Cyril Darkcloud Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 Every now and then, one stumbles across a book the just needs to brought to the attention of others. In my case it is the happy discovery of a very fine transaltion of Homer's Odyssey. One of the things that can make reading the ancient classics more of a chore than a pleasant experience is the quality of the translation. It is unfortunately not always easy to find a translation of a work like the Odyssey that manages to capture the power of the original Greek in English that is accessible to the general reader. A few years ago, Robert Fagles put out a translation of the Odyssey which is nothing short of spectacular. Not only is it faithful to the original language, it’s use of English is powerful and compelling. Picking up this particular version has been one of my best book purchases in quite some time –– it is really a pleasure to read. As an example, here are the book's opening lines: Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea, fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home. But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove –– the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all, the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun and the Sungod blotted out the day of their return. Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus, start from where you will –– sing for our time too. The Odyssey will always be read, it has been said, because much of life involves the frustration and struggle of seeking one’s home. It is also one of those great works of the past that has established the standard of the telling of heroic tales that is still employed in the fantasy novels written today. For those who would like a good introduction to the classics, I cannot recommend this work more highly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yui-chan Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 With such a wonderful post already about the epic, I can only nod enthusiastically and say that I love the Odyssey as well. I think it's a must-read not only for the story and the messages in it, but for the epic poem form and the sheer history of it. Consider who wrote the original, and the utterly alien world he lived in compared to what we experience today! Thanks for pointing it out to everyone, Cyril. Yours, ~Yui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reverie Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 ...good suggestion...i owe it... gonna finish it eventually... but i said the same thing about the inferno... fagle's version of the illad ain't too shabby either... rev... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Pointy One Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 On a similar topic, I recommend checking out Symphony X's version of The Odyssey. I realise not everyone's a big metal fan, but it's a pretty cool CD none the less. It does indeed have a song that follows the odyssey, and titled appropriately ...if one was to look around, they'd notice that there's lots of metal bands that enjoy the whole fantasy type thing. In fact, some bands, like Symphony X, write songs based on their favourite books. Another example would be Blind Guardian who have a song or two about The Hobbit. Also a group worth looking into, there. BigPointyStick -------------- Woo-hoo! I'm a Quill-Bearer now! The Trenchcoat Monk Wielder of the BPS Companion of Mr.Bunny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rhapsody Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 Thank you, Cyril, for the suggestion. As a novice interested in studying the classics, I've been searching for recommendations. I'm in my third year of studying Latin and for the first time we are translating authentic literature. We read Fitzgerald's translation of the Aeneid over the summer. The first half of the twelve books is quite intriguing if one is strong in his/her Roman mythology. But after the battle scenes started I found it quite tedious. Nevertheless, still a fine translation of Virgil's epic...the founding of Rome will forever remain a classic and I'm grateful that we are studying it...even though I dread taking the AP exam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Minta Rose Posted January 11, 2003 Report Share Posted January 11, 2003 If you're going to do the AP Latin exam, make sure you get some exposure to Cicero, and perhaps a bit more of prose--that's where I stumbled, having done two years of poetry only. That exam left a 3 in an otherwise respectable report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rhapsody Posted January 12, 2003 Report Share Posted January 12, 2003 Minta Rose, our AP exam this year is over Vergil only. Which is why I'm not taking it. From what I've heard, its geared toward 6th-year Latin students...and I'm only in 3. Next year, we're studying Catuallus and Ovid and some other poets, and I hear the AP exam for that course is soooooo much easier. I'm prob taking it next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Minta Rose Posted January 14, 2003 Report Share Posted January 14, 2003 There's a different test per year? Is that a qualifying test to have your _class grade_ count as an AP credit? I was referring to the national exam packet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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