῎Ανδρα μοι
ἔννεπε, Μοῦσα, πολύτροπον, ὃς μάλα πολλὰ
πλάγχθη,ἐπεὶ Τροίης ἱερὸν πτολίεθρον
ἔπερσε·*
Man, Muse — tell me about that trickster, tossed topsy-turvy since the time he torched Troy’s sacred towers…
The main problem with it being (aside from its awfulness†) that the Greek is primarily plosive, while the translation is terribly dental.
* Transliteration: Andra moi ennepe Mousa, polutropon, hos mala polla / plankhthē epei Troiēs hieron ptoliethron eperse…
† Even though it has no merits in English, it also fails to capture with any accuracy the feeling (or even the grammar) of the original. I can already hear the pointed questions from teachers of Greek, such as: ‘and how many citadels of Troy were there? How many?’ To which I reply, according to the excavation reports, at least seven. (‘Nobody likes a smart-ass,’ observes the teacher.)
† Even though it has no merits in English, it also fails to capture with any accuracy the feeling (or even the grammar) of the original. I can already hear the pointed questions from teachers of Greek, such as: ‘and how many citadels of Troy were there? How many?’ To which I reply, according to the excavation reports, at least seven. (‘Nobody likes a smart-ass,’ observes the teacher.)