Metamorphoses
1960 • 500 pages
Ratings3
Average rating4.7
15
Ratings3
Average rating4.7
Ovid's magnificent panorama of the Greek and Roman myths-presented by a noted poet, scholar, and critic. Prized through the ages for its splendor and its savage, sophisticated wit, The Metamorphoses is a masterpiece of Western culture-the first attempt to link all the Greek myths, before and after Homer, in a cohesive whole, to the Roman myths of Ovid's day. Horace Gregory, in this modern translation, turns his own poetic gifts toward a deft reconstruction of Ovid's ancient themes, using contemporary idiom to bring to today's reader all the ageless drama and psychological truths vividly intact.
Reviews with the most likes.
“The better part of me will be borne forever beyond the high stars, and my name will never die. Wherever Rome extends its power over the conquered world I will be on men's lips, and if a sacred poet has any power to prophesy the truth,
throughout the ages I will live on in fame.”
Ovid wasn't wrong! Some 2,000 years after he wrote that, I enjoyed this epic poem.
I will say, I think this book should be read after reading The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid - you'll gain a much deeper appreciation for Metamorphoses by doing so.
