“Che Fece .... Il Gran Rifiuto”
I am posting three translations of the poem which, to my ear, have different nuances, if not meanings. There is a difference between "undermines life," "afflicts him night and day," and "drags him down all his life." I wish I knew Greek. I included the Greek text.
“Che Fece .... Il Gran Rifiuto”*
by C. P. Cavafy
For some among us there comes up a day
when either the great Yea or the great Nay
must needs be spoken. He who has the Yea
ready within him, straightway stands revealed
and, giving it utterance, passes to his field
of self-expression. He who did not yield
assent, never repents. If Nay or Yea
were asked again, he would repeat his Nay,
though that right word afflicts him night and day.
Translated by John Cavafy
(Poems by C. P. Cavafy. Translated, from the Greek, by J. C. Cavafy. Ikaros, 2003)
__________________
For some people the day comes
when they have to declare the great Yes
or the great No. It’s clear at once who has the Yes
ready within him; and saying it,
he goes forward in honor and self-assurance.
He who refuses does not repent. Asked again,
he would still say no. Yet that no—the right no—
undermines him all his life.
Translated by Edmund Keeley/Philip Sherrar
__________________
For some people the day comes
when they have to declare the great Yes
or the great No. It's clear at once who has the Yes
ready within him; and by saying it,
he goes from honor to honor, strong in his conviction.
He who refuses does not repent. Asked again,
he would still say no. Yet that no - the right no -
drags him down all his life.
Translated by Christos
Che fece .... il gran rifiuto
Σε μερικούς ανθρώπους έρχεται μια μέρα
που πρέπει το μεγάλο Ναι ή το μεγάλο το Όχι
να πούνε. Φανερώνεται αμέσως όποιος τόχει
έτοιμο μέσα του το Ναι, και λέγοντάς το πέρα
πηγαίνει στην τιμή και στην πεποίθησί του.
Ο αρνηθείς δεν μετανοιώνει. Aν ρωτιούνταν πάλι,
όχι θα ξαναέλεγε. Κι όμως τον καταβάλλει
εκείνο τ’ όχι — το σωστό — εις όλην την ζωή του.
(Από τα Ποιήματα 1897-1933, Ίκαρος 1984)
*The title is from Dante "Colui Che fece per viltate il gran rifiuto!" The refusal to life that is worthy of eternal damnation..
Here is the line in the context of the Inferno in Italian. Google book search is amazing!
If you’d like to read more poems by C. P. Cavafy, please go to this page I created.
“Che Fece .... Il Gran Rifiuto”*
by C. P. Cavafy
For some among us there comes up a day
when either the great Yea or the great Nay
must needs be spoken. He who has the Yea
ready within him, straightway stands revealed
and, giving it utterance, passes to his field
of self-expression. He who did not yield
assent, never repents. If Nay or Yea
were asked again, he would repeat his Nay,
though that right word afflicts him night and day.
Translated by John Cavafy
(Poems by C. P. Cavafy. Translated, from the Greek, by J. C. Cavafy. Ikaros, 2003)
__________________
For some people the day comes
when they have to declare the great Yes
or the great No. It’s clear at once who has the Yes
ready within him; and saying it,
he goes forward in honor and self-assurance.
He who refuses does not repent. Asked again,
he would still say no. Yet that no—the right no—
undermines him all his life.
Translated by Edmund Keeley/Philip Sherrar
__________________
For some people the day comes
when they have to declare the great Yes
or the great No. It's clear at once who has the Yes
ready within him; and by saying it,
he goes from honor to honor, strong in his conviction.
He who refuses does not repent. Asked again,
he would still say no. Yet that no - the right no -
drags him down all his life.
Translated by Christos
Che fece .... il gran rifiuto
Σε μερικούς ανθρώπους έρχεται μια μέρα
που πρέπει το μεγάλο Ναι ή το μεγάλο το Όχι
να πούνε. Φανερώνεται αμέσως όποιος τόχει
έτοιμο μέσα του το Ναι, και λέγοντάς το πέρα
πηγαίνει στην τιμή και στην πεποίθησί του.
Ο αρνηθείς δεν μετανοιώνει. Aν ρωτιούνταν πάλι,
όχι θα ξαναέλεγε. Κι όμως τον καταβάλλει
εκείνο τ’ όχι — το σωστό — εις όλην την ζωή του.
(Από τα Ποιήματα 1897-1933, Ίκαρος 1984)
*The title is from Dante "Colui Che fece per viltate il gran rifiuto!" The refusal to life that is worthy of eternal damnation..
Here is the line in the context of the Inferno in Italian. Google book search is amazing!
If you’d like to read more poems by C. P. Cavafy, please go to this page I created.
Comments
There are those who grow
gardens in their heads
paths lead from their hair
to sunny and white cities
it's easy for them to write
they close their eyes
immediately schools of images
stream down their foreheads
my imagination
is a piece of board
my sole instrument
is a wooden stick
I strike the board
it answer me
yes--yes
no--no
for others the green bell of a tree
the blue bell of water
I have a knocker
from unprotected gardens
I thump on the board
and it prompts me
with the moralists dry poem
yes--yes
no—no
Zbigniew Herbert's alter ego was Mr. Cogito. He was a extremely nonconformist character, and almost every, if not all the poems, are about choosing what a person should do (we are talking about communistic times in post-war Poland.
I think the translation is quite good. And… how do you like it?
"Εις όλην την ζωήν του" means ~ "through all his life"