The controversial movie, The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan opens in a little over a week.  He made some casting decisions that are provocative, along with his choice to use the Emily Wilson translation.

It’s not obvious why the translation makes a difference. 

This Reddit post provides an explanation for why the translation matters.  A sample passage of The Odyssey is provided from several different translations.

The Lattimore, Fitzgerald and Fagles translations are well-regarded.  In anticipation of the movie, I am going to listen to the audio book version of the Fagles translation narrated by Ian McKellan.

Here’s the original passage.

Here is the version of that passage from each translation.

Chapman, 1615

The upper rags that wise Ulysses wore
Cast off, he rusheth to the great Hall dore
With Bow and Quiver full of shafts, which downe
He pour’d before his feet, and thus made known
His true state to the wooers: ‘This strife thus
Hath harmlesse bene decided. Now for us
There rests another marke more hard to hit,
And such as never man before hath smit,
Whoe full point likewise my hands shall assay,
And try if Phoebus will give me his day.’

Butler, 1900

But Odysseus of many wiles stripped off his rags and sprang to the great threshold with the bow and the quiver full of arrows, and poured forth the swift arrows right there before his feet, and spoke among the wooers: “Lo, now at last is this decisive contest ended; and now as for another mark, which till now no man has ever smitten, I will know if haply I may strike it, and Apollo grant me glory.”

Murray, 1919

But resourceful Odysseus stripped off his rags and sprang to the broad threshold with the bow and quiver full of arrows, and poured out the swift arrows there before his feet, and spoke to the suitors: “Here now is the end of this clear contest, and now another mark, which till now no man has struck, I shall see if I shall hit it, and Apollo grant me glory.”

Shaw, 1932

Therewith the wily Odysseus shed his rags, grasped the bow with its filled quiver and made one leap to the doorsill, where he tumbled out the swift shafts at his feet before calling in a great voice to the suitors, “At last, at last the ending of this fearful strain! Before me, by favour of Apollo if my luck holds, stands a virgin target never yet hit.”

Rieu, 1946 (rev.1991)

Throwing off his rags, the resourceful Odysseus leaped up on to the great threshold with his bow and his full quiver, and poured out the swift arrows at his feet. “The match that was to seal your fate is over,’ he called out to the Suitors, ‘Now for another target which no man has yet hit – if I can hit it and Apollo grants my prayer.’

Fitzgerald, 1961

Now shrugging off his rags the wiliest fighter of the islands
leapt and stood on the broad door sill, his own bow in his hand
He poured out at his feet a rain of arrows from the quiver
and spoke to the crowd: “So much for that. Your clean-cut game is over,
Now watch me hit a target that no man has hit before,
if I can make this shot. Help me, Apollo.”

Lattimore, 1965

Now resourceful Odysseus stripped his rags from him, and sprang
up atop the great threshold, holding his bow and the quiver
filled with arrows, and scattered out the swift shafts and before him
on the ground next to his feet, and spoke his word to the suitors:
‘Here is a task that has been achieved, without any deception.
Now I shall shoot at another mark, one that no man yet
has struck, if I can hit it and Apollo grants me the glory.’

Mandlebaum, 1990

Astute Odysseus now threw off his rags.
He leaped onto the great threshold; he grasped
the bow; he grasped the quiver full of shafts.
He cried out to the suitors: “Now at last
the crucial test is at an end, and yet
there is another mark, one that no man
has ever struck before. But I’ve a chance
to reach it – if Apollo is my friend.”

Fagles, 1996

Now stripping back his rags Odysseus master of craft and battle
vaulted onto the great threshold, gripping his bow and quiver
bristling arrows, and poured his flashing shafts before him
loose at his feet, and thundered out to all the suitors:
“Look – your crucial test is finished, now, at last!
But another’s target’s left that no one’s hit before —
we’ll see if I can hit it – Apollo give me glory!”

Hammond, 2000

Now resourceful Odysseus bared his limbs from the rags and leapt onto the great threshold, with the bow in his hand and the quiver full of arrows. He poured out the swift arrows there in front of his feet, and said to the suitors: ‘So here is one hard trial brought to its end. Now for another target, which no man has hit – let me see if I can strike it, if Apollo will grant my prayer.’

Lombardo, 2000

And now Odysseus’ cunning was revealed.
He stripped off his rags and leapt with his bow
To the great threshold. Spreading his arrows
Out before his feet, he spoke to the suitors:
“Now that we’ve separated the men from the boys,
I’ll see if I can hit a mark that no man
Has ever hit. Apollo grant me glory!”

Eickhoff, 2001

Odysseus shrugged off the rags that hid his warrior’s body
From the others and leaped to stand on the great threshold.
His bid to reclaim Penelope, his lands, and his house had begun.
Flickering lights glinted from his heavy muscles. A glow lifted
Upward from his face. He dumped the quiver of swift shafts
At his feet. A shiver raced through the suitors at his grim smile.
“That game is over, lads,” he said. “Now, for another mark I’ve had
Yet to hit – which, with Apollo’s help and Zeus’ will, I shall!”

Merrill, 2002

Stripping the rags from his body, Odysseus of many devices
leapt on the great threshold; he was holding the bow and quiver
still full laden with arrows; the swift shafts quickly he poured out
there in front of his feet as he spoke these words to the suitors:
“This was indeed a decisive contest that now is completed!
As to another mark which no man has yet been able to hit yet,
now I will know if I strike it – Apollo bestow what I pray for!”

McCrorie, 2004

Now shedding his rags Odysseus, full of his own plans,
jumped on the wide threshold clutching the bow and its quiver
packed with arrows. He emptied the fast-flying weapons
there at his feet and called aloud to the suitors.
“So indeed our harmful contest is ending:
but now for another target no one has struck yet —
if only I hit it! Apollo, give me a great name.”

Stein, 2008

But Odysseus of many devices
threw off his tatters
and sprang to the mighty threshold
holding bow and quiver full of arrows,
and he poured the swift arrows out
right there at his feet
and spoke among the wooers:

“This unimpeachable contest is done at last!
Here I take another target –
one which no man has ever hit till now.
I shall see it, if I may —
and Apollo grant me triumph.

Mitchell, 2014

Odysseus threw off his rags and leaped to the threshold,
holding the bow and the quiver, and then poured out
the swift arrows onto the ground at his feet, and he said,
“The contest is over, gentlemen. Now I will see
how well I can do with another target, which no one
has thought of yet. With Apollo’s help I will hit it.”

Powell, 2014

And then the resourceful Odysseus stripped off his rags,
and he leaped up onto the great threshold, holding his bow
and his quiver filled with arrows, and he poured out the swift
arrows before his feet. He spoke to the suitors: “Now at last
this mad contest comes to an end. And now for another
target, which no man has yet struck. I will know if I can
hit it and Apollo give me glory!”

Wilson, 2017

Odysseus ripped off his rags. Now naked,
he leapt upon the threshold with his bow
and quiver full of arrows, which he tipped
out in a rush before his feet, and spoke.
“Playtime is over. I will shoot again,
towards another mark no man has hit.
Apollo, may I manage it!”

Green, 2018

Now resourceful Odysseus stripped himself of his rags
and sprang up on the great threshold, taking the bow
and the shaft-packed quiver. He poured out the swift arrows
there at his feet, and addressed the suitors, saying:
“This contest’s over, decisively ended; and now
I’ll go for another target, reached by no man hitherto,
to see whether I can hit it, and Apollo grant me glory.”