Gilgamesh : a new rendering in English verse

David Ferry, in 1992, conceived and produced this sparsely written, but effective, translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh into modern verse. The story is well known, at least from the influence it has had on later works such as the Bible (the flood) and other epics. It was the first to develop themes that would continue through western literature, such as the use of the "double" and the contrast of civilization, represented by the city, with the wilderness. Ferry's modern translation allows these themes to come through the text without using a precise literal line by line translation. A very readable rendition of the original western epic.


Gilgamesh: a new rendering in English verse by David Ferry. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1992.