In the Tavernas
Constantine P. Cavafy 1863 (Alexandria) – 1933 (Alexandria)
I wallow in the tavernas and brothels of Beirut.
I didn't want to stay
in Alexandria. Tamides left me;
he went off with the Prefect's son to earn himself
a villa on the Nile, a mansion in the city.
It wouldn't have been right for me to stay in Alexandria.
I wallow in the tavernas and brothels of Beirut.
I live a vile life, devoted to cheap debauchery.
The one thing that saves me,
like durable beauty, like perfume
that goes on clinging to my flesh, is this: Tamides,
most exquisite of young men, was mine for two years,
and mine not for a house or a villa on the Nile.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 34 sec read
- 80 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AbcdceAccfggh |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 567 |
Words | 113 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 13 |
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"In the Tavernas" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/7172/in-the-tavernas>.
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