Horace in Athens by C.P. Cavafy
translated by Rae Dalven
In the room of Leah the hetaera
where elegance, wealth, a soft bed are found,
a young man with jasmine in his hands is talking.
Many stones adorn his fingers,
and he wears a himation of white silk
with red oriental embroidery.
His language is Attic and pure,
but a slight accent in his pronunciation
betrays his Tiber and Latium origin.
The young man confesses his love
and the Athenian girl hears him in silence,
listens to Horace, her eloquent lover.
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