The translations of the Iliad by Robert Fagles and A. T. Murray offer contrasting styles while conveying the same epic story. Fagles’ version leans towards a more modern, vivid, and immersive experience, using simpler, more direct language that is accessible to contemporary readers. His use of phrases like “Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles” captures the dramatic urgency and emotional intensity of the narrative. Meanwhile, Murray's translation, characterized by its adherence to more traditional and formal language, as seen in "The wrath sing, goddess, of Peleus' son, Achilles," presents the epic in a way that echoes its ancient origins. Murray maintains the poetic structure and rhythm of the original Greek, mirroring the experience akin to reading the text in a more classical form. In passages like Athena encouraging Diomedes, Fagles opts for a more straightforward portrayal that highlights the goddess's urgency and directness: "Up now! Lash your racing horses at Ares first." In contrast, Murray's translation remains closer to a literal rendering, maintaining a touch of formality: "Nay, come, at Ares first drive thou thy single-hooved horses." These differences extend to famous metaphors such as the comparison between leaves and human life; Fagles uses a modern cadence—"Like the generations of leaves, the lives of mortal men"—while Murray mirrors the original syntax more closely: "Even as are the generations of leaves, such are those also of men." Both translations effectively convey the timeless themes of fate and glory, though they cater to different reader preferences, with Fagles appealing more to those desiring immediacy and emotional depth, and Murray appealing to those who prefer a classical, literal rendition.
Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,
murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls,
great fighters' souls, but made their bodies carrion,
feasts for the dogs and birds,
and the will of Zeus was moving toward its end.
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.