Should we read it in Latin?

If your student is a very strong Latin learner, this is the classic book to read in Latin. It served as the basis of British translation requirement for college entrance, most pupils need to have translated four or more books of the Aeneid to be considered for acceptance at Oxford or Cambridge.

Which translation should we use in English?

We recommend Sarah Ruden’s translation of the Aeneid.  For poetics, only the Dryden translation beats it, and Ruden brings a clarity that Dryden’s poetics sometimes leave to be desired. The main problem of the Ruden translation is that it is missing the front matter of the Fagel’s translation, background and pronunciation guides that can be helpful to students.

Skip the Cecil Day Lewis World’s Classics translation, it’s just bad.

 

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