Glenn, I have to differ from Julie on the hexameter version. I thought the pentameter version was quite readable, but I found the other to be tedious and wordy. I don't care that the subject is elegiac meter vs. hexameters. One could explain both meters and their relevance in a brief footnote. Who are you writing this for? Someone who reads Latin and understands both meters can read the original. I assume you want to lure non-Latinists to read your translation. If so, using meters that are familiar to English readers of poetry will help a lot.
English is much more condensed than Latin in syllable count, so when you try to match the Latin syllable count, you are forced to add circumlocutions, redundancies, and details not in the original. I have translated from Latin a lot, and I have found that if I don't rhyme every line, but only every other line, I can stick much closer to the original while also giving the feel of polished verse. Iambic meter is your friend. It is the meter most common and most conversational in English. And Ovid seems ideally suited for the conversational tone.
That said, you should do what feels right to you. There is more way than one to achieve an enjoyable translation.
Susan
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