Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy

GR-OF CA CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0060 (435)

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                       Alexandria 10 February 1885    My dear Constantine, Your letter 31 January duly    to hand and I sincerely congratulate you on    the style of your Greek verses. I sent you
   “The Poetry of Song” by last Russian steamer;    the poem is not of so philosophical a nature    as its title led you to suppose and some of    its verses you are already acquainted with.    The metre I think is original and I ask you
   to give me your candid criticism on the    merits or demerits of the whole. Before    long I suppose you will send me an instalment    of your Shakespearian translation    which I am glad to hear has defeated the
   many-wiled “Xapolimoss” ― Pray thank    Paul for his note to me of the 3rd instant.    You will have heard of the fall of Kartoum.    Wolseley cannot yet say whether Gordon is dead    or alive, although the Mahdi proclaims
   that Gordon has turned Mahommedan and    adopted the uniform of the Rebel chief.    The English army on the Nile is in a very    precarious position and General Wilson now    at Metammeh with only 1500 men is in
   imminent peril of being cut off from    Wolseley’s corps d’armée. The Cabinet    have given Wolseley full powers to do all    he can to pacify the Soudan and have promised mo-
   re men. Always too late! They    do things by halves in the beginning, and then    try to make up for lost time at twice the
   sacrifice of lives and money! Great    indignation and excitement prevail in    England against the present Ministry and    it is supposed Gladstone may fall.
   You will also have heard that Italy (now    England’s ally) has occupied some ports    on the Egyptian littoral of the Red Sea.    They may be called in ― I mean the Italians
   ― to help the English, via Souakim, it being    very important to put a barrier between    Osman Diqna forces and the Mahdi’s.    Another conjecture is that England will    bring in Indian troops, and as a fact    the Government have already begun hiring
   ships for Transport Service and    amongst others have chartered the    Moss steamer Mareotis. ― But with    all this, the Political Egyptian question
   is taking precedence of the Financial    one and the Payment of the Indemnities    has again lapsed into quiet ― Let us    hope it will be brought up again on the    19th when Parliament meets. ― With    love to all           Believe me ever                Your affectionate brother                     John.

Constantine F. Cavafy Esquire      Constantinople.

DIGITAL OBJECT DESCRIPTION

IDENTITY AREA

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GR-OF CA CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0060 (435)

TITLE:

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Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy

DATE(S):

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10/2/1885

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Item

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19 x 12 cm

FORMER REFERENCE CODE:

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F54_Φ1-25

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 both sides of a sheet. Short comment on a poem of his, which he is sending his brother. Extensive reference to the war, the developments in the Sudan and the situation in Egypt. (Alexandria)

CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE AREA

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CC BY-SA 4.0 Cavafy Archive Onassis Foundation

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English

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Writing in ink. Physical item wear: oxidations.

NOTES AREA

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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 sends his poem “The Poetry of Song” to C. P. Cavafy, while he is eager to read the latter’s translation of Shakespeare’s Much ado about nothing.

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SUBJECTS:

Letter

Works by other authors:

"The poetry of song" [Cavafy, John C.]

PLACES:

PERSONS:

Ahmad, Muhammad (Mahdi)

Cavafy, John Constantine

Digna, Osman

Gladstone, William Ewart

Gordon, Charles George

Shakespeare, William

Wilson, Charles W.

CITATION:

For citation purposes, please use the reference provided here.

Cavafy, John Constantine. “Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy”. Letter, 10.02.1885. GR-OF CA CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0060 (435), 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-SF001-0060.