Ionian

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



Just because we've torn their statues down,
and cast them from their temples,
doesn't for a moment mean the gods are dead.
Land of Ionia, they love you yet,

their spirits still remember you.
When an August morning breaks upon you
a vigour from their lives stabs through your air;
and sometimes an ethereal and youthful form
in swiftest passage, indistinct,

passes up above your hills.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

21 sec read
72

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXX AAXXX X
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 383
Words 68
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 5, 1

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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