From nauplion@charm.net Sun Aug 27 10:12:13 2000
Received: from mxu1.u.washington.edu (mxu1.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.8])
	by lists.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW00.05/8.9.3+UW99.09) with ESMTP id KAA48882
	for <classics@lists.u.washington.edu>; Sun, 27 Aug 2000 10:12:12 -0700
Received: from fellspt.charm.net (root@fellspt.charm.net [199.0.70.29])
	by mxu1.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW00.02/8.9.3+UW99.09) with ESMTP id KAA31637
	for <classics@u.washington.edu>; Sun, 27 Aug 2000 10:12:11 -0700
Received: from charm.net (coretel-116-109.charm.net [209.143.116.109])
	by fellspt.charm.net (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id NAA24380
	for <classics@u.washington.edu>; Sun, 27 Aug 2000 13:12:04 -0400 (EDT)
Message-ID: <39A94953.9921D3DE@charm.net>
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 13:01:13 -0400
From: Diana Wright <nauplion@charm.net>
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en]C-DIAL  (Win95; U)
X-Accept-Language: en,el,tr
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Classics <classics@u.washington.edu>
Subject: More Cavafy
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

The Washington Post Book Review today printed two poems by Cavafy in the
Rae Dalven translation. Believing in the principle that it is difficult
to have too much Cavafy, I repeat them here.  The second is, for me, one
of his two or three greatest.

dw


                THE CITY

You said, "I will go to another land, I will go to another sea.
Another city will be found, a better one than this.
Every effort of mine is a condemnation of fate;
and my heart is -- like a corpse -- buried.
How long will my mind remain in this wasteland.
Whenever I turn my eyes, wherever I may look
I see black ruins of my life here,
were I spent so many years destroying and wasting."

You will find no new lands, you will find no other seas.
The city will follow you.  You will roam the same
streets.  And you will age in the same neighborhoods;
and you will grow gray in these same houses.
Always you will arrive in this city.  Do not hope for any other --
There is no ship for you, there is no road.
As you have destroyed your life here
in this little corner, you have ruined it in the entire world.




         THE GOD FORSAKES ANTONY

When suddenly at the midnight hour
an invisible troupe is heard passing
with exquisite music, with shouts --
do not mourn in vain your fortune failing you now,
your works that have failed, the plans of your life
that have all turned out to be illusions.
As if long prepared for this, as if courageous,
bid her farewell, the Alexandria that is leaving.
Above all do not be fooled, do not tell yourself
it was only a dream, that your ears deceived you;
do not stoop to such vain hopes.
As if long prepared for this, as if courageous,
as it becomes you who are worthy of such a city;
approach the window with firm step,
and listen with emotion, but not
with the entreaties and complaints of the coward,
as a last enjoyment listen to the sounds,
the exquisite instruments of the mystical troupe,
and bid her farewell, the Alexandria you are losing.


.