The God Abandons Anthony
Constantine P. Cavafy 1863 (Alexandria) – 1933 (Alexandria)
When suddenly, at midnight, you hear
an invisible procession going by
with exquisite music, voices,
don't mourn your luck that's failing now,
work gone wrong, your plans
all proving deceptive -- don't mourn them uselessly.
As one long prepared, and graced with courage,
say goodbye to her, the Alexandria that is leaving.
Above all, don't fool yourself, don't say
it was a dream, your ears deceived you:
don't degrade yourself with empty hopes like these.
As one long prepared, and graced with courage,
as is right for you who were given this kind of city,
go firmly to the window
And listen with deep emotion, but not
with whining, the pleas of a coward;
listen -- your final delectation -- to the voices,
to the exquisite music of that strange procession,
and say goodbye to her, to the Alexandria you are losing.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 01, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 182 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | abcdefGhijkGlmnocph |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 805 |
Words | 144 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 19 |
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"The God Abandons Anthony" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/7244/the-god-abandons-anthony>.
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