05-19-2002, 11:21 AM | #1 |
Lord Soth
Join Date: February 7, 2002
Location: New York
Posts: 1,980
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<font color=silver>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: <font color=turquoise>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.</font> 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.</font>
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05-20-2002, 02:44 PM | #2 |
Drow Priestess
Join Date: March 13, 2001
Location: a hidden sanctorum high above the metroplex
Age: 54
Posts: 4,037
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<font color = lightgreen>Cryil Darkcloud, thanks for the heads-up on the good reading material! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] Sadly, I must admit that I don't read nearly as much as I'd like; I suppose that the only person who can change that is me! [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img] </font>
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05-20-2002, 03:41 PM | #3 |
Ma'at - Goddess of Truth & Justice
Join Date: August 31, 2001
Location: Land of the Britons
Age: 37
Posts: 3,224
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Thanks for that... only version I've got in my house is a rather out-dated translation and I've been thinking about getting myself a good one.
Cheers!
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