Ancient Poetry

The great epic of Western literature, translated by the acclaimed classicist Robert Fagles Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Christopher Nolan Robert Fagles, winner of the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts...

One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its center is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader, Agamemnon.

Primo capolavoro della letteratura occidentale, scritto probabilmente intorno all'VIII secolo a.C., l'Iliade è, insieme con l'Odissea, uno dei pilastri di tutta la cultura occidentale. Nel poema si narrano i 51 giorni della guerra di Troia, dall'ira di Achille ai funerali di Ettore, densi di battaglie ed imprese nelle quali si intrecciano continuamente i destini di dèi ed eroi.

Homer's epic poem, written near the end of eighth century BC in Greece, follows the hero Odysseus as he journeys home after the fall of Troy. Many scholars believe that The Odyssey was originally composed as an oral tradition and was more likely meant to be heard than read, making it a great listen.

The Fall of Troy: A New Translation of Quintus Smyrnaeus Description What happens after Achilles dies? After ten years of war, when the Greeks' greatest hero falls, a desperate city and a fractured army must confront a truth they never expected: that absolute strength is not absolute at all. The Fall of Troy is the epic you've never read—a masterpiece of classical literature that completes the Trojan War story Homer left untold. Written by the fourth-century poet Quintus Smyrnaeus, the Posthomerica narrates the final, devastating years of the siege: the arrival of Penthesileia and her ...

Commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature, Beowulf is an epic poem that traces the exploits of the titular hero. After coming to the aid of the king of the Danes, whose mead hall is under constant attack by the monster Grendel, Beowulf slays Grendel's mother and goes on to become the king of the Geats.

The poem that invented the universe. Before Homer's heroes sailed to Troy, before Odysseus wandered the wine-dark sea, a Boeotian shepherd named Hesiod stood on Mount Helicon and received from the Muses the oldest surviving account of how everything began. The Theogony is the foundational text of Greek mythology — the poem that gave the gods their genealogy, the cosmos its architecture, and Western literature its first creation story. From the primordial abyss of Chaos to the rise of Zeus, from the castration of Uranus to the birth of Aphrodite from the foam of the sea, Hesiod's thousand-...

Samuel Butler's famous 1900 translation brought Homer to Victorian readers in clear, accessible prose — but over a century later, Butler's own language has begun to show its age. This edition modernizes Butler's Victorian English for today's readers while restoring the original Greek names for gods and goddesses, delivering The Odyssey as Butler always intended — readable, immediate, and true to its Greek origins. This is the complete and unabridged translation, all 24 books. Features of this edition: Authentic Greek Names: All Roman god and goddess names are fully restored to their ...

Acclaimed actress Claire Danes burnishes an epic story of heroes, gods, and monsters in a groundbreaking translation of The Odyssey, the first great adventure story in the Western literary tradition. When the wily warrior-king Odysseus sets off for home after the Trojan War, he doesn’t realize this simple undertaking will become a perilous journey of 10 years. Beset at every turn, he encounters obstacles, detours, and temptations—both supernatural and human—while his wife Penelope fends off would-be suitors desperate to take the throne.

Los viajes y aventuras de Ulises. La anecdota suele regodearse sobre la figura legendaria de Homero, supuesto juglar ciego que iba de pueblo en pueblo cantando sus grandes narraciones epicas. La Iliada, una narracion de la Guerra de Troya, originada en el rapto que hizo Paris de la mujer mas bella del mundo, Helena y La Odisea, la descripcion de las aventuras del sabio Ulises u Odiseo en su vuelta a Itaca, su patria, terminada la guerra...

Samuel Butler's famous 1898 translation brought Homer to Victorian readers in clear, accessible prose — but over a century later, Butler's own language has begun to show its age. This edition modernizes Butler's Victorian English for today's readers while restoring the original Greek names for gods and goddesses, delivering The Iliad as Butler always intended — readable, immediate, and true to its Greek origins. This is the complete and unabridged translation, all 24 books. Features of this edition: Authentic Greek Names: All Roman god and goddess names are fully restored to their ...

When Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017―rendering the ancient poem in contemporary language that was “fresh, unpretentious and lean” (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)―critics lauded it as “a revelation” (Susan Chira, New York Times) and “a cultural landmark” (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an equally revelatory translation of Homer’s other great epic―the most revered war poem of all time.

“Mary Oliver would probably never admit to anything so grandiose as an effort to connect the conscious mind and the heart (that’s what she says poetry can do), but that is exactly what she accomplishes in this stunning little handbook.”—Los Angeles Times From the beloved, legendary poet...

With a rich and informative introduction from Emily Wilson, maps drawn especially for this volume, a pronunciation glossary, genealogies, extensive notes, and helpful summaries of each book, this gorgeous edition of Rome’s founding poem will capture the imaginations and stir the souls of a new generation of listeners.

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is one of the most beautiful and celebrated of all English poems. It is also the precursor of what would become the artistic movement known as Romanticism. In addition to this masterpiece, this recording includes some of Coleridge's finest poems, including the haunting "Kubla Kahn" and "Christabel."

For generations, Arthur Waley’s lyrical translations served as the primary gateway to Chinese poetry for the English-speaking world. Organized by dynasty, this edition transforms Waley's scattered masterpieces into a coherent historical journey through Chinese literature, from the ancient Zhou foundational texts to the twilight of the Tang. This structure reveals the evolving concerns of Chinese civilization, from ritual and statecraft to intimate personal reflection and profound philosophical inquiry, all through Waley’s singular poetic voice.

What if the ruins of a forgotten world still whispered the secrets of your own? Beneath the marble columns and sun-bleached stones of Ancient Greece lies more than history. There lies a heartbeat. A story of ambition, betrayal, brilliance, and collapse. A story that didn’t end—it became the foundation of everything we call civilization today. The Rise and Fall of Ancient Greece is not just a chronicle of battles and empires. It is a journey into the soul of a people who dared to ask the hardest questions, build the boldest cities, and imagine a world governed by reason instead of fear. ...

Ryokan (1758–1831) is, along with Dogen and Hakuin, one of the three giants of Zen in Japan. But unlike his two renowned colleagues, Ryokan was a societal dropout, living mostly as a hermit and a beggar. He was never head of a monastery or temple. He liked playing with children. He had no dharma heir. Even so, people recognized the depth of his realization, and he was sought out by people of all walks of life for the teaching to be experienced in just being around him.

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is Samuel Taylor Coleridge's haunting ballad about guilt, punishment, and redemption. The poem follows a sailor who kills an albatross, bringing a curse upon his ship and crew. As terrible events unfold—stagnant seas, ghostly visions, and the death of his companions—the Mariner is forced to confront the consequences of his cruelty. Through suffering, he learns to appreciate the beauty and sanctity of all living things. Rich in vivid imagery and supernatural atmosphere, the poem explores themes of sin, nature, isolation, and spiritual awakening.

For over a century, the beautiful words of the Lebanese American poet, Kahlil Gibran, have graced everything from greeting cards and wedding invitations to inspirational wall hangings and corporate motivational literature. By one account, Gibran is the third best selling poet of all time.