Eclogues and Georgics

"Erudite, informative, insightful, thought-provoking, and superbly translated. . . . A significant and unreservedly recommended addition."--Midwest Book Review "Of all the great poems of the Latin tradition, Vergil's Eclogues and Georgics are notoriously the most elusive of fine translation. The poetic strength of Wells's fine new versions derives from a precise yet flexible English line and a rendering of Vergil's language that is as clear eyed and unsentimental as any we are likely to encounter."--William Levitan, Grand Valley State University "That Wells comes at Vergil from two angles of approach--that of classics scholar and that of a poet in his own right--makes him perhaps uniquely qualified to deliver us these exciting new translations of Eclogues and Georgics. The triumph here is that Wells brilliantly grafts elements of English prosody onto Vergil's original, enriching the work without obscuring its original cultural context. Indeed, Wells's innovative application of Hopkins-esque sprung-rhythm and compounds--hawkshriek, ironrust, doombent--enlivens the text, helping Vergil's work take on new resonance and urgency in English. As a piece of translation and a piece of poetry, Wells's innovation is refreshing and his achievement is tremendous."--Iain Haley Pollock, winner of the Cave Canem Poetry Prize and author of Ghost, like a Place