Description
Book SynopsisHorace's
Odes enjoys a long tradition of translation into English, most famously in versions that seek to replicate the quantitative rhythms of the Latin verse in rhymed quatrains. Stanley Lombardo, one of our preeminent translators of classical literature, now gives us a Horace for our own day that focuses on the dynamics, sense, and tone of the
Odes, while still respecting its architectonic qualities.
In addition to notes on each of the odes, Anthony Corbeill offers an Introduction that sketches the poet's tumultuous political and literary careers, highlights the
Odes' intricate construction and thematic breadth, and identifies some qualities of this work that shed light on a disputed question in its reception: Are these poems or lyrics?
This dual-language edition will prove a boon to students of classical civilization, Roman literature, and lovers of one of the great masters of Latin verse.
Trade Review"Yet again, Stanley Lombardo has produced a superb translation, this time of the
Odes of Horace. The greatest virtue of his translation is that he represents the stanzas of Horace’s lyric stanzas with his own poetic version, closely hewing to the stanzas of the Horatian original. The translation, with the Latin text facing—the first time he has given us the original language in a translation from classical antiquity—will instantly become the go-to text for courses in translation and will also be a resource for anyone interested in Rome’s greatest lyric poet."
—Richard F. Thomas, George Martin Lane Professor of the Classics, Harvard University
