# Recomendation for a translation of Homer's The Odyssey from prior to the 1940s?

**URL:** <https://briarfray.org/t/recomendation-for-a-translation-of-homers-the-odyssey-from-prior-to-the-1940s/924>\
**Category:** The Arts\
**Created:** [July 14, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://briarfray.org/t/recomendation-for-a-translation-of-homers-the-odyssey-from-prior-to-the-1940s/924 "2026-07-14T16:18:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LostSaxon](https://briarfray.org/user_avatar/briarfray.org/lostsaxon/32/778_2.png) [@LostSaxon](https://briarfray.org/u/LostSaxon)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://briarfray.org/t/recomendation-for-a-translation-of-homers-the-odyssey-from-prior-to-the-1940s/924/1 "2026-07-14T16:18:42Z")

</div>

Trying to find a good translation of the Odyssey from before the age of Academic Revision. Especially in lieu of their using historical revisionism through Hollywood movies, but I have also been reading of parallels of the Phaeacians described in the Odyssey and the Frisians described in the Oera Linda Book, and I think I’d like to have a reliable translation on my shelf to reference.

I’ve read it before a long time ago, but I don’t recall being as mindful of translations at the time, so I would hopefully like to locate a translation I can rely on more steadily.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Phineas](https://briarfray.org/user_avatar/briarfray.org/phineas/32/769_2.png) [@Phineas](https://briarfray.org/u/Phineas)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://briarfray.org/t/recomendation-for-a-translation-of-homers-the-odyssey-from-prior-to-the-1940s/924/2 "2026-07-15T22:20:21Z")

</div>

W. H. D. Rouse translated Homer in the 1930s. That’s the translation Penguin Classics use for their prose translation years ago; now they use the Robert Fagles verse translation, which I like for its sound, regardless of its accuracy. The Rouse translation is available on Amazon from various publishers. I’m no expert on translations , but I get your rule of thumb that older is often better.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LostSaxon](https://briarfray.org/user_avatar/briarfray.org/lostsaxon/32/778_2.png) [@LostSaxon](https://briarfray.org/u/LostSaxon)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://briarfray.org/t/recomendation-for-a-translation-of-homers-the-odyssey-from-prior-to-the-1940s/924/3 "2026-07-15T23:51:40Z")

</div>

Thanks for the recs.  
I read the Samuel Butler translation some time ago, though I don’t recall it being bad, and I especially like the Odyssey, I just wasn’t as mindful of academic revision back then so I wasn’t on the look out for it when reading that translation.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alexander\_Of\_Brown](https://briarfray.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/212922/32.png) [@Alexander\_Of\_Brown](https://briarfray.org/u/Alexander_Of_Brown)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 4:55am UTC](https://briarfray.org/t/recomendation-for-a-translation-of-homers-the-odyssey-from-prior-to-the-1940s/924/4 "2026-10-18T04:55:31Z")

</div>

te lawrence

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![johnnymcivor](https://briarfray.org/user_avatar/briarfray.org/johnnymcivor/32/6_2.png) [@johnnymcivor](https://briarfray.org/u/johnnymcivor)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 4:55am UTC](https://briarfray.org/t/recomendation-for-a-translation-of-homers-the-odyssey-from-prior-to-the-1940s/924/5 "2026-10-18T04:55:58Z")

</div>

Hi, welcome to Briar Fray : )

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alexander\_Of\_Brown](https://briarfray.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/212922/32.png) [@Alexander\_Of\_Brown](https://briarfray.org/u/Alexander_Of_Brown)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 4:56am UTC](https://briarfray.org/t/recomendation-for-a-translation-of-homers-the-odyssey-from-prior-to-the-1940s/924/6 "2026-10-18T04:56:43Z")

</div>

Thank you sir