Both translations are in verse, but they handle line length and register differently. Green writes longer, more syntactically complex lines and keeps a slightly elevated diction. His opening gives "calamitous wrath, which hit the Achaians with countless ills," where the adjective and relative clause stay close to Greek word order. Jordan works in shorter, cleaner lines and a more contemporary register. His opening reads "ruinous, that caused the Greeks untold ordeals," dropping the Latinate "calamitous" for a single blunt word. In the Book 21 passage, Green keeps the slightly formal "all-mastering destiny," while Jordan uses "dogged fate," a phrase that reads as ordinary speech. Green's rhythm is looser and more variable across lines; Jordan's lines move at a steadier, more even pace. Green's translation carries visible scholarly apparatus: he uses transliterated Greek spellings ("Pēleus," "Hādēs," "Akhilleus") and adds footnotes, signaling a priority on accuracy and a reader willing to engage with the Greek behind the text. Jordan removes those markers and prioritizes forward momentum. In the Book 6 leaves passage, Green gives "So with men: one generation grows, while another dies," a line that names the full contrast explicitly. Jordan ends at "In like manner the stock of men survives," cutting the dying half of the image and leaving the surviving half. That omission makes the passage feel more compressed. Green's choices suit a reader who wants the translation to keep the Greek visible; Jordan's suit a reader who wants a clean, uninterrupted read.
Wrath, goddess, sing of Achilles Pēleus's son's
calamitous wrath, which hit the Achaians with countless ills—
many the valiant souls it saw off down to Hādēs,
souls of heroes, their selves1 left as carrion for dogs
and all birds of prey, and the plan of Zeus was fulfilled
from the first moment those two men parted in fury,
Atreus's son, king of men, and the godlike Achilles.
Sing, goddess, of Peleus' son Achilles' anger,
ruinous, that caused the Greeks untold ordeals,
consigned to Hades countless valiant souls,
heroes, and left their bodies prey for dogs
or feast for vultures. Zeus's will was done
from when those two first quarreled and split apart,
the king, Agamemnon, and matchless Achilles.