As a 17 years old kid from Burma, I can't thank you enough for these literature videos. I'm a STEM student but reading has always been my leisure. Thank you for introducing more books to me and all these analysis are top tier. I wish you good luck, man.

Emily Wilson's for me, no doubt. As a native spanish speaker, with no knowledge of greek and very intimidated of reading The Classics™, her work was a great introduction. It made it approachable, understandable and engaging. I'm hoping I can get a copy of her translation of The Iliad soon in the future.

Robert Fitzgerald provides a good balance of accuracy and poetry. It’s also very good to listen to on Audible.

I feel as though Alexander popes translation could be very hard to read at times and it felt drawn out at times, that being said he did create rich imagery for the battle in the Iliad.

While in graduate school I was doing a dissertation on Thucydides' History of the Pelopnessian War, and Thucydides himself contrasted his effort with Homer's epic narrative of the Trojan war in his Iliad, so as part of my research I was instructed by my advisor to read George Chapman's Elizabethan translation. Chapman was recommended because of the poetic vigor and magnificence of his poetic rendition and Chapman's absolute love of Homer. At first I struggled with the Elizabethan English, but eventually fell in love with it and, I. The process, understood why the Greeks loved Homer and his Iliad. Later a professor of ancient Greek opined that Chapman's effort comes the closest to the muscular poesy of Homer's epic, and I have always appreciated the guidance of my professors for introducing me to the wonders of Chapman's Iliad and it absolutley enriched my understanding and appreciation of Thucydides.

Your channel is fantastic! I'm so glad I stumbled across it. You're an excellent teacher. Your videos are helping me get more out of reading literature than I every anticipated. Thank you!

I just found your channel yesterday, and I am loving what you’re doing. I’ve been trying to read more classics, and just finished this spring reading through Fagle’s Iliad. I loved it so much, and I find your comment near the end of the video to be true. That translation of the Iliad made me want to read more Homer via Fagles. So I picked up his translations of the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and the three Theban plays. Keep up the great work.

You never cease to amaze me with the breadth and scope of the literary topics you choose for your videos. Imagine! an extensive examination of the best known translators of Homer and samples of their translations! I found these comparisons to be both illuminating and extraordinarily interesting. My choice would be the Butler translation for an initial exposure and then perhaps a comparative read with one of the more formal translators such as Chapman.

I really like Stephen Mitchell’s translations of Homer. Simple and incredibly easy to read. I don’t know the first thing about poetry, so I can’t comment on whether or not he uses some form throughout…I couldn’t tell. He focuses on the story & i really dug that. Even though while reading I couldn’t say whether or not I was reading poetry, his translation made me truly appreciate the old works so that now I am actually interested in seeing what the other translations are all about.

thank you so much for this video! you really put in a lot of work into making this and i think people will be visiting this as a resource for years to come. personally i really wanted a prose version so i'll be going with murray or butler, but i'd love to also read wilsons and lombardo at some point. thanks again!

Fagle is my favorite. The readability really helps the story move. It has a very good flow and it reads like an action adventure. Admittedly, there feels like less poetry but I think it’s one of the best translations particularly if you’re trying to get a young person interested. My second favorite is Chapman. I really enjoyed the old-fashioned feel of it. Also it makes me feel smart. Which is a ridiculous reason to like it. But oh well. 😊

i just came across ur channel and wowie i love what u have to say, you ask and discuss really good questions that have always bugged me

So I just found your channel and love your content. I have always loved EV Rieu’s prose translation. I still have my copy from 8th grade, which is when I was first introduced to and fell in love with Homer. The story is that he translated it out loud for his wife and daughters while bombs were falling during WW2. I love that image…

I read the E.V. Rieu version of the Iliad and Chapman's Odyssey. Got a lot out of both of them. Chapman can be dizzying at times, but there is also a beauty and humour in it that is distinct from many of the other translations.

nice , pls do more videos on best translations of classics

My favourite of the bunch you presented was the Fagle but I also liked the Lombardo and the Butler. I have read the E.V. Rieu translation and listened to W. H. D. Rouse, both of which I enjoyed immensely. I had no idea there were so many translations available. I would love more videos like this. It was interesting and very helpful.

Thanks for this video. I've been meaning to read this work for a long while so this should help a lot. I always enjoy the way that you sell the great works and make them sound exciting to read, which often they do turn out to be. Maybe you could do another video like this for the Divine Comedy?

This was invaluable! Thank you so much! Having never read homer before and hardly any works of great literature, this was so helpful! My favourite was lombardo, then buttler and then Wilson

Thank you Ben! There were probably four of these translations that spoke to me, so i chose two of them. I really like how you've taught us to look for translations that work for us.

Hey Benjamin. I want to share my experience with Homer, I did not listen to all the readings. I am 57, I did not read Homer as a child, but when I was about 22. College age. I read two translations (both epics) around that time: E.V. Rieu (prose Benjamin), and Lattimore's. Lattimore is better known for his translation of - The Iliad. I did a paper using Latt's Il. I read his Oresteia as well. I had a professor suggest that one should read Lattimore's Iliad and Fitzgerald's Odyssey. I read some of WHD Rouse's Iliad. This seemed to be one of those works with the British - "pip-pip" stuff. Moreover, I should have read more translations. I would like to try the classic translations: Chapman, Pope. I would like to try a 19th century tr - Lang, Leaf and Myers!! TY Benjamin. Excellent discussions you are releasing. I like your plugging prose translations, and that of Butler's TE Lawrence translated the Odyssey into prose. TY again Benjamin...!!!!

I first read Homer as child in a very lightly adapted version for the TV series Wishbone when I was like 9. Fell in love with the story, we went on to read it in school multiple excruciating times but I still love the book, it's the foundation for so much

1. Wilson is a gifted versifier, perhaps the best of the modern Homer translators. Her iambics are a marvel--fitting the meter line after line while remaining clear and natural. 2. That said, I would only recommend he Odyssey to a pre-teen, or an adult beginner looking for a modern "take" rater than fidelity. I have read all of Homer in Greek, so I frequently compare translations to the original. Wilson deliberately a) mis-translates, b) omits or invents words, and c) translates the same word in different ways, all in the service of biasing the reader for or against a character. Some have said that this is always the case in translation. But of the 7 Odyssey translations I have read, hers is by far the most egregious in this regard. 4. I have not yet read her Iliad, but a first glance suggests that she has taken a much more honest approach to its translation. 5. For a good analysis of her Odyssey, find Whitaker's (or Whittaker?) review online.

What a wonderful experiment! thanks Had not heard of War Music before, but the reference to the speed of light in the passage you read intrigued me. An intentional anachronism. Now I’ve found that Audible has it vibrantly performed by Logue himself. Another astounding anachronism in the sample they provide: Ajax “tan as Rommel after Alamein.” An opportunity to hear an epic from the mouth of its composer, as if an iteration of the story from one of the bards working in the Homeric perfomative tradition!

Thanks for this video. I was trying to figure out what translation of The Odyssey to read and you helped me decide. I like Fagles the best. Good job!

I am currently reading Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey. First time reading it but it is beautifully written/translated

Best thing to do is to get a bunch of different translations and read the same passages in each translation side by side. See which one works best for you. It doesn't have to be the most popular translation or the most scholarly translation. All that can come later. What you want now is simply a way into the author or work, in this case Homer. I've known many people come to Homer (and other great authors) in translations most would deem subpar, yet the translation worked for them, and brought them to Homer, and they fell in love with his works. And they went on to read Homer in several other translations because they enjoyed him so much. A translation is like a host or guide to help bring you to Homer and Homer to you. The host or guide doesn't have to be the most popular or academic host guide, the most stylish and eloquent or intelligent, or the one everyone else seems to vibe with, but simply someone who can help you meet and greet the great writer. Later on you can find other hosts and guides if you like. But for your first encounter with the great author, go with whichever host or guide or translation you find can bring you to Homer. Even if it's Butler. 😉

Absolutely fantastic channel. I just found you the other day and subscribed after looking through your videos; English literature is a subject of much interest to me, as it's something I plan on going into in the near future. I look forward to watching more videos!

I stumbled onto this channel after listening to translations of the Odyssey on KZfaq. I deeply appreciate the wide mindedness of letting us hear the translations before learning who created each. I wish Robert Fitzgerald had been among the choices, but I learned a lot here. And, listening to the presenters favorites reinforced how personal these choices can be. Samuel Butler! Not for me, but if it casts a spell on any good or interested reader, that’s wonderful.

Here is the ranking I ended with: 1) Lombardo (1997) 2) Fagles (1990) 3) Murray (1919) 4) Lattimore (1951) 5) Wilson (2018) 6) Chapman (1598-1616) 7) Pope (1713-20) 8) Buttler (1898) I personally own and have read Wilson's and Fagles' translations many times and highly recommend both, but I'm more than willing to give Lombardo a try! It got me hooked from the first line in the excerpt! I'd also like to pick up Murray's to start learning Ancient Greek. I suspect it will be invaluable in that endeavor.

Thank you for a really interesting and informative look into the Homer translations. I have the Chapman but I love Pope's poetry..and Samuel Butler's Way of All Flesh..so now I'am quite excited to check out these translations.

Thank you for this. Your Anna Karenina blind taste test set me on the path of success with that amazing novel. My twelve year-old and I just did this Homer blind taste test with you during our breakfast. We liked Fagles, Butler, and Wilson, though I was personally most excited by the Lambardo. Ultimately, we have the Fagles in our home and will be going forward with it, but now with more confidence as it ranked well for both of us!

Your reading is so mesmerizing. I love your voice and the way you comment on each version. Thanks so much. My favorite translation is Chapman's.

Thank you! This was delightful and informative. I found your video as I was puzzling over aspects of the Fagles Odyssey which I've been reading aloud to my wife every evening before sleep. I now think what I've been experiencing are little injections of modern language into the more familiar Homeric rhythms. I realize that my only formal study of The Odyssey was at Trinity College, Hartford, using the Richmond Lattimore translation. I must be missing some of those consistent and repetitious passages. After listening to your readings, I'm inclined to give Emily Wilson a read. The Odyssey has always felt like the matrist half of Homer's full epic, with The Iliad providing the complementary patrist orientation. In any event, many thanks and best of luck with your teachings.

Thank you so much for this. I always straggle with deciding which translation to choose. Now I know. And not just one :-).

This is a brilliant vid! You didn't mention E V Rieu's translation! I was raised on his translations both of the Odyssey and of the Iliad. As an 8 year old I remember sitting enthralled by his picturesque telling of the story and I imagined I could see everything so clearly! I remember being moved to tears when Argos died. That's why I got used to reading Homer in prose form not as a poem. I think I'd most like Lombardo's translation to be read out to me as it's so understandable, even if you don't have the written version in front of you.

While you were reading the Samuel Butler excerpt, I was unsettled by the word "Neptune," which is what the Romans called Poseidon; and I thought to myself: Greeks would never employ that Latinized name-how strange! So I grabbed my own copy of the Butler translation, and sure enough, my version of that translation refers to the god as Poseidon! This heartened me! I therefore concluded that there must be more than one edition of Butler's translation. Thank you for comparing and contrasting these varied translations. I think for the time being I shall stick to Mr. Butler's rendering.

I loved the sound of the Fagles and Pope extracts. Audible also has a great translation by WHD Rouse, read by Anthony Heald, which I would gladly pay for every time I listen.

Loved this video. My A tranlations were Fagles, Lombardo and the new Emily Wilson. AT Murray sound interesting too and I agree War Music is amazing.

What a most enjoyable presentation! Several of the translators you have read are some of my favorites. I am especially fond of Richmond Lattimore's because he used to speak his translations aloud, in summer evenings, and I am still thankful for those personal, close and exciting recitations. Fagles and FItzgerald were contemporaries of Richmond's. I am glad to see your choices and I thank you.

Thanks for this overview. My favorites of the examples on offer here are the ones by Richmond Lattimore and Robert Fagles. I own all three of the Fagles in Viking hardcover. I also have paperbacks of Robert Fitzgerald. I haven't read them yet but I'm heading into the second half of 2022 going deeper into literature and the classics.

If this helps my fellow homeschooling families, we begin diving into The Iliad with Rosemary Sutcliff's "Black Ships Before Troy" (an Iliad re-telling), followed by Sutcliff's “The Wanderings of Odysseus”. We read them slowly, 2 to 3 chapters a week with an oral narration from my children after each reading. We've even sketched a sort of "family tree" on our bookmark to get the names and sides straight as we read. It gives a wonderful groundwork to enjoy the actual classic Homer books afterwards. Thank you, Benjamin - I just love you and your videos.

Thank you for an excellent lecture on Odyssey's English translations. I was happy to learn that my favorites are exactly like yours - Samuel Butler, Emily Wilson and Robert Fagles. Stanley Lombardo and Christopher Logue interested me as well. I shall read both. It was a truly revelatory journey!

I just received my Great Books of the Western World this week. Hail, Adler! I listened to your translations and I rated Samuel Butler a 5 out of 5. I’m thrilled to find out this is the translation I have. I’m very curious about Emily Wilson’s translation and will get that too for a side by side read. Thank you so much for this exercise.

I met Fitzgerald several times when I was in grad school. I liked him very much. I’ve read the Iliad and the Odyssey in Greek as an undergrad. I’ve read Fitzgerald and Fagles, but I prefer Lattamore. Both the Iliad and the Odyssey were meant to be chanted. I love Lattamore’s poetry

Ah, my choices are so different from yours, though I have to say, I thought ALL the translations you shared are really good. But I also have three, and they are -- Alexander Pope, whose rhythms I get entirely caught up in, and who just pulls me through the poem, particularly in the more adventurous passages; Samuel Lombardo, whose muscular modern language I find absolutely compelling, and whose performances, I know, are winning; and (and this one was the surprise to me, and I thank you for it) Christopher Logue's "War Music," and the passage you read, I thought, is absolutely marvelous. Thanks for this program, and I'll have to explore more.

I share the same top three: Butler, Fagels, and Wilson, not in any particular order. I also read multiple versions at the same time just to compare them. I enjoy the prose style because I think the intention of the storyteller is for the listener to be able to follow it. Maybe the poetic versions are more popular with people more serious about Homer. It wasn't until I was in my fifties did I realize there were versions I could choose over others. The recommended versions were always the older ones. It's when I started listening to audiobooks in the different styles that I realized I have a strong preference for prose translations. Thank you for your video. Angie

The Odyssey is one of my absolute favourite books and I have several translations. I must admit that I enjoy parts of A T Murray’s very much, ‘So saying he plunged beneath the surging sea but I went to my ships with my godlike comrades, and many things did my heart darkly ponder as I went’. My heart ached for Menelaus when I read this passage, it is so relatable. Thanks for this wonderful analysis.

I had two favorites; Lombardo and Chapman. I know, it's a little odd to pick these two that are so different. Regarding Chapman, I really love the early modern English and literature of that period and because of this I easily responded to Chapman's approach. Regarding Lombardo, what attracted me was his sense of rhythm and pulse, that really pulled me in. Now that I think about it, both Chapman and Lombardo seem to pay attention to rhythm, though they use different rhythms, and that might be why I settled on these two. // Thanks for the video and overview of these translations.

Great video. One of my long 'projects' has been collecting different translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey. Favourite has always been Lattimore and Fagles, but I am liking Emily Wilson's Odyssey so far (not very far into it)

I highly recommend Robert Fitzgerald’s translation to anyone out there. Both his Iliad and Odyssey are highly engaging and worth reading.

Thanks for posting this video! I had planned to reread The Odyssey this summer as preparation for jumping back into Ulysses. Allen Mendelbaum was the translator on my first reading of The Odyssey, but your inclusion of Emily Wilson has made me consider going through two versions, Wilson and Fagles or Mandelbaum. I am interested in emphasis put on the female characters.

In college, many years ago, I studied Ancient Greek as my language. I wasn’t very good at it but liked it and enjoyed reading Homer in high school. Now in my fifties, I’m drawn to it again and am taking Fagle’s translation on a road trip. I would like to attempt Pope after I read more of Fagle or even at the same time to enjoy the difference. Maybe Pope will be more accessible if I have a more modern understanding of each passage.

I read the Wilson Odyssey and enjoyed it immensely, and look forward to her translation of the Iliad as well. Ive read the Iliad translated by AT Murray, but the first Iliad I recall reading was Samuel Butler's translation, and that opening -- "Sing O Goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans" has always remained in memory, so I must compare all other translations with that beautiful rendition. I've wanted to learn Homeric Greek, particularly because I read that hearing it in the original, one can hear the rhythm of the ocean in the reading. (?) This fascinates me to no end.

Thanks for this! Exactly the sort of comparison video I was looking for on this. I think Fagle and Wilson were my favorites from the taste test. Which is interesting because Fagle seems to be one of the big favorites while Wilson gets a more mixed reception from my research.

Wow! This was great! In fact, I don’t know if you marked each reading on this video, but I want to rewatch this and also to randomly pull each reading out of sequence. I want to do this several times. I already own 3 translations, which is too much for my level of reading.

- For sheer poetry: Lombardo (4.5/5) is my favorite from this list. (Naturally "Speak, Memory" makes me think of Nabokov, which gives his work bonus points.) He definitely look poetic license, but it's poetry after all. Even if it's not "close to the Greek" at times, I don't care one bit: his translation really grabs me by the lapels and I want to read on. - For a closer translation: I'm really enjoying Peter Green (5): it's great poetry that wields out language well, it reads smoothly, and it's well-typeset with great notes. - For a prose version: I've really enjoyed both Rieu's (4) Iliad and Odyssey in the Penguin Clothbound Classics editions. Very smooth prose with subtle bits of aliteration, rhythm, etc which makes for a gently poetic reading which I like better than some of the more overt attempts. Also, there are some great little notes that don't distract from the text. Bottom of the list for me were Fagles and Wilson (2)-Pope (2.5) and Chapman (3) even beat them out in my ranking this time. While there's nothing wrong with Wilson and Fagles, they're just boring-which in a way is the worst wrong one can do with poetry. Odd though, I remember enjoying Fagles when I read him in college, but maybe it was his clarity. A decade later, I guess my tastes have changed. In any case, both are incredibly clear and I feel I understand the story very well, but it doesn't strike me as "poetry": they're water instead of wine, which is still refreshing in its own way.

Ben, Thank you so much for these awesome videos. You inspired me to start In Search of Lost time. I'm now on volume 3. I have watched most of your videos. Got a copy of miss Wilson's translation of Odyssey. I finds it very accessible. However, I do have a question. If someone were to ask me, why should we read Dostoyevsky or Proust, I can now confidently answer. However, I can't say the same for Odyssey. I feel it is a simple adventure tale (I know I'm wrong). Do you have a video on why Odyssey is relevant or why we should read Homer? If you could suggest some pointers, that would be awesome.

The Divine Comedy please. Thank you

Brilliant video! I loved the first one!

I'm not a fan of reading verse and find it a struggle. I'm currently reading The Iliad and the E.V. Rieu prose translation. Highly recommended and the text flows brilliantly!

Surprised not to see Fitzgerald translation. That is the one we have in the book room at school, but we are purchasing some Fagles to replace them.

I missed very much in this video the translation by Peter Green (2019), which is the most accurate in English IMHO: The man, Muse - tell me about that resourceful man, who wandered far and wide, when he'd sacked Troy's sacred citadel: many men's townships he saw, and learned their ways of thinking, [...] He even copies the commas, the enjambment, etc. which helps you to read along the Greek version (if it were a bilingual edition).

Latimore was mine. I was transported by him as a young reader. A+. Fagles; a solid B. Pope: A solid C+. Speaks to its time... but not mine. Chapmen: Good. A healthy B. Logue: I love it. A solid A. Murray" Easy and pleasant. A solid B. Lombardo: B- It seemed too earnest... I could be wrong. Shit. I gotta go. I'll be back. Love the channel.

@Benjamin Thanks for the mind blowing detailed session over translations. Need your opinion about one prose and one poetic translation of Rieu and Fitzgerald.

Champan's Odyssey is exquisite. There's something noble and likewise rough and unhewn about Elizabethan poetry, which may easily describe Homer's style as well. I could go on, but I'll only say that unlike Pope, even though both him and Chapman translated the Odyssey in herioc couplets, there's something weightier about Chapman. Pope feels too light and polished. Though it's obvious he took liberty in his translation, I somehow find Chapman to be faithful to Homer.

Totally agree Homer's plays in prose are beautiful!!! Butler's version is my favorite, even though the translation of W.H.D Rouse is a good prose translation as well.

My three favorites in order of preference: Fagles, Latimore, and Lombardo. I picked them based on being able to understand what's happening. But I definitely want to read Louge's version some day. Thank you so much Ben for doing this video. You have helped me nail down the translation I will be using. All of your videos are so valuable. Can't say thanks enough!

I listened to your readings and compiled my personal A, B, C gradings. Accessibility and imagery is my personal preference. A: Fagles, Lombardo, Butler, Wilson. B: Lattimore, Logue, Murray C: Chapman, Pope. Many years ago,in college, I read the Fitzgerald translation. I pulled it off my shelf and read the same passages. I’d grade it a B. I think I’d choose the Fagles and Lombardo versions for my next readings. With a slight edge to Lombardo. That one really struck me by its imagery. Really enjoying your series of videos. Keep it up!

As a child who had difficulty reading I loved the translation of The Odyssey I read in school so much I "forgot" to turn it in. Unfortunately I lost it 20 years ago and don't know the translator. I have been looking for another but most of the translations I found where too modern or used Roman names which is just wrong. I think I will start with Lattimore. Thank you for giving me some ideas.

I quite agree with Homer being rendered well in Prose and will have to check out Samuel Butler's rendition. I liked E.V Rieu's Iliad but don't know much about his version of Odyssey. For poetic flavor, Fagles was very accessible and the rhyme just immersed me deeply.

Emily Wilson 100%. Made a good choice when i bought it as my first copy of the odyssey (and I will buy her new translation on the illiad soon as I'm done reading the one I got) but through your video I found Alexander Pope's translation and I kind of loved the excerpts, but maybe not as my first time reading the story.

2,7,9,8,6,5,1,4 & 3. Going to now buy the Robert Fagles one, in preparation for Ulysses! Thank you 😊

Thank you for this! I am preparing myself for my third reading of Joyce’s ‘Ulysses,’ and after seeing your installment on reading that particular tome I decided to back up and review and refresh my familiarity with some key resources, including the namesake work, Homer’s ‘Odyssey.’ I had tried to read the Pope translation back when I was in high school but couldn’t get past the first book, feeling it was unnecessarily ornate and obtuse. I ended up reading the Cliffs Notes before my first swim with ‘Ulysses.’ It wasn’t until years later that I came across the Fagles translation. I read ‘Iliad’ first and was carried away by its balance of poetics and earthy accessibility. After seeing this video I’m convinced that Wilson’s translation is the direction I’ll go this time. Since Molly’s closing chapter of ‘Ulysses’ holds a lofty place in my ranking of favorite reads, having a new perspective on Penelope has me excited! Thanks again!

What a useful and timely video for me ty

Great vid! Love it! Although what did poor Fitzgerald do wrong : ( Haha just wish was included. Although his Iliad is better, and with Odyssey easier/sweeping and less dense is probably more appropriate, i.e. Fagles or Lombardo. An obscure and quite intriguing translation of Odyssey I randomly came across in a tiny used bookshop was by Ennis Rees - 1960

I found this video while looking for the best translations of The Iliad, and I’m glad I did. I have never read Homer, so I found these comparisons super helpful-thank you! My question is: if I chose a favorite from these translations, would you recommend I go with those same translators when reading The Iliad or are there significant differences or maybe even more possible translations that were not shared here? For what it’s worth, I think I would be most successful reading Emily Wilson’s translation starting off (releasing in September, so I guess I’m starting my journey at the perfect time 😄), but I also really enjoyed the Butler and Lombardo excerpts! Thank you again for the content you produce!

Great video. I appreciated the “blind taste test” so to speak. I just picked up a copy of Emily Wilson’s translation and I’m excited to dig into it!

This has helped immensely in whittling down my options of which to start with! To me I think it could also be a tie for first, between Lattimore and Lombardo, with Murray following behind them. I was surprised to not find the Fitzgerald iteration since I most commonly hear about that and was curious about how it reads and your thoughts but I'll hunt down those verses and see what I think before I dive in :) Thank you for the video!

Last year at 50 I read The Iliad and Odyssey for the first time by Rieu (prose - Penguin) and was hooked, very easy to follow the story. I then read Fagles’ and Pope’s translations of The Iliad. Both are wonderful - but I would recommend being familiar with the story before reading Pope’s. Saying that Pope’s is my favourite. Will be reading Fagles’ Odyssey and Aeneid soon.

A year late to the party, but I played along as you suggested and ranked all of the excerpts on an A-F scale prior to the translator being revealed. Full disclaimer, I’ve never read Homer and found this video while searching this topic exactly. Here were my results: A - Lombardo B - Fagles, Wilson, Butler C - Murray, Lattimore D - N/A F - Pope, Chapman

My rankings after the video: George Chapman Alexander Pope Samuel Butler Lombardo Fagles Wilson Lattimore Murray Thanks for recommending Logue. Seems Interesting!

Funnily enough, I just purchased (and received) the Emily Wilson translation today! Now, I'm even more excited to read it, and I may have purchase her translation of The Iliad next

Another great video, Ben. Really appreciate the depth and difference in your videos and am really happy to see your channel starting to blow up. Definitely well-deserved. I did a re-reading of Hamlet last week using your advice for synoptic analysis and found it really great. I actually filled out nearly forty pages of notes. I was wondering, would you consider making a video on how to read Homer properly? I have the Chapman and the Butler translations in my possession and think I prefer the latter for sure, though I can appreciate the vision of the former. Thanks in advance mate!

I just bought the Fitzgerald version in Vintage classics. it's very readable and has few if any awkward constructions!

The Wilson version sounds like a BBC newsreader on prozac. Try the TE Lawrence translation instead. It’s written by a real adventurer and leader of men.

Thanks a lot for the video. I've spent the past few days looking for the 'best' translation of the Iliad and sampling various versions and reading a ton of stuff online but then got linked to this video and it's helped a lot, especially your introductions. So I did as you asked and tried clearing my mind and ended up quite liking the Fagles version, seemed to flow nicely and was quite understandable. Wilson's was my next favourite and a serious candidate but I wanna read the Iliad now not wait another year! Maybe I'll read hers in the future though. I thought Lombardo's was quite nice as well. Lattimore was mid-tier for me as I found it a bit stuffy and awkward. Pope and Chapman are just too old fashioned for my tastes, I thought Butler was kinda inbetween Lattimore and the older guys but not too keen on a prose translation really. So I've gone with the Fagles. I was actually a bit biased against him thanks to reading arguments against him the past few days and I think reading the samples with that in mind also influenced things, but your readings made me a fan. I actually read some large chunks of the Odyssey a couple of decades ago when I was doing my A levels, the E.V. Rieu translation which I found quite dull and probably put me off reading any more Homer until recently. Thanks again.

Ben: Wonderful! This is so helpful. I’ve never read Homer - followed your suggestion (listen, then rank before the reveal - from 1 least fav to 5 most fav) … result: no 1’s & no 5’s / 2’s - Pope / 3’s Latimore, Chapman, Murray / 3.5 Butler / 4’s Fagel,, Lombardo, Emily Wilson … clearly, the more recent translations seemed more attractive and readable to me, than the earlier translations - and it’s one of those I’ll choose to read.

While I truly appreciate the Fagles translation, Robert Fitzgerald’s translation is my go-to for Homer. I absolutely love his interpretation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks! It really helped me decide.

I have had EV rieu's translation for the past 5 years but i wasnt able to push 10 pages as i was feeling soo intimidated. I loved the richmond 1951 translation. I realised i loved the poetic verse, in archaic. I loved the wordsworth one too! Watching the video again Fagle's sound beautiful now.

My top 4 Odyssey's are 1. Edward McCrorie, my favorite overall 2. Richmond Lattimore, closest to the original and 3. Robert Fitzgerald, by far the most beautifully poetic and 4. Lombardo for the most striking and modern. For a prose translation I like the Murray (Dimock revised, 2nd edition (1995)) in the Loeb library. I would definitely stay away from the 1919 Murray original version which is much too archaic. I am a little surprised about the Butler recommendation with it's Romanized god names.

I have never read Homer and enjoyed taking part in the little bit of ranking fun:- A - Stanley Lombardo B - A.T. Murray, Emily Wilson, Samuel Butler C - Robert Fagles D - Alexander Pope E - George Chapman F - Richmond Lattimore

Having tried numerous translations of Homer's Odyssey over the years, here would be my definitive ranking: 1.) Emily Wilson's Odyssey: Revolutionary, bold and gives a brand new perspective to the text. Takes a lot of risks with its interpretation of the original Greek and to great effect. Best experienced after having read a more 'traditional' translation. 2.) Robert Fitzgerald's Odyssey: The best traditional translation out there. A sublime verse rendition. Flows seamlessly; a bit difficult, but not too flowery. My recommendation for a first deep read-through of The Odyssey. 3.) Stanley Lombardo's Odyssey: The best balance between an accessible (Robert Fagles) and a scholarly (Fitzgerald) translation. Great for a casual first read. Whatever you do, don't pick up the Lattimore translation for the Odyssey. While his Iliad is second to none, he somehow does not understand the ethos of The Odyssey at all, in my opinion. Either way, whatever translation you pick, Homer's Odyssey is definitely one work you absolutely must read at least once during your lifetime. Happy Reading! :)

Oh Fagles and Wilson - equally amazing for very different reasons. Like you, it would be all about need/mood/accessibility. Tempted much 💕 Sharon x x

Please do this with lots of other classics with the translations. Super helpful ❤ I want to figure out if I would like Fitzgerald, because he is recommended so often along with fagle. I liked fagle here the best.

Sorry, I'm commenting on the Iliad because I don't think you have a video about Iliad translations! I just got the Fagels and I'm in book 9. My only previous experience is with the Lattimore. Fagles is so much easier to read and understand! It's very exciting. Just having titles for the chapters and spaces between some of the long blocks of text is helpful in itself. It just bugs me every once in a while with phrases where Fagles seems to consciously choose the lamer word to avoid using a famous word that Lattimore used. Specifically, in the repeated line about people dying with their armor falling loudly on them, Fagles would rather poke out is eyes with burning sticks than use Lattimore's "clattered," choosing instead to use a variety of less appropriate words like "rang" or "clanged." It's a very minor point...but I'm just stuck on "clattered." I can see also that Lattimore probably got closer to the rhythm of the Greek lines. I loved the sound of the Samuel Butler excerpts in this video, but wish he hadn't used the Latin names like Jove. I don't know why those rub me the wrong way so much. The names themselves just sound...weaker...than the Greek names. If you do a translation video for the Iliad I'm curious what you think of Pope's translation. I saw a comment saying that his translation of the Iliad is much better than his Odyssey. Bernard Knox even said it's "the finest ever made..."

My top 3: Robert Fagles, Alexander Pope, and Samuel Butlers. Reasoning: I liked Robert Fagles' translation for how direct and detailed it was. I enjoyed listening to Alexander Pope's translation because of how it flowed, its floweriness, and I found it easier to understand compared to Richmond Lattimore's translation. I found that out of all the prose version Samuel Butlers' translation was the best. It felt story like and it was quite gripping. However, I didn't like the visual layout of each page. I disliked how each page was made up of 2 columns. Which one will I buy? Realistically speaking I'll probably start off with either Robert Fagles or Samuel Butlers (leaning towards Robert Fagles). If I really like it I'll grab Alexander Pope's version. I'd like to start off with Alexander Pope's but I feel that I won't read it until I "feel" like reading poetry. I wrote some notes to so I'ma just add them to the comment cause why not 1 - no - 1951 Richmond Lattimore No, its difficult to understand. Archaic language. I am not smart enough to bother with this. 2 - 1990 Robert Fagles I like it more than the option 1 because it’s direct and detailed, but I feel that its not being told like its supposed to be. Easy to understand and clear. Honestly, I feel dumb for liking it. I can see why it's the most popular version. 3 - Alexander Pope 1713-1720 Hard to understand compared to 2 but easier to understand compared to 1. Really nice to listen to. 4 - George Chapman 1598-1616 Not bad. First verse was nice compared to 3. I’d say 3 was lightly nicer. I didn’t like second verse. Doesn’t flow as beautifully as 3. 5 - Christopher Logue 1959-2016 I don’t like its modernistic approach 6 - A. T. Murray 1919 Its closer to 2 in how direct and understandable it is. It also feels a bit more modern compared to both 2 and 3. More story like than 3 but less direct than 2. Sounds like someone is telling me a story. It’s a prose and not poetry. That’s why it felt so odd and different. I like it but not as much as 2 and 3. I will never learn greek but I can appreciate that it has the original alongside the prose for learning purposes. 7 - Stanley Lombardo 1997 & 200 Again very story like. Not poetic but detailed. Sometimes feels like a friend reciting a story more so than 6 and goes back and forth. More conversational. Tuber said its meant to be orally spoken. Makes sense. I understand why people may like this 8 - Samuel Butlers 1898 & 1900 Detailed and again feels more conversational and story like. I like it more than 7. Feels more like reading than someone speaking to you. I didn’t like the visual layout of the paragraphs. 2 columns ain't it. Probably the best prose version. 9 - Emily Wilson 2018 I didn’t like the first prose. But the second prose was nice. This like the last 3 translations had more names like Telemachus in the text. I assume they have more details.

A truly fantastic video!! And one I knew I’d find on your channel as I am looking to reading The Odyssey again soon, and finally The Iliad. I am pretty shocked that to me, after hearing you read Lattimore, hearing Fagle was not as pretty to my ears. But then Fagle sounded much more poetic and interesting and beautiful compared to Wilson. I thought I’d chomp at the bit and was waiting to just enjoy Fagle’s translation as it seems to be so popular. But alas, it is 3rd to last on my list bar Wilson & Pope. My favorites, from these excerpts which I’ll have to choose one to reread with purpose are: Butler-though reading Jove as opposed to Zeus was a bit distracting. Murray - though I’m not sure I want the original translation to distract me from the story I’m reading. Lattimore is just gorgeous. And Lombardo which is also beautiful and seems to be equally accessible as well as poetic. Wilson-not poetic to me personally after hearing the others. So all of this to say that I’ll probably buy the beautiful copies of Lombardo to start and then as well look into Butler, Lattimore and even Murray when I want to study it more after enjoying it again. I read the Odyssey in school and loved it but I don’t know which translation. What a phenomenal guide you have given here Ben. In the few months of watching your videos over and over, taking notes, learning to marginalize, learning to sit quietly without distraction while I listen to your lectures through the book club, having now added War & Peace, A Tale of Two Cities and picking up Middlemarch I can’t thank you enough. It’s medicinal to my ADHD, and anxiety from the pressures of school as I can get a bit OCD about deadlines and my assignments. I have referred to you as Dr Ben to my husband. 😊Thank you so much!!

Lattimore, of course then a few years ago I reread the "new' Fagles. When I get up a certain head of steam again, I plan to reread the Wilson. After that, who knows?

I'm looking for a good translation of the Odyssey, so this was very helpful. Fagles (translation 2) sounds both ancient and easy to grasp at the same time, which was probably why I liked his version of the Iliad (read it years ago). I think I would land on his translation again. Speaking of the Iliad, have you read Stephen Mitchell's version?