Analysis of John Kantakuzinos Triumphs
Constantine P. Cavafy 1863 (Alexandria) – 1933 (Alexandria)
He sees the fields that still belong to him:
the wheat, the animals, the trees laden with fruit;
and beyond them his ancestral home
full of clothes, costly furniture, silverware.
They'll take it all away from him—O God—they'll take it all
away from him now.
Would Kantakuzinos show pity for him
if he went and fell at his feet? They say he's merciful,
very merciful. But those around him? And the army?—
Or should he fall down and plead before Lady Irini?
Fool that he was to get mixed up in Anna's party!
If only Lord Andronikos had never married her!
Has she ever done anything good, shown any humanity?
Even the Franks don't respect her any longer.
Her plans were ridiculous, all her plotting farcical.
While they were threatening everyone from Constantinople,
Kantakuzinos demolished them, Lord John demolished them.
And to think he'd planned to join Lord John's party!
And he would have done it, and would have been happy now,
a great nobleman still, his position secure,
if the bishop hadn't dissuaded him at the last moment
with his imposing hieratic presence,
his information bogus from beginning to end,
his promises, and all his drivel.
Scheme | AXXX XB ACDB DEDECCX DBXXXXC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101110111 010100011011 001110101 1111010010 11110111111111 01111 1111011 11101111111100 10100110110010 111110101101 1111111101010 11011110100 111011011100100 100110101010 01001001010100 1101001010010 10101110101 01111111110 0111110111101 011001101001 101010010110110 11010110 101010101011 110001110 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 1,154 |
Words | 200 |
Sentences | 16 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 2, 4, 7, 7 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 38 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 181 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 39 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:02 min read
- 34 Views
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"John Kantakuzinos Triumphs" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7179/john-kantakuzinos-triumphs>.
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