The Iliad

A Classic of Western literature for three millennia, Homer's Iliad captivates modern readers-as it did ancient listeners-with its tale of gods and warriors at the siege of Troy. Now Herbert Jordan's line-for-line translation brilliantly renders the original Greek into English blank verse-the poetic form most closely resembling our spoken language.

Raising the bar set by Richmond Lattimore in 1951, Jordan employs a pleasing five-beat meter and avoids unnecessary filler. The result, an economica…