Ithaca

[baleanoptera]

In honour of alexandral:

Ithaca

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)



The ceiling of the Pantheon. originally it was probably painted deep blue and decorated with golden stars to symbolise the night sky

Comments

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

You so ROCK!!! Thank you so much!! (and Agrippa!! ** sigh **)

My faavourite place is :
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

And this one gives me goosebumps - so many POSSIBILITIES!!
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

*blush* Thank you - but I just have to say: You ROCK TOO! *hugs*

And this one gives me goosebumps - so many POSSIBILITIES!!
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

I know! This is a poem I keep returning to. It gives me comfort and i just love it so.

[koalathebear.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness this is so wonderful.

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long

I got goosebumps. Thank you for posting this!

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked it!!
It is perhaps one of my favourite poems ever. I got goosebumps the first time I read it too. After that first read through I have kept copying it from notebook to notebook (I always carry a notebook to scribble whatever in), so that I can re-read it when I need to. Now I know most of it by heart, but I keep copying it because it feels so good to write sentences that are so dear. If that makes any sense.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

CAVAFY! I've found people who love him as much as I do. You cannot imagine how happy this makes me.

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

A huge YAY for Cavafy-love! And so great to have a f-list filled with Cavafy lovers! :D

[applegnat.livejournal.com]

That poem was my English department's byword. My own Cavafy favourite is The God Forsakes Antony (http://www.brown.edu/Students/Hellenic_Students_Association/Cavafy/antony.html). Leonard Cohen reworked it beautifully into one of his songs, 'Alexandra Leaving' - have you heard it?

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

"The God forsakes Antony" is simply gorgeous. I especially love the part Above all, don’t fool yourself, don’t say
it was a dream, your ears deceived you:

It just appeals to me and touches me personally I guess.

And I just heard the Cohen song actually! The alexandral mentioned at the top of the post, posted both that and poem itself. So that was quite a treat!

And huzzah! Chabon's the Escapist! Do you know they might be making a Cavalier and Klay movie? I'm a little hesitant, but then again I always am when it comes to filming books I love.

[applegnat.livejournal.com]

I heard about the film. Tobey Maguire as Kavalier? NO. Just. It would be terrible. But last I heard Chabon himself was v excited about the film, and it will be made by Stephen Dandry, who did Billy Elliott and The Hours. Perhaps if we can forget ever having read the book, it may even be a good watch. :)

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Not to crazy about Maguire - in any form, and as Kavalier it's just; No, No,No.
But I will probably see it at any rate - especially if it looks pretty. Apparently I'm willing to sell my soul for pretty, visual things. After all I've been known not to give a toss about plot, and be all about the cinematography.(the opposite is also true. I couldn't stand Lars Von Trier's Dogme films, simply because they look awful. The conclusion is possibly that I'm rather shallow. *g* )

[applegnat.livejournal.com]

Daldry, even. Typo. :s

[wildtiger7.livejournal.com]

Hi! I'm just saying hello and letting you know I've friended you. We have a few friends in common and you like things like "Rome" and post poems that remind me of sailing past Ithaca one fine spring morning. :)

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Hey! Yes we do! Well, hello and welcome. I'll add you back. :)
And I'm a little envious at the thought of sailing past Ithaca. I've only done so in dreams. ;)