Review (PDF) Odes: With The Latin Text (Modern Library Classics)
Timeless meditations on the subjects of wine, parties, birthdays, love, and friendship, Horace’s Odes, in the words of classicist Donald Carne-Ross, make the “commonplace notable, even luminous.” This edition reproduces the highly lauded translation by James Michie. “For almost forty years,” poet and literary critic John Hollander notes, “James Michie’s brilliant translations of Horace have remained fresh as well as strong, and responsive to the varying lights and darks of the originals. It is a pleasure to have them newly available.”
Series: Modern Library Classics
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Modern Library; 2001 edition (February 12, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375759026
ISBN-13: 978-0375759024
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #567,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #57 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Regional & Cultural > European > Italian #519 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval > Ancient & Classical #1738 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Themes & Styles
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.
The translation is Horace Odes is wonderful. It's just the problem with the kindle edition. After turning a few pages the Latin text and their English translation begin to mingle and mix together (e.g. first half of the same poem is Latin and then the second half is English Translation)! I think the publisher should fix the problem first!
Horace's Odes are a great paean to Humanity. What does it mean to live deeply as a civilised human being? The answers were gleaned long ago by the son of an ex-slave: to love and be loved; to enjoy fine wine in good company; to laugh at fools and their knavery; to treasure the transience of life; to learn, laugh and cry. Truly, there is a time for everything under the sun, accompanied by a time-wearied drop of Falernian.It was no wonder that Auden was attracted to Horace's Odes - and at the same, so deterred by the mastery of Michie's translation that he elected not to try his own hand: kindred spirits are in play. Alas, my Latin has rusted away - but the sheer mastery of James Michie is indisputable. Magic abounds in every phrase. Book Three in particular coruscates with wisdom, be it from the translator or the poet.Horace's Odes will deepen out your soul like a dredger. Short of the original, this is the version to have.
The problem that was originally pointed out by the other reviewer two years ago has not been fixed. The Latin text suddenly switches into English for no reason and then back into Latin. Also, there is no way to make the pages show the Latin and English texts side-by-side, which defeats the purpose of a facing translation. I admire the verse translation and rhyming lines but unfortunately the aforementioned problem ruins the whole reading experience of this edition.
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