Analysis of Come, O King of the Lacedaimonians

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



Kratisiklia didn't deign to allow
the people to see her weeping and grieving:
she walked in dignity and in silence.
Her calm face betrayed nothing
of her sorrow and her agony.
But even so, for a moment she couldn't hold back:
before she went aboard the detestable ship for Alexandria
she took her son to Poseidon's temple,
and once they were alone
she embraced him tenderly and kissed him
(he was "in great distress," says Plutarch, "badly shaken").
But her strong character struggled through;
regaining her poise, the magnificent woman
said to Kleomenis: "Come, O King of the Lacedaimonians,
when we go outside
let no one see us weeping
or behaving in any way unworthy of Sparta.
At least this is still in our power;
what lies ahead is in the hands of the gods."

And she boarded the ship, going toward whatever lay "in the
            hands of the gods."


Scheme XABAXXCXXXDXDBXACXE CE
Poetic Form
Metre 1101101 01011010010 1101000010 0110110 101000100 1101101011011 01110101110100 1101101010 011001 1011100011 110101111010 101100101 010010010010 111111101 11111 1111110 10100101010110 1111101010 11011001101 011001100110100 1101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 845
Words 155
Sentences 7
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 19, 2
Lines Amount 21
Letters per line (avg) 32
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 331
Words per stanza (avg) 75
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

46 sec read
109

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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