The Iliad

Alexander Pope translation is by far the best

>>8947544
Seconding Pope. For the Iliad at least. His Odyssey isn't as good.

>>8947534
Depends what you're looking for from a translation, obviously. But you can google it to see samples from most versions online.

Not sure why price is an issue- I see them quite a bit in second hand bookshops, plus they should be in libraries.

>>8947570
I found it eventually, Amazon was just fucking about a bit.

From what I've gathered:

Pope's goes all the way with rhyming, and seems to flow very well.

Lattimore's is supposedley the most accurate translation, but isn't as enjoyable for a more casual reader interested more in story/poetry than historical analysis.

Fagles reads very well in English and is faithful, but doesn't rhyme in the way Pope's does.

So it's probably a toss between Fagles and Pope for now.

>>8947625
Have a look at Fitzgerald too- his are similar to Fagles but may be better.

If you have an e-reader you can get Pope from Project Gutenberg and it won't even be illegal or nothin'. As >>8947544 and >>8947558 say Pope's Iliad is a great read if you're down with old-style rhyming couplets.

>>8947665
Just read https://oldbooksblog.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/best-translation-iliad/ so Fitzgerald may be a possibility at some point. I'm quite tempted by a more "poetic" translation, as from the small parts I've read they're incredibly fun to read. I think I might go for Fagles for now, but swap for Pope's or FGs if I'm not enjoying it.

the copy I bought is Chapman, how screwed am I?

Read it in Greek you pseud.

>>8947544
>>8947558
>Pope
>translation

haha

>>8947544
>>8947558
Not for a first reading at all, and if OP has to ask this question it's probably his first reading. Pope's isn't a translation at all, it's an interpretation from his translated readings of the poems.
The recommended translation for a new reader is Fagles or Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is supposed to be more poetic, and Fagles is a little more accessible. Both are great. Lattimore is more literal and is therefore a little awkward and not good for a first-time reader trying to see what the poems are all about.

>>8947743
Thank you, this is a nice summary.

I'm getting really tempted by Fitzgerald's now, from what I've read of it. Though I feel like Fagles is MUCH clearer to read in English, especially as someone not entirely in-the-know with all ancient Greek mythology.

>>8947736
>a literal translation of poetry is a good idea

>>8947754
If anything, Fitgerald tries to remove the Iliad from the stale context and baggage of 'Greek Mythology' and present it anew.

memeing pope, you cruel bastards

>>8948109
Nobody is saying that Pope is garbage or not worthwhile, but it's clearly not what you should read if you actually want anything approaching the Iliad, especially not if it's your first time reading it.

>>8947699
It's the best one

Fuck Fagles, I read Fitzgerald and loved it. The language is a little more formal, but I think that adds to the feeling of being an ancient epic.

Fagles for the first read, Pope for the second.

Bloom recommends Lattimore for the Iliad.

>>8947754
Read Fitzgerald's Iliad and Odyssey with only a low-moderate amount of knowledge of Greek mythology. Was an excellent read and did not have too many troubles with anything. If you have any prior knowledge of Greek mythology just got for it. I'm not sure if its the same with other translations, but the epic similes were rendered exceptionally well. Excellent translation.