A perfect example of mercurial Greek god behaviour. No rhyme or reason, I grant this, I grant that, I refuse one thing, and not the other.

May your prayers be granted, in whole or in part, but if in part, let it be the right part.

‘God heard his prayer and granted half of it.’

This is from Logue’s muscular rendition of a few books of the Iliad, a slim volume jam-packed with dazzling quotations and metaphors – for an illustrated mosaic see the bestellar review.

Source: Christopher Logue, War Music: An account of Books 1-4 and 16-19 of Homer’s Iliad (London: Faber and Faber, 2001), p. 147