Half an Hour

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



I never had you, nor will I ever have you
I suppose. A few words, an approach
as in the bar yesterday, and nothing more.
It is, undeniably, a pity. But we who serve Art
sometimes with intensity of mind, and of course only
for a short while, we create pleasure
which almost seems real.
So in the bar the day before yesterday -- the merciful alcohol
was also helping much --
I had a perfectly erotic half-hour.
And it seems to me that you understood,
and stayed somewhat longer on purpose.
This was very necessary. Because
for all the imagination and the wizard alcohol,
I needed to see your lips as well,
I needed to have your body close.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 22, 2023

36 sec read
106

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFGHIFJKLHMN
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 630
Words 122
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

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…

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