Iliad

With an Introduction and Notes by Adam Roberts; Royal Holloway; University of London. The product of more than a decade's continuous work (1598-1611); Chapman's translation of Homer's great poem of war is a magnificent testimony to the power of The Iliad. In muscular; onward-rolling verse Chapman retells the story of Achilles; the great warrior; and his terrible wrath before the walls of besieged Troy; and the destruction it wreaks on both Greeks and Trojans. Chapman regarded the translation of this epic; and of Homer's Odyssey (also available in Wordsworth Editions) as his life's work; and dedicated himself to capturing the 'soul' of the poem. Swinburne praised the resulting translation for its 'romantic and sometimes barbaric grandeur; its freshness; strength; and inexhaustible fire'; qualities that reflect the grandeur; fire and brutality of the original poem. This new edition includes a critical introduction and extensive notes; rendering Chapman's extraordinary poetic masterpiece accessible to modern readers.