The translation by Robert Fitzgerald is my favorite because it captures the spirit of the original in a very fundamental way. The pervasive atmosphere created through this style is that of heroism and the mood is celebratory emphasized by the words ‘sing in me’ and ‘great song.’ Odysseus has managed to conquer the great city Troy and has made it back to his kingdom even when others thought he was dead and wanted to assume his throne. This is a reason to sing and celebrate the great military genius and his heroics. The introductory part mentions ‘sing in me’ instead of any other word that implies narration of the incident that Odysseus went through even after the capture of Troy. The phrase ‘sing’ appeals to a lot of emotions associated with the happenings of the whole incident.
The phrase ‘the proud height of Troy’ is used to refer to the extent of fortification that the city had. In like manner, it also helps to bring to light the military genius Odysseus was in managing to capture such a citadel that was very guarded and impregnable. His numerous efforts to achieve the feat is referred to as ‘harrying for years on end.’ His determination is also highlighted by this reference in that it took him quite a while to achieve the mentioned feat.
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The great military mind that Odysseus had is also fondly referred to in the narration as ‘learned the minds of many distant men.’ That is in reference to the effective spying that enabled him to learn the secrets of the kingdoms that eventually became casualties of his well-trained and shrewd soldiers. The pain and danger of the military expedition is also clearly captured by the phrase ‘many bitter nights and days’ in which he, together with his people fought to even save their lives. The mood of the military conquest is depicted as composed of pain, endurance and danger from which one can either survive or die.
The translation captures the irony of the entire situation aptly alluding to the fact that not even his strength or bravery could save his soldiers. The fact that they had to die for committing a sin against the God Helios is figuratively referred to as ‘taking from their eyes the dawn of their return.’ The rising and setting of the sun is also metaphorically referred to as ‘he who moves all the day through heaven.’ The translation closes off by mentioning the whole adventure as a ‘great song’ to signify the heroic end of the military conquest as Odysseus is able to return to his kingdom safely, finds his faithful wife and reigns in his place as before.
Comparison with Emery Wilson (2017)
The translation by Emily Wilson (2017) brings out a contrary mood and atmosphere to the one by Robert Fitzgerald. It refers to Odysseus as a ‘complicated’ person and one who eventually got ‘lost.’ This choice of word fundamentally changes the mood to that of sadness and defeat instead of an all-conquering hero who returns home triumphantly in spite of the casualties he experienced in the war. The choice of words in regard to Troy is rather accusing; ‘wrecked the holy town of Troy.’ This particular act that is celebrated in the other translation is frowned upon and considered a sacrilegious action. The condemning tone of the translation continues with the phrase ‘he failed to keep them safe.’ The concluding part refers to this whole narration as an ‘old story’ as opposed to the previous translation that christened it a ‘great song’ alluding to the victorious military expedition.
