For a modern reader approaching Horace for the pleasure of reading him, rather than as a student of Latin, I would look for a translation that does three things:
Preserves something of Horace's extraordinary conversational intimacy, wit and elegance.
Makes the poetry sound like poetry in English, rather than a Latin text laboriously transferred into another language.
Provides substantial explanatory notes, particularly on Roman history, mythology, literary allusions and the occasional personal references which can otherwise leave the reader rather bewildered.
There is one translator I would put particularly high on your list: David West.
1. David West — my first recommendation
Horace: The Complete Odes and Epodes
Translated with introduction and notes by David West.
Oxford World's Classics, 2008 edition.
ISBN 9780199555277.
I particularly like this choice because West does not treat Horace simply as a detached philosophical observer dispensing wisdom about life.
He pays attention to Horace's changing relationship with Roman society, Augustus, his friends and his own past. This is important: the poetry becomes much more interesting when one understands the political and personal circumstances in which it was written.
The book includes:
A substantial introduction.
Extensive explanatory notes.
It is a very good combination of literary translation and historical scholarship.
Oxford University Press+1 2. Niall Rudd — for greater textual accuracy
Horace: Odes and Epodes
Translated by Niall Rudd.
Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 2004.
This is a different proposition.
The Latin and English are printed on facing pages. Rudd is a very accomplished classical scholar, and his translation is clear, accurate and restrained.
The explanatory footnotes are particularly useful for mythological and historical references. It is an excellent choice if you might occasionally want to look at the original Latin, even without being able to read it fluently.
3. Stephanie McCarter — a more recent alternative
Horace: Epodes, Odes, and Carmen Saeculare
Translated and edited by Stephanie McCarter.
University of Oklahoma Press, 2020.
This is an interesting modern scholarly edition. It provides the Latin alongside the English translation, with explanatory footnotes, an extensive introduction and a glossary of literary and rhetorical terminology.
McCarter tries to preserve something of the metrical character of Horace's poetry in English.
One further point: the rest of Horace
If you intend to read not just the Odes and Epodes but also the Satires and Epistles, I would look for Niall Rudd's translations of those works, published by Penguin Classics. The Oxford academic guide to Horace recommends both Rudd and West as particularly dependable modern translators.
My verdict
I would buy David West's Oxford World's Classics edition first.
Horace is a poet who rewards leisurely reading. His observations about friendship, ambition, ageing, love, political power, mortality and the pleasures of ordinary life can seem remarkably contemporary.
But he is also a very Roman poet, and understanding the occasional historical allusion makes an enormous difference.
West strikes me as the best starting point for the combination of literary pleasure and explanatory scholarship you are seeking.
I hope you enjoy discovering him. Horace is excellent company.
