Samuel Butler's and A. T. Murray's translations of Homer's Iliad offer distinct perspectives on the epic's timeless narrative. Butler's translation is often noted for its straightforward and accessible prose. In Butler's version, the introduction to Book 1 sets the stage with clarity, emphasizing Achilles' anger and its devastating consequences for the Achaeans, using words like "countless ills" and highlighting the role of Zeus's plans. This approach is mirrored in other parts, such as in Book 5, where Athena's encouragement to Diomedes is presented in a direct manner, reinforcing the themes of divine intervention and fate with terms like "man after my own heart." Butler's style tends to focus on the narrative and the action, making the text approachable for readers unfamiliar with classical epics. Furthermore, his translations often preserve a conversational tone, such as in Book 21, where Achilles candidly dismisses complaints about death. Conversely, A. T. Murray's translation offers a more formal and literal rendition that retains the original's poetic structure. Murray's introduction in Book 1 conveys the same core message about the destructive wrath of Achilles but uses a more elevated and archaic phrasing, such as "The wrath sing, goddess," which nods to the epic's oral traditions. In Book 5, Athena's dialogue with Diomedes is similarly grand, with phrases like "flashing-eyed Athene" and "single-hooved horses," emphasizing the grandeur and majesty of the divine and their actions. Murray's translation maintains the epic’s rhythmic cadences and literary sophistication, evidenced in the recurring metaphors and tonal nuances, like in Book 6’s comparison of human generations to leaves, using "scattereth" and "bourgeons." This approach may appeal to readers interested in a rendering that echoes ancient Greek poetic traditions and the epic's original lyrical quality, as seen again in Book 21’s dignified treatment of the inevitability of death.
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 wrath sing, goddess, of Peleus' son, Achilles, that destructive wrath which brought countless woes upon the Achaeans, and sent forth to Hades many valiant souls of heroes, and made them themselves spoil for dogs and every bird; thus the plan of Zeus came to fulfillment, from the time when first they parted in strife Atreus' son, king of men, and brilliant Achilles.