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Thursday, 30 August 2007 |
A Perfect Storm of Turbulent Gases in the Omega/Swan Nebula
This poem by Cavafy (Greek, 1800's) sums up the twilight moments of a relationship, when you segue from the glimmer of what you don't want to forget, into a place where you know you will never. I love it! I am happy to be sailing on a ship that will not capsize anytime soon, all that said, I've found that there is much to savor in loves journey and its detours.
When suddenly at midnight you hear
an invisible procession going by
with exquisite music, voices,
don’t mourn your luck that’s failing now,
work gone wrong, your plans
all proving deceptive - don’t mourn them uselessly;
as one long prepared and full of courage,
say goodbye to her, the Alexandria that is leaving.
Above all, don’t fool yourself, don’t say
it was a dream, your ears deceived you:
don’t degrade yourself with empty hopes like these.
As one long prepared, and full of courage,
as is right for you who were given this kind of city,
go firmly to the window
and listen with deep emotion,
but not with the whining, the pleas of the coward;
listen- your final pleasure - to the voices,
to the exquisite music of that strange procession,
and say goodbye to her, to the Alexandria you are losing.
--C.P. Cavafy
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