The Iliad

Homer (8th century BC), trans. Samuel Butler

Translation en 169019 words Greece

The first great work of Western literature: Homer's epic of a few weeks in the tenth year of the Trojan War. Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, withdraws in fury when Agamemnon takes his prize — and the war tilts toward ruin as Hector drives the Greeks to their ships. Rage, grief, the death of Patroclus, the great duel with Hector and Priam's night visit to reclaim his son's body: a poem about mortality, honour and what war does to men on both sides. This edition uses Samuel Butler's classic prose translation.

Text sourced from Project Gutenberg (public domain in the United States); the Project Gutenberg trademark and license text have been removed on import. Public-domain status determined by the author's death year + 50 years rule.

The Iliad

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