Hello there Steemians! This post is about the most influencing poet Constantine P. Cavafy.
This poem called: "The City"- in Greek "Η πόλις"- was from the first poems we learned in school and impressed me very much and till now i love to read it again and again. Hope you like it too!
Είπες "Θα πάγω σ' άλλη γή, θα πάγω σ' άλλη θάλασσα,
Μια πόλις άλλη θα βρεθεί καλλίτερη από αυτή.
Κάθε προσπάθεια μου μια καταδίκη είναι γραφτή
κ' είν' η καρδιά μου — σαν νεκρός — θαμένη.
Ο νους μου ως πότε μες στον μαρασμό αυτόν θα μένει .
Οπου το μάτι μου γυρίσω, όπου κι αν δω
ερείπια μαύρα της ζωής μου βλέπω εδώ,
που τόσα χρόνια πέρασα και ρήμαξα και χάλασα"
You said: "I will go to another land, I will go to another sea,
Certainly another city can be found, better than this.
Every effort of mine is condemned by fate
And , my heart is buried - like a corpse - .
How long my mind will remain in this wasteland ?
Wherever I turn my eyes, wherever I look
I see the black ruins of my life in this place
Where I consumed and ruined and wasted my years !"
Καινούριους τόπους δεν θα βρεις, δεν θάβρεις άλλες θάλασσες.
Η πόλις θα σε ακολουθεί.
Στους δρόμους θα γυρνάς τους ίδιους.
Και στες γειτονιές τες ίδιες θα γερνάς
και μες στα ίδια σπίτια αυτά θ' ασπρίζεις.
Πάντα στην πόλι αυτή θα φθάνεις.
Για τα αλλού — μη ελπίζεις —
δεν έχει πλοίο για σε, δεν έχει οδό.
Ετσι που τη ζωή σου ρήμαξες εδώ στηνουν κώχη τούτη την μικρή,
σ' όλην την γή την χάλασες.
You will not find new lands, no other seas.
This city will keep following you.
You will wander in the same streets.
And you will get older in the same neighborhood,
You will turn gray among the same houses.
You will arrive in this city always.
To another land, -do not hope-
There is no ship for you, there is no road.
Now that you've ruined your life in this little corner,
You've destroyed it all over the world.
Constantine Cavafy was one of the most important Greek poets of modern times. He was born and lived in Alexandria, and after his father death the family moved in England. His poems have theatrical and directional elements.
Source : http://lyricstranslate.com/en/%CE%B7-%CF%80%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%B9%CF%82-city.html-0#ixzz54iImLvVU