He was always a great admirer of Homer (Butler's heroes were few, and included Shakespeare and Handel. Almost everyone else he despised), and towards the end of his life became convinced that the writing was that of a woman. He wrote a popular translation of The Iliad in 1898, another of The Odyssey in 1900, and before that a book called The Authoress of the Odyssey in 1897.
And an
example
of Butler.
hhmmm....
ID- The phrase 'Bite the dust' seems modern but has it's origins in the mid 19C, at least according to the Slang dictionary. Perhaps they never read Butler's translation!!
It became popular again in the 1980's, hence why it 'seems' modern. Words and phrases are recycled and reinvented all the time, much like fashion
Mummpizz- Being that Butler comes from a MUCH earlier generation, perhaps my trouble is a 'generation gap' in communication.
I do not contest that fact that this piece is a classic (how arrogant THAT would be.
) I am merely curious about the translation and whether there are others out there that folks have found favorable.
In looking farther into it- Butler's name does seem to come up often in reference to translation of the Iliad and Odyssey. It may be a matter of literary taste (my own personal), it may also be a style of writing that , following the oral tradition, had repetitive phrasing that the listener, or reader could better relate to.
I am wondering though- the copy I have is written in typical novel story format and my husband mentioned that the German translation was phrased differently, more 'prosaic'? (somewhat, I imagine, written in a style like the link above- but I can't seem to find a German example.
) What style of translations have you come across? (To me, in reading a piece, this makes a world of difference.)