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In the Same Space

Environment, of house, of city centres, city quarters

Which I look upon and where I walk; years and years.

I have created you in the midst of joy and in the midst of sorrows;

With so many circumstance s, with so many things.

And you have been made sensation, the whole of you, for me.

Original Greek:

Στον ίδιο χώρο

Οικίας περιβάλλον, κέντρων, συνοικίας

by Constantine P Cavafy

Days of 1903

I never found them again -- the things so quickly lost....

the poetic eyes, the pale

face.... in the dusk of the street....

I never found them again -- the things acquired quite by chance,

that I gave up so lightly;

and that later in agony I wanted.

The poetic eyes, the pale face,

those lips, I never found again.

by Constantine P Cavafy

Envoys from Alexandria

They had not seen, for ages, such beautiful gifts in Delphi

as these that had been sent by the two brothers,

the rival Ptolemaic kings. After they had received them

however, the priests were uneasy about the oracle. They will need

all their experience to compose it with astuteness,

which of the two, which of such two will be displeased.

And they hold secret councils at night

and discuss the family affairs of the Lagidae.

by Constantine P Cavafy

Dangerous Things

Said Myrtias (a Syrian student

in Alexandria; in the reign of

Augustus Constans and Augustus Constantius;

in part a pagan, and in part a christian);

"Fortified by theory and study,

I shall not fear my passions like a coward.

I shall give my body to sensual delights,

to enjoyments dreamt-of,

by Constantine P Cavafy

Caesarion

Partly to verify an era,

partly also to pass the time,

last night I picked up a collection

of Ptolemaic epigrams to read.

The plentiful praises and flatteries

for everyone are similar. They are all brilliant,

glorious, mighty, beneficent;

each of their enterprises the wisest.

by Constantine P Cavafy

Finalities

Amid fear and suspicions,

with agitated mind and frightened eyes,

we melt and plan how to act

to avoid the certain

danger that so horribly threatens us.

And yet we err, this was not in our paths;

the messages were false

(or we did not hear, or fully understand them).

by Constantine P Cavafy

According To The Formulas Of Ancient Grecosyrian Magi

"What distillate can be discovered from herbs

of a witching brew," said an aesthete,

"what distillate prepared according

to the formulas of ancient Grecosyrian magi

which for a day (if no longer

its potency can last), or even for a short time

can bring my twenty three years to me

again; can bring my friend of twenty two

by Constantine P Cavafy

Apollonius Of Tyana In Rhodes

Apollonius was talking about

proper education and conduct with a young

man who was building a luxurious

house in Rhodes. "As for me" said the Tyanian

at last, "when I enter a temple

however small it may be, I very much prefer

to see a statue of ivory and gold

than a clay and vulgar one in a large temple".—

by Constantine P Cavafy

Darius

The poet Phernazis is composing

the important part of his epic poem.

How Darius, son of Hystaspes,

assumed the kingdom of the Persians. (From him

is descended our glorious king

Mithridates, Dionysus and Eupator). But here

philosophy is needed; he must analyze

the sentiments that Darius must have had:

by Constantine P Cavafy

Anna Comnena

In the prologue to her Alexiad,

Anna Comnena laments her widowhood.

Her soul is dizzy. "And with rivers

of tears," she tells us "I wet

my eyes… Alas for the waves" in her life,

"alas for the revolts." Pain burns her

"to the the bones and the marrow and the cleaving of the soul."

But it seems the truth is, that this ambitious woman

by Constantine P Cavafy

Hidden

From all I've done and all I've said

let them not seek to find who I've been.

An obstacle stood and transformed

my acts and way of my life.

An obstacle stood and stopped me

many a time as I was going to speak.

My most unobserved acts,

and my writings the most covered —

by Constantine P Cavafy

Exiles

It goes on being Alexandria still. Just walk a bit

along the straight road that ends at the Hippodrome

and you'll see palaces and monuments that will amaze you.

Whatever war-damage it's suffered,

however much smaller it's become,

it's still a wonderful city.

And then, what with excursions and books

and various kinds of study, time does go by.

by Constantine P Cavafy