Aeneid (Worlds Classics) [Paperback]

Virgil (Author)

Book Description

Series: Worlds Classics | Publication Date: July 16, 1998

The supreme Roman epic and the greatest poem in Latin, the Aeneid has inspired many of the great European poets including Dante and Milton. The Trojan hero Aeneas, after surviving the sack of Troy, makes his way to the West, urged on by benevolent deities and following a destiny laid down by Jupiter, but harassed and impeded by the goddess Juno. He wins his way to Italy despite many trials, of which the greatest is the tragic outcome of his love affair with Dido, Queen of Carthage. In Italy Aeneas visits the world of the dead, and is forced to wage a fearful war with the indigenous Italian tribes before he can found his city and open the history of Rome. The Aeneid survives as a poem not only of Roman imperialism but also of the whole world of human passion, duty and suffering.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Virgil was an ancient Roman poet, the author of the Eclogues, the Georgics and the Aeneid, the last being an epic poem of twelve books that became the Roman Empire's national epic.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks (July 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019283584X
• ISBN-13: 978-0192835840
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,501,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 1950's Verse translation, August 31, 2008

By 

Ryan Kouroukis "In 1882 Richard Wagner said: ... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aeneid (Worlds Classics) (Paperback)

Cecil Day Lewis's translation verse has a lucidity and swiftness that keeps the story moving.

C. Day Lewis was a student of Jackson Knight and translated the Aeneid in the early 50's a few years before Jackson Knight's famous Prose version. It was originally prepared and translated for a public broadcast, and so some liberties have been taken by C.D. Lewis, but overall it carries much fire and energy needed for such a long poem.

The only criticism I have is that the font used for the text is a bit hard on the eyes and the sentence layout is a bit cluttery. Personally I think that prose is more suitable for Virgil's Aeneid.

(However, I recently discovered Sarah Ruden's Verse translation and have to saw that I rank it at the VERY TOP of ALL previous Verse translations!...it is that incredible, I'm really short on words for her!)

-I would suggest comparing a few verse translations (Lewis VS Fitzgerald VS Ruden) and a couple prose translations (Knight VS West) to find out which one works the best for your studying / enjoyment.

cheers!