 762 BC. But the best adaptation of the Iliad in English is Rosemary Sutcliff's Black Ships Before Troy. Begin with the clash between Agamemnon—The Greek warlord—and godlike Achilles. I don't read Greek, and I am NOT an expert. Just make sure to read their translator's note to find out what their priorities were! He also did an excellent Aeneid. Both were … fine. I think that Richmond Lattimore's translation of the Iliad is the best English translation available so far. There are also very enjoyable translations by Stanley Lombardo and (more recently) by Caroline Alexander. The imagery of the Iliad … It's hard to say what makes a translation "accurate," but a point in favor of Lombardo is that each line of his English has about as many words as the original Greek. This translation will change the way the poem is read in English. Beep. I say this because the literal translation of Πάν μέτρον Άριστον is “all measure the best.” But Fagles’ translation feels more dynamic and vibrant. I would say you should for sure give it a try before you decide on a modern translation. Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2015. Granted, they're not as famous as the Fagles, but I always thought they were pretty good. Unfortunately, the audio version, while beautifully delivered and very moving, has changed the names back to the Latinate forms. Definition of Iliad in the Definitions.net dictionary. I recently read the odyssey for school and really enjoyed it. by John Prendergast. Posted by 20 hours ago. The Iliad is sometimes a struggle to get through -- I much prefer the Odyssey -- but Mitchell's translation (which I'm currently reading) is a pleasure. Wrath—sing, goddess, of the ruinous wrath of Peleus' son Achillesthat inflicted woes without number upon the Achaeans,hurled forth to Hades many strong souls of warriorsand rendered their bodies prey for the dogs,for all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished;sing from when they two first stood in conflict—Atreus' son, lord of men, and godlike Achilles. Fagles is popular, accessible, and easy to find and is what I usually recommend to people who don't read much poetry or classics; his was my first Iliad. I think, again, you should start with whoever's versus you feel in your gut. I read the Emily Wilson translation for the odyssey but there is no Iliad translation from the same author yet. I HAVE to give Caroline Alexander's translation 5 stars. Ideal for: Beginners Buy here Lattimore’s translation, originally published in 1951 and republished in a new edition in 2011 with an introduction by the classicist Richard Martin, is a classic (it was also the translation I read at school). 0 comments. I now want to read the other of the two great homeric poems and was wondering what would be a good translation in your guys' opinion. My current favourite is Mitchell. The Iliad forces us to reflect on these questions. What god drove them to fight with such a fury? None of those texts are Greek; none are Homer. The Iliad. hide. (reprinted 2011). 17 Garp83 Apr 19, 2009, 9:49am Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold. As with The Odyssey, I’d read The Iliad in high school (in modern Greek) and graduate school (Richard Lattimore’s translations). And many goodly states and kingdoms seen; That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne; Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold: Then felt I like some watcher of the skies, Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes, Look'd at each other with a wild surmise—. 100% Upvoted. 8 comments. I’m just interested in reading through the story again and want to find the best book to do so from. I now want to read the other of the two great homeric poems and was wondering what would be a good translation … Press J to jump to the feed. . Information and translations of Iliad in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Which translation of the Iliad do you like best, and why? It all began when Agamemnon lord of men and godlike Achilles quarrelled and parted.”. The Odyssey follows the journey of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, to home after the war and the fall of Troy. The rage sing, O goddess, of Achilles, the son of Peleus,the destructive anger that brought ten-thousand pains to theAchaeans and sent many brave souls of fighting men to the houseof Hades and made their bodies a feast for dogsand all kinds of birds. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed, Agamemnon Lord of men and brilliant Achilles. What few authorities exist on the subject, are summarily dismissed, although the arguments appear to run in a circle. I just began reading it and I have not read the Iliad before. Just read the first few pages of each or one of the other hundred translations. It was his translations of Homer that began the Penguin Classics series after all, paperback re-printings of famous world literature in translation. More precise, but possibly less poetic is the 1949 translation by Hidenaka Tanaka and Fumio Ochi. share. But of course, you shouldn't start there because you'd spend longer decoding Chapman and Dryden than Homer. And it’s also so beautifully written–evident even in translation. Although there can be many ‘good’ translations of a work into another language, there is no such thing as ‘the best’ translation. Don't worry too much about "most accurate," because that is a pretty thorny concept in translating poetry. So here they are: the Iliad’s five most intense scenes (each with my own translation, which you can read by clicking on the title), and some comments on the image they carve out of what it … I want to reiterate the point to pick "whatever makes it easiest for you to find your way to the beauty.". *sigh* Had to take off a star, from an otherwise perfect project. Comment below or send me a tweet at @ehauserwrites – I’d love to hear from you! Reading Fitzgerald felt like brushing my teeth with thorns, but honestly, whatever makes it easiest for you to find your way to the beauty. Richmond Lattimore, 1951. Pope is a genius. Haven't read the Iliad but when I do it'll be the Fagles translation. xiv The Iliad of Homer or authors of the Iliad and Odyssey. This translation of The Iliad is in blank verse, making it very easy to read and although perhaps not the best of translations is more than adequate for the general reader. I quite enjoyed Fagles for reading, and I agree with others who suggest Lombardo; that was my favourite for a while. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I’m interested to find out what is considered the best translation of The Iliad. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. A little over a year ago I read the Fagles translation and am feeling pulled back to reading it again, and like many people I don't really have the time to learn and read in ancient Greek, but I would like to read another quality translation With each translation you notice new or different things; Mitchell's reveals the vast number of similes that I hadn't noticed before. One of the New Yorker’s Favorite Books from 2011—from the renowned translator of Rilke, Tao Te Ching, and Gilgamesh, a vivid new translation of Western civilization’s foundational epic: the Iliad. Apollo the son of Zeus and Leto. Here's a copy of. Lattimore has the reputation of being the most accurate to the Greek, but it wouldn't be my first pick for reading. Translation is an impossible balancing act. When Keats first looked into Chapman’s Homer , he felt like “some watcher of the skies / When a new planet swims into his ken”. The Iliad is sometimes a struggle to get through -- I much prefer the Odyssey -- but Mitchell's translation (which I'm currently reading) is a pleasure. ”Anger be now your song, immortal one, Akhilleus’ anger, doomed and ruinous, that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss and crowded brave souls into the undergloom, leaving so many dead men—carrion for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done. The best one, in my opinion, is Robert Fagles' translation, I'd recommend buying the entire box set which includes The Iliad, The Odyssey and the Aeneid. Instead of Achilles and Ajax, he has Akhilleus and Aias. Best English translations of The Iliad? For such was the will of Zeus.Sing the story from the time when Agamemnon, the sonof Atreus, and godlike Achilles first stood apart in contention. Turning Homer into prose is NOT the way to get anyone to appreciate his works. First of all, the question ‘What is the best translation of The Iliad’ is itself a bad question. 5.0 out of 5 stars The Best translation of The Iliad. save. We use cookies on our websites for a number of purposes, including analytics and performance, functionality and advertising. For instance, Lombardo's is the most fun to read aloud / listen to, as it was written specifically in response to research about oral poetry, whereas Rieu's might feel the most like a modern novel because it was written to make the text as easy to read and accessible as possible -- or at least, accessible to readers in the 1940's and 50's. share. Both are beautiful poems that absolutely sing. It was translated by the noted poet Doi Bansui (1871-1952). If for class or for fun may I suggest that you listen to it as an audiobook? Read a section aloud. Translation proliferation is certainly not among the 10 worst of the anxieties afflicting the modern world, but it is of a piece with others higher up the list. I'm a huge fan of Wilson's Odyssey. Not my Desert Island Reads. Seems like every generation has a new "must-have" translation: first it was Lattimore, then Fitzgerald came along, now Fagles is the new greatness. A subreddit for people interested in learning more about the Latin and Ancient Greek languages and the cultures of the ancient world. 2 years ago. A subreddit for people interested in learning more about the Latin and Ancient Greek languages and the cultures of the ancient world. Lombardo does it for me - his efficiency and choice of vocabulary, not to mention his dialogue, absolutely captures the original Greek. What does Iliad mean? Lastly, you might sometime enjoy browsing the old versions of Homer by Alexander Pope and George Chapman, which can be found online. Saw it in a local bookstore, and picked it up a few days ago. All of the listed translations are "accurate" in that each of them follows its own aesthetic priorities and transfers to the English some part of the Greek that others may lose. With each translation you notice new or different things; Mitchell's reveals the vast number of similes that I hadn't noticed before. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I recently read the odyssey for school and really enjoyed it. I think of her rendering as a "light" style: line-for-line, short lines in regular meter, not a lot of archaizing. . They are all amazing. Would I be better off reading another? 12/27/2017 09:12:23 am. 5. level 2. piisfour. The Iliad By Homer Written 800 B.C.E Translated by Samuel Butler. In 2015, I’d read Stephen Mitchell’s translation of Homer’s Iliad and adored it. save. Check out Christopher Logue's War Music some time. 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