Ebook: The Odyssey

Rodney Merrill's poetic rendering of the Odyssey is superlative. It's greatest value over against all other translations lies in its dedication to the *ancient meter* (replacing Greek length with English stress). Read this easily understood, clear, illuminating version out loud and you will feel the entrancing poetry produced by careful attention given by Merrill to the rhythmic, metric elements of Greek epic and to historical accuracy. I had studied the Odyssey and read it in ancient Greek over the period of a semester's study and a year's reading. After sludging through Lattimore and Fagles, I turned to Humphries, who was much better than the other two, with a true sense of rhythm and no *embarassingly anachronistic* words or turns of phrase. But at a special reading at CSU San Francisco, I was able to hear Merrill speak, read some passages and compare texts. I immediately noted a much higher passion for and knowledge of the work itself in his translation, the choices that he made in words and paraphrases. Note: all translations paraphrase drastically because English is so different from Homeric Greek. Rodney, however, does it *well*. See if you can find the paperback version from Michigan University press. The hardcover is nice, but out of most students' and poetry-lovers' price-range. The paperback is available and affordable.