HOMER—IN HIS OWN WORDS
Quotes from The Iliad
Selected passages from Ian Johnston's Iliad Translation
The following passages are drawn from Ian Johnston's translation of The Iliad, published by Richer Resources Publications. Book and line numbers are provided for each selection.
Available in abridged and unabridged editions.
Available in abridged and unabridged editions.
“An angry king overpowers lesser men.
Even if that day his anger is suppressed,
resentment lingers in his chest, until one day
he acts on it.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book I, lines 85–88
“Strife went through crowds of soldiers, casting hatred
on both sides equally, multiplying human miseries.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book IV, lines 516–518
“We’ll no more sit together making plans,
separated from our dear companions.
The jaws of dreadful Fate are gaping for me,
ready to consume me—my destiny
from the day that I was born.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XXIII, lines 91–95
“To all things there is a limit set—to sleep,
to love, sweet songs, and gorgeous dancing.
A man would rather have his fill of these, not war.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XIII, lines 750–753
“In yourself
you can’t be everything at once.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XIII, lines 856–858
“The gods
make one man superior in warfare,
another in the dance, or singing,
or playing the lyre. For some others,
all-seeing Zeus puts wisdom in their hearts—
and from these men many people benefit,
many are saved, for such men know what’s right.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XIII, lines 858–865
“Generations of men are like the leaves.
In winter, winds blow them down to earth,
but then, when spring season comes again,
the budding wood grows more. And so with men—
one generation grows, another dies away.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book VI, lines 181–185
“My spirit
didn’t mean to stay enraged for ever.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XVI, lines 77–79
“Don’t let
the joy of fighting and of killing
lead you on.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XVI, lines 113–115
“Though he’s a fine man, in this rage of his
he’s harming senseless dust.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XXIV, lines 64–65
“No doubt, a man can suffer loss
of someone even closer than a friend—
a brother born from the same mother
or even a son. He pays his tribute
with his tears and his laments—then stops.
For Fates have put in men resilient hearts.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XXIV, lines 53–58
“We’ll let our pain lie quiet in our hearts,
for there’s no benefit in frigid tears.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XXIV, lines 641–642
“No matter how much we grieve,
we gain nothing.”
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XXIV, lines 645–646
“Endure, and don’t keep grieving in your heart."
—Homer, The Iliad, Book XXIV, lines 680 –681