David Melnick, Men in Aida (1983)

Men in Aida is a full-scale homophonic (sound alike) translation of the first two books of The Illiad, replete with echoes of contemporary San Francisco gay culture at the time of AIDS catastrophe. Homo comes home. Top stanza is the opening of Melnick. Format of the rest: Homer’s Greek first, then a transliteration, then Melnick (in bold), and finally the standard (heterophonic) translation.

Greek recited by Stephen G. Daitz from The Society for the Oral Reading of Greek and Latin: MP3
You can also here this with the Greek at https://www.rhapsodes.fll.vt.edu/Iliad/ iliad.htm


Men in Aïda, they appeal, eh? A day, O Achilles!
Allow men in, emery Achaians. All gay ethic, eh?
Paul asked if teach mousse suck, as Aïda, pro, yaps in.
Here on a Tuesday. ‘Hello,’ Rhea to cake Eunice in.
‘Hojo’ noisy tap as hideous debt to lay at a bully.
Ex you, day. Tap write a ‘D,’ a stay. Tenor is Sunday.
Atriedes stain axe and Ron ideas ’ll kill you.

µῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος
mênin aeide thea Pêlêïadeô Achilêos
Men in Aïda, they appeal, eh? A day, O Achilles!
SING, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilleus

οὐλοµένην, ἣ µυρί' Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε' ἔθηκε,
oulomenên, hê muri' Achaiois alge' ethêke,
Allow men in, emery Achaians. All gay ethic, eh?
and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians,

πολλὰς δ' ἰφθίµους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν
pollas d' iphthimous psuchas Aïdi proïapsen
Paul asked if teach mousse suck, as Aïda, pro, yaps in.
hurled in their multitudes to the house of Hades strong souls

ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν
hêrôôn, autous de helôria teuche kunessin
Here on a Tuesday. ‘Hello,’ Rhea to cake Eunice in.
of heroes, but gave their bodies to be the delicate feasting

οἰωνοῖσί τε πᾶσι, Διὸς δ' ἐτελείετο7 βουλή,
oiônoisi te pasi, Dios d' eteleieto boulê,
‘Hojo’ noisy tap as hideous debt to lay at a bully.
of dogs, of all birds, and the will of Zeus was accomplished

ἐξ οὗ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα διαστήτην ἐρίσαντε
ex hou dê ta prôta diastêtên erisante
Ex you, day. Tap write a ‘D,’ a stay. Tenor is Sunday.
since that time when first there stood in division of conflict

Ἀτρεΐδης τε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν καὶ δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς.
Atreïdês te anax andrôn kai dios Achilleus.
Atriedes stain axe and Ron ideas ’ll kill you.
Atreus' son the lord of men and brilliant Achilleus.