The Iliad of Homer
Translated Almost Literally, in the Spenserian Stanza, with Preface and Notes
W. G. T. Barter
London 1854

[Sample from the Opening of the Poem]

THE ILIAD

BOOK I.

I.

THE wrath of Peleus’ son Achilles sing,
O Goddess, wrath destructive, that did on
Th’ Achaeans woes innumerable bring,
And many mighty souls of heroes down
To Hades hurl untimely, themselves thrown
to gods a prey and all the birds obscene.
But so in sooth the will of Zeus was done,
Since parted first in strife those chieftains twain,
Divine Achilles, and Atrides king of men.

II.

What god them set in strife contending high?
’Twas Zeus’ and Leto’s son. Wroth with the king,
A plague through th’ host he stirr’d. The people die.
For on priest Chryses did Atrides fling
Contempt. To th’ Achive ships he ransoming
His daughter came, and boundless ransom brought.
In’s hands did far-dart Phœbus’ wreath enring
The golden staff. He th’ Achives all besought,
But did th’ Atrides chief, the folk’s two rulers, court:—

III.

“Ye Atreus’ sons, Achæans buskin’d well
“That else be here!  Vouchsafe it may to you
“The gods that in Olympian houses dwell,
“Take Priam’s town, and home then safe! But do
“My child release me, ransom take, and due
“Respect to Zeus’ son, far-dart Phœbus give.”
With shouts all Achives else assent thereto,
The priest to rev’rence, ransom bright receive,
But not t’ Atrides Agamemnon’s mind ’twas lieve,

IV.

But rough dismiss’ him, adding speech severe:—
“By th’ ships, old man, that I not catch thee see!
“Or ling’ring now, or back returning here,
“Lest not the staff nor god’s wreath profit thee.
“Her loose not I till age upon her be
“In Argos’ palace our’s, far from her land,
“Tending the loom, my counch partaking she.
“But go, provoke me not: so safer wend,”
He said. The sire in fear obey’d the harsh command,

V.

And silent pac’d of mickle sounding sea the shore.
Much as he went the sire apart did pray.
To King Apollo, fair tress’d Leto bore:—
“Hear, Silver-Bow, that Chrysa guardest aye,
“And sacred Cilla, Tenedos dost sway,
“Smintheus!  If ever temple lovely one
“I’ve roof’d to thee, or fat thighs burnt have I
“Of bulls or goats, this wish of mine then crown,
“That with thy darts the Danai my tears atone.”

VI.

’Twas thus he pray’d. Phœbus Apollo heard,
And down Olympus’ summits wroth at heart,
And should’ring bow and cover’d quiver skirr’d.
Rattled the shafts on’s shoulders at each start
As wroth he pac’d. He went like night. Apart
From ships then sat, an arrow shot, and high
Out-clang’d the silver bow to freeze the heart.
Mules first and swift dogs smote, and then let fly
Fell shaft on them. Thick burnt the pyres funereal aye.

REVIEW COMMENT

If it hasn’t been done already, some scholar should write a study of the deleterious influence of Spenser on the tradition of translating Homer into English. Such a work might well begin by taking a close look at Barter’s rendition of Homer. Barter pays direct homage to Spenser in his choice of verse form and diction, and he offers an interesting and sincere, if unconvincing, defence of the practice in his introduction:

Another advantage of this form of verse is its compass of vocabulary, giving one the whole range of the language, receiving the oldest gray-worn words side by side with those of the newest mint with equal grace. An unspeakable advantage this to a literal translation and in rhyme, by giving a choice of sound and of syllables to a degree that is denied to the more fastidious and modernising requirements of the couplet . . . . and never, I trust, will the poetic feeling in this country sink so low as to deem a word absolutely inadmissible which has the sanction of Spenser, or the ancient but regal stamp of the father of English poets, the noble Chaucer himself.

To this the best reply is probably Dr. Johnson’s famous remark about Milton: “Of him, at last, may be said what Jonson says of Spenser, that ‘he wrote no language,’ but has formed what Butler calls ‘a Babylonish Dialect,’ in itself harsh and barbarous, but made by exalted genius and extensive learning the vehicle of so much instruction and so much pleasure that, like other lovers, we find grace in its deformity.” Lacking the “exalted genius” Johnson refers to, Barter’s style, for all its energy and occasional felicitous phrase, presents too many deformities, although, one should note, his attempt to turn Homer into a traditional English poem won praise in some quarters:

The translation of Mr. Barter is literal, and he has facilitated his task of finding the triple rhymes by incorporating in his work many old but good words, out of date, or rarely used since the time of Chaucer. Such archaisms added an irresistible charm to the Spenserian poems of Thomson and Byron, and in addition to their authority, Mr. Barter may plead the Horatian ‘multa renascentur quae jam cecidere [many shall be restored that now have fallen]’ for the restoration of such words as withouten, dight, rede, y-blent, &c. Such expressions, moreover, sparingly introduced as they have been by Mr. Barter, throw an antique air over his translation well suited to the venerable father of epic poetry. (Morning Post)

Barter was among the first to restore Greek names in place of their Latin equivalents.

Link to complete text (warning: very large file of 46 MB requires some time to load: Barter Iliad)

[List of Published English translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey]