Top C.P. Cavafy Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

C.P. Cavafy Biography

Constantine Peter Cavafy (/kəˈvɑːfɪ/; also known as Konstantin or Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis; Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Π. Καβάφης; April 29 (April 17, OS), 1863 – April 29, 1933) was an Egyptian Greek poet, journalist and civil servant. His consciously individual style earned him a place among the most important figures not only in Greek poetry, but in Western poetry as well.

Read about C.P. Cavafy in Wikipedia

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C.P. Cavafy Quotes

From all I did and all I said let no one try to find out who I was.

Let, Said, Trying

He wasn't completely wrong, poor old Gemistus (let Lord Andronicus and the patriarch suspect him if they like), in wanting us, telling us to become pagan once again.

Become, Lord, Pagan, Patriarch, Poor, Wanting

I'm practically broke and homeless. This fatal city, Antioch, has devoured all my money: this fatal city with its extravagant life.

Broke, Cities, Fatal, Homeless, Money, Practically

What are we waiting for, assembled in the forum? The barbarians are due here today.

Barbarians, Due, Today, Waiting

Guard, O my soul, against pomp and glory. And if you cannot curb your ambitions, at least pursue them hesitantly, cautiously. And the higher you go, the more searching and careful you need to be.

Against, Ambition, Careful, Needs, Soul

Days to come stand in front of us like a row of lighted candles— golden, warm, and vivid candles. Days gone by fall behind us, a gloomy line of snuffed-out candles; the nearest are smoking still, cold, melted, and bent. I don’t want to look at them: their shape saddens me, and it saddens me to remember their original light. I look ahead at my lighted candles. I don’t want to turn for fear of seeing, terrified, how quickly that dark line gets longer, how quickly the snuffed-out candles proliferate.

Come, Dark, Days Gone By, Fall, Turn, Warm

Give me artificial flowers - porcelain and metal glories - neither fading nor decaying, forms unaging. Flowers of the splendid gardens of another place, where Forms and Styles and Knowledge dwell. I love flowers made of glass or gold, true Art's true gifts, their painted hues more beautiful than nature's, worked in nacre and enamel, with perfect leaves and branches.

Art, Beautiful, Give, Glories, Love, Unaging

Honor to those who in the life they lead define and guard a Thermopylae. Never betraying what is right, consistent and just in all they do but showing pity also, and compassion; generous when they are rich, and when they are poor, still generous in small ways, still helping as much as they can; always speaking the truth, yet without hating those who lie. And even more honor is due to them when they foresee (as many do foresee) that in the end Ephialtis will make his appearance, that the Medes will break through after all.

Badass, Generous, Hate, Hating, Lying, Small

Body, remember not only how much you were loved, not only the beds you lay on, but also those desires glowing openly in eyes that looked at you, trembling for you in voices.

Eye, Eyes, Glowing, Openly, Remember, Voice

Return often and take me, beloved sensation, return and take me - When memory of the body awakens, and old desire again runs through the blood; when the lips and skin remember, and the hands feel as if they touch again.

Blood, Body, Hands, Memories, Memory, Running

My life has been awaiting you. Your footfall was my own heart's beat.

Awaiting, Beat, Beats, Heart, Life, Romantic

Roses by the head, jasmine at the feet so appear the longings that have passed without being satisfied, not one of them granted a night of sensual pleasure, or one of its radiant mornings.

Feet, Head, Morning, Night, Roses, Sensual

One candle is enough. Its gentle light will be more suitable, will be more gracious when the Shades arrive, the Shades of Love.

Arrive, Enough, Light, Love, Shade, Suitable

What shall become of us without any barbarians? Those people were a kind of solution.

Barbarians, Become, Kind, Kindness, People

Arriving there is what you are destined for

Arriving, Destined

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

Alight, Days, Golden, Lines, Littles, Warm

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 graced with 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.

Courage, Dream, Fool, Goodbye, Hopes, Long

Have Ithaka always in your mind. Your arrival there is what you are destined for. But don't in the least hurry the journey.

Arrival, Arrivals, Hurry, Journey, Mind

Of what's to come the wise perceive things about to happen. Sometimes during moments of intense study their hearing's troubled: the hidden sound of things approaching reaches them, and they listen reverently, while in the street outside the people hear nothing whatsoever.

Hear, People, Reverently, Sound, Whatsoever, Wise

From my most unnoticed actions, my most veiled writing from these alone will I be understood.

Action, Actions, Understood, Unnoticed, Writing

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