Samuel Butler and Caroline Alexander offer distinct interpretations of Homer's Iliad, capturing the epic's essence through varying linguistic approaches. Butler's translation, noted for its prose style, presents a straightforward narrative that reflects his era's sensibilities. For instance, in Book 1, Butler uses measured language to describe Achilles' anger, introducing the epic with a formal tone: "Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus." This choice of words emphasizes the formal invocation common in epic poetry. In contrast, Alexander's version delivers a more modern poetic structure, using enjambment and a more direct invocation of "Wrath—sing, goddess." Her version conveys immediacy and emotive intensity, reflecting contemporary translation trends to remain closer to the original Greek’s rhythm and structure. Butler and Alexander both aim for clarity but diverge in their treatments of key moments. In Book 5, as Athena encourages Diomedes, Butler’s translation uses straightforward language to convey Athena's reassurances. He simplifies Homer’s diction, opting for phrases like "man after my own heart." Alexander, however, uses evocative and precise language like "delighting my heart," maintaining the poetry's dynamism. Both translators address fundamental themes of mortality and legacy in Book 9 and Book 21; Butler’s version focuses on the narrative's directness, evident in phrases such as "my name will live for ever," while Alexander’s choice of "my glory will be undying" highlights the original’s poetic texture. In dealing with such themes, both translations effectively capture the existential reflections central to the Iliad, though through distinct prose and verse presentations.
Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.
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.