A Lecture Upon the Shadow - Kavafis

A Lecture Upon the Shadow
--John Donne (1572-1631)

Stand still, and I will read to thee
A lecture, love, in Love's philosophy.
These three hours that we have spent,
Walking here, two shadows went
Along with us, which we ourselves produced
But, now the sun is just above our head,
We do those shadows tread,
And to brave clearness all things are reduced.
So whilst our infant loves did grow,
Disguises did, and shadows, flow
From us and our cares; but, now 'tis not so.

That love hath not attained the highest degree,
Which is still diligent lest others see.

Except our loves at this noon stay,
We shall new shadows make the other way.
As the first were made to blind
Others, these which come behind
Will work upon ourselves, and blind our eyes.
If our loves faint, and westerwardly decline,
To me thou, falsely, thine,
And I to thee, mine actions shall disguise.
The morning shadows wear away,
But these grow longer all the day;
But oh, love's day is short, if love decay.

Love is a growing, or full constant light,
And his first minute after noon, is night.
__________________________________________________________
O DEUS ABANDONA ANTONIO

[Konstantinos P. Kavafis, 1911]

Quando bruscamente, nas trevas da noite,
Ouvires passar o tropel invisível das vozes puras,
O coro celeste das sublimes harmonias,
Abandonado definitivamente pela Fortuna,
Desfeitas em pó as ultimas esperanças,
Esvaída em fumo uma vida de desejo.
Ah! não sucumbas lastimando um passado
Que te traiu, mas como um homem
Que se prepara há muito tempo,
Despede-te corajosamente
De Alexandria que te abandona.

Não te deixes iludir e não digas
Que foi sonho ou um logro dos teus sentidos,
Deixa as suplicas e os lamentos para os fracos,
Abandona vãs esperanças,
E como um homem que se prepara há muito tempo,
Resignado, altivo, como te compete
E a uma cidade como esta,
Abre a janela e olha para a rua
E bebe a taça inteira da amargura
E a derradeira embriaguez da multidão mística
E despede-te de Alexandria que te abandona.

----000---000---000---

[É dito nas crõnicas históricas de Plutarco (que pouco antes do suicídio de Antônio e Cleopatra – em 31 a.C., na derrocada dos eventos da perda da decisiva batalha naval de Actium) – o cortejo de Baco abandonou a Cidade. A antiga concepção de que os próprios deuses abandonam as cidades prestes a ser vencidas serve para concitar o protagonista a assumir uma atitude estóica, existencialista, perante o desastre iminente e a suportar com dignidade o Fado das indignidades. Num universo regido pela Fatalidade, toda liberdade humana consiste na escolha da atitude a tomar frente aos acontecimentos. Kaváfis aconselhava aos protagonistas de suas "vinhetas" históricas o desfrute dos prazeres da vida mantendo-se sempre a postos para a retirada de cena.]

The god forsakes Antony

Constantine P. Cavafy, 1911

When suddenly, at the midnight hour,
an invisible troupe is heard passing
with exquisite music, with shouts --
your fortune that fails you now, your works
that have failed, the plans of your life
that have all turned out to be illusions, do not mourn in vain.
As if long prepared, as if courageous,
bid her farewell, the Alexandria that is leaving.

Above all do not be fooled, do not tell yourself
it was a dream, that your ears deceived you;
do not stoop to such vain hopes.
As if long prepared, as if courageous,
as it becomes you who have been worthy of such a city,
approach the window with firm step,
and with emotion, but not
with the entreaties and complaints of the coward,
as a last enjoyment listen to the sounds,
the exquisite instruments of the mystical troupe,
and bid her farewell, the Alexandria you are losing.

---o0o---o0o---o0o---

Note: the poem refers to Plutarch's story that, when Antony was besieged in Alexandria by Octavian Augusto, he heard the sounds of instruments and voices, which made its way through the city, and then passed out; the god Bacchus (Dionysus), Antony's protector, was deserting him. "(...)the moment when [Antony faces the truth about the future, walking up to it the way one walks up to a window and looks out. Everything that has gone before has led to this, everything that is yet to come will follow, it is here, in the quiet of the Alexandrian night, that the break is made; (...) by accepting the inevitable, by not stopping to vain hopes but acting “as if courageous” (such a beautiful phrase!), that Antony truly becomes heroic, takes on all the Sisyphean dignity that a mortal can claim. It is by breaking free of History that we become individuals. That is why Antony, with no god to support him, is more real a champion to us than a thousand Octavians. (...) Not that Antony is the first hero to be forsaken by the Gods. On the contrary, in recognizing that the beloved city is lost to him, and that he must play his part out to the bitter end, he becomes the poetic successor of Hector and Turnus. Cavafy understands better than anyone the stuff that myth is made of, the creed of tragedy and its heroes, and deploys that knowledge here to devastating effect.(...)"
======================================================
Pot-pourri: Kavafis, “Theódotos", 1915 &
"The god forsakes Antony", 1911:

If you are one of the truly elect,
be careful how you attain your eminence.
However much you're acclaimed, however much
the cities praise the great things you've done
in Italy and Thessaly,
whatever honours
your admirers decree for you in Rome,
your elation, your triumph won't last,
nor will you feel yourself so superior--
superior is the last thing you'll feel--

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - --
(...) When suddenly, at the midnight hour,
(...) have failed, the plans of your life
(...) your fortune that fails you now, your works
that have all turned out to be illusions, do not mourn in vain.
As if long prepared, as if courageous,
bid her farewell, the Alexandria that is leaving.

Above all do not be fooled, do not tell yourself
it was a dream, that your ears deceived you;
do not stoop to such vain hopes.
As if long prepared, as if courageous,
as it becomes you who have been worthy of such a city,
approach the window with firm step,
and with emotion, but not
with the entreaties and complaints of the coward,
as a last enjoyment listen to the sounds,
the exquisite instruments of the mystical troupe,
and bid her farewell, the Alexandria you are losing.

---o0o---o0o---o0o---

Give me eyes and ears:-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nHGnP40Qh4
http://audiopoetry.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/the-god-forsakes-antony/
http://cavafis.compupress.gr/kave_50.htm
http://cavafis.compupress.gr/index2.htm (Kavafis in English)
http://cavafis.i8.com/links.htm (Other Languages)
http://cavafis.i8.com/a047.htm
http://wigb.wordpress.com/2010/01/10/kavafis-dos-poemas/
http://users.hol.gr/~barbanis/cavafy/