best translation of Homer

[Anonymous No.15944033]

hi, just finished mythology and need help deciding on a translation
im wondering which translation does /lit/ read when reading the Iliad and the Odyssey?
I've heard that Lattimore's translations are superb, but also hear that Fagles is excellent as well, so what do I pick?
whats the most /lit/ translation of Homer?

[Anonymous No.15944115]

>>15944033
Fitzgerald

[Anonymous No.15944117]

Learn Homeric Greek nigger

[Anonymous No.15944145]

>>15944115
why

>>15944117
how long would that take

[Anonymous No.15944191]

>>15944145
It flows much better than Lattimore, and Fagles' is dry.

>In 1972, Lattimore’s version was very much in vogue and highly praised for fidelity. To break into the market, a scholar named D. S. Carne-Ross, who wrote the introduction to Fitzgerald’s Odyssey, published an article that challenged the fabled Lattimore fidelity by comparing it to the Greek. He showed that Lattimore is not truly faithful and that his awkward wording is not the price of fidelity, but is only awkward. Carne-Ross did not examine Fitzgerald’s translation and conceded that it was not close to the Greek, yet asserted that since Lattimore is also unfaithful, one might as well try the more enjoyable read.

[Anonymous No.15944199]

>>15944191
I enjoyed Lattimore

[Anonymous No.15944220]

>>15944033
Modern? Lattimore, or Fitzgerald.
Classical? Chapman, or Pope.

>>15944117
It's certainly a good idea, but not all people have the time nor the patience to do it. Most great writers didn't know Greek. Borges and Pessoa never read Homer in Greek.

>>15944145
A few years until you are able to read comfortably. I started some Attic Greek some months ago and found my progress was too slow, so I changed to German.
Ancient Greek is hard - or, at least, harder than other languages. This is coming from someone who never went to a language school, yet can read books in six different tongues. Why is Ancient Greek hard? Well, mostly because it's only for reading and writing, so you can't learn anything by osmosis, there are no films, no music, no opera, no Attic imageboards for you to practice your writing anonymously.
I will go back to studying it eventually and hope to read the great tragedians in the original before I'm 30, but in your case there's no reason whatsoever for you to postpone your acquaintance with Homer. Just read a translation. There are many very great ones. The music will be absent (although there will be other, albeit inferior, kinds of music - specially in Fitzgerald and Pope), but the images, the stories, the speeches, the ideas, the descriptions of Greek life will still be there.

I wonder how many of these people who disparage translations have read the Hebrew Bible...

[Anonymous No.15944221]

>>15944033
Samuel Butler. Never read a verse translation of verse.

[Anonymous No.15944278]

>>15944220
By the way, if anyone here can read Italian, the greatest translation of Homer I ever read - even though only in part - was probably Pindemonte's:

''Musa, quell’uom di moltiforme ingegno
Dimmi, che molto errò, poich’ebbe a terra
Gittate d’Iliòn le sacre torri;
Che città vide molte, e delle genti
5L’indol conobbe; che sovr’esso il mare
Molti dentro del cor sofferse affanni,
Mentre a guardar la cara vita intende,
E i suoi compagni a ricondur: ma indarno
Ricondur desiava i suoi compagni,
10Che delle colpe lor tutti periro.
Stolti! che osaro vïolare i sacri
Al Sole Iperïon candidi buoi
Con empio dente, ed irritaro il Nume,
Che del ritorno il dì lor non addusse.
Deh parte almen di sì ammirande cose
Narra anco a noi, di Giove figlia, e Diva.''

>>15944221
Nonsense. He shouldn't look for fidelity, it makes no sense. If you want fidelity, then you should follow the ''learn Greek'' tip, or simply read the Loeb translation.

What he should look for is true poetry and enjoyment, and this can be found in Chapman, Pope, Lattimore and Fitzgerald. Maybe Butler is good too. I have also heard Borges praising the prose translations of Andrew Lang and T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia).
But enjoyment should be the first and sole goal if you're reading a translation. Leave the 'fidelity' business to academics who can read the original.

[Anonymous No.15944323]

Fagles:
Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.

Lattimore:
Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus’ son Achilleus
and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians,
hurled in their multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls
of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting
of dogs, of all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished
since that time when first there stood in division of conflict
Atreus’ son the lord of men and brilliant Achilleus.

Fitzgerald:
Anger now be 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.
Begin it when the two men first contending
broke with one another—
the Lord Marshal Agamémnon, Atreus’ son, and Prince Akhilleus.

[Anonymous No.15944388]

>Fagles
Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,
murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls,
great fighters' souls, but made their bodies carrion,
feasts for the dogs and birds,
and the will of Zeus was moving toward its end.
Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,
Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles.

>Lattimore
Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus’ son Achilleus
and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians,
hurled in their multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls
of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting
of dogs, of all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished
since that time when first there stood in division of conflict
Atreus’ son the lord of men and brilliant Achilleus.

>Fitzgerald
Anger now be 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.
Begin it when the two men first contending
broke with one another—
the Lord Marshal Agamémnon, Atreus’ son, and Prince Akhilleus.

>Butler
Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus,
that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.
Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades,
and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures,
for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled
from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles,
first fell out with one another.

[Anonymous No.15944428]

/lit/ is filled with contrarian faggots. Fagles is obviously top tier sex and btfos all others no contest.

[Anonymous No.15944904]

I would not recommend the translation by George Chapman. He chose with his translation to 'preserve the poetic structure' so you have false words in service of forced rhymes on nearly every line. I had to buy a different translation it was so bad.

[Anonymous No.15944919]

>>15944033
This one.

[Anonymous No.15944948]

>>15944033
I've read Fagles, Pope and Chapman. I don't care about accuracy in translation so much as just is it enjoyable.
>Fagles: total shit compared to the other two.
>Pope: Easy poetic translation. Enjoyed
>Chapman: Hard and tiring to read. Got used to it just in time to finish reading it. Will need to read it a second time to actually properly enjoy it.

tl;dr. Pope would be my recommendation based on the ones I have read.

[Anonymous No.15945060]

Also, not Homer, but A. E. Stallings has an exceptional translation of Hesiod's Works and Days.

[Anonymous No.15945417]

OP here, this thread has made me even more confused
Fitzgerald or Pope?

[Anonymous No.15945453]

>>15945417
Fitzgerald if the choice is between those two.

[Anonymous No.15945835]

>>15944919
Based and underrated translation of The Odyssey.

[Anonymous No.15945896]

>>15945417
Just look up different examples of translations, such as >>15944388 , and read which ever you enjoy the most. There is no such thing as a perfect translation. I think Alexander Pope is the best poetic version, but I'd suggest either Lattimore or Fitzgerald if you want a higher fidelity version.

[Anonymous No.15945903]

I dunno lol

[Anonymous No.15945905]

>>15944033
Best translation is Lattimore. But at the very least you should read these three translations:

>Lattimore
>Pope(to understand the poetry)
>and Butler

Just keep in mind no translation is a translation, it is a bringing of the text into that age of translation but it is wrong to think that you are "getting Homer" just as we look back to the 16 century and think it was wrong for them to think they were getting Homer in their older translations, or any ancient text for that matter, and very often any foreign text. But especially poetry.

[Anonymous No.15945913]

>>15944191
Seems like that would be a bit of a dishonest argument anon, but I agree with the overall sentiment. See>>15945905

[Anonymous No.15945929]

>>15945903
pretty accurate description of how im feeling lol
>>15945905
thanks friend, i think ill start with Lattimore then Pope

[Anonymous No.15946008]

>Every week with the same thread
>People have never read Harold Bloom's list

[Anonymous No.15946087]

This guy right here : https://youtube.com/watch?v=aMVPKLk2Prg
But seriously though Im reading it in my native tongue and was wondering how does the translation to english work, how is the rhythm transposed,I havent actually read about this but can the mectric be transposed to english?Because the translation Im reading resorts to tonic syllables and I dont know much about the english language but I suppose something similar would have to be done

[Anonymous No.15946220]

>>15944919
>>15945835
I like the covers, what makes this one good?