Homer
The Iliad
translated by Robert Fitzgerald
New York 1974

[A Sample from the Opening of the Poem]
 
Book One
Quarrel, Oath, and Promise

Anger now be 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.
Begin it when the two men first contending
broke with one another—
                                                     the Lord Marshal
Agamémnon, Atreus’ son, and Prince Akhilleus.
Among the gods, who brought this quarrel on?
The son of Zeus by Lêto. Agamemnon
angered him, so he made a burning wind
of plague rise in the army: rank and file
sicked and died for the ill their chief had done
in despising a man of prayer.
This priest, Khrysês, had come down to the ships
with gifts, no end of ransom for his daughter;
on a golden staff he carried the god’s white bands
and sued for grace from the men of all Akhaía,
the two Atreidai most of all:

                                                            “O captains
Meneláos and Agamémnon, and you other
Akhaians under arms!
The gods who hold Olympos, may they grant you
plunder of Priam’s town and a fair wind home,
but let me have my daughter back for ransom
as you revere Apollo, son of Zeus!”

Then all the soldiers murmured their assent:

“Behave well to the priest. And take the ransom!”

But Agamémnon would not. It went against his desire,
and brutally he ordered the man away:

“Let me not find you here by the long ships
loitering this time or returning later;
old man; if I do,
the staff and ribbons of the god will fail you.
Give up the girl? I swear she will grow old
at home in Argos, far from her own country,
working my loom and visiting my bed.
Leave me in peace and go, while you can, in safety.”
 
REVIEW COMMENT

Of modern translators, Fitzgerald is one of the most accomplished poets, and this rendition of Homer is notable for the quality of the English verse, especially at those decisive moments when Homer launches into an especially imaginative passage. One of the major tests of a translator is whether or not he can in his own poetry convey the intensity of these moments. Fitzgerald manages this better than almost anyone else, and his treatment of the dramatic speeches is excellent.

 I also like the fact that Fitzgerald really understands how to structure an English sentence over many lines, so that the sense remains clear and the momentum of the verse unit gathers energy until the decisive moment, a quality that, among other things, delivers the full impact of the Homeric similes and the battle fighting. Fitzgerald’s basic line is the pentameter, but he freely departs from a regular adherence to this rhythm. And he pays careful attention to the layout of the poem on the page. For some reason, many readers (especially academics) have excoriated Fitzgerald for the liberties he takes with Homer’s text. But this is one of the finest English renditions of the Iliad available anywhere, and anyone who sets a high value on the quality of the English verse in a translation (in contrast to one which is willing to sacrifice idiomatic poetic English in order to remain allegedly “faithful” to Homer) will find Fitzgerald’s translation of the Iliad particularly enjoyable. Those selecting the text for class room use may, however, be disappointed in the lack of adequate supplementary material.

For a generous preview of Fitzgerald’s translation, please use the following link: Fitzgerald Iliad.

List of Published English Translation of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey