Stanley Lombardo and Peter Green offer distinct translations of Homer's Iliad that reflect differences in style and interpretation while maintaining fidelity to the epic's core themes. Lombardo's translation tends to be more direct and contemporary, capturing the essence of the narrative in a way that is accessible to modern readers. His version features a straightforward language that emphasizes clarity and immediacy, as seen in lines like "You die too, friend. Don't take it hard" from Book 21, which conveys a succinct, conversational tone. Lombardo often employs a more concise and energetic verse, allowing readers to engage with the story and its characters on a visceral level. Peter Green, on the other hand, approaches the Iliad with a slightly more traditional and formal style, offering a translation that balances detailed accuracy with the lyrical quality of the original Greek. Green often incorporates a richer vocabulary and more complex syntax, as demonstrated in "Wrath, goddess, sing of Achilles Pēleus's son's calamitous wrath," emphasizing the poetic nature of the text. His translation captures the breadth of Homeric epic through a nuanced rendering of dialogue and description, allowing readers to appreciate the depth and intricacy of the original work. Both translations serve to illuminate different facets of the Iliad, providing valuable insights for readers seeking either immediacy or literary fidelity.
Sing, Goddess, Achilles' rage,
Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks
Incalculable pain, pitched countless souls
Of heroes into Hades' dark,
And left their bodies to rot as feasts
For dogs and birds, as Zeus' will was done.
Wrath, goddess, sing of Achilles Pēleus's son's
calamitous wrath, which hit the Achaians with countless ills—
many the valiant souls it saw off down to Hādēs,
souls of heroes, their selves1 left as carrion for dogs
and all birds of prey, and the plan of Zeus was fulfilled
from the first moment those two men parted in fury,
Atreus's son, king of men, and the godlike Achilles.