--- product_id: 4003933 title: "Metamorphoses: A New Translation" price: "$74.87" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.ec/products/4003933-metamorphoses-a-new-translation store_origin: EC region: Ecuador --- # Metamorphoses: A New Translation **Price:** $74.87 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Metamorphoses: A New Translation - **How much does it cost?** $74.87 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ec](https://www.desertcart.ec/products/4003933-metamorphoses-a-new-translation) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: Metamorphoses: A New Translation: 9780393326420: Ovid, Charles Martin, Bernard Knox: Books Review: A great classic and great translation - Ovid, or Publius Ovidius Naso, justly deserves his acclaim as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature alongside Horace and Virgil. And he knows it and doesn't bother to hide it, as he appends this bit of encomium to himself at the very end: My work is finished now: no wrath of Jove nor sword nor fire nor futurity is capable of laying waste to it. ... wherever Roman governance extends over the subject nations of the world, my words will be upon the people's lips and if there is truth in poets' prophesies [sic, Quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus, as the Romans would say] then in my fame forever I will live. So he is the worst kind of genius: a genius who knows he is a genius. Witty, elegant, and lively, his Metamorphoses is a masterpiece of epic poetry that tells of the myriad odd transformations that mythical (and sometimes historical) figures from Orpheus and Icarus to Romulus and Julius Caesar go through. Throughout, he is delightfully and cuttingly mocking of pretty much the entire epic tradition and every great poet that came before him, including no less authors than Virgil and Homer themselves. In at least three elaborate scenes, he makes so much fun of epic battles and they are hilariously and eerily reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's comical massacre scene in his Kill Bill Vol. 1. Hell, Ovid can be tragic, comic, moving, and sarcastic/satirical all at the same time without lacking in elegance. The poem, 15 books of 1,000 lines per book, so seamlessly integrates story after story of wildly differing genres and plots and lengths that it feels like you're reading a single monomyth without getting bored or overwhelmed. In fact, befitting its title, the stories are constantly changing and sprouting out - each little story feeding into the next and each book spilling into the next without pauses - always keeping the reader on his toe and more often than not leaving the reader breathless and reeling. Charles Martin did a superb job translating the work. He uses free verse in rendering Latin dactylic hexameter into iambic-friendly English, and it is really good. It's lively, swift, and above all, elegant - or in other words, as Ovid ought to be. Except in the scene where the Muses battle it out with the Pierides, a.k.a. P-Airides whose verse is rendered in modern rap, the translation had everything right and good (though even the surreal rap battle scene was not so bad - just weird). If you're looking to read Ovid, buy this edition. It apparently doesn't add anything new to the original (as many editions do, rather profusely and liberally and thus preposterously), faithful to the original, and very reader-friendly. In my opinion, it belongs to the best translations of the classics. Review: An excellent read — the translation is the key - Translating books from Greek or Latin is a tricky job. Ovid's "Metamorphoses" was a textbook I had way back when I took for my Masters in art history, and that version was so dry it was unbearable. Understanding the kind of person supposedly was, how could this be true? It would be like if the Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini had been written like a police report. This translation by Charles Martin is lively, engaging, and has the spark I can imagine Ovid likely wanted the reader to feel. The translation does use modern idioms and phrasing, making this a less "literal" translation, but if you consider that Ovid likely used idioms of his day to express the drama and excitement, then this is an acceptable practice. If you are a fan of Ovid, this translation will enthrall you. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #69,413 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #46 in Ancient & Classical Poetry | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (314) | | Dimensions | 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.3 inches | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 039332642X | | ISBN-13 | 978-0393326420 | | Item Weight | 1.16 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 624 pages | | Publication date | January 17, 2005 | | Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company | ## Images ![Metamorphoses: A New Translation - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61OoqY5ty8L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A great classic and great translation *by T***A on December 5, 2007* Ovid, or Publius Ovidius Naso, justly deserves his acclaim as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature alongside Horace and Virgil. And he knows it and doesn't bother to hide it, as he appends this bit of encomium to himself at the very end: My work is finished now: no wrath of Jove nor sword nor fire nor futurity is capable of laying waste to it. ... wherever Roman governance extends over the subject nations of the world, my words will be upon the people's lips and if there is truth in poets' prophesies [sic, Quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus, as the Romans would say] then in my fame forever I will live. So he is the worst kind of genius: a genius who knows he is a genius. Witty, elegant, and lively, his Metamorphoses is a masterpiece of epic poetry that tells of the myriad odd transformations that mythical (and sometimes historical) figures from Orpheus and Icarus to Romulus and Julius Caesar go through. Throughout, he is delightfully and cuttingly mocking of pretty much the entire epic tradition and every great poet that came before him, including no less authors than Virgil and Homer themselves. In at least three elaborate scenes, he makes so much fun of epic battles and they are hilariously and eerily reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's comical massacre scene in his Kill Bill Vol. 1. Hell, Ovid can be tragic, comic, moving, and sarcastic/satirical all at the same time without lacking in elegance. The poem, 15 books of 1,000 lines per book, so seamlessly integrates story after story of wildly differing genres and plots and lengths that it feels like you're reading a single monomyth without getting bored or overwhelmed. In fact, befitting its title, the stories are constantly changing and sprouting out - each little story feeding into the next and each book spilling into the next without pauses - always keeping the reader on his toe and more often than not leaving the reader breathless and reeling. Charles Martin did a superb job translating the work. He uses free verse in rendering Latin dactylic hexameter into iambic-friendly English, and it is really good. It's lively, swift, and above all, elegant - or in other words, as Ovid ought to be. Except in the scene where the Muses battle it out with the Pierides, a.k.a. P-Airides whose verse is rendered in modern rap, the translation had everything right and good (though even the surreal rap battle scene was not so bad - just weird). If you're looking to read Ovid, buy this edition. It apparently doesn't add anything new to the original (as many editions do, rather profusely and liberally and thus preposterously), faithful to the original, and very reader-friendly. In my opinion, it belongs to the best translations of the classics. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An excellent read — the translation is the key *by S***R on March 14, 2021* Translating books from Greek or Latin is a tricky job. Ovid's "Metamorphoses" was a textbook I had way back when I took for my Masters in art history, and that version was so dry it was unbearable. Understanding the kind of person supposedly was, how could this be true? It would be like if the Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini had been written like a police report. This translation by Charles Martin is lively, engaging, and has the spark I can imagine Ovid likely wanted the reader to feel. The translation does use modern idioms and phrasing, making this a less "literal" translation, but if you consider that Ovid likely used idioms of his day to express the drama and excitement, then this is an acceptable practice. If you are a fan of Ovid, this translation will enthrall you. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Book. Don't get caught up in a handful of colloquialisms *by N***. on March 21, 2018* There is some criticism against this book for using colloquial language. I don't think it is entirely fair. The author has clearly taken great care to render Ovid in English. In my opinion, the book is masterfully written and engrossing. It is understandable that modern slang could be jarring in a classical translation. I do not read Latin but, based on the text as a whole, I think it is safe to assume the author was only trying to render Ovid's language in a cadence that would connect with the modern ear. Colloquialisms are uncommon and when they do appear they are attributed to vulgar characters. This is an excellent book. Do not let a few colloquialisms deter you from buying it. ## Frequently Bought Together - Metamorphoses: A New Translation - The Odyssey - The Odyssey --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ec/products/4003933-metamorphoses-a-new-translation](https://www.desertcart.ec/products/4003933-metamorphoses-a-new-translation) --- *Product available on Desertcart Ecuador* *Store origin: EC* *Last updated: 2026-05-16*