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The Complete Odes (Oxford World's Classics) 1st Edition

by Pindar (Author), Anthony Verity (Author), Stephen Instone (Editor)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 76 ratings
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The Greek poet Pindar (c. 518-428 BC) composed victory odes for winners in the ancient Games, including the Olympics. He celebrated the victories of athletes competing in foot races, horse races, boxing, wrestling, all-in fighting and the pentathlon, and his Odes are fascinating not only for their poetic qualities, but for what they tell us about the Games. Pindar praises the victor by comparing him to mythical heroes and the gods, but also reminds the athlete of his human limitations. The Odes contain versions of some of the best known Greek myths, such as Jason and the Argonauts, and Perseus and Medusa, and are a valuable source for insights on Greek religion and ethics. Pindar's startling use of language, including striking metaphors, bold syntax, and enigmatic expressions, makes reading his poetry a uniquely rewarding experience.
Anthony Verity's lucid translations stay as close as they can to the original Greek, without sacrificing readability. The text is complemented by a succinct introduction by Stephen Instone outlining the essential nature of Pindar's Odes as well as explaining the nature of the Games, the events, and the participants. Explanatory notes help the reader to navigate Pindar's sometimes compressed and allusive expressive technique.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
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  1. ISBN-10
    9780199553907
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0199553907
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    October 15, 2008
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
  8. Print length
    186 pages
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

oxford world's classics, literature, novels, myths, celebrated writing
oxford world's classics, OWC, features, leading scholars, literature

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Anthony Verity, Freelance author. Stephen Instone, Honora Research Fellow, University College London.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0199553904
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (October 15, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 186 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780199553907
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199553907
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 76 ratings

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Pindar

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
76 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Matthias Goertz
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful poetry, excellently presented
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
I am not able to compare the trans. with others, this being my only one, in any language. I find Anthony Verity's trans. very accessible and at the same time in its own way quite beautiful. Stephen Instone's intro and notes are excellent, they bring the odes to live.

"Become who you are" (Pythian 2) was Nietzsche's favourite motto, and reading Pindar one can totally see why. It is great to see the quote in its original context.
4 people found this helpful
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Jordan Bell
5.0 out of 5 stars Human excellence
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2015
Before Pindar, the only big written works in ancient Greek that survive in full are Homer's Iliad and Odyssey (my favorite translations of these are by Robert Fagles) and Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days (translated in Oxford World's Classics by M. L. West). There are also fragments of other poets like Archilochus and Sappho, which are also translated in Oxford's World Classics by M. L. West, and the various The Homeric Hymns, translated in Oxford's World Classics by Michael Crudden.

In Plato's Republic, Socrates says that only poems that raise the spirits of the young and that do not show the gods acting poorly should be allowed in their polis. I wouldn't be surprised to find that Pindar was Plato's favorite poet: in extraordinarily beautiful language using concrete images, Pindar writes about the glory of victory, that success is given by the gods, and the proper place of man is below the gods (in other words, do not wish for more than you should). Much of the poems are versions of myths that are related in some way to the victor Pindar is celebrating.

One should have Wikipedia open to look up the various people and places that Pindar mentions. For me at least, placing a person on a map makes them feel real rather than a sequence of letters. It would also be helpful read something like Stephen G. Miller's "Ancient Greek Athletics" before reading Pindar.

This is the most quotable work I've ever read. A quote from poetry is useful to show that what you are talking about is general and timeless, and Pindar is both an early writer and writes about general ideas of human accomplishment.

Olympian 2: "For a man who competes in the games/ victory brings relief from dark thoughts./ Truly wealth, adorned with many noble qualities,/ offers a man the chance to achieve all manner of things,/ and prompts in him a desire for high ambition,/ which is a far-shining star, the surest light there is for men."

Pythian 4: "Son of Poseidon of the Rock, men's minds are all too quick/ to applaud dishonest gain above the right course of action,/ even though they will come to a hard reckoning on the morning after./ Still, you and I must control our passions with the rule of law,/ and so weave happiness for the future."

Pythian 10: "But if a man has attained the heights,/ conducting himself in peace and avoiding terrible arrogance,/ he may reach a better destination in dark death/ because he has left to his beloved descendants/ the best of all possessions - the fame of a good reputation."

Nemean 1: "I do not long to possess great wealth, hidden away in a palace,/ but to enjoy what I have and to be well regarded/ for being of service to my friends;/ for the hopes of much-labouring men are all alike."

Isthmian 1: "The man who has toiled with understanding also wins foresight;/ and if he dedicates his whole heart to excellence,/ employing both expense and effort,/ we must with an ungrudging spirit/ grand him a proud boast if he achieves it."
18 people found this helpful
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Ryan Kouroukis
5.0 out of 5 stars Pindar's Odes come alive finally!
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2009
After comparing mutiple translations of Pindar I came across this Oxford edition by Anthony Verity. It answered all my hopes and wishes in an english translation of Pindar!

To mention a couple other (so-called) "famous" translations, in my opinion:

- Lattimore's versions are stodgy, bland and very boring.

- Bowra's versions are choppy, stuffy and very un-inspiring.

In both you are continually aware that you are reading a "translation". But in Verity's rendition there is no such feeling. It has a magical flow and realism, but it is also true to the structure and content of the original Odes.

I find that Anthony Verity is much more successful in translating Pindar's poetry than Theocritus's poetry. He seems to have a love for Pindar far more than Theocritus, and that joy is highly tangible in his Pindar translations, than his Theocritus translations.

It is like these Odes could easily be sung today (if we actually sung Odes to heroes and winners today)!

I now only own I edition of Pindar's Odes...and they are Anthony Verity's!
44 people found this helpful
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VanPatten Roux
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Translation
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2020
Impeccable translation which captures the lyrical quality and spirit of the original text much better than any other I've read. I wish Anthony Verity would translate more works because this is so far superior.
2 people found this helpful
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Adrienne S.
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2016
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Nothing wrong with the book, I needed it for class and it took 3 weeks to ship.
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Imraan
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in Canada on March 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
I checked it out cool book a lot of interesting things
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AT
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in Italy on September 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
Buon libro, traduzioni inglesi abbastanza fedeli rispetto all'originale, anche se non sempre.
Completano il libro un minimale apparato di note e una breve introduzione.
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Mrs Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Buy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2013
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This was very helpful in my last essay, well set out and easy to follow. I would recommend to all students.
2 people found this helpful
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Rolandia
3.0 out of 5 stars The packing (a simple plastic film) was too much thin ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2016
Verified Purchase
The packing (a simple plastic film) was too much thin to deaden a shock during the transportation : the book arrived with a general folding.
All the other criteria are OK, and the price was very attractive. R
One person found this helpful
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