Best Translations of Classic Works

[Darth Richard II]

So I know a few of you are hardcore into stuff in other languages, and as I've been poking through some of my older books I was wondering what you guys feel are the best translations of certain works that have been translated, say, a couple million times or so.

I know for Russian works everyone loves um, those two, oh crap lemme look

Pevear and Co.

But I was wondering what you guys think the best translations are for other things.

I'm looking for recs for Dante's Comedy and Goeth's Faust in particular but feel feel to like, generally discuss whatever. I havne't read much in translation to be honest, let alone more than one translation, but I can say I like Fagles Illiad/Odyssey the best of the ones I've read.

[unJon]

I can say I like Fagles Illiad/Odyssey the best of the ones I've read.

I read the Lattimore translation in college. Here is a cool and short New Yorker story on Illiad translations focused on a single passage: http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/englishing-the-iliad-grading-four-rival-translations

Nice topic. Looking forward to seeing what those that know far more than I recommend for some of these.

[Jo498]

I looked into the beginning of Fagles' Odyssey. I like it although it does not preserve the meter (which can be a benefit)

It seems readable and is sometimes surprisingly close to the meanings of the words without coining neologisms for the Homerian adjectives. E.g. the cunning Odysseus is in the second verse called "polutropos" from polu (poly) "many" and "trepein" = "turn" (as in tropes). It might also refer to the many "turn-arounds" he had to suffer on his journeys. Fagles translates "man of many twists and turns". Which does not sound stilted, gives the meaning and also the association, spelled out in the next verses where his many travels and encounters are mentioned.

As for Faust, I glanced briefly on two online ones

http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/German/FaustIScenesItoIII.htm

This is readable and pretty close in meter, although with some freedom in the meter and the rhyming is not always reproduced.

This older one is even closer in meter, rhythm and rhyme but not as readable

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14591/14591-h/14591-h.htm#I

The artistry of Goethe in Faust is that in (in German) many passages the flow is quite natural although guided by the verse rhythm and with rhymes a lot of the time. Only rarely does if feel artificial but it is done so well that it just clings to memory. Although I never memorized any of it on purpose I still know several passages by heart almost 25 years after reading it at school. It's also often funny, especially the Prologue (with poet, theatre director and comedian fighting over the best way to combine art, money-making and crowd-pleasing) and later most of Mephistopheles' lines.

[Stan Man]

I'm looking for recs for Dante's Comedy

I've read a few different versions of Dante. I have a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation at home, but after a few cantos I felt that it was ridiculously bland.

I recommend John Ciardi. A bit more modern, but as true and beautiful as you'll get.

[Darth Richard II]

Yeah, the Longfellow translation is dire.

[Jo498]

I finished Dante in translation for the first time a few months ago. But the inadequacy of translation is felt even if one does hardly know any italian.