COME DANCE WITH HOMER!
In this metrically beautiful translation
While I posted a review which compares Fagles’ Odyssey with Solot’s, what follows here is a critique of Solot’s. See below, comment, and download a copy for only $2.99!
How does one sum up succinctly their feelings after reading Homer’s Odyssey? The task is daunting to say the least. I have been fortunate to stumble upon the newest version, Solot’s translation, through SCP. Solot’s is available in paperback and on Kindle. It includes supplementary materials, such as maps and a pronunciation dictionary (with details about each character), as well as a helpful note at the end called Reading the Rhythm. (Though I would have preferred it at the beginning of the text, rather than after, as many readers (such as myself) most likely would have found that useful before diving in. One of the advantages of reading The Odyssey on Kindle is that, if you are curious about how certain places and names are pronounced and would like more than simply attempting to do so yourself, the audio feature is a helpful tool.
Further, Kindle allowed me to highlight passages and make notes. While one could do so in a hard copy with an abundance of sticky notes, I find this cumbersome and worry that it might damage the print after removal, lifting ink off the page. All these things, though, are minor features, and vary given taste and what you, as a reader, appreciate or wish to negate. (thinking that it would detract from the enjoyment therein). I postulate that no matter which translation or device you use, the purpose should be to make the most of it, and with that, dive in.
I began this, admittedly, with some trepidation, since it is Homer and one of the few classics I did not read in high school, though we did venture into The Canterbury Tales and Beowulf. I was delighted to find that the SCP translation contains stanzas that feel and sound metrical to the ear, and as their note Reading the Rhythm suggests, one can read it naturally, and still hear the stresses as one moves along, without pausing to ensure you do. As evidenced here in Book 19, page 315, where Odysseus relays the story of Pheidon, king of Thesprotia
Doulichion.
Still, I did see the riches Odysseus left for safekeeping,
Enough for his son and grandson- ten generations-
In the following passage from Book 20, page 337, Theoclymenus berates the suitors, drawing their attention to the carnage before them. Solot’s translation says
Swarming and scurrying down through the murk to the Gloom
Where the sun is no more— a place of pure darkness, and doom.”
While reading Solot’s translation, it was evident that sometimes in their effort to make it easily digestible, it would lapse into modern terms such as ‘wifey’, ‘ain’t.’ and even ‘I’m just not that impressed’, which have the unfortunate effect of pulling the reader’s attention away from the text, even if it does not require the reader to seek outside sources for understanding. This is a shame, because for the most part, Solot’s is for poetry lovers and for those familiar with epics, as it heralds the earlier efforts of bards, who composed their work to be sung, rather than read. However, one can make the argument that poetry, and especially epic poetry, has survived only through the oral tradition, which in the case of Homer is abundantly clear. If, as is thought, Homer was blind, he would have needed a scribe to write the text down, but if it was never written, and Homer himself was illiterate, then the only feasible way for the work to be passed along would have been through recitation. Taking this into account, it is also more than likely that as time passed, each generation added its own flavor to it, while the story remained, for the most part, the same. If we take the view that this was the case, then the use of words such as ‘wifey’, ‘aint’, and so on can be forgiven as textual additions that enhance the narrative rather than detract from it.
Another key element of the SCP translation is Aedan Kennedy’s illustrations, which pull you deeper into the times, that of ancient Greece, enhancing your experience while aiding comprehension (as is the case with the deaths of the duplicitous handmaidens, seeing how they were killed rather than just trying to picture it in your mind). These plates are beautifully drawn, reflecting the narrative in a way that never diminishes it but only deepens our understanding.
One thing to keep in mind is that a film version of the poem is set to arrive on July 17th of this year, which will hopefully boost the sales of SCP’s version. While that is good, I am wary of adapting any work, especially an epic poem, for film. The risks (from casting) Matt Damon who is Odysseus really does not seem appropriate given his very Nordic appearance, or the fact that it is directed and written by Chris Nolan, more known for super hero movies such Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Rises, Justice League and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (or that anytime you endeavour such a project, you will automatically run up against critics of from both the scholarly world and the general public), and as a result lose in terms of narrative, and depth.
The upside, though, is that more people may put aside inherent biases toward poetry and purchase this newest translation to see what all the fuss is about. If that happens, I am all for it, for anything that lifts poetry is a good thing. We need more beauty, more light, and definitely more poetry in the world, which can serve as a beacon to inspire, guide, and encourage all of those things within ourselves.