"If you cannot fashion your life as you would like, endeavour to do this at least, as much as you can: do not trivialize it through too much contact … - Konstantinos P. Cavafy

And if you can’t shape your life the way you want, at least try as much as you can not to degrade it...

And if you can’t shape your life the way you want, at least try as much as you can not to degrade it by too much contact with the world, by too much activity and talk.

Esto era lo que había en él de singular:
que en medio de toda su vida disoluta
y de su mucha experiencia en el amor,
a pesar de la habitual armonía
entre su actitud y su edad,
había algunos instantes -pero muy raros
ciertamente- en que daba la impresión
de una carne casi intacta.
La hermosura de sus veintinueve años,
tan probada en el placer,
había momentos en que paradojalmente recordaba
a un adolescente que -con cierta torpeza- al amor
por primera vez su cuerpo puro entrega.

Immoral to a degree — and probably more than a degree — they certainly were. But they had the satisfaction that their life was the notorious life of Antioch, delectably sensual, in absolute good taste. <p> To give up all this, indeed, for what? <p> His hot air about the false gods, his boring self-advertisement, his childish fear of the theatre, his graceless prudery, his ridiculous beard.

The days of the future stand in front of us Like a line of candles all alight — Golden and warm and lively little candles.