Splendid Strength (Review: The Iliad, Translated by Peter Green)

The Washingon Free Beacon ^ | June 7, 2015 | Kate Harvard

[cornelis]

Should be good. I liked his translation of the Argonautika.

[cornelis]

Ancient Greek is a beautiful language. I like read with articulation like Erland Josephson.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Kaslin.

• The Iliad by Homer, Translated by Samuel Butler

  Helen's heart yearned after her former husband, her city, and her parents. She threw a white mantle over her head, and hurried from her room, weeping as she went, not alone, but attended by two of her handmaids, Aethrae, daughter of Pittheus, and Clymene. And straightway they were at the Scaean gates. The two sages, Ucalegon and Antenor, elders of the people, were seated by the Scaean gates, with Priam, Panthous, Thymoetes, Lampus, Clytius, and Hiketaon of the race of Mars. These were too old to fight, but they were fluent orators, and sat on the tower like cicadas that chirrup delicately from the boughs of some high tree in a wood. When they saw Helen coming towards the tower, they said softly to one another, "Small wonder that Trojans and Achaeans should endure so much and so long, for the sake of a woman so marvellously and divinely lovely. Still, fair though she be, let them take her and go, or she will breed sorrow for us and for our children after us." But Priam bade her draw nigh. "My child," said he, "take your seat in front of me that you may see your former husband, your kinsmen and your friends. I lay no blame upon you, it is the gods, not you who are to blame. It is they that have brought about this terrible war with the Achaeans.

  [Book iii]

[SunkenCiv]

Homer’s Iliad to become an epic online performance
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32980075

[zeugma]

Great topic. I may have to get a copy.

I’d like to take this opportunity to recommend as strongly as I can Seamus Handey’s translation of Beowulf.

My wife and I took turns reading it to each other while driving across country a few years ago. Definitely read it aloud if you can.

Sadly Seamus has passed, but his efforts are remembered favorably. I wish I’d had a chance to tell him how much we enjoyed the experience.

[ZULU]

I like Latimore. Further, if you are REALLY interester, learn ancient Greek and read Homer in the original. No translation does the power of the Bard’s actual words justice. Further there are historical nuances in the story illustrated by the original language totally lost in translation. The poem was committed to words centuries after the events occurred and the tale is replete. With historical anachronisms from another earlier age, even in Homer’s day.

[ZULU]

I liked the Iliad better. I think there is more real history lurking in it.

[ZULU]

Www.sacred-texts.com/cla/homer/greek/index.htm

[ZULU]

Didn’t Morris do a translation of Beowulf? Beowulf always gave me the feeling that it was originally a much better tale presented in a totally pagan milieu, but was reworked by monkish hands into a weaker, Christianized version. Sort of like the Volsunga Saga versus the Niebelungenlied.

[left that other site]

I love this thread!

[bert]

beyond my capacity

[King Moonracer]

I like Dan Simmons’ version in Illium and Olympos. The the asteroid belt combat robots are cool.

[1010RD]

They can translate Greek, but can’t get a seat on the SC. Go figure.

[AnAmericanMother]

I think it's "anastrophe" but it's been literally decades since I read Greek seriously.

I like the alliteration in the clause that precedes the isolated "heroes" - the explosive sound of the repeated "P" seems to hurl them Hades-ward . . . Lattimore replicates this best I think. Fagles gets the alliteration in part, but loses the rhythm. My professor loved to read Homer aloud, and we all memorized and recited aloud as well. So the rhythm may be unusually important to me for that reason.

But it's all like a huge ball of string, all interconnected. Take one segment of string, cut it off from the rest, examine it in isolation, you have NO idea of the huge ball of culture and language it came out of.

[AnAmericanMother]

It isn’t, really! Get a good basic Greek textbook and go after it. Even if you’re never able to read with facility, you will have a better insight into the language and the culture.

[TMSuchman]

these were required reading for me in high school.

[Bigg Red]

I just may need to buy this book. Thanks.

[SunkenCiv]

I always say I prefer the Iliad to the Odyssey, but the truth is, I only like parts of each one. :’)

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, it’s not bad!

[left that other site]

Although some of it is all Greek to me.