ABSTRACT
The subtitle of this chapter is the phrase the Earl of Roscommon (d. 1685) uses in his Essay on Translated Verse to refer to the reluctance translators of his time displayed toward translating certain aspects of the Homeric Universe of Discourse: certain objects, customs, and beliefs thought unacceptable in their own culture. Based on a comparison of translations of the funeral of Patroclus (Iliad xxiii) and the martial exploits of Idomeneus (Iliad xiii), this chapter will explore translators’ attitudes toward the Universe of Discourse expressed in the original text in relation to the Universe of Discourse of their own society.
