Alexander Pope and Robert Fitzgerald offer distinct translations of Homer's Iliad, each capturing the epic's drama and themes through their unique styles. Pope's translation, characterized by its formal and ornamental verse, starts with: "Achilles' wrath, to Greece the direful spring / Of woes unnumbered, heavenly goddess, sing!" This reflects a classic, poetic approach aimed at conveying the grandeur of the original Greek. Pope uses a rhythmic, heroic couplet form, enhancing the sense of an epic narrative. His language is elaborate and prioritizes the majesty of the Iliad, evident in lines like those from Book 6 comparing human generations to "leaves on trees," where his choice of words adds a lyrical and timeless quality. In contrast, Robert Fitzgerald's translation uses more straightforward, modern language: "Anger be now your song, immortal one, / Akhilleus' anger, doomed and ruinous." This reflects a style that seeks accessibility and immediacy, capturing the intensity and directness of the original story. Fitzgerald's prose is less concerned with ornate structure and more focused on clarity and the raw emotion of the epic. For instance, in Book 21, he translates Achilles' acceptance of mortality with a simple yet profound observation: "Yet death waits for me, / for me as well, in all the power of fate." Fitzgerald's version aims to be more approachable, emphasizing the human and visceral elements of the narrative, thus offering a distinct perspective from Pope's more classical rendition.
Achilles' wrath, to Greece the direful spring
Of woes unnumbered, heavenly goddess, sing!
That wrath which hurled to Pluto's gloomy reign
The souls of mighty chiefs untimely slain;
Whose limbs, unburied on the naked shore,
Devouring dogs and hungry vultures tore.
Since great Achilles and Atrides strove,
Such was the sovereign doom, and such the will of Jove!
Anger be now your song, immortal one,
Akhilleus' anger, doomed and ruinous,
that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss
and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,
leaving so many dead men—carrion
for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done.