Constantine P. Cavafy, "On the Stairs".
ON THE STAIRS
As I was going down the shameful stair,
you came in the door, and for a moment
I saw your unfamiliar face and you saw me.
Then I hid so you wouldn't see me again, and you
passed by quickly as you hid your face,
and stole inside the shameful house
where you likely found no pleasure, just as I found none.
And yet the love you wanted, I had to give you;
the love I wanted--your eyes told me so,
tired and suspicious--you had it to give me.
Our bodies sensed and sought each other out;
our blood and skin understood.
But we hid from each other, we two, terrified.
CONSTANTINE P. CAVAFY
1904
Translated from the Greek by Daniel Mendelsohn
This entry was originally posted at http://the-grynne.dreamwidth.org/965865.html and has
comments.
As I was going down the shameful stair,
you came in the door, and for a moment
I saw your unfamiliar face and you saw me.
Then I hid so you wouldn't see me again, and you
passed by quickly as you hid your face,
and stole inside the shameful house
where you likely found no pleasure, just as I found none.
And yet the love you wanted, I had to give you;
the love I wanted--your eyes told me so,
tired and suspicious--you had it to give me.
Our bodies sensed and sought each other out;
our blood and skin understood.
But we hid from each other, we two, terrified.
CONSTANTINE P. CAVAFY
1904
Translated from the Greek by Daniel Mendelsohn
This entry was originally posted at http://the-grynne.dreamwidth.org/965865.html and has
comments.