Impressions on the Odyssey

Although I do not remember terribly much about it, I had to read Homer's first story, the Iliad, back in college.  I do remember it being a chore to read, and I also remember not enjoying the assignment.  It is seldom that one enjoys a book that that one is forced to read, especially an epic poem.  I sometimes wish that I had been more patient with those assigned reading tasks and tried to take away something from the experience.  (Then again, I had a never-ending stream of assignments so I'm surprised I remember anything at all.)  Well, now that I am older and have no actual essays or tests, I can take more time with such books.  Now, having tackled the Odyssey at the time and translation of my choosing, I have found my experience with Homer's works much more gratifying.

First, I should say that the story was much different than I imagined.  I went into the book thinking that it was going to deal heavily with Odysseus's trials and tribulations in the classic tradition of Jason and the Argonauts or, perhaps, the Arabic tales of Sinbad.  Not that I would've disliked an epic Greek adventure tale, I discovered that this was a little deeper than a mere adventure yarn and deals more heavily with the sorrows of Odysseus's curse and his grave desire to get home.  Until near the end, there are no exciting battles or camaraderie in heroic fashion.  The battles are always one-sided and against him, every fight is one of desperation and survival.  His crew are only loyal to him as long as it is convenient for them to be, ready to go against his commands at the first discomfort.  The gods are quite literally against him.  They mean for him to survive but to also endure a punishment on an epic scale, only Athena is permitted or has any real desire to aid his venture home.  Another pleasant surprise was that when there was action or violence, the story did not gloss over with implications or metaphors. The details of the deaths were, at times, quite grisly such as when Polyphemus dashed two sailors' brains and blood on the cave floor.

If you have any wonder as to what would set flowing the tears a legendary Greek warrior-king, only picture a man loyal to his family having just struggled through a harrowing ten-year war at Troy only to be cursed by Poseidon to be stripped of his ship and sailors and be forced to travel home for another ten years by the aid of others and to be hounded by beasts and trickster goddesses the entire time. Imagine not seeing your wife or child for twenty years and every attempt home ending in disaster.  Seers are constantly telling you that not only will your journey be longer and more harrowing than you can imagine but also that while you are waylaid your own countrymen attempt to court your wife, try to kill your only son, and presently devour your wealth and goods.  But Odysseus does endure.  He survives on his wits, his love of his family, his deep desire of revenge, and more than anything, the continuing favor of his patron-goddess, Pallas-Athena.

In regards to this particular translation, I felt that it helped make the poem easier to read and easier to enjoy.  Comparing it to another translation from the 1950's that I had on hand, I felt that the verse flowed better for the most part.  By removing some of the wordiness of the literal translation and reducing to meaningful but comfortable sentences, I felt the translator helped maintain the pace of the poem.  I did not, however, enjoy the occasional use of colloquialisms which made some of the verse seem out of place or anachronistic.  I did not feel that they were incorrect or shy of the point, they, to me, seemed more of a hiccup or a speed-bump in the prose.