Does it matter whether or I read the Odyssey or the Illiad first?

>>8355095
Merrill is your guy.

Yes, Iliad first.

Most poetic and least scholarly is Pope.

Would definitely recommend reading the Iliad first. It gives context to the recurrent characters that also appears in the Odyssey, in what they are expressing, their lamentation, their fate etc.
Of course there are probably good annotated versions out there that supplies this information.

Sing now, goddess, the wrath of Achilles the scion of Peleus,
ruinous rage which brought the Achaians uncounted afflictions;
many the powerful souls it sent to the dwelling of Hades,
those of the heroes, and spoil for the dogs it made of the bodies,
plunder for all of the birds, and the purpose of Zeus was accomplished —
sing from the time when first stood hostile, starting the conflict,
Atreus' scion, the lord of the people, and noble Achilles.

I don't like this translation. "scion", "first stood hostile", "noble Achilles", "uncounted afflictions" all seem like bad choices.

>>8355326
Does anyone have a guide with the translations laid side by side? I saw a chart like that for the divine comedy and that was really helpful for me deciding which one I wanted to get.

>>8355551
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_translations_of_Homer

Perhaps that is too comprehensive...

File: 1469301334141.jpg (891KB, 1400x5316px) Image search: [Google]

891KB, 1400x5316px

>>8355584
>Perhaps that is too comprehensive...
It does look a bit too vast to be useful. I was hoping for something like this. I went for the Ciardi one of the Divine Comedy, because it seemed that the english was so much plainer and easier to comprehend.

>>8355594
Just look at the famous ones and pick from those. Chapman, Pope, Fitzgerald, Lattimore, Lombardo, Fagles, Rieu.

>>8355604
Thank you.

>>8355551

Can't go wrong with fagles, Fitzgerald, or Lattimore.

Lombardo's seems like a very fun, fast read.

Pope and Chapman are great but not for first reads

>>8355604
Popes is shit. It's sing song bullshit. He butchered it.

>>8355196
>which is still respectful to the original work