Best English Translation Homer. I d guess from this translation that fitzgerald s is perhaps more literal. Richmond lattimore s translation is the most literal of the three translations we are considering.
I ve only read two of the translations and i can tell you that fagles is the shit. Chapman s verse is in rhymed iambic pentameter da dum da dum da dum da dum da dum typical of the elizabethans and is quite creative if not always faithful. Many consider it the greatest english iliad and one of the greatest translations of any work into english.
Robert fagles has the translation that reads the best in english while still preserving the poetic rhythm of the greek latin.
Many consider it the greatest english iliad and one of the greatest translations of any work into english. It manages to convey not only the stateliness and grandeur of homer s lines but their. But that is not the subject of today s discussion. How to choose the best translatio n of the ilia d revealing the quality and fidelity compared to homer s greek.