Analysis of The Retinue of Dionysos
Constantine P. Cavafy 1863 (Alexandria) – 1933 (Alexandria)
Damon the craftsman (none better
in the Peloponnese) is giving the last touches
to his Retinue of Dionysos
carved in Parian marble: the god leading
in divine glory, with power in his stride;
after him, Intemperance; and beside Intemperance,
Intoxication pours out the satyrs' wine
from an amphora wreathed in ivy;
near them, Sweetwine, the delicate,
eyes half-closed, soporific;
and behind come the singers
Tunemaker and Melody and Reveller—
the last holding the honored processional torch
which he never lets die—and then Ceremony, so modest.
Damon carves all these. And as he works
his thoughts turn now and then
to the fee he's going to receive
from the king of Syracuse:
three talents, a large sum.
Adding this to what he has already,
he'll live grandly from now on, like a rich man,
and—think of it—he'll be able to go into politics:
he too in the Senate, he too in the Agora.
Scheme | ABBCDBEFGCHAIJKLMNOFPQR |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 10010110 0011100110 111011 101100110 00110110011 10110011 001011011 111001010 1110100 1111 0011010 101000100 011001001001 11101101100110 101110111 111101 101110101 101110 110011 1011111010 11101111011 01111110110110 1100101100100 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 875 |
Words | 154 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 23 |
Lines Amount | 23 |
Letters per line (avg) | 30 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 695 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 152 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 47 sec read
- 123 Views
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"The Retinue of Dionysos" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7252/the-retinue-of-dionysos>.
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