Analysis of On the March to Sinopi

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



Mithridatis, glorious and powerful,
ruler of great cities,
master of strong armies and fleets,
on the march to Sinopi took a route
through a remote part of the country
where a soothsayer lived.

Mithridatis sent one of his officers
to ask the soothsayer how much more wealth,
how much more power, he'd accumulate in the future.

He dispatched one of his officers,
then continued his march to Sinopi.

The soothsayer withdrew into a secret room.
About a half an hour later he came out
troubled, and said to the officer:
"I wasn't able to clarify things very well.
Today is not a propitious day—
there were some murky shadows, I didn't understand them fully—.
But, I think, the king should be content with what he has.
Anything more will prove dangerous for him.
Remember, officer, to tell him that:
for God's sake to be satisfied with what he has.
Fortune changes suddenly.
Tell King Mithridatis this:
it's extremely rare to come across anyone like his ancestor's companion,
that noble companion who wrote in the earth with his lance
those timely words that saved him: ‘Escape, Mithridatis.' "


Scheme XAXXBX CXD CX XXDXXBEXXEBXXXA
Poetic Form
Metre 11000100 101110 10111001 10111101 100111010 10101 11111100 110101111 1111010100010 101111100 10101111 01001010101 010111010111 100110100 110101101101 011100101 10110111001110 1110111101111 1011110011 0101001111 11111101111 1010100 1111 101011101101110010 11001011001111 1101111011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,081
Words 190
Sentences 12
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 3, 2, 15
Lines Amount 26
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 215
Words per stanza (avg) 47
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

58 sec read
55

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

0 fans

Discuss this Constantine P. Cavafy poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "On the March to Sinopi" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7205/on-the-march-to-sinopi>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    11
    hours
    25
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which famous poet wrote the epic poem "Paradise Lost"?
    A Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    B William Wordsworth
    C John Keats
    D John Milton