The Iliad of Homer, Books I-XII (Volume 1)

Sing, Goddess, of the wrath of Peleus’ sonAkhilleus, the accursed wrath that causedAkhaians countless woes and hurled headlongTo Haides a host of heroes’ soulsAnd left their bodies spoil for dogs and allThe birds of carrion. The will of ZeusWas brought to pass from when Agamemnon,The Lord of men, opposed the consummateAkhilleus. Which God was it that set the twoAt odds? So begins the Iliad, Homer’s epic song about the invasion of Troy by a force of Greeks led by Agamemnon, King of Mykene. They are seeking revenge for the abduction from Sparte of Helene, the most beautiful woman on earth, by Paris, Prince of Troy. The walls of Troy seem to be impregnable and the fortunes of the Greeks are further set back when their greatest warrior, the fleet-of-foot Akhilleus, falls out with King Agamemnon and withdraws from the battle. The Iliad recounts what happens in the next fifty days at the beginning of the tenth and final year of the war.By the end of this first volume, the fortunes of the Greeks are at a low ebb. The Trojans are storming the Argive wall and breach it to pour through and fight close to the ships, though Akhilleus still refuses to join the battle.This new translation adheres closely to the original text, rendering it in iambic pentameter, with attention to the dramatic similes characteristic of Homer. A detailed Introduction is provided together with Notes for Books I-XII.