Analysis of The Displeasure of Selefkidis
Constantine P. Cavafy 1863 (Alexandria) – 1933 (Alexandria)
Dimitrios Selefkidis was displeased
to learn that a Ptolemy
had reached Italy in such a squalid state:
poorly dressed and on foot,
only three or four slaves. This way
their dynasty will become a joke,
the laughter of Rome.
Selefkidis of course knows
that basically even now they've become something like
servants
to the Romans; he also knows
that the Romans give and take away
their thrones arbitrarily, as they please.
But they should maintain a certain dignity
at least in their appearance;
they shouldn't forget that they are still kings,
are still (alas) called kings.
This is why Dimitrios Selefkidis was displeased;
and right away he offered Ptolemy
purple robes, a magnificent diadem,
precious jewels, numerous servants and retainers,
his most expensive horses,
so that he might present himself at Rome as he should,
as an Alexandrian Greek monarch.
But Ptolemy, who'd come to beg,
knew his business and refused it all:
he didn't have the slightest need for these luxuries.
Shabbily dressed, humble, he entered Rome,
put himself up in the house of a minor artisan,
and then presented himself
as a poor, ill-fated creature to the Senate
in order to make his begging more effective.
Scheme | ABCDEFGHIJHEKBLMMABNOPQRSTKGUVWX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01001101 1110100 11100010101 101011 10111111 110010101 01011 1111 1100101101101 10 10101101 101010101 111000111 11101010100 1101010 1100111111 110111 11101001101 0101110100 1010010010 1010100100010 1101010 1111100111111 11111 11001111 111000111 1101010111100 11101101 10110011010100 0101001 101110101010 010111101010 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,170 |
Words | 200 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 32 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 954 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 198 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:01 min read
- 72 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Displeasure of Selefkidis" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7238/the-displeasure-of-selefkidis>.
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