c.
P. CAVAFY
Horace
in
Athens
Who enters Leah's chamber, what young man
nearing her double bed of wealth and elegance
offers the hetaera a spray ofjasmine
now, the gleam of brilliant gems on his hands?
His tunic's made of finely-woven white silk
bordered with a red, oriental pattern;
but even though his speech is pure Attic,
still the slightest accent of native Latin
taints his flawless Greek with a trace of the Tiber.
Yet so quietly the Athenian listens
to this Horace, her eloquent new lover,
you might think a breeze had parted silk curtains
and new worlds of beauty were dawning on her,
so intently she listens to the great Italian.
Translated from the Greek
by
George Kalogeris
OVID
The Poet's Epigram
(or:
The Work Speaks for Itselj)
-Amores,
I. 1
We who were until now the five short books of Naso
here become three: The author prefers this arrangement
to the former. So even if we don't stimulate you, at least
with two books missing we'll appear less tedious.
