Walls

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



With no consideration, no pity, no shame,
they have built walls around me, thick and high.
And now I sit here feeling hopeless.
I can't think of anything else: this fate gnaws my mind -
because I had so much to do outside.
When they were building the walls, how could I not have noticed!
But I never heard the builders, not a sound.
Imperceptibly they have closed me off from the outside world.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 04, 2023

23 sec read
934

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFGH
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 395
Words 76
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 8

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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    "Walls" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/7283/walls>.

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    Who wrote "I have taken the bones you hardened and built daughters"?
    A Robert Hayden
    B Lucille Clifton
    C Sylvia Plath
    D Maya Angelou