George Chapman's translations of Homer are
among the most famous in the English language. Keats
immortalized the work of the Renaissance dramatist and
poet in the sonnet "On First Looking into Chapman's
Homer." Swinburne praised the translations for their
"romantic and sometimes barbaric grandeur," their
"freshness, strength, and inextinguishable fire." The
great critic George Saintsbury (1
[zasłonięte]845-19) wrote: "For
more than two centuries they were the resort of all who,
unable to read Greek, wished to know what Greek was.
Chapman is far nearer Homer than any modern translator
in any modern language." This volume presents the
original text of Chapman's translation of the
Odyssey (1614-15), making only a small number of
modifications to punctuation and wording where they
might confuse the modern reader. The editor, Allardyce
Nicoll, provides an introduction, textual notes, a
glossary, and a commentary. Garry Wills's preface to the
Odyssey explores how Chapman's less strained
meter lets him achieve more delicate poetic effects as
compared to the
Iliad. Wills also examines
Chapman's "fine touch" in translating "the warm and
human sense of comedy" in the
Odyssey.
Oft of one wide expanse had I been
told
That deep-browed Homer ruled as his
demesne;
Yet did I never breathe its pure
serene
Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and
bold.
--John Keats