Free Ancient Poetry Translated: Poetry in Translation
If you want to read ancient poetry translated, you don’t need to go to the library (although that’s a good idea!). Poetry in Translationoffers an assortment of primary texts available for everyone.
Who it's For:
This is an excellent resource for older readers. Primary texts can be difficult for the young, so this is better for upper middle school and older. I also used them in my college courses as the “required texts” to keep textbook costs down.
Cost:
Free for non-commercial purposes. You can check their copyright statement if you have a particular use case in mind.
In Detail:
Countless Famous and Obscure Works of Ancient Poetry Translated
It’s here.
Homer, Ovid, Lucretius — a long list of poetry in Ancient Greek and Latin to give readers easy and free access to primary sources. It isn’t everything — the Greek tragedians are noticeably absent, as this site parted ways from another translation site, but Latin is better represented.
And it isn’t just online. Click a couple of buttons, and you’ll have a digital copy of De Rerum Natura in a convenient file.
Pro: Endless List of Modern to Ancient Poetry Translated for Selection
And it’s not just Greek literature and Latin epigrams (or epic, or poems of any genre).
There are works in other languages, too, which is not relevant to Teach Yourself Classics per se, but would be useful for homeschoolers and autodidacts.
Con: Ancient Poetry Translated but Not Always Explained
There are some secondary essays — one example is an essay on Vergil’s Aeneid — but you shouldn’t expect there to be secondary research on your topic of interest.
Also, the people behind the translations are poets themselves, and as such, bring their own perceptions and biases to the work. I haven’t noticed anything egregious, but the lack of footnotes make the tests somewhat less accessible to readers.
This is an amazing resource, but translations are translations, not the original text. Even the best translator and commentary can’t erase the difference between the two. That’s how language works. It’s tied to culture and personal perception.
But we all have to start reading primary sources somewhere.
Rating:
Trajan/Trajan for serving its purpose
Ad scientiam, Magistra