'Arms and the man I sing of Troy...' 

So begins one of the greatest works of literature in any language. Written by the Roman poet Virgil more than two thousand years ago, the story of Aeneas' seven-year journey from the ruins of Troy to Italy, where he becomes the founding ancestor of Rome, is a narrative on an epic scale: Aeneas and his companions contend not only with human enemies but with the whim of the gods. His destiny preordained by Jupiter, Aeneas is nevertheless assailed by dangers invoked by the goddess Juno, and by the torments of love, loyalty, and despair. Virgil's supreme achievement is not only to reveal Rome's imperial future for his patron Augustus, but to invest it with both passion and suffering for all those caught up in the fates of others.

Frederick Ahl's new translation echoes the Virgilian hexameter in a thrillingly accurate and engaging style. An Introduction by Elaine Fantham, and Ahl's comprehensive notes and invaluable indexed glossary complement the translation.

Find the eBook on VitalSource.

Features

• A new verse translation of Virgil's Aeneid, the only one to use the same poetic metre as Virgil and to explore the subtleties of Virgil's wordplay.
• Ahl's translation captures the excitement and drama of the original and is both more accurate and more readable than other existing translations.
• Like the original, the translation is equally effective when read aloud, making it ideal for performance and instruction. Because it has the same number of lines as the original, it is particularly useful for those wishing to cross-reference the Latin.
• Elaine Fantham's Introduction is informative and unintimidating, guiding the reader through the action of each of the twelve books and exploring its features and major areas of critical debate, as well as outlining the historical background to its composition.
• The edition includes comprehensive annotation and a valuable indexed glossary which can be used equally well with the Latin original.
• Includes an up-to-date bibliography, maps, and genealogies.

ABOUT THE SERIES

For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range 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, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Translator’s Note
Select Bibliography
A Chronology of Virgil
Maps
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
Book Four
Book Five
Book Six
Book Seven
Book Eight
Book Nine
Book Ten
Book Eleven
Book Twelve
Ancestral Chart
Explanatory Notes
Index and Glossary
Footnotes

Virgil

Frederick Ahl and Elaine Fantham

Frederick Ahl has taught at the universities of Utah (1966-8), Texas (1968-71) and Cornell, where he has been since 1971. He was a visiting fellow at the University of Otago, NZ in 1977 and at Durham in 1990 and has taught courses on Greek Theatre and staged performances of Greek Tragedy at the Athens Centre and College Year in Athens. He has published translations of Seneca and written on Lucan and Sophocles.

"Readers of Ahl's well-crafted lines will come face-to-face with the excitement and energy of Virgil's moving original. Fantham's 40-page introduction will enlighten both new readers and old fans; also helpful are the maps of the Roman world, the select bibliography, extensive glossary, index of proper names, and--especially-- Ahl's 100 pages of explanatory notes. Highly recommended." -- CHOICE

Review from previous edition:

'Frederick Ahl captures the pathos..to splendid effect. His version reproduces the fierce, hurtling momentum of the original...he is acutely sensitive to the intricate texture of Virgil's Latin. No pun or anagram or play on words escapes his attention; the subtlety as well as the stateliness of the original shines through in every line. In maintaining this difficult balance, Mr Ahl has produced the finest translation of the 'Aeneid' in recent memory.' -- New York Sun, 9 January 2008