Constantine P. Cavafy
Translated by Edmund Keeley
Why don’t our distinguished orators turn up as usual
to make their speeches, say what they have to say?
Because the barbarians are coming today
and they’re bored by rhetoric and public speaking.
Six Months After Contemplating Suicide (2015)
When instead of swallowing a fistful
of white pills,
you decided to shower,
the palm trees
nodded in agreement,
a choir
of crickets singing
behind your swollen eyes.
Waiting for the Barbarians (1904)
Constantine P. Cavafy
Translated by Edmund Keeley
What are we waiting for, assembled in the forum?
The barbarians are due here today