Wilson writes in verse, with lines that stay close to a consistent syllable count and a contemporary register. Her diction is plain and direct: "my chance of ever going home is lost" (Book 9) moves without ceremony. Rouse writes in prose and allows himself more freedom with register, sometimes going colloquial in ways that stand out sharply. In the Athena passage from Book 5, Wilson gives "He was made for trouble," while Rouse gives "Mr. Facing-all-ways," a coinage that reads almost comically. Rouse's prose has no line breaks to manage, so his sentences can sprawl or compress freely. Wilson's verse creates a measured pace even in violent scenes. The two texts simply sound different in the ear, and that difference starts on page one and never stops. Rouse aimed for a readable, spoken English that an ordinary person could follow without a classics background, and the prose format supports that goal. He removes the formal distance of epic and replaces it with something closer to a yarn. Wilson keeps the formal category of verse and tries to hold onto the weight of Greek words like "kleos" (glory) without losing clarity. In Book 9, both translators give the double-fate speech accurately, but Wilson's "a name that lasts forever" carries a deliberateness that Rouse's "my fame shall never die" also achieves, if more flatly. Rouse's approach gains pace and accessibility. Wilson's gains a shape on the page that reminds the reader the text is a poem, not a novel.
Goddess, sing of the cataclysmic wrath
of great Achilles, son of Peleus,
which caused the Greeks immeasurable pain
and sent so many noble souls of heroes
to Hades, and made men the spoils of dogs,
a banquet for the birds, and so the plan
of Zeus unfolded—starting with the conflict
between great Agamemnon, lord of men,
and glorious Achilles.
An angry man—There is my story: The bitter rancour of Achillês, prince of the house of Peleus, which brought a thousand troubles upon the Achaian host. Many a strong soul it sent down to Hadês, and left the heroes themselves a prey to dogs and carrion birds, while the will of God moved on to fulfilment.
It began first of all with a quarrel between my lord King Agamemnon of Atreus' line and the Prince Achillês.