I'm glad you liked them, Jill; I've seen a couple more and they are very good, not
so muffled and bland as the Keely et al, and also a sort of pronoun misdirection
in the Keeley, for "The Vow" for instance making the night feminine, and
hopefully you spotted the url for finding the book that I posted earlier, if you are
so inclined. I guess I am making up for the books I got rid of on my way here!
And I meant to say I liked your snap; I'd forgotten about the way the smoke
from wildfires seeps into the house and that was very tactile and there in your
snap.
Best,
Rebecca
---- Original message ----
>Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 10:04:13 +1100
>From: Jill Jones <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Haviaras translation
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>Thanks Rebecca,
>
>These are interesting, made me sit up and take notice. I have the
>standard Cavafy translation (Keely et al) and always found it a bit
>bland, suspecting (knowing? assured by Greek friends) this wasn't what
>Cavafy really was about.
>
>Jill
>
>On Friday, January 14, 2005, at 05:07 AM, Rebecca Seiferle wrote:
>
>> Someone, who has previously been able to only read Cavafy in the Greek
>> finding
>> the English translations somehow impassable, sent me a couple of
>> translations
>> by Stratis Haviaras from his new translation of Cavafy's _The Canon_.
>> I'm not
>> sure about getting the book here, though it may be more readily
>> available in the
>> UK, and will be out here in the near future. So a sample from the
>> Haviaras
>> translation.
>>
>> best,
>>
>> Rebecca
>>
>>
>> He Vows
>>
>> Every so often he vows to lead a better life.
>> But when night comes again bearing its own counsel,
>> and its own allowances and its assurances,
>> when night comes again with its own energies,
>> he falls back, beaten down, back to the deadly joy.
>>
>>
>>
>> For Them To Be Summoned
>>
>>
>> One candle is enough. Its gentle light
>>
>> is more fitting, it will be more seemly
>>
>> when the Shadows come, the Shadows of love.
>>
>>
>> One candle is enough. Tonight the room
>>
>> must not have too much light. In deep reverie
>>
>> and evocation, and in that subtle light,
>>
>> here in the grip of deep reverie, I will conjure visions
>>
>> so that the Shadows may come, the shadows of love.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> t
>> rans. Stratis Haviaras
>>
>>
>_______________________________________________________
>Jill Jones
>
>web site: http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~jpjones
>blog: http://rubystreet.blogspot.com/
>
>Latest books:
>Struggle and radiance: ten commentaries (Wild Honey Press)
>http://www.wildhoneypress.com
>
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