Metamorphoses

"TheMetamorphosesofOvidofferstothemodernworldsuchakeytotheliteraryandreligiouscultureoftheancientsthatitbecomesanimportanteventwhenatlastagoodpoetcomesupwithatranslationintoEnglishverse."--JohnCroweRansom"...acharmingandexpertEnglishversion,whichisrightintonefortheMetamorphoses."--FrancisFergusson"ThisnewOvid,freshandfaithful,isrightforourtimeandshouldhelptorestoreagreatreputation."--MarkVanDorenThefirstandstillthebestmodernversetranslationoftheMetamorphoses,Humphries'versionofOvid'smasterpiececapturesitswit,merriment,andsophistication.EveryonewillenjoythisfirstmoderntranslationbyanAmericanpoetofOvid'sgreatwork,themajortreasuryofclassicalmythology,whichhasperenniallystimulatedthemindsofmen.Inthislivelyrenderingtherearenostockpropsofthepastoralandnoliterarylandscaping,butrealfoodonthetableandsometimesrealbloodontheground.NotonlyisOvid'sMetamorphosesacollectionofallthemythsofthetimeoftheRomanpoetasheknewthem,butthebookpresentsatthesametimeaseriesoflovepoems--aboutthelovesofmen,women,andthegods.Therearealsopoemsofhate,togivethepropershadingtothenarrative.Andpervadingallisthewriter'sloveforthisearth,itspeople,itsphenomena.Usingten-beat,unrhymedlinesinhistranslation,RolfeHumphriesshowsadefinitekinshipforOvid'sswiftandcolloquiallanguageandHumphries'wholepoeticmannerisintunewiththewitandsophisticationoftheRomanpoet.