Caroline Alexander and Ian Johnston both offer translations of Homer’s Iliad that capture the epic's grandeur, though they approach the text with slightly different stylistic choices. Alexander’s translation maintains a formal and lyrical quality, often highlighting the epic’s poetic roots with a more structured cadence and carefully chosen vocabulary. For example, in the introduction, she uses the phrase "ruinous wrath" to convey the destructive nature of Achilles' anger, adding a layer of depth through her word choice. Alexander also tends to emphasize the mortal consequences of divine interference, offering a vivid portrayal of the Greek worldview where human lives are often at the mercy of capricious gods. Ian Johnston, on the other hand, adopts a more straightforward narrative style that seeks clarity and accessibility for modern readers, subtly shifting the focus towards ensuring the reader comprehends the core action and emotions without lingering too much on the aesthetic elements. In the introduction, Johnston describes Achilles’ anger as "murderous," instantly communicating the violence and personal devastation behind the wrath. His translation often simplifies complex imagery into more direct language, as seen in his presentation of generational change: "Generations of men are like the leaves." While both translators remain true to the themes of heroism and fate, their individual styles offer readers a choice between a more traditional epic expression and a modern, approachable rendition.
Wrath—sing, goddess, of the ruinous wrath of Peleus' son Achilles,
that inflicted woes without number upon the Achaeans,
hurled forth to Hades many strong souls of warriors
and rendered their bodies prey for the dogs,
for all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished;
sing from when they two first stood in conflict—
Atreus' son, lord of men, and godlike Achilles.
Sing, Goddess, sing the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus—
that murderous anger which condemned Achaeans
to countless agonies and threw many warrior souls
deep into Hades, leaving their dead bodies
carrion food for dogs and birds—
all in fulfilment of the will of Zeus.