Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy

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[Alexandria] 1 October 1882

Sunday 9.55 pm
   My dear Constantine,    I reply to your letter 18th ultimo to hand    today. Thanks for your appreciation of the “Rivers of Ba    bylon” and the Greek version, which is very welcome.    Your objection to the verses “Let nought” etc. is a very    good one. I intend to cancel the stanza altogether in    favour of another. The metre is original. At first I    thought of using    U – U – //   U – U – U –   +<    U – U – U – :    U – U – //   U – U – U –   ..    U – U – //   U – U – U – :    U – U – U –   ..    U – U – //   U – U – U –   +”    but on second thoughts    (which are always better) I gave up the idea, as the one    actually used is better adapted to quick motion and change    of subject. I don’t remember having read Lord Byron’s    poem. Do you mean “Belshazzar’s feast”? That is    written in verses of three iambics and stanzas of 8 lines    with alternate rhymes.    You say in your letter that the dinner at Coralia’s    consisted of “four plates” (?) etc. Do you mean this as a joke?    Don’t think I am hypercritical. We all make similar    mistakes. Thanks very much for these details ― they are    very interesting and amusing: especially your account    of Parnis Effendi, Lord Dufferin’s speech to the Sultan,    Ferdinand de Lesseps, and the skit in the Monde    Parisien about Grévy.
The war is practically over and all rebel garrisons have surrendered. The only troublesome task left to the British Soldiery is the complete suppression of the nomad Bedouin tribes that still infest some parts of the interior. You must know that the greater part of the Arabs, both here and in the villages, decline to believe in the defeat and imprisonment of Araby, and ascribe the existence of British arms in Cairo, and the festivals lately held there, to the making up of the differences between the Khe- dive and Araby in a peaceful manner. It would be very easy to undeceive them. “For to see a man swing
At the end of a string, With his neck in a noose, is a very rare thing.” (I quote from memory and am not sure about the last line). I read in the Times, the other day, that there is only one course of procedure with Araby left to England, i.e., to hang him. I hope they’ll do it here. What a sell if they let him go Scot free! It is not at all unlikely. ― The English are such fools sometimes! I always bear in mind the plans we planned together at Haïdar Pasha, and you may rest assured that I am not likely to forget a promise so earnestly made. Mr. Davis is still in England and will not return before November ― in the meantime Mr. Taylor guides the flock and like a true shepherd did not desert in the hour of need and danger. In other words (vel prosaically) went through bombardment and all with a courageous spirit constantly stimulated with deep libations of Scotch
    Whisky and “Old Tom”: whereby his nose hath grown     fully an inch longer and rejoiceth in purple hues!     As far as I can ascertain St. Sabas is O.K.     and the Patriarch is away (impromptu rhymes, I assure     you).Poor Stopford! as you surmise, it can     be no other but our school-fellow, for I remember clearly     that his father was at one time the pastor of Dawlish.
    You conceited little fellow, suppose it should turn     out that this prelate Meletius, was some insignificant     patriarch, who did nothing worth recording: ― where are     you then?     I am not sure that my letters are worth keeping     and nobody but you would find any interest in the     perusal of same. Yours I keep religiously in a     brown-paper register, labelled “Letters from Constantinus     Fotiadès Cavafy” and safely locked up in the drawer     of my desk at the Office. I take them out every
    now and then, and it is but the bare truth to say that     I read them again with as much interest as when     first received.     The English word for “πλάτανος” is “plane-tree”.     Mme. Petrocochino and son returned three days ago.     Joyce, the father, has been here some time.     Joyce, the son, arrived the day before yesterday     from Trieste: both are in a calm state of
    donothingness. Arthur Joyce is, and always was, Engineer     at the Water works: he remained here all the time, and prides     himself exceedingly upon having done so.     The genealogical notes you send are simply: valueless ―     and worthy of your searching and classifying genius.     I duly received extracts from Express and Queen and     by this time you will find receipt of same acknowledged     in a previous letter.     Paul’s dictionary, it would be in vain to search for, as     the Conseil and Inspectorate have removed to another locale     (the new building designed as the General Post Office on the     sea and in the vicinity of the Caffè Paradiso) and every-
    thing, Peter tells me, has been turned upside down in     a rare state of confusion and “Arab-fashion-proceeding-     to-work” way. (There goes a long adjective for your     exclusive edification and amusement).     Mr. Gerard, as I have already written in one of my     letters, is the same Gerard who had a case on, in May,     against Jones and Izzard for unlawful dismissal. He is
    a Civil Engineer trying to do something with somebody,     but with what success I know not, for I see very     little of him, and ― what is more ― don’t care to see     much of him.     Mr. Collins has not yet returned and, I believe,     intends to winter and pass Christmas in England.     Nor has Mr. Hawthorne yet made his appearance, so that     the firm of Messr. Collins and Hawthorne remains a blank,     with doors shut, and one panel broken by the looters.
    Mr. Moss is at present in Cairo. He left on Friday     last by the 10 o’clock train a.m. and was only allowed     to book as far as Benha, owing to the explosion of an     ammunition-train on the line having caused considerable     damage to the Cairo station. The trains don’t go at full     speed for fear of running down the natives returning to     their respective villages and who make the line their     highway. Mr. Moss therefore only reached Benha at 8     o’clock in the evening, where they passed the night: started     again at 9 on Saturday morning and finally got to Cairo     at noon same day. He returns here on Tuesday next     and will shortly leave for England.     And now I am sorry to say I must come to a full     stop. It is half past eleven and tomorrow is Monday.     So farewell, and goodnight! I wonder what you are
    doing at this present moment: who shall say?     Tell Aleko that when his brother James gets under the     bedclothes he exclaims: “Γειά σου Mαριά”, and there is     such magic in the word, that it at once calls to my mind     his honest face and fierce moustachios. Give him my     love and believe me                         Your affectionate
                                    Johannisberg
I have this moment received your letter 24th ult- imo, Alexander’s same date and mamma’s 25th, for all of which I thank you. I note carefully the contents of yours but have no time to reply in full. I will go and meet Aristides tomorrow morning. Tell Aleko that I will avail of the very first opportunity to get a letter from Mr. Moss recommending him warmly to Lafontaine. I will write in extenso next mail. Yours in haste John

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GR-OF CA CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0005 (380)

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Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy

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1-2/10/1882

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Item

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44 x 27 cm

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F49_Φ1-37

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Cavafy, John

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Handwritten letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy, written over two days, on the first and third pages of two double sheet notepapers and on the recto of a letterhead of R. J. Moss & Co., Alexandria; the letter is dated 1/10/1882. Pages 2-5 are numbered at top right. Comments on a poem by John, on the situation in Egypt and Alexandria. Social news from Alexandria. Supplementaρy note on the verso of the letterhead, dated 2/10/1882.

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CC BY-SA 4.0 Cavafy Archive Onassis Foundation

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Mainly English

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Writing in ink. Indiscernible watermark. Physical item wear: oxidations.

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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.

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John Cavafy refers to his poem “By the rivers of Babylon” and incorportes the remarks of C. P. Cavafy. The latter seems to have translated it into Greek.