Poetry has always been a mirror to our soul, a reflection of our thoughts and untold feelings. Writing a poem is like writing a letter to the world, to leave it out there for the readers to find when we finally lay to rest, a letter of our long journey, striving to reach a goal, a far destination, and that destination is Ithaka, as Constantine Cavafy liked to describe a metaphor for reaching a certain dream. ‘Ithaka’ is an influential Greek poem that was famously translated into English by Edmund Keeley, and was praised by many poetry readers.
Cavafy is a well-known Greek poet in modern literature, and ‘Ithaka’ is one of his most famous works. This story-like poem, written in 1911, is a clear reference to the epic tale of Odysseus, when he returns to his home island, Ithaka, after the Trojan war. In the poem, Cavafy relates the human journey to that of Odysseus when he faced several dangerous situations to finally reach home. It’s Cavafy’s own philosophical reflection upon life, as he himself had experienced displacement in different cities at a young age that made him draw on this ancient myth to emphasise the importance of the journey rather than the actual achievement.
Simultaneously, here, Cavafy aims to metaphorically describe all the difficult challenges that someone endures on their journey, like encountering monsters, such as Cyclops and Laestrygonians, undergoing heavy storms and extreme sea weather along the way to reach the island. For him, the journey is the essence of our life; all of the struggles, difficulties, and discoveries are what makes us wiser, resisting all odds to reach our sacred goal. Cavafy encourages readers to embrace their journey despite all conditions, proving to ourselves that what we might face on the road is the ultimate experience that makes us complete and full of wisdom, that is the secret of human existence.
“Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
You’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.”
When I first started reading ‘Ithaka’, I felt that the poem is a message for me that even if during my journey I face a lot of difficulties, these hard times are made to change me into becoming a more confident person, grateful for what I’ve accomplished so far, and more pleased than reaching the goal itself. We should be enjoying the ride, curious for what’s coming. After all, if we reach everything so soon, we lose the true meaning of our existence, the meaning of living while getting everything we want in life. It’s the pursuit of happiness and small achievements that we really must be after, in order to reach the final line, running towards our goals and dreams.
‘Ithaka’ is the type of poem that makes you realise what life is all about. Cavafy believes in the importance of the journey, in being persistent in moving forward, to experience everything, joy and despair, to reach the destination we’re heading to by surviving the unknown, just like Odysseus, the legendary Greek hero.
Words by Joyce Bou Charaa
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