Homer
The Iliad
translated by Andrew Lang, Walter Leaf, Ernest Myers
Boston, 1882
[Sample
from the Opening of the Poem]
Sing,
goddess, the wrath of Achilles Peleus’ son, the ruinous wrath that brought on
the Achaians woes innumerable, and hurled down into Hades many strong souls of
heroes, and gave their bodies to be a prey to dogs and all winged fowls; and so
the counsel of Zeus wrought out its accomplishment from the day when first
strife parted Atreides king of men and noble Achilles.
Who
among the gods set the twain at strife and variance? Apollo, the son of Leto and
of Zeus; for he in anger at the king sent a sore plague upon the host, so that
the folk began to perish, because Atreides had done dishonour to Chryses the
priest. For the priest had come to the Achaians’ fleet ships to win his
daughter’s freedom, and brought a ransom beyond telling; and bare in his hands
the fillet of Apollo the Far-darter upon a golden staff; and made his prayer
unto all the Achaians, and most of all to the two sons of Atreus, orderers of
the host; “Ye sons of Atreus and all ye well-greaved Achaians, now may the
gods that dwell in the mansions of Olympus grant you to lay waste the city of
Priam, and to fare happily homeward; only set ye my dear child free, and accept
the ransom in reverence to the son of Zeus, far-darting Apollo.”
Then
all the other Achaians cried assent, to reverence the priest and accept his
goodly ransom; yet the thing pleased not the heart of Agamemnon son of Atreus,
but he roughly sent him away, and laid stern charge upon him, saying: “Let me
not find thee, old man, amid the hollow ships, whether tarrying now or returning
again hereafter, lest the staff and fillet of the god avail thee naught. And her
will I not set free; nay, ere that shall old age come on her in our house, in
Argos, far from her native land, where she shall ply the loom and serve my
couch. But depart, provoke me not, that thou mayest the rather go in peace.”
So
said he, and the old man was afraid and obeyed his word, and fared silently
along the shore of the loud-sounding sea. Then went that aged man apart and
prayed aloud to king Apollo, whom Leto of the fair locks bare: “Hear me, god
of the silver bow, that standest over Chryse and holy Killa, and rulest Tenedos
with might, O Smintheus! If ever I built a temple gracious in thine eyes, or if
ever I burnt to thee fat flesh of thighs of bulls or goats, fulfil thou this my
desire; let the Danaans pay by thine arrows for my tears.”
So
spake he in prayer, and Phoebus Apollo heard him, and came down from the peaks
of Olympus wroth at heart, bearing on his shoulders his bow and covered quiver.
And the arrows clanged upon his shoulders in wrath, as the god moved; and he
descended like to night. Then he sate him aloof from the ships, and let an arrow
fly; and there was heard a dread clanging of the silver bow. First did the
assail the mules and fleet dogs, but afterward, aiming at the men his piercing
dart, he smote; and the pyres of the dead burnt continually in multitude.
Review
Comment
Lang,
Leaf, and Myers follow the same basic translation principles laid down in the
translation of the Odyssey by
Butcher and Lang, an English prose version that deliberately draws upon the
language of the King James Bible (the traditional English text most familiar to
their readers, especially young students). The result, popular
enough in their time and even in recent years (Andre
Michalopoulos in his comparatively recent book on Homer remarks “no
translation has surpassed, or
ever will surpass the
magnificent Victorian translation of Leaf, Lang, and Myers for the Iliad .
. .” [emphasis added]—an observation that illustrates as well as any the
extreme claims scholars often make when discussing translations of Homer), but
nowadays with so many better and equally accurate translations of Homer
available in more accessible English (prose and poetry) there seems little point
in recommending this version to a new reader (especially since the diction, odd
enough in the descriptions, is often disastrous in the dialogue).
For
the complete text of this well-known translation, use the following link: Lang,
Leaf, Myers Iliad.
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