The Retinue of Dionysos Poem by Constantine P. Cavafy

The Retinue of Dionysos



Damon the craftsman (none better
in the Peloponnese) gives the last touches
to his Retinue of Dionysos
carved in Parian marble: the god leading
in divine glory, with power in his stride;
Intemperance next; and beside Intemperance,
Intoxication pours out the satyrs' wine
from an amphora wreathed in ivy;
near them, Sweetwine, the delicate,
eyes half-closed, soporific,
and behind come the singers
Tunemaker and Melody and Reveller-
the last holding the honoured processional torch
which he never lets die-and then Ceremony, so modest:
Damon carves all these. And as he works
his thoughts turn now and then
to the fee he's going to receive
from the king of Syracuse:
three talents, a large sum.
Adding this to what he has already,
he'll live grandly, like a rich man,
he'll even be able to enter politics
-what a marvellous thought:
he too in the Senate, he too in the Agora.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Close
Error Success