Ian Johnston taught at Vancouver Island University and released this translation free online, where it remains widely used in classrooms. The verse is loose blank-ish lines of roughly ten to twelve syllables, with no fixed meter. The diction is plainly modern: "fill my heart with joy," "that madman, born evil," "you see how fine I am, how tall, how handsome." Johnston cuts the Greek into shorter English sentences and often trims repeated epithets and formulas. In the opening, "Sing, Goddess, sing the rage of Achilles" repeats the verb for emphasis where Homer has one imperative, an addition that signals Johnston's willingness to reshape for English ears. The Book 6 leaves passage drops Glaucus's preamble and starts straight at the image. Good for students, book clubs, and first-time readers who want speed and clarity at no cost.
Sing, Goddess, sing the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus—
that murderous anger which condemned Achaeans
to countless agonies and threw many warrior souls
deep into Hades, leaving their dead bodies
carrion food for dogs and birds—
all in fulfilment of the will of Zeus.