Monthly Archives: June 2011

CONSTANTINE CAVAFY: Icons of Memory

Posted on June 30, 2011 by

Previously I mentioned the sense of transience one finds in the poems of Constantine Cavafy.  Most of his life has certainly disappeared from notice.  One has the feeling only of passing years, boring in their obvious externals — he worked … Continue reading →

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IONIKON: Constantine Cavafy and the Historical Imagination

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

There is an old Italian saying that the translator is a traitor.  That can at times be true, if a translation is manipulative and unfaithful to the original, but in general it is not true.  A translation is not an … Continue reading →

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WHEN IN THE HIDDEN DAYS

Posted on June 8, 2011 by

One of my early verses: When, in the hidden days,The whirlpools silver-swirled within the water,Michael walked and climbed among the creeping ivyGreen beside the river deep;He smiled and softly whispered in the shadow-sunny –The water snails were black, and strange … Continue reading →

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SWEET BROTHER, IF I DO NOT SLEEP

Posted on June 8, 2011 by

It is doubtful if anyone short of Pope John XXIII did as much for the public image of the Catholic Church in the latter half of the 20th century as did the convert writer Thomas Merton. Looking back on that … Continue reading →

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