Finding the best translation of the iliad old books. Murray 1 thus then they were warring around the wellbenched ship, but patroclus drew nigh to achilles, shepherd of the host, shedding hot tears, even as a fountain of dark water that down over the face of a beetling cliff poureth its dusky stream. Sep 25, 2019 book showcase the iliad and the odyssey barnes and noble collectible edition. The wrath of achilles seems justified from book i to book ix. It is usually attributed to the poet homer, about whom not much is known. Also, bravo for finding balance and deciding to just go with the translation you like best. A little over a year ago i read the fagles translation and am feeling pulled back to reading it again, and like many people i dont really have the time to learn and read in ancient greek, but i would like to read another quality translation. The iliad, a major founding work of european literature, is usually dated to around the 8th century bc, and attributed to homer. Aside from that, its vehicle invented image to which the trojan horses are compared is interesting. The iliad has been divided into the following sections. This outrage committed by the achaians begs comparison with the actions of achilleus that follow, when he disgraces hektors body in various gruesome ways. As patroklos leads the myrmidons against the trojans, they are compared.
However, book i essentially sets up the tension for the rest of the poem. Parallels between virgils aeneid and homers iliad and. New translation of the iliad by caroline alexander extract. With her virtuoso translation, classicist and bestselling author caroline alexander brings to life homers timeless epic of the trojan war. This is the 1888 interlinear text of homers iliad ed. Book nine, a crucial turning point in the poem all quotations from the iliad are from the translation of richmond lattimore, university of chicago press, 1951the assembly when book nine opens, the greeks have suffered serious reverses.
This lesson focuses on book 16 of the iliad by homer. As they fought on around the benched ship, patroclus, hot tears pouring down his face like a stream of dark water flowing in dusky streaks down the face of a sheer cliff, returned to achilles, leader of men. In book 16 of the odyssey, what simile does homer use to. This second dramatic teichoscopia, with its carefully rendered staging, presents the best of the achaeans and the best of the trojans, who will soon fight. This translation is considered a poetic interpretation, according to the alexander pope page. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the iliad. In his note on the translation, verity renounces both poetry and poetizing while pledging fidelity to homers linenumbering. Mar 18, 2016 at the beginning of book 16 of the iliad, patroclus, achilles companion, comes to him weeping. Achilles refuses to physically help, but offers patroclus his armor so that he can fight. Then patroclus drew near to achilles with tears welling from his eyes. Personally, comparing the prose from the lang iliad to the fitzgerald odyssey i ll concede somewhat of. And then went down to the ship, set keel to breakers, forth on the godly sea, and. Patroclus approaches achilles in tears and achilles asks him why he is.
Book 1 book 2 book 3 book 4 book 5 book 6 book 7 book 8 book 9 book 10 book 11 book 12 book book 14 book 15 book 16 book 17 book 18 book 19 book 20 book. Murray 1 the wrath sing, goddess, of peleus son, achilles, that destructive wrath which brought countless woes upon the achaeans, and sent forth to hades many valiant souls of heroes, and made them themselves spoil for dogs and every bird. Achilles singlehandedly splits the trojan forces, driving one half towards the city and one half into the river. Book vi of the aeneid reveals a prophecy for aeneas by the sibyl of cumae stating that a latinborn achilles, who is also the son of a goddess aeneid, book vi, lines 8990, exists. Most of these are universal concerns for any ancient writing, some are specific to homer. Books sixteen to twentytwo all quotations from the iliad are from the translation of richmond lattimore, university of chicago press, 1951like book nine, book sixteen marks a crucial turning point in the iliad. This is a list of english translations of the main works attributed to homer, the iliad and odyssey. A good way of getting a sense of the values and priorities of the iliad s many translators is to compare how they translate a given. Book 16 book 17 book 18 book 19 book 20 book 21 book 22 book 23. At the beginning of book 16 of the iliad, patroclus, achilles companion, comes to him weeping. There are several considerations to keep in mind when deciding on an english translation of the iliad. Much like a historical present, they take the listener into the hereandnow of the scene, creating a sense of greater proximity with the character being thus addressed. Finally, there is also a new translation of the iliad being released in midoctober 2011. First, the priest chryses comes to ask their leader, king agamemnon, to release his daughter, whom agamemnon was holding captive.
Poem summary the achaians, under king agamemnon, have been fighting the trojans off and on for nine years, trying to retrieve helen, the wife of menelaos, and thus agamemnons sisterinlaw. Book i 47k book ii 63k book iii 36k book iv 42k book v 66k book vi 42k book vii 38k. Marshalled together under their leaders, the trojans advanced with cries and clamour, a clamour like birds, cranes in the sky, flying from winters storm and unending rain, flowing towards the streams of ocean, bringing the clamour of death and destruction to pygmy tribes, bringing evil and strife at the break of day. This is one of the dozens of extended similes that homer uses to convey how a given event looks and feels.
The comparison of both achilles iliad xxii 2124 and of the two duelists iliad xxii 162166 to racing horses forms an interpretive framework that encompasses all of iliad xxii. Noble achilles, the fleet of foot, saw and pitied him, and spoke to him with winged words. The battle rages on between the trojan and achaean forces, and patroclus devises a scheme to free the achaean ships from the trojans. In the iliad, the overwhelming majority of apostrophes are addressed to patroclus 8 times, all of them in book 16 and menelaus 7 times.
In a quest to reveal that truer vision, and for the reading delight of the general public, all of her tales from myth and legend, from the iliad and odyssey, the homeric hymns and more, are gathered for the first time into one book, with translations more faithful than any before, to finally portray in plain english the meaning and magic of her. Veritys iliad is much less energetic than fagless and, compared with. Homers iliad, book 16 homers iliad, book 16 homers rich use of similes in book 16 of the iliad serve an important role in not only emphasizing but also dramatizing specific scenes with meaning. Purchase a copy of this text not necessarily the same edition from. Greek words in this text are rearranged to make it convenient in. Dec 08, 2014 violence and vulgarity of the similes in book 16 in the stanley lombardo translation of the iliad, he highlights certain similes that are translated from the homeric manuscripts as if they were a tiny vignette that flashes in our mind as we read. Then patroclus drew near to achilles with tears welling from his eyes, as from some spring whose crystal stream falls over the ledges of a high precipice. Faithfulness to the original language and readability are what one seeks in any translation of the iliad, and the translator must strike a proper balance between the two. For achilles, the preservation of his honor is the measuring stick for his life, and every achaean injury makes his honor greater, as it will make it all the more impressive when he returns to battle and saves the day. The iliad is an ancient greek poem that tells the story of the trojan war. Book showcase the iliad and the odyssey barnes and noble. Homers iliad should be read by every literate person who strives to be well. New translation of the iliad by caroline alexander.
Book xvi of a new complete english translation with hyper linked index. Caroline alexanders translation of the iliad is published by vintage, priced. This famous episode, alluded to it in the catalog of the ships, takes on new meaning here. Chapter summary for homers the iliad, book 9 summary. Read this book and over 1 million others with a kindle unlimited membership. Revisiting the apostrophes to patroclus in iliad 16 chs. Readers of stephen mitchells fastpaced and very idiosyncratic new translation of the iliad free press. Translations of the iliad are composed using one of the following formats. With an interlinear translation, for the use of schools and private learners. We all know of the horse, but how did it come together. Get an answer for in book 16 of the odyssey, what simile does homer use to describe the reunion of telemachus and odysseus. Translation proliferation is certainly not among the 10 worst of the anxieties afflicting the modern world, but it is of a piece with others higher up. Oct 24, 2008 i also strongly second the recommendation to read british poet, christopher logues brilliant interpretations of the iliad i.
It is an epic poem, written in ancient greek but assumed to be derived from earlier oral sources, and tells much of the story of the legendary trojan war between mainland greece and the city of troy in asia minor. The embassy to achilles lines 318327 in his introduction to lattimores reissued version of the iliad in 2011, richard p. Achilles also warns him to only go to the ships and not any further. The iliad of homer pope wikisource, the free online. Like a girl, a baby running after her mother, begging to be picked up, and she tugs her skirts, holding her back as she tries to hurry off all tears, fawning up at her she takes her in her arms. Jul 20, 20 the iliad of homer translated by samuel butler. The original text plus a sidebyside modern translation of every shakespeare play. The second half of the aeneid, books vi through xii, follow similarly to what happens throughout the iliad absences of the heroes. Like book nine, book sixteen marks a crucial turning point in the iliad. Their quality and fidelity revealed compared to homers greek.
Two generations ago, richmond lattimores iliad of homer which the. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes the iliad study guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays. Translations are ordered chronologically by date of first publication, with first lines often provided to illustrate the style of the translation. This is the first of many, many scenes like it in the iliad. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the iliad and what it means. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Chapter summary for homers the iliad, book 16 summary. This is only my opinion on the subject and as such, any misinterpretations in facts will be due to my misinterpretation of information or the translation of the original greek to english version of the iliad. A new translation by caroline alexander and millions of other books are available for instant access. Achilles pride and anger toward agamemnon are extreme, and even the deaths of many of his comrades fails to move him.
The annenberg cpbproject provided support for entering this text. Incidentally, ezra pound included a reworking of book 11 of the odyssey in his first canto. While achilleus still refuses to return to battle, his friend, patroklos, persuades him to let him fight in his place. Oct 16, 2012 this is by no means a 100% accurate comparison of homers iliad and wolfgang petersens troy. The present translation of the iliad will, it is hoped, be found to convey, more accurately than any which has preceded it, the words and thoughts of the original. Books sixteen to twentytwo all quotations from the iliad are from the translation of richmond lattimore, university of chicago press, 1951 like book nine, book sixteen marks a crucial turning point in the iliad.
Dissimilar to the figure of speech that is familiar today, homers elaborated form of comparison suggests a whole new meaning to the common. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the iliad. Home english literature classic books the iliad navigate here note book i book ii book iii book iv book v book vi book vii book viii book ix book x book xi book xii book xiii book xiv book xv book xvi book xvii book xviii book xix book xx book xxi book xxii book xxiii book xxiv. I also enjoyed the lattimore translation of the iliad, i found it to be more accessible than the. The iliad of homer by homer, translated by alexander pope. Homer, iliad, book 16, line 1 perseus digital library. Homer, iliad book 16 theoi classical texts library.
The fitzgerald translation kindle edition by homer, fitzgerald, robert. This study guide consists of approximately 114 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the iliad. Martin of stanford university was sure enough to compare lattimores translation of ten lines from book nine 9. Paris, a son of the king of troy, kidnaps helen, who becomes the legendary helen of troy and the woman with the face that launched a thousand ships. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. In fact, this structural technique is a basis for the entire work. On a previous encounter, achilles captured lycaon and. Greek sentences are structured differently from english sentences, and adhering too strictly to greek word order and syntax will result in very awkward english. Achilles follows the trojans into the river, hacking them to pieces with his sword. Feb 09, 2016 new translation of the iliad by caroline alexander extract. Homer, sentimentalism, and popes translation of the iliad jstor. Homers technique of repeating an earlier scene with a later one is used throughout the iliad.
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