Analysis of And I Lounged and Lay on Their Beds

Constantine P. Cavafy 1863 (Alexandria) – 1933 (Alexandria)



When I went to that house of pleasure
I didn't stay in the front rooms where they celebrate,
with some decorum, the accepted modes of love.
I went into the secret rooms
and lounged and lay on their beds.
I went into the secret rooms
considered shameful even to name.
But not shameful to me -because if they were,
what kind of poet, what kind of artist would I be?
I'd rather be an ascetic. That would be more in keeping,
much more in keeping with my poetry,
than for me to find pleasure in the commonplace rooms.


Scheme abcDeDfaghgd
Poetic Form
Metre 111111110 110100111110 110100010111 11010101 0101111 11010101 010101011 11101101110 1111011110111 110110101111010 1101011100 111111000101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 509
Words 100
Sentences 7
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12
Lines Amount 12
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 400
Words per stanza (avg) 98
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

30 sec read
78

Constantine P. Cavafy

Constantine P. Cavafy was a Greek poet who lived in Alexandria and worked as a journalist and civil servant. He published 154 poems; dozens more remained incomplete or in sketch form. His most important poetry was written after his fortieth birthday. more…

All Constantine P. Cavafy poems | Constantine P. Cavafy Books

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