Fitzgerald translates into loose iambic verse, mostly five-beat lines that break and reset freely rather than holding a strict meter. The diction sits between plain modern English and a slightly raised register: "undergloom" and "carrion" in the opening, "maniacal god" in Book 5, but also direct speech like "Come, friend, face your death, you too." He uses Greek-styled spellings (Akhilleus, Akhaians, Patroklos) to keep the names closer to Homer. The famous leaves passage in Book 6 keeps Glaukos's image intact and adds little ornament around it. Lines run on, so speeches move at a conversational pace. This version suits a reader who wants verse with some weight and old flavor in the names, without the density of Lattimore or the brisk pace of Fagles.
Anger be now your song, immortal one,
Akhilleus' anger, doomed and ruinous,
that caused the Akhaians loss on bitter loss
and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,
leaving so many dead men—carrion
for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done.