Alexandrian Kings by Constantine Cavafy

This is my own creative paraphrase (by no means an exact translation!) of Cavafy's poem Alexandrian kings.

35. ALEXANDRIAN KINGS



The Alexandrians came flocking
to see Cleopatra's children
Alexander, Ptolemy, Kaisarion,
her pretty sons.

It was quite a holiday.
They all trooped off to the Field of Exercise
with music, marching, singing,
horses, chariots and banners.

There, in front of the cheering army
(such a shout went up from deep-voiced men!
such a rattle of harness-chains
from bucking, stamping steeds!)
the boys were hailed as kings.

Alexander Helios (hurrah! hurrah!)
by public proclamation now became
sole master of Armenia, Parthia
and Media -- an enormous sprawling landmass
for one small shy boy.

Ptolemy Philadelphus (hooray! hooray!)
laughing and gurgling, happily clutched
Syria, Phoenicia, Cilicia
in his little dimpled podgy arms.

Kaisarion, the eldest of the boys,
son of conquering Caesar,
stood to the fore, his robe pink-tinted silk,
sweet-smelling hyacinths pinned to his breast
above a blazing belt richly studded
with amethysts and sapphires;
stiffened white ribbons sewn with rosy pearls
tied his leather shoes. Greater than his brothers,
eldest of the three, it had been decided
to name him King of Kings.

The cynical Alexandrians, of course --
the worldly Alexandrians - were aware
that this was all just talk.

Nonetheless the day was like a poem,
a warm idyll, the pale blue sky
diaphanous above the Field of Exercise,
the courtiers glittering with jewels and gold,
Kaisarion himself a graceful long-legged
beauty of a youth
blessed with his mother's beauty, her in the boy.

The Alexandrians loved it, loved it all,
laughing and cheering, throwing up their arms,
shouting in Greek and Egyptian and in Hebrew
enchanted by the spectacle -

although of course they had a shrewd idea
(they knew a thing or three)
of the true worth of these sounding titles,
these somewhat flyblown kingships.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Cavafy
• Charles
• Bryant
• Alexandrian
• Kings
• Poetry

[fidokalman]

Almost a mirror to what high-blown title the hierarchy of the Eastern Orthodox church hold today when they are known as bishops of great Byzantine cities no longer held by any but the Turks. It is indeed difficult for the Greek to learn; difficult to not be delusional.

[brychar66]

Cavafy always takes a sly dig at windy titles! The Bishops are not the only ones to have such titles - our royal family have equally pointless titles (but then of course Philip is 'sort of' Greek himself!) We now have a Duke and Duchess of Wessex, which is to say a Duke and Duchess of Nowhere, since that was an Anglo-Saxon place name and no longer applies! Vanity, vanity...all is vanity!

[ZeeGooner]

well technically speaking Alexander didnt control Armenia, and actually when Alexander sent two emissaries to Armenia.. to ask for payments.. the Armenians cut off their heads.. and hung it on a tree..

[plalaya8]

hola me urge saber como se llama la pintura que sale al fondo de esta poesia,gracias

[Eventual420]

Thank you SO much.