ψυχὰς on line 3? I'd translate this as shades or souls too - Achilles sends them to Hades.

the apostrophe here doesn't denote an "H" sound? Or is that supposed to be an aigu accent? I kinda thought it was an "h", but correct me as I'm self-taught [i.e., I'm an idiot who didn't recognize the digamma, remember].

Look for SPIonic font. You'll have to learn how to use beta code, and it won't be good for much more than typing in word processors, but it's something.

That's a smooth breathing mark. The rough breathing mark (with the H sound) faces the other way. Most texts will have either a rough or smooth breathing mark at the beginning of every word that starts with a vowel, though I've seen several that have only the rough breathing mark.

Thanks. Don't know how I missed that, so you can imagine me chagrined and red-faced. Reverse ' is an H, otherwise it's a smooth breathing. Okay. Thanks. My weak defense is an acknowledgement that I'm starting to need glasses for reading and my vanity won't let. Thus I can't see the direction of the apostrophe looking thingy, but I would have screwed it up on a test any how.

It's stupid, but I remember it as a "c" looking mark makes an "h" sound. The smooth breathing mark makes no sound, and resembles no alphabet letter. You'll get used to the words that usually take a rough breathing, and those that don't in time.

In large type:
ἐτελείετο (with smooth breathing)
ὕστερον (with rough breathing and accent)

Why wouldn't one just denote words which are non-smooth? Do you think it's related to a lack of spacing in some early documents? Btw, thanks for the help and if you're in town, I'll buy you a beer.

It's a good question, but I'd guess that you're right - it has to do with textual tradition etc. Occasionally, the same word will be spelled the same save the rough/smooth breathing mark, but IMO the smooth breathing mark should be understood unless the rough is indicated.

I have to copy-and-paste, then blow up the font to 14 or 16 to even make out the words, let alone the rough breathing marks.

I'd take you up on the beer (or at least a good conversation) if I could ever get close to your neck of the woods. Alas . . . . I'm trapped in the weather hell of the northeast for the foreseeable future. BTW, you're the only guy I've ever heard of (outside of crazy Renaissance geniuses) who's taught himself Greek.

Talk to me when I've mastered it or gotten a reasonable degree of proficiency. Right now I'm at a rudimentary level making mistakes left and right.

I still need to make it through all the noun declensions and I don't remember all aspects of verbs.