Epics thread

For example: The Song of Roland is filled with the word "Paynim" (to mean Pagan) and descriptions of killed "Paynims" being "tipped, screaming into the pit" (hell) while the French knights that die are described as ascending to heaven.

Aside from being hilarious, this is important because Elizabethans who use this terminology are giving the reader a wink-wink nudge-nudge reference; for instance, Spenser in Book I with his three "Paynim" knights, Sansfoy, Sansjoy and Sansloy; one of which, Sansfoy, when killed is described as flitting "Whither the soules do fly of men that live amis."

If I'd read a "modernized" translation of Roland that omitted the word Paynim and the scenes of dead Saracens falling to hell, I would not get Spenser's reference; and, unfortunately, many of the translations I'm looking at on Amazon do just that.

Thus, overly modernized translations/versions are useless since my goal is to read these in relation to one another.

tl;dr: Suggestions of epics I should read that aren't on this list? In particular classical works I've omitted; I would consider non-Western epics (Gilgamesh, for instance), although they don't really fit into the "timeline" properly.

Are post-Paradise Lost attempts at the Epic like Moby Dick or Ulysses worth reading as part of this exercise?

>inb4 "stop liking what I don't like"

get the Rebsamen verse translation for Beowulf, it maintains the alliteration and stress patterns from the Old English.

and absolutely NOT the Seamus Heaney version.

Other good epics that you might want to check out include:
The Argonautica, Appolonius of Rhodes
The Aenead, Virgil - A spiritual successor to Homer

Also if you want I suggest picking up
"The Greek Epic Cycle" by Malcolm Davies for some information on the lost Greek epics.

>>9182969
m8, he's reading pope's homer.

>>9183035
>Aenead
>Appolonius

>>9182813
absolutely recommend gilgamesh

>>9182969
Poetry is nearly untranslatable and a translation of it is always a standalone creation. Trying to imitate stylistic of other language in your own is peak autism. Stop giving shit advice.

>>9183256
nice advice

I read Paradise Lost and now I'm reading the Iliad, did I fuck up? The Iliad is so much more boring compared to Paradise Lost.

>>9182808
you should add this to the list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Furioso

>>9182808
>The Odyssey (Homer's)
Ohh, that Odyssey!

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Read the translation of The Odyssey that was done by an actual adventurer.

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Pic related

>>9182969
>read Shameful Handmedown in AP Lit in high school
>absolutely hated it and it made me think Beowulf is shit
Rebsamen better redeem that celtic fuck

>>9184158
yeah you did the opposite of what youre supposed to do. reverse the order, bucko but its too late and thats NOT good

Please just use one 'l' in Iliad

>>9187634
But its so cool

>>9187634
Why tho?

>>9182808
I read The Song of Roland translated by Dorothy L. Sayers about a year ago or less. It was excellent. A very good compromise between trying to be mostly accurate but still getting a very large degree of beauty out of it as well. A lot of other translators compromised entirely on accuracy except for one (whom I forget the name of).

For Beowulf I've only read the translation by John McNamara. It was alright. I'd assume there's better out there, but it wasn't bad by any means. I plan on reading more translations of it in the future. Might pick up Tolkien's.