When you set sail for Ithaca
wish for the road to be long
full of adventures, full of discovery
Lestrygonians, Cyclops
an angry Poseidon - do not fear
You will never find such on your path
as long as you keep thought raised high
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body
Lestrygonians, Cyclops
a savage Poseidon - you won't encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul
unless your spirit sets them up in front of you
Hope you road is a long one
May there be many summer mornings when
with what pleasure, what joy
you will enter harbors seen for the first time
Stop at phoenician markets,
and purchase the fine goods
nacre and coral, amber and ebony,
and exquisite perfume of all sorts,
the most delicate fragrances you can find
And may you visit many egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars
Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your final destination.
But do not hurry the voyage at all
Better if it lasts for years,
so you're old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you've gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to offer you wealth.
Ithaca has given you the beautiful journey
Without her you would not have set out on the road
Nothing more does she have to give you
And if you find her poor, Ithaca won't have fooled you
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you'll have understood, by then, what Ithaca means
Constantino Kavafis - Ithaca - in Alexandria's Quartet
.jpg)
.jpg)
