Translation

Homer's Odysses

Author
Original Work
Translator
Language
Year
c. 1614-1615
Country
United Kingdom

Homer's Odysses is an English translation of Homer's Odyssey by writer George Chapman. It was published around 1614 to 1615. It is widely known as the first complete translation of the poem into the English language.

Chapman spent twenty-six years translating works traditionally attributed to Homer. His complete Iliad was released in 1611, written in rhyming fourteeners. For Odyssey, he changed the blank verse and dactylic hexameter of the original Homeric Greek to rhyming couplets of iambic pentameter, establishing a new standard for translations of Greek and Latin hexameter.

Chapman said he was inspired by the ghost of Homer. His translation is discussed within the historical context of the Elizabethan era and is seen to characterise Odysseus as a Christian hero. -- Wikipedia

Press Reviews

  • The Guardianby Nicholas Lezar · Nov 2011
    <p>Nicholas Lezard stands up for George Chapman's poetic translation of The Odyssey</p>

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