Homer’s Iliad:
translated by William Munford
Boston 1846

[Sample from the Opening of the Poem]

THE ILIAD

BOOK I.

The Quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon—Jupiter promises Thetis to punish the Greeks.

BOOK I.

OF Peleus’ son Achilles, sing, O Muse,
The direful wrath, which sorrows numberless
Brought on the Greeks, and many mighty souls
Of youthful heroes, slain untimely, sent
To Pluto’s dark abode, their bodies left 
A prey to dogs and all the fowls of heaven;
(For so accomplish’d was the will of Jove;)
Since first, by fatal discord, sever’d were
Atrides, king of men, and great Achilles.
Which of the deities, their cruel strife
Excited?  Jove’s and bright Latona’s son.
For he, provok’d to anger by the king,
Upon Achaia’s host a deathful plague
Inflicted, and in crowds the people died.
Chryses the cause, Apollo’s injured priest,
Whom Atreus’ son dishonored!  To the ships
Of Greece, his captive daughter to redeem,
The suppliant father came: a boundless store
He brought for ransom; in his hands the wreath
And golden sceptre of that god who darts
The radiant shafts afar.  He all the Greeks
Solicited, but chiefly Atreus’ sons,
The brother kings and rulers in the war.
Ye sons of Atreus, and ye other Greeks,
Renown’d in arms, to you may all the gods,
Inhabitants of high Olympus, grant
To sack the town of Priam, and return
Triumphant home; but ah! to me release
My darling child, and take the wealth I bring;
Revering Jove’s great son, Apollo, arm’d
With deadly darts!  Then all Achaia’s host,
With loud acclaim assented, to revere
The sacred priest, and splendid ransom take.
But such was not the pleasure of their chief,
Stern Agamemnon, Atreus’ haughty son.
He, roughly, and with threat’ning speech, repuls’d
The wretched father.  Let me now old man,
Catch thee, abiding here, among our ships,
Or daring to return; lest e’en the wreath
And sceptre of thy god avail thee nought.
I will not her relinquish, till old age
Invade her, dwelling in our royal house
At Argos, from her natal shore remote;
There, with her shuttle at the loom employ’d,
By day, the partner of my bed by night.
Begone; provoke me not, that thy return
May be the safer!  Sternly thus he spake;
The old man trembled, and his word obey’d.
Silent he went, along the sounding shore
Of loudly-roaring ocean; but, at length,
Remote, he fervently implor’d the king
Apollo, whom bright-haired Latona bore.
Hear me, O thou, with silver bow adorn’d,
Who guardest Chrysa with thy power divine,
And heavenly Cilla!  King of Tenedos,
Great Smintheus, hear!  If ever I have crown’d
Thy honor’d fane with wreaths, or ever burn’d
The fatted thighs of bulls or goats to thee;
I pray thee now, accomplish my request!
By thy avenging arrows may the Greeks,
For these my tears, atone!  So pray’d the priest,
And dread Apollo heard him.  He, in wrath,
Descended from Olympus’ lofty cliffs,
Arm’d with his bow, and quiver well-encas’d.
His fatal arrows rattled, threat’ning death,
As fiercely he approach’d; and, dark as night,
He came, terrific.  From Achaia’s fleet
Apart, his stand he took, and sent his shaft.
Shrill twang’d, with direful clang, the silver bow.
First, on their mules and dogs destruction came;
Next, aiming at themselves the doleful dart,
He shot; and funeral fires incessant flam’d.

REVIEW COMMENT

Munford is conscious that he is the first American translator of the poem at a time when poets in England were considered superior: “How far I have succeeded in this difficult enterprise, the public will judge, if not prevented from reading this work by the prejudice unfortunately existing against American poetry.”  Munford explains in the preface that his basic verse form is derived from Milton but that he has not endeavoured to copy Milton’s style. For all that, one does sense some of the more irritating Miltonic stylistic habits creeping in here and there (e.g., “He came, terrific”). In spite of his occasional lapses into odd diction,  Munford’s translation compares very favourably with those of a number of English Victorian translators, especially for the compression and pace he injects into the poem.  The text is remarkable, too, for the very scholarly notes included at the end of each book.

For a link to the Volume II of the Munford translation, please use the following link: Munford Iliad

For a contemporary (1846) review of Munford's translation, use the following link: Munford Review.

[List of Published English Translations of Homer]