Ovid
Charles Martin · 2004
Charles Martin's 2004 translation is the one I'd hand most readers — lively, witty American verse that keeps Ovid's speed and humor, which drier versions lose. Ovid is a comic, restless poet, and Martin reads that way: accessible without being loose. This is where I'd start.
Stephanie McCarter · 2022
The 2022 translation, the first into English by a woman, and widely praised — accurate, readable, and notably honest about the poem's many scenes of sexual violence, which older translations tended to soften. If you want the newest scholarship and a clear-eyed text, this is it.
David Raeburn · 2004
David Raeburn's Penguin translation renders Ovid in a steady six-beat line close to his Latin hexameter, so you get more of the original's rhythm. A touch more formal than Martin, well introduced and annotated. The faithful-verse middle option.
Rolfe Humphries · 1955
Rolfe Humphries's 1955 version has been a favorite for generations — clear, graceful, unfussy. It's mid-century rather than contemporary, and a recent annotated edition adds helpful notes. If you want the version many readers grew up on, this is it.
Arthur Golding · 1567
Arthur Golding's 1567 translation is the Ovid that Shakespeare actually read — vigorous Elizabethan fourteeners. It's out of copyright and free, but the archaic spelling and old English make it a curiosity and a pleasure more than a smooth first read. For the history, and the sound, it's remarkable.
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