Horace, the Odes: New Translations by Contemporary Poets

by Ferry David, Horatius, James Michie, et al.

Book Overview

They have inspired poets and challenged translators through the centuries. The odes of Horace are the cornerstone of lyric poetry in the Western world. Their subtlety of tone and brilliance of technique have often proved elusive, especially when--as has usually been the case--a single translator ventures to maneuver through Horace's infinite variety. Now for the first time, leading poets from America, England, and Ireland have collaborated to bring...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 069104919X
• ISBN13: 9780691049199
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Original not a translation

Introduction and commentary are in English but the Odes themselves are in the original so unless you read Latin or want to learn, get another edition

Marvellous collection

This collection of creative translations by some of the best of contempory poets is marvellous. For those of us who are somewhat Latin-challenged, the Latin on facing pages is very helpful.

Just wonderful

If you love poetry, treat yourself to this spelendid collection. Horace's Latin is too difficult for most of us whose high school education is distant. These translations are never less than readable and often beautiful. This may be a book that reminds us of why Horace has been read and loved for two thousand years.

Best available English translation

Of the various translations of Horace's Odes into English, this is the best I have found. The translations stay close to the literal meaning and sequence of the originals, yet are rendered into English poetry (not a prose crib.) Horace is a frequently complicated, dense poet, so the translations are often rather complicated and dense. A reasonable number of explanatory notes are provided in the back. My main reason for withholding a fifth star is the cheapness of the physical presentation: in order to save space, the poems are run together rather than being presented on separate pages, and the typeface is small.

Horace in the "Chaotic Age"

This is one of the finest translations of Horace ever compiled, all done by modern poets. Each translation seem done with care, more for the spirit of the poem than its transliterative meaning. The method of approaching Horace, by distributing the odes among some forty poets, keeps the timeless beauty of his poetry fresh. This is also a bilingual edition of Horace, which is an indispensable condition. Harold Bloom concurs that this is the best English translation of Horace's Odes.

Uncommon Poems of the Commonplace

No doubt that a command of Greek and Roman mythology adds immeasurably to the enjoyment of Horace's Odes but in many cases the context explains the reference. Horace's commonplace themes are deeply imbedded in our culture and he illuminates them with uncommon insight and poetry: love is cruel, seize the day, greed wants more, death equalizes, happy the one who wants nothing, don't be beguiled by past success, luck changes, accept your place, beauty fades, death comes, money can't buy peace, a friend is our other half. I love Horace the man, the Odes and the Ferry translation which brings a contemporary idiom to the poems without seeming contrived.