The Next Table

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



He must be barely twenty-two years old
yet I'm certain just about that long ago
I enjoyed the very same body.

It isn't erotic fever at all.
And I came into the casino only a few minutes ago,
so I haven't had time to drink very much.
I enjoyed that very same body.

And if I don't remember where, this one lapse of memory doesn't mean a thing.

There, now that he's sitting down at the next table,
I recognize every motion he makes -and under his clothes
I see again the limbs that I loved, naked.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

31 sec read
78

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAB XAXB X XXX
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 492
Words 99
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 3, 4, 1, 3

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

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