"You said: "I'll go to some other land, I'll go to some other sea. There's bound to be another city that's better by far. My every effort has been il… - Konstantinos P. Cavafy

"You said: "I'll go to some other land, I'll go to some other sea.
There's bound to be another city that's better by far.
My every effort has been ill-fated from the start;
my heart — like something dead — lies buried away;
How long will my mind endure this slow decay?
Wherever I look, wherever I cast my eyes,
I see all round me the black rubble of my life
where I've spent so many ruined and wasted years."

You'll find no new places, you won't find other shores.
The city will follow you. The street in which you pace
will be the same, you'll haunt the same familiar places,
and inside those same houses you'll grow old.
You'll always end up in this city. Don't bother to hope
for a ship, a route, to take you somewhere else; they don't exist.
Just as you've destroyed your life, here in this
small corner, so you've wasted it through all the world."

English
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About Konstantinos P. Cavafy

Constantine P. Cavafy, also known as Konstantin or Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis, or Kavaphes (Greek Κωνσταντίνος Π. Καβάφης) (29 April 1863 – 29 April 1933) was a Greek poet who is often ranked among most important literary figures of the 20th century.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Native Name: Κωνσταντίνος Πέτρου Καβάφης
Alternative Names: Constantine kavafy C. P. Cavafis Constantin Cavafy K. P. Kavaphēs K. P. Kavafis C. P. Cavafy Konstantine Kavafy Constantinos Cavafis Konstantino Kavafis Constantino Kavafis Konstantin Kavafis Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis Kōnstantinos Petrou Kavaphēs Kavafis Kōnstantinos Petrou Kabaphēs Kawafis Konstandinos Kavafis Konstantinas Kavafis C.P. Cavafy Constantine Peter Cavafy Kōnstantinos P. Kavafīs
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Additional quotes by Konstantinos P. Cavafy

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you. Wise as you have become, with so much experience, you must already have understood what these Ithacas mean.

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"From "Ships"

The marketplaces of the Imagination have shops that are grand and opulent, but not of any great duration. Their transactions are brief, they dispose of their merchandise swiftly, and they are immediately liquidated."

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