Anthony Verity and Rodney Merrill offer distinct translations of Homer's "Iliad," each highlighting different aspects of the ancient text. Verity's translation tends to use more straightforward and contemporary language, aiming for clarity and accessibility. For instance, in the famous opening lines of Book 1, Verity captures the focus on Achilles' wrath and its destructive consequences with phrases like "the accursed anger" and "the plan of Zeus was fulfilled," emphasizing the inevitability and grand design of the events. Similarly, in Book 6, Verity uses a simple metaphor of falling and budding leaves to illustrate the cycle of human generations, making the imagery relatable to modern readers. Verity's version highlights the pragmatic choices facing the characters, like Achilles' internal conflict in Book 9, where he contemplates glory versus longevity in direct and lucid terms. Rodney Merrill, in contrast, opts for a more rhythmic and musical style, staying closer to the oral tradition of the original epic. This approach can be seen in passages like the introduction, where he uses words such as "ruinous rage" and "plunder for all of the birds," which create a rhythmic cadence that echoes the poem's original dactylic hexameter. Merrill often deploys richer, multilayered language as seen in Book 5, where Athena's speech to Diomedes is laden with ornamental adjectives such as "bright-eyed" and "impetuous." Merrill's translation emphasizes the epic's grandiosity and musicality, offering a dramatic flair to lines like those in Book 21, where even in the stark contemplation of mortality, there's a lyrical flow with phrases like “irresistible doomsday.” Both translators thus capture the epic’s essence but with different stylistic choices, giving readers options based on their preference for clarity or poetic tradition.
SING, goddess, the anger of Achilles, Peleus' son,
the accursed anger which brought the Achaeans countless
agonies and hurled many mighty shades of heroes into Hades,
causing them to become the prey of dogs and
all kinds of birds; and the plan of Zeus was fulfilled.
Sing from the time the two men were first divided in strife—
Atreus' son, lord of men, and glorious Achilles.
Sing now, goddess, the wrath of Achilles the scion of Peleus,
ruinous rage which brought the Achaians uncounted afflictions;
many the powerful souls it sent to the dwelling of Hades,
those of the heroes, and spoil for the dogs it made of their bodies,
plunder for all of the birds, and the purpose of Zeus was accomplished—
sing from the time when first stood hostile, starting the conflict,
Atreus' scion, the lord of the people, and noble Achilles.