14 juillet 2006

Happiness is not a destination - Kavafis' Ithaca

The phrase by psychologist Haim Ginott, "Happiness is not a destination" has reminded me of one of C. Kavafis' poems, "Ithaca":

ITHACA - C. Kavafis

"As you set out for Ithaka
hope the voyage is long,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - don't be afraid of them:
you'll never find such things on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as wistful emotions
stir your spirit and body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon - you won't encounter them
unless they dwell your soul,
unless your soul raises them up in front of you.
Hope the voyage is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure and joy,
you come into harbors seen for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind -
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to gather stores of wisdom from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your thoughts.
Your arrival is your destiny.
But don't ever hurry the journey.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
enriched with what you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would have not sailed away.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you.
This way, wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean. "

2 commentaires:

Anonyme a dit…

Es cierto, el viaje y todo lo que se encuentra en él valen tanto o más que el destino.

Anonyme a dit…

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!