Friday, June 26, 2020

He ponders on the share of youth which still belongs to him

From The Collected Poems: with parallel Greek text by C. P. Cavafy. Page 67.
Very Seldom
by C. P. Cavafy

He is an old man. Worn out and stooped,
crippled by the years and by abuses,
walking slowly he crosses the narrow street.
But once he goes inside his home to hide
his wretchedness and his old age, he ponders
on the share of youth which still belongs to him.

Now, young men recite his own verses.
His visions pass before their lively eyes.
Their healthy, sensuous minds,
their elegant, firm bodies,
are stirred by his manifestation of Beauty.

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