The Iliad of Homer
With a Verse Translation
by W. C. Green
London 1884

[Sample from the Opening of the Poem}

ILIAD I.

The pestilence and the wrath of Achilleus.

SING, goddess Muse, the wrath of Peleus’ son, 
The wrath of Achileus with ruin fraught, 
That to Achaians brought unnumbered woes, 
And many mighty souls of heroes hurled 
To Hades’ home, but gave themselves a prey 
To dogs and every fowl. For thus its end 
The will of Zeus worked out, since at the first 
Parted in strife those twain, the king of men 
Atrides and the godlike Achileus. 
And who of gods set these in strife to fight? 
The son of Zeus and Leto. He in wrath 
Against the king had stirred throughout the host 
Fell plague, whereby the troops lay perishing: 
Because Atrides shamed his holy priest 
Chryses, who sought the swift Achaian ships 
To free his daughter, bearing ransom large. 
Archer Apollo’s wreaths in hand he held 
Upon a golden staff, and prayed to all 
Achaia’s chiefs, but chiefly to the twain 
The sons of Atreus, marshals of the host: 
“Atridae and well-greaved Achaians all, 
O may the gods who hold Olympian halls 
Vouchsafe you grace to spoil king Priam’s town 
And home return in peace! But set ye free 
My daughter dear, and this my ransom take, 
In reverence for the Archer son of Zeus.”
Thereto while each Achaian cried consent— 
The priest to reverence, the rich ransom take — 
It liked not Agamemnon Atreus’ son, 
But stern he drave him forth and fiercely spake : 
“Thee, greybeard, let me by our hollow ships 
Nor lingering now nor e’er returning find; 
Lest staff and wreaths of god avail thee nought. 
Her I free not : old age shall find her first, 
Far from her country in my Argive home, 
Plying the loom and partner of my bed. 
Go, chafe me not ; so wilt thou safer go.” 
He spake: the greybeard trembled and obeyed 
The monarch’s word, and silent passed along 
The sandy margin of the sounding sea. 
Then turned he far apart, and much he prayed 
To king Apollo fair-haired Leto’s son. 
“O hear me, Silver-bow, who standest round 
Chrysa and holy Cilla, mighty king 
Of Tenedos, thou Sminthian god: if e’er 
For thee I roofed a temple fair to view, 
Or burned to thee fat thighs of bulls and goats, 
Fulfil thou this my wish! let now thy shafts 
Upon the Danaan host avenge my tears.” 
He spake in prayer. Phoebus Apollo heard, 
And from Olympus’ heights in wrath down sped: 
His bow and quiver closed his shoulders bore, 
Whereon the arrows rattled, as in wrath 
He moved. Like night he went: then sate apart 
Far from the ships, whereat he loosed a shaft, 
And loud and fearful sang the silver bow. 
And first he smote the mules and nimble dogs; 
Then at the men themselves his pointed shaft 
He aimed, and shot, and ever shot again, 
That ceaseless burned the pyres of frequent dead.

Review Comment

Green’s text has English and Greek on facing pages.

Readers who wish to access Volume I of Green’s translation of the Iliad should use the following link: Green Iliad.

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