Analysis of You Didn't Understand

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



Vacuous Julian had the following to say
about our religious beliefs: 'I read, I understood,
I condemned'. He thought we'd be devastated
by that 'condemned', the silly ass.
Witticisms like that don't get by with us Christians.
Our quick reply: 'You read but didn't understand;
had you understood, you wouldn't have condemned.'


Scheme ABCDEFG
Poetic Form
Metre 1001001010011 01100100111101 1011111100 11010101 1111111110 101011111001 1101110101
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 327
Words 55
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 7
Lines Amount 7
Letters per line (avg) 36
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 253
Words per stanza (avg) 52
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

17 sec read
110

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

    "You Didn't Understand" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7287/you-didn%27t-understand>.

    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!

    More poems by

    Constantine P. Cavafy

    »

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    13
    hours
    10
    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?

    »
    A long narrative poem that tells the adventures of a heroic figure is called an _______.
    A ode
    B epic
    C sonnet
    D ballad