Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy

GR-OF CA CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0045 (420)

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                      [Alexandria] 14 May 1884
    My dear Constantine,                      I missed the mail yesterday and put off     writing you until today. Your letter 6th arrived 10th inst-     ant, four days only on the voyage, ― the quickest transit I     have noticed yet from Constantinople here. In heading my letter     with the above date, I have wished you all good things,     and hope that Providence will hear my prayers and some day     grant you them. Your letters are always treasured by me,     and kept in a safe place with my other few valuables.     I await with interest the solution of Mr. Rangabé’s enig-     ma: my dull brain cannot fathom the mysterious     heptameters.
    My verses “By the rivers of Babylon”, under their proper     title “Super Flumina Babylonis”, I have had published in     the Public Opinion of the 18th April. I am expecting copies     of that number by tomorrow’s Brindisi mail, and shall     post you one immediately on receipt. I have made     sundry alterations in the poem, which I hope you will     approve of; and, as you will see, I have altogether elimi-     nated the stanza, you took exception to, as well as the     one preceding it, and substituted four new lines, which     I fancy are a marked improvement.     Hoping that this will find you all in good health     and with much love to mother, Alexander and Paul           I am yours                John. P.S. I just hear from Kneen that it is reported the Commercial Bank of Alexandria is about to liquidate. This may be only a rumour.
          J.C.C

DIGITAL OBJECT DESCRIPTION

IDENTITY AREA

REFERENCE CODE:

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GR-OF CA CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0045 (420)

TITLE:

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Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy

DATE(S):

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14/5/1884

LEVEL OF DESCRIPTION:

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Item

EXTENT AND MEDIUM:

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44 x 27.5 cm

FORMER REFERENCE CODE:

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F53_Φ1-32

CONTEXT AREA

NAME OF CREATOR(S):

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Cavafy, John

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE AREA

SCOPE AND CONTENT:

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Handwritten letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy, on the first page of a double sheet letterhead of R. J. Moss & Co., Alexandria. The remaining pages are blank. Comments on a poem by John published in the Public Opinion. (Alexandria)

CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE AREA

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CC BY-SA 4.0 Cavafy Archive Onassis Foundation

LANGUAGE AND SCRIPT NOTES:

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English

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

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Writing in ink. Watermark: R. J. Moss & Co., Alexandria.

NOTES AREA

NOTE:

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The transcription and editing of the letters of John Constantine Cavafy addressed to C. P. Cavafy was first carried out by Katerina Ghika; said transcriptions were subsequently uploaded to the official website of the Cavafy Archive.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

Literary annotation, providing additional information on the digital object.

John Cavafy briefly comments on his poem “By the Rivers of Babylon”, which was published under the title “Super Flumina Babylonis” in the Public Opinion on 18 April 1883.

ACCESS POINTS

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SUBJECTS:

Letter

Journals:

Public Opinion

Works by other authors:

"By the Rivers of Babylon” / “Super flumina Babylonis" [Cavafy, John C.]

PLACES:

Brindisi (Italy)

Istanbul / Constantinople (Turkey)

PERSONS:

Cavafy (Fotiadi), Charikleia

Cavafy, Alexandros P.

Cavafy, C. P.

Cavafy, John Constantine

Cavafy, Paul

Kneen, (?)

Ragkavis, Alexandros Rizos

CITATION:

For citation purposes, please use the reference provided here.

Cavafy, John Constantine. “Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy”. Letter, 14.05.1884. GR-OF CA CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0045 (420), Onassis Foundation C. P. Cavafy Fonds. From The Digital Collection of the Cavafy Archive, edited by Onassis Foundation, Athens, last modified 01.10.2025. https://doi.org/10.26256/CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0045.