Ithaca
When you start on your journey to Ithaca,
then pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
Do not fear the Lestrygonians
and the Cyclopes and the angry Poseidon.
You will never meet such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your body and your spirit.
You will never meet the Lestrygonians,
the Cyclopes and the fierce Poseidon,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not raise them up before you.
Then pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many,
that you will enter ports seen for the first time
with such pleasure, with such joy!
Stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and corals, amber and ebony,
and pleasurable perfumes of all kinds,
buy as many pleasurable perfumes as you can;
visit hosts of Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from those who have knowledge.
Always keep Ithaca fixed in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for long years;
and even to anchor at the isle when you are old,
rich with all that you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.
Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have taken the road.
But she has nothing more to give you.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not defrauded you.
With the great wisdom you have gained, with so much experience,
you must surely have understood by then what Ithacas mean.
-K. P. Kavafis (C. P. Cavafy), translation by Rae Dalven
Here is wonderful video accompanying a reading of “Ithaca” by Sean Connery.
Poem of the Month 
Great poem… fits the situation I’m about to live. Thanks.
wonerful wonderful wonderful!! thank you 🙂 my Dad discovered this poem and told me about it, it has spoken so strongly to us and some others too.
This poem as been leading me for many years, I tend to forget it, and it keeps on appearing at different steps in my life, travels, studies and experience. and again and again I keep on getting Inspired by it.
A great reading of this poem by Sean Connery.
[…] The link to the original posting. […]
Very Nice Poem!
I would like to invite you to post a poem on my website which is http://www.poetryfreedom.com
I would really appreciate it!
Would love to Robert! Will be in touch.
Happy holidays!
Nina
It is a very beautiful poem! Its beautiful verses, and phrases carry out the meaning of life-searching that we all face, in our time, and leads us to a sincere, winding path which will bring us greatest treasures of life!
It reminds me that we are not alone, on the jounery to Ithaca…each of us will be meeting many of others on the way, to share the joy, the pain and the pleasure of life; the wisdom and experiences, and then, to rest in peace in the final reaching of serene Ithaca.
Very enjoy it, thank you!
Every time I read this poem I get more and more emotional because I understand it better each time as I become more experienced in life. The poem is a thread connecting us to everything around us, before us and after us – it is an invitation to explore and to learn and to celebrate the diversity of experience. To me it also speaks of the glory of the ancient world, of those pioneers in thought and action who undaunted by the perils of nature and society carried the torch of human self knowledge to the corners of the known world.
I love all your comments and all the great attention this poem has received on this website. And I, too, understand it better and better with each reading.
Did you all remember that Jackie Onassis had a reading of this beautiful poem at her funeral services?
please, can you tell me who is the author of this poem?
It says it at the bottom of the poem.
I first read this poem when I was in 7th grade. I loved it then, but never truly understood why. I am now 25 and I try to read it several times a year. It is just the most insightful and beautiful poem one could read.
This is one of my favorite poems as well.
Full of symbols and wisdom, very insightful.
Your thoughts are your prayers, Kavafi means.
Take fear out of your life.
Face what ever comes your way head on.
Live each moment by being present, without letting your thoughts and fears take over.
That way you enjoy all your experiences”good” and “bad” and you reach your “Ithaca” satisfied with life and very wise.
All the translations I have read are great, but the original poem in the Greek language is dynamic.
Am I prejudiced? Maybe but I don’t think so 🙂
Absolutely, my favorite poem thus far. I am currently reading poems by Cavafy but I have yet to read one that has a mesmerizing effect on me like Ithaca!
My favorite poem. EVER.
[…] Posts Poem of the Day: I Walked a Mile with PleasurePoem of the Day: IthacaPoem of the Day: A Valediction Forbidding MourningPoem of the Day: Song of Childhood Poem of the […]
[…] 12/26/2010 by Nina Alvarez 1. Ithaca […]
[…] Source: https://ninaalvarez.net/2007/05/03/poem-of-the-day-49/ […]
[…] 1. Ithaca […]
Strange but I seem to remember that at John Kennedy’s Funeral Service the poem “Ulysses” by Alfred Lord Tennyson was read. I wonder if “Ithaca” appealed to Jacquie and wanted it read at her own Memorial Service. ?
[…] via Poem of the Day: Ithaca. […]
[…] 2. Ithaca […]
[…] https://ninaalvarez.net/2007/05/03/poem-of-the-day-49/ […]
[…] 1. Ithaca […]
Hi,
Readers of this blog, if you like/write poetry, you might like to subscribe/submit to an exciting poetry magazine called OSSUARY WHISPERS.
Go here for more information:
wp.me/3EYlb
[…] -K. P. Kavafis (C. P. Cavafy), translation by Rae Dalven To read the full poem, click here. […]
[…] closing this ramblin’ Rosemary tome, these lines from my favorite poem “Ithaca,” seem to sum it up best… To see more of Leslie and the Fish family’s voyage, click […]
Great piece on enjoying the presence in the present, with the objective remain intact.
I love that poem so much. It opens new meaning every time I read it.,
[…] 1. Ithaca […]
[…] of my favorite poems of all time is Ithaca by Constantine P. Cavafy. (Click to […]
[…] journeys that seek as elaborated in the poem ‘Ithaca’ (do listen to it recited by Sean Connery)by K P Kavafis. The central character is Matteo, who is a pure seeker, though he is not clear as to […]
[…] No one looks at the middle. We see beginnings and we see endings, but it’s the stuff in the middle that really counts. Without the actual journey there would be no adventure. It’s the best part of the story. Yes, the warrior’s calling is exciting. The moment of realization, that mission to complete, gives you a burst of energy. And the promise of the happily ever after keeps us going. But we all know where the true tale is. The place in the middle. It reminds me of the classical poem, Ithaca. […]
Cavafy is uncomparable.
[…] In one of his poems, the Greek poet Kavafis describes the journey to a beautiful island called “Ithaca“: […]
[…] 1. Ithaca (8,622) […]
[…] There is this Greek poet my aunt really likes K. Kavafis, and for any of you taking off, or hanging around a bit longer … well Ithaca may be for you ❤ […]
Aesop: ‘Outer show is a poor substitute for inner worth.’
I transcribed this into a card for my boyfriend’s little brother after their mom died. He was fifteen at the time.
Thank you for sharing this story with us.
Reblogged this on How my heart speaks.
[…] keep rereading the poem Ithaca because it reminds me of what my educational journey ought to […]
[…] I have found my favorite version, translated by Rae Dalvin, posted on the Poem of the Day blog (https://ninaalvarez.net/2007/05/03/poem-of-the-day-49/), so I gratefully re-post the poem “Ithaca” below. Read it carefully, for it is an invocation […]
[…] by Mary Oliver, “The Lost Son” (my favorite poem of all time) by Theodore Roethke, or “Deathless Aphrodite of the Spangled Mind,” by Sappho, or “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning,” by Adrienne Rich, or “For the […]
[…] 1. Ithaca […]
[…] 1. Ithaca […]
[…] 2. Ithaca […]