What is the best translation of the Iliad?

Started by NemeBro1 pages
NemeBro Senior Member

What is the best translation of the Iliad?

I plan to read the Iliad within the near future, but I'm not sure which translation to read.

I am aware that some translations are in prose, but I have a strong preference for reading the poem as, guess what, a poem.

Any suggestions?

Omega Vision Face Flowed Into Her Eyes

Look to see if Norton has a translation of the Iliad and use that one, because Norton is basically a guarantee of quality.

NemeBro Senior Member

Norton's translation, from what I could gather, cuts out a lot of the poem (Referred to as the passages not essential to the narrative but eh) and the way it is described leads me to believe it was written in prose, which is a no go for me.

bluewaterrider Senior Member

What is the best translation of the Iliad?

Originally posted by NemeBro

I plan to read the Iliad within the near future, but I'm not sure which translation to read.

I am aware that some translations are in prose, but I have a strong preference for reading the poem as ... a poem.

Any suggestions?

Read a Richard Lattimore translation of The Iliad.

55iopy Junior Member

Re: What is the best translation of the Iliad?

Originally posted by bluewaterrider
Read a Richard Lattimore translation of The Iliad.

Agreed. Lattimore's translation is the best for modern readers. It's entirely orose though, so it sacrifices the epic poetry. If you want a sense of the poetry try the Robert Fagles translation.

jsimonharris Restricted

Best Iliad Translation

The translation by Robert Fagles is definitely the best. His translation isn't always a perfect match with the Greek, but it is great poetry and it really sweeps you through the action. The translation by Alexander Pope is worth reading, as well, if you don't mind an older style of writing; many people still view his as the best.

I'm actually working on my own translation of the Iliad, in the meter of the original Greek. I am publishing it in weekly increments on my website. I can't post a link because I'm a new user, but the url is just my username dotcom. If you are interested, I encourage you to follow along as I write it and post comments and suggestions. Either way, I'm glad to see others who are interested in the Iliad!

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Doafima Restricted

Translation quality plays a significant role. Your impression of what you read depends on this. What if it's an audiobook or a movie? there is also a role played by the voice and the acting. Therefore, I only use vidby https://vidby.com/ for dubbing videos in English and German. They have a lot more available though. And just you can choose the language and emotion for voice acting.

maxkvinton Restricted

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