Thank you, Peter Bryant for the excellent advice and the citations. Although I do already own the Loeb edition of Statius, I enjoyed your insight and recommendations. Will rush out and pick up Melville's splendid translation. Enjoyed your including excerpts of each work.
Yours etc., bodywhomp98 aka Scott F. Pierce ---Peter Bryant <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Scott Pierce wrote: > >I loved receiving Statius, in Latin no > > less! When I tried to special order the Thebaid from a bookstore a > > yr. or so ago, I got a "WHO?" And it's Statius, not STASHIUS. > > Dear Scott, > > I know of three English translations of the "Thebaid" of > Statius,or Stazio, if you prefer Dante's form of the name. To sweeten an > otherwise prosaic posting about "Thebaid" translations, I thought it > would be of interest to all the Mantovani, if I gave a sample of each of > these translations. > > Firstly here is the Latin again (with a few minor typing errors > corrected. Mercury is returning from the underworld, where he had been > sent to fetch the ghost of Laius, in order to incite Eteocles to war > with his brother Polynices. > > "Interea gelidis Maia satus > aliger umbris > iussa gerens magni remeat > Iovis; undique pigrae > ire vetant nubes et turbidus > implicat aer, > nec zephyri rapuere gradum, > sed foeda silentis > aura poli. Styx inde novem > circumflua campis, > hinc obiecta vias torrentum > incendia cludunt." > > > > > > > > "Thebaid" > II.1-6 > > > The first full English translation of > the "Thebaid", in heroic > couplets, was made by W[illiam] L[illington] Lewis in 1766. [Alexander > Pope had translated the first book into heroic couplets in 1703. This > was published in 1712.] I have an edition from 1815, where it appeared > in one volume with Francis's Horace and Garth's Ovid. > > > "Now Hermes, fraught with the > commands of Jove, > With wings expanded > seeks the realms above: > Black mists surround > him, and impervious night > Checks his bold > progress, and controuls[sic] his flight: > No zephyrs waft him > o'er the realms below, > But still and noisome > gales --- on one side,flow > The branching streams > of Styx in calm repose, > On t'other, fiery lakes > his way oppose." > > > > The second is in the Loeb Classical Library, > published by Harvard > University Press, and contains the complete works of Statius in Latin > with a facing English prose translation by J.H.Mozley. My copy was > published in 1928.It is in two volumes hardback. The first four books of > the "Thebaid" are in volume 1, the remainder are in volume 2. > > "Meanwhile the winged son of Maia returns from the cold shades, > fulfilling the errand of great Jove; on every side sluggish clouds > hinder his way and misty air enfolds him, no Zephyrs wafted his course, > but the foul vapours of the silent world. On this side Styx encircling > its nine regions, on that a barrier of fiery torrents encloses his > path." > > The third is the "Thebaid" translated into English"blank verse, varied > and enhanced by an occasional rhyming couplet"(p.xlvi) by A.D.Melville, > and published in the World's Classics series in 1995 by Oxford > University Press.(It also has a good up to date introduction by > D.W.T.Vessey.)This is a paperback and thus would be cheaper than the > Loeb volumes. > > "Meanwhile from Hell's > cold shades the winged son > Of Maia makes > his way as mighty Jove > Commanded. All > around the heavy clouds > Forbid his > passage and the murky air > Envelops him. > No zephyr speeds his steps, > Only foul > vapour of the silent world. > On this side > Styx's ninefold circling stream > Confines his course. > On that a barrier > Of fiery > torrents." > > > Apparently there are only four full translations of the > "Thebaid" in > English known to A.D. Melville, so I am gratified at owning three out of > the four! The fourth translation, by J.B. Poynton, was published about > 1955. Poynton rendered the Latin into Spenserian stanzas. > > > I hope that this has been of use and interest. > > Peter JVD Bryant > merriweb.com.au > Perth > Western Australia > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. > Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message > "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You > can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub > _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
