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“On an Italian Shore” by Constantine P. Cavafy 🇬🇷 (29 Apr 1863 – 29 Apr 1933)
Translated from the Greek by Edmund Keeley & Philip Sherrard
Kimos, son of Menedoros, a young Greek-Italian,
devotes his life to amusing himself,
like most young men in Greater Greece
brought up in the lap of luxury.
​
But today, in spite of his nature,
he is preoccupied, dejected. Near the shore
he watched, deeply distressed, as they unload
ships with booty taken from the Peloponnese.
​
Greek loot: booty from Corinth
Today certainly it is not right,
it is not possible for the young Greek-Italian
to want to amuse himself in any way.