Translations and Paraphrases
The translations and adaptations of the Homeric texts into other languages transformed the material further. In addition to the first Latin versions, many translations and paraphrases circulated in sixteenth-century Europe in Modern Greek, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. In the following centuries, this practice became a vehicle for expressing cultural and political aspirations of the newly established European nations in specific periods of time.
Ομήρου Ἰλιάς, μεταβληθεῖσα πάλαι εἰς κοινήν γλῶσσαν,
νῦν δέ διορθωθεῖσα… παρά Νικολάου τοῦ Λουκάνου.
Venetia: Stefano Da Sabio, 1526.
An abridged modern Greek paraphrase of the Iliad by 16th-century Greek scholar Nikolaos Loukanis, based on an earlier 14th-century paraphrase by Konstantinos Hermoniacos. The edition is adorned by 138 woodcuts that passed from printer to printer and were used to illustrate editions of vernacular Greek novels. The work was printed in Venice in 1526 by the humanist printer and publisher Stefano Nicolini da Sabbio (1512-1564). In the Collection of Joannes Gennadius there are copies of two later editions of 1603 and 1640 printed in the well-known Venetian printing press
of the Pinelli family. One of the copies belonged to Lord Byron.
Odysseae Homeri libri XXIIII Raphaële Regio
Volaterrano interprete. Eiusdem Batrachomyomachia,
Aldo Manutio, & Hymni deorum, Iodoco Velaraeo
interpretib. Item, Herodoti Halicarnassei libellus
De uita Homeri per Conradum Heresbachium
Latinitate donatus. Lugduni: Apud Seb. Gryphium, 1541.
Latin translation of the Odyssey by the Italian humanist Raffaello Maffei
(1451 – 1522). Printed in Lyon by the German humanist printer
Sebastian Gryphius (or Sébastien Gryphe, 1492-1556).
Ὁμήρου Βατραχομυομαχία, μεταγλωττισμένη διὰ στίχου ἀπὸ τὸ ἑλληνικὸν εἰς τὸ κρητικὸν ἁπλοῦν ἰδίωμα,… παρὰ Ἀντωνίου Στρατηγοῦ τοῦ Κρητὸς πολίτου κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν Ἑνετοῦ ἐπιστάτου καὶ διδασκάλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ κλεινῷ Παταβίω Κωττουνιανοῦ ἑλληνομουσείου. Ἐνετίησιν: τύπ. Γλυκύς, Νικόλαος (ὁ ἐξ Ἰωαννίνων), 1745.
Translation of Vatrachomyomachia into the Cretan idiom by the scholar Antonios Strategos (1692-1758), from Corfu, originally from Crete, Director of the Kottounian College in Padova. Printed in Venice at the Greek printing press of Nikolaos Glykis.
Il Primo libro de la Iliade d’Homero tradotto
di greco in volgare per M. Francesco Gussano.
In Venetia: per Comin da Trino di Monferrato, 1544.
The first Italian translation of part of the Homeric epics by Francesco Gussano (16th century). It is the first book of the Iliad and was printed in Venice by Comin da Trino di Monferrato (fl. 1539-1574).
L’Ulisse di M. Lodovico Dolce da lui tratto dall’ Odissea d’Homero et ridotto in ottava rima … con argumenti et allegorie a ciascun canto. In Vinegia: appreso Gabriel Giolito de’ Ferrari, 1573.
Italian translation of Odyssey in octaves (ottava rima) by the Venetian humanist author Lodovico Dolce (1508-1568). Printed in Venice by Gabriele Giolito de’ Ferrari (1508-1568), one of the first major publishers of literature
in the vernacular Italian language.
Esperimento di traduzione della Iliade di Omero di Ugo Foscolo. Brescia: Per Nicolo Bettoni, 1807.
“Experimental” Italian translation of Iliad by the Italian poet Ugo Foscolo (1778 – 1827). Printed in Brescia by Nicolo Bettoni (1770 -1842).
The copy has Foscolo’s autograph presentation.
Homerus Slavicis dialectis cognata lingua scripsit ex ipsius Homeri carmine ostendit Gregorius Dankovsky. Folium I (-IV), Iliados lib. I. 1-50 (-201); Slavice et Graece idem sonans et significans, adjecta nova versione latina et commentario graeco-slavico. Vindobonae: [typis Congregationis Mechitaristicae], 1829-1830.
Study by the Czech linguist Gregor Dankovszky (1784- 1857) on the relationship between Homeric and Slavic languages. Published in Vienna.
Iliade e Omirit. Kenge e pare kthyere prej N.H.F. Stypure prej soqerise “Dituri”. Bukurest: nde stypesronet soqerise, 1896.
Summary of Iliad in Albanian.
Iliyad = Iliade: en eski Yunan şâirleri (Omer: Homère)’in epopesi tercüme ve hülâsa eden Ömer Seyfeddin. Istanbul: Devlet Matbaası, 1927.
Turkish translation of the summary of Iliad by the Turkish writer Ömer Seyfeddin (1884-1920). Printed in Istanbul by the state printing house.
Homer his Iliads translated, adorn’d with sculpture,
and illustrated with annotations by John Ogilby.
London: Printed by James Flesher, for the author, 1669.
and Homer his Odysses translated, adorn’d with sculpture, and illustrated with annotations, by John Ogilby, Esq.
London: Printed by Thomas Roycroft, for the Author, 1665.
English illustrated translation of Odyssey and Iliad by the Scottish translator, impresario, publisher, and cartographer John Ogilby (1600-1676). Ogilby devoted part of his life to the translation of the classics in luxurious editions with illustrations designed by renowned artists of his time.
The venture required sponsorship for each one of the engraved illustrations.
The Iliad [and The Odyssey] of Homer translated by Mr. Pope. London: Printed by W. Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott, 1715-1726.
Collection of excerpts by English poet Alexander Pope’s (1688-1744) translation of the Homeric Epics. It comprises the title pages, preface, the Essay on Homer, first and last pages of each book with the engraved head and tail pieces. Εxtra illustrated with 126 portraits, maps, and various engravings.
The whole of this rare collection is bound with gilded edges.
Les xxiiii. livres de l’Iliade d’Homère, prince des poëtes grecs traduicts du grec en vers François. Les XI. premiers par M. Hughes Salel et et les XIII. derniers par Amadis Iamyn … Avec les trois premiers livres de l’Odissée d’Homère. A Paris: chez Abel l’Angelier, 1599.
The French poet Hugues Salel (1504-1553) made the first French version of the Iliad. Salel translated the first ten books of the Iliad, published in 1545. The other thirteen books were then translated by the French poet Amadis Jamyn (1540 -1593), published in 1577. The 1599 edition includes both translations.
La Ulyxea de Homero, repartida en XIII libros traduzida de griego en romance castellano por el Senor Gonçalo Perez. Imprimiòse en Venetia: en casa de Gabriel Giolito de Ferrarriis, y sus Hermanos, 1553.
Spanish translation of Odyssey by Gonzalo Pérez (1506? -1566), ambassador, and secretary, first of Charles V and then of Phillip II. He published a translation of the first thirteen books in Salamanca in 1550, then a reprint in Antwerp in the same year, and a revised edition in Venice in 1553.