Ithaka

BY C. P. CAVAFY

TRANSLATED BY EDMUND KEELEY

As you set out for Ithaka

hope your road is a long one,

full of adventure, full of discovery.

Laistrygonians, Cyclops,

angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:

you’ll never find things like that on your way

as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,

as long as a rare excitement

stirs your spirit and your body.

Laistrygonians, Cyclops,

wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them

unless you bring them along inside your soul,

unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.

May there be many summer mornings when,

with what pleasure, what joy,

you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;

may you stop at Phoenician trading stations

to buy fine things,

mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,

sensual perfume of every kind—

as many sensual perfumes as you can;

and may you visit many Egyptian cities

to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.

Arriving there is what you’re destined for.

But don’t hurry the journey at all.

Better if it lasts for years,

so you’re old by the time you reach the island,

wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,

not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.

Without her you wouldn’t have set out.

She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.

Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,

you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

C. P. Cavafy, “The City” from C.P. Cavafy: Collected Poems. Translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard. Translation Copyright © 1975, 1992 by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard. Reproduced with permission of Princeton University Press.

Source: C.P. Cavafy: Collected Poems (Princeton University Press, 1975)

 ASSIGNMENT 2

 Following the brief’s advice, I will try to give my interpretation of Cavafy’s marvellous poem, ‘‘Ithaca’’.

Cavafy wrote ”Ithaca” in 1910 and was published a year later in the Alexandrian magazine ‘Grammata’. The poet, who was 47 years old at this time, was accomplished, and mature, but not too old. He still had some young enthusiasm, passion, and life experience. His inspiration was Homer’s Iliad as well as Dante’s Devine Comedy as well as Virgil’s Aeneid.

 In his poem, he is advising the reader, who walks the same path as he does, that life is not only a physical but also, a spiritual journey everybody has to embrace and that there is a plethora of things you can gain on your way: benefits you can’t even imagine of. He is encouraging the reader to follow that trip without asking for a payback; the profits will be countless. 

The poem is based on the myth of Odysseus as we know it from Homer’s Odyssey, but on contrary, our hero is not returning home like Odysseus was but is going to Ithaca; so Ithaca, becomes a destination, a final stop of the long journey. According to Homer, trying to return home, Odysseus is facing a series of long-lasting and endless problems caused by mythological creatures (The same as mentioned by Cavafy). Meanwhile, he is in relentless despair and nostalgia for his family and his homeland. Conversely, Cavafy is reassuring that these ‘Laistrygonians, Cyclops wild Poseidon’ (being our demons) are fictions of our fear and we will not encounter them if we keep our spirits high and our souls eclectic. So, on the way, there is no longing for home, no obstacles, just experience, joy, and excitement about the discoveries.

-STRUCTURE-

The poem consists of five stanzas, but structure-wise can be divided into six unities.

In the first unity (verses 1-3); Cavafy talks about the way of life one has to follow, during the journey to Ithaca.

In the second unity (verses 4-12); if there is high thinking any danger is manageable.

In the third unity (verses 13-23); pleasures enjoyed during the journey: material and mental.

In the fourth unity (verses 24-30); the voyage should last as long as possible. It is important that has to be ‘until the time you are old’.

In the fifth unity (verses 31-33); Ithaca’s contribution.

In the sixth unity (verses 34-36); the deeper; the symbolic meaning of Ithaca.

TIME-PLACE

The time frame is not specific, only limited by the human life span. The place/space is undefined; even though Cavafy is talking about an existing place, a Greek island, he is using it as a reference: Ithaca is a symbolic destination.  

-POETIC DEVICES-

Rhyme: Having the privilege of studying the poem in its original language (Greek) I can assure you, it is a freestyle writing with rhyme being absent all the way through. As far as the language is concerned, Cavafy was an Alexandrian Diaspora Greek where his family was coming from Constantinople (Istanbul): two of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities of his time; that matter affected his writing and his point of view. His language is simple and easy to understand with meanings easy to spot and comprehend. The pace of it flows very well as his writing is plain and straightforward. It starts with long sentences and long verses, but as the poem unravels they become smaller. 

Repetition: With repetition, the poet gives extra strength and emphasis to the words he wants to highlight. Laistrygonians, Cyclops, and angry Poseidon in the first stanza. ‘’As long as’ in stanza 1 lines 7 and 8 which is been echoed by ‘unless’ in line 13. ‘Sensual perfumes’, in lines 22 and 23 and above all he keeps on mentioning the name Ithaca all the way through.

Personification: The whole poem is personification on its own: Ithaca is not a place; it is a journey, a medium, for the voyager to live and learn experience and enjoy, travel, and explore.

Metaphor: Again, because of the nature of Cavafy’s work, the whole piece is a metaphor. It talks about life’s journey.

Imagery: <<May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, what joy, you enter harbours you’re seeing for the first time ;>>

What a lovely picture that is! Wondering, exploring, and experiencing the pleasure of discoveries.

INTERPRETATION AND MY VIEW-MY FEELINGS READING ITHACA

Reading Cavafy’s poem numerous can be a matter of ambiguous interpretation. It is down to the reader and their circumstances to explore and discover a different answer each time.

Ithaca can be studied as a journey of a shorter term; to be more specific: there is a constant encouragement from Cavafy to the reader to enjoy what he/she is experiencing, practising, and learning, by getting the most out of any activity/journey. So, whether it is about achieving a smaller (than life) time frame goals like a university degree, a job project, succeeding in sports, or even migrating, the poet encourages you to ignore your fears, your superstitions, your urge to avoid any difficulty. Just have, along the whole journey, the whole process, the benefit of adventure and learning pleasure; and most of the time it is not about what one has accomplished when is looking back (to seek maximum achievement), but ‘wise as you have become’ will understand what is all about: the goal is not for you to become rich, but wiser, more experienced. The journey to achieve this state of mind, these short-term accomplishments can be called sailing to Ithaca.

There can be another interpretation of the ‘sail out for Ithaca’. It can be perceived as a person’s life journey where Ithaca is the final destination; ‘so you’re old by the time you reach the island’ and the ‘harbours you’re seen for the first time,’ the ‘many Phoenician trading stations’ are life’s challenges, where a person dares to stop and deal with them,’ learn and go on learning and enjoys buying perfumes( pleasures­) of any kind ‘as many sensual perfumes as you can’ to make the journey sweeter and prettier. In other words, he encourages enjoying life’s moments to the fullest, looking for pleasure, and embracing it. He advises not to hurry but wishes that life’s journey is long, full of discovery, and full of adventure. Dealing with difficulties of any kind, human, or divine, can only be a turnoff and the real foe lies within: fear is an internal enemy. If we face our fears then nothing can feel as dangerous or fearsome to block or prevent a person’s journey from being a wonderful experience: all the ingredients are out there, you just need to have your soul and spirit eager to explore them.

 Another interesting approach to what ‘these Ithaca mean’ would be if we perceive Ithaca as a medium, as a vehicle, that helps us open doors to achieve goals: a way to lead a better life; a platform that encourages to learn and explore, a channel that helps you to be where none else has been before. To make myself clear, I believe a profession, can be an Ithaca to a person: it can by all means help you sail in the sea of life, wondering and discovering, ‘visiting Egyptian cities’ and learning from those who know. A profession can give you a wonderful journey, but don’t expect it to make you rich, but wealthy with all you have gained on the way. And if you think you are still poor, your profession hasn’t fooled you. Wise as you have become full of experience, you will be able to pass the knowledge on to people whose time has come to start their wonderful journey, their quest for their own Ithaca.  

Never a poem, in my opinion, has said so much using only a few words!

Cavafy’s narrating style as well as the use of Greek Mythology is direct and easy to understand and digest. His goal I think was to speak about his experiences and his constant need to celebrate the whole life’s journey.

Since I’ve first read it, many years ago, I felt deeply connected with it. Growing up, my profession has interacted with my life a lot. I’ve left my homeland to sail to the unknown, having Ithaca inside me. Through my job, I’ve managed to travel, see, explore, encounter, learn, and learn again. ‘Laistrygonians, Cyclops wild Poseidon’ is not blocking my way: I don’t let them do so. Using Ithaca as a navigator, I’m trying to buy as many sensual perfumes as possible, mother of pearl and amber; live the joy of exploring to the fullest: new harbours, Phoenician stations, and land unseen before. I experience Ithaca by pushing the boundaries and doing things that help me grow and move further. I hope the voyage is a long one. And I hope, old enough, when my journey ends, I will be able to tell my children ‘what those Ithacas mean’.  

Number of words:1489

References

Bibliography: Rieu, E., 1946. Homer The Odyssey. London: Penguin Group.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Constantine P. Cavafy”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Apr. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Constantine-P-Cavafy. Accessed 2 February 2023.

Blumberg, Naomi. “Odyssey”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Jan. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odyssey-epic-by-Homer. Accessed 2 February 2023.

Quinones, Ricardo J.. “Dante”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Jan. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dante-Alighieri. Accessed 2 February 2023.

Williams, Robert Deryck. “Virgil”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Aug. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Virgil. Accessed 2 February 2023.