Samuel Butler and Stephen Mitchell offer two distinct translations of Homer's "Iliad," reflecting their unique approaches and styles. Butler, known for his prose translation, provides a straightforward narrative that captures the epic's grandeur and timeless themes. His version opens with a solemn invocation to the goddess, requesting her to sing of Achilles' anger and its disastrous consequences for the Achaeans, using direct language that emphasizes the inevitability of fate. For instance, in Book 1, Butler's translation focuses on the fulfillment of Jove's counsels and the enmity between Agamemnon and Achilles. His portrayal of Athena's interaction with Diomedes in Book 5 presents the goddess as a protective ally, encouraging Diomedes to confront Ares. Butler's passage on the cyclical nature of human generations in Book 6 vividly illustrates how life and death mirror the changing seasons. In contrast, Stephen Mitchell brings a more lyrical and rhythmic touch to the epic, while maintaining accessibility. His version also begins with a call to the goddess, but with a slightly more dramatic tone, describing Achilles' rage as a force causing immense grief and destruction. Mitchell's translation of Athena's encouragement to Diomedes highlights her personal affection and motivation, calling Diomedes the "joy of my heart" before urging him to face Ares. In Book 6, Mitchell's depiction of humanity's transience mirrors natural processes with poetic subtlety. He similarly articulates the notions of glory and mortality, as in Book 9, where Achilles contemplates the trade-off between eternal fame and a long, peaceful life. Both translators maintain the essence of the original while providing readers with distinct experiences, shaped by their stylistic choices and interpretive nuances.
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.
The rage of Achilles—sing it now, goddess, sing through me
the deadly rage that caused the Achaeans such grief
and hurled down to Hades the souls of so many fighters,
leaving their naked flesh to be eaten by dogs
and carrion birds, as the will of Zeus was accomplished.
Begin at the time when bitter words first divided
that king of men, Agamemnon, and godlike Achilles.