Michael Reck and Herbert Jordan provide distinct styles in their translations of Homer's *Iliad*, each offering unique linguistic choices and interpretations. Reck's translation tends to employ a more contemporary and colloquial tone. For instance, in the opening lines, Reck refers to "Achilles' maniac rage" and describes Ares as "that crook, that lunatic, that renegade," language that feels modern and direct. This stylistic approach injects a lively dynamism into the text, making the ancient epic resonate with a more immediate and accessible energy. Reck's wording often carries an emotional intensity, as seen when Achilles contemplates his fate, stating he "can live in decent obscurity" if he chooses to return home. In contrast, Herbert Jordan's translation leans towards a more formal and traditional prose style, reflecting the elevated tone often associated with classical epics. Jordan's rendition of the same opening passage uses wording like "ruinous, that caused the Greeks untold ordeals," which maintains a grand, epic quality. His translation of Athena’s encouragement to Diomedes refers to Ares as a "frenzied two-faced pest," encapsulating the god's duplicity in a way that bridges the dignified and the vivid. Jordan's translations often emphasize the timeless nature of the story, as evidenced by the philosophical observation about human generations: "In like manner the stock of men survives." Both translations capture the essence of the *Iliad*, but they do so with differing stylistic choices that reflect each translator's unique interpretation of the ancient text.
Sing, Goddess, Achilles' maniac rage:
ruinous thing! it roused a thousand sorrows
and hurled many souls of mighty warriors
to Hades, made their bodies food for dogs
and carrion birds—as Zeus's will foredoomed—
from the time relentless strife came between
Atreus' son, a king, and brave Achilles.
Sing, goddess, of Peleus' son Achilles' anger,
ruinous, that caused the Greeks untold ordeals,
consigned to Hades countless valiant souls,
heroes, and left their bodies prey for dogs
or feast for vultures. Zeus's will was done
from when those two first quarreled and split apart,
the king, Agamemnon, and matchless Achilles.