On Wednesday, March 12, the Trojan War began in Ithaca with the powerful cries of Emily Wilson speaking in Ancient Greek. Yet this was no ordinary recitation of the words of one of the most iconic epics in the world; this was done over a Zoom call with Cornell faculty and students. The kick-off of “The Iliad in Ithaca: Re-Reading the Trojan War” was a virtual event featuring the translator of Homer’s classic story of Achilles and Agamemnon, who answered questions ranging from her choice of poetic meter to the roles a translator must fill. Emily Wilson is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and she had translated The Odyssey before turning her genius towards the Iliad. Her translation and the events held at Cornell on March 12 and 13 showcased the importance of bringing classical literature and thought to new generations.
The reading of the Iliad brought together people from both Cornell’s community and the town of Ithaca. Readers were Ithaca residents or Cornell students, and all stepped onto a stage in the center of Klarman Hall to bring the revitalized words of Homer to new ears. The reading began at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 13, with a group of Cornell faculty and students reciting the beginning of the Iliad in Ancient Greek. Their voices boomed out a language spoken by Homer almost 3,000 years ago. After the “cataclysmic wrath of great Achilles” had been announced in the original language, English became the language of “The Iliad in Ithaca,” and Emily Wilson’s fantastic translation took over the hearts and minds of listeners.
Even though it would have been incredible to hear the Iliad in the original Greek throughout, the choice to switch to English and Emily Wilson’s translation was marvelous. The melding of the two languages, from Ancient Greek to Modern English, highlighted Emily Wilson’s ultimate goal: bringing old stories to new generations. Through her beautifully crafted words, the people who packed the Groos Family Atrium of Klarman Hall were introduced, possibly for the first time, to the wonderful tales that a classical education can reveal to us. Love, hate, war and destruction, spoken through the Iliad, were examined as what Emily Wilson called “the patterns of human behavior” that Homer’s epic brings to life. As she put wonderfully over the Zoom event, readers should come to the Iliad to experience something new or to be able to see things in a new light, not just to reinforce opinions and assumptions. This approach to listening and reading the Iliad perfectly encapsulates what a classical education can do for us: open our minds to broader understandings of humanity.
This two-day event in Ithaca wasn’t just about celebrating the new translation — though this was a definite positive. It was about celebrating the languages of ancient times and the ideas they can bring to us. As both events started with Ancient Greek, whether it was Emily Wilson or Cornellians, the focus was on the power of language and its ability to transport us. Unfortunately, this is a focus that is being lost across the country. Latin and Greek classes are being cut from high school and colleges, and that loss comes with a great price. The world of Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s Iliad is disappearing in the original language for modern audiences. Classical languages connect us to philosophy, literature, religion, history, archaeology and most importantly, imagination. A literary world of fantastic heroes, terrible monsters, powerful gods and epic battles is fading before our eyes. With it, we lose a powerful tradition of wonder and creativity.
Thankfully, Cornell has a determination to keep the classical world alive. At the virtual event on Wednesday, Athena Kirk, an associate professor in the Classics department at Cornell, joined Emily Wilson in encouraging students to enroll in classical language classes. Even the spirit of “The Iliad in Ithaca” reflected a call for the reintroduction of classics to all academic levels. The reading’s location put Homer and Ancient Greek in a centralized position at the university, inviting all to sit down and open their ears to the beauty of classical thought. I feel confident that even after the last words of the Iliad are read out and “the funeral for horse-lord Hector” is held, the language of Homer will echo out across Cornell’s campus.
Jane Locke is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at jlocke@cornellsun.com.
