In Elpenor’s Lessons in Ancient Greek I translate only a few verses; even there one can affirm what A. Lang’s says, that Homer can not be translated.
My translation can be called philosophical, caring mainly for the meaning in as deeper dimensions as I would be able to understand, and in the presentation of this meaning in a language that would keep something of the original’s service to the meaning. Even if we agree that those few verses found a translation adequate according to these criteria – still it is not Homer, it lacks the musical qualities of the original. It can be used by the student of Greek as a way of noticing crucial details, necessary to understand the original, helping him to enjoy better the original, but as a stand-alone translation I think that it could still be called erroneous. My advice to anyone who might wish to read Homer is A. Lang’s advice: Learn Greek!.
rey
I think you should try your hand at translating it anyway, because you’ll do a better job than all your predecessors.
Ellopos Blog
In Elpenor’s Lessons in Ancient Greek I translate only a few verses; even there one can affirm what A. Lang’s says, that Homer can not be translated.
My translation can be called philosophical, caring mainly for the meaning in as deeper dimensions as I would be able to understand, and in the presentation of this meaning in a language that would keep something of the original’s service to the meaning. Even if we agree that those few verses found a translation adequate according to these criteria – still it is not Homer, it lacks the musical qualities of the original. It can be used by the student of Greek as a way of noticing crucial details, necessary to understand the original, helping him to enjoy better the original, but as a stand-alone translation I think that it could still be called erroneous. My advice to anyone who might wish to read Homer is A. Lang’s advice: Learn Greek!.