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/
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