Analysis of But Wise Men Perceive Approaching Things
Constantine P. Cavafy 1863 (Alexandria) – 1933 (Alexandria)
Because gods perceive future things, men what is happening now,
but wise men perceive approaching things.
Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana, VIII, 7.
Men know what is happening now.
The gods know the things of the future,
the full and sole possessors of all lights.
Of the future things, wise men perceive
approaching things. Their hearing
is sometimes, during serious studies,
disturbed. The mystical clamor
of approaching events reaches them.
And they heed it with reverence. While outside
on the street, the peoples hear nothing at all.
Scheme | AX B ACXBX XCXXX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 011011011111001 111010101 1111111 11111001 011011010 01011111 101011101 0101110 1011010010 01010010 101001101 01111100111 10101011011 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 543 |
Words | 90 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 1, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 13 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 110 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 22 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 27 sec read
- 66 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"But Wise Men Perceive Approaching Things" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7121/but-wise-men-perceive-approaching-things>.
Discuss this Constantine P. Cavafy poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In