Daily Poem: Ithaka ~ C.P. Cavafy
Ithaka
~ C.P. Cavafy
Interpreted by Sarah Ban Breathnach
You may be familiar with the translation by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard, which you can read here. I also enjoy this version, as it offers a fresh take on the work. While not a direct translation, Ban Breathnach brings a feminine perspective.
Pray that your journey be long,
full of many summer mornings
when with much pleasure and much joy
you anchor in harbors never seen before;
Browse through Phoenician markets,
to purchase exquisite treasures–
mother-of-pearl and coral, ebony and amber
and sensual perfumes of all kinds–
as much as you desire.
Visit many Egyptian cities, content
to sit at the feet of sages, eager
and open to receive learning.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is your destiny.
But do not hurry the journey at all; be patient.
Better that it lasts for many years–
longer than you can even imagine.
So that finally, when you reach this
sacred isle, you will be a wise woman,
abundantly fulfilled by all you have gained along the way;
no longer expecting Ithaka to make you wealthy,
no longer needing Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka offered you the profound journey,
the chance to discover the woman you have always been.
Without Ithaka as your inspiration, you
never would have set out in search of wholeness.
And should you find her poor, Ithaka did not deceive you.
Authentic as you have become, full of wisdom, beauty and grace,
enriches and enlightened by all you have experienced,
You will finally understand what all of life’s Ithakas truly mean.
Ithaca, Greece; Image from AGreekAdventure.com
