Anna Comnena, The God Forsakes Antony, Dangerous Thoughts, Constantine P Cavafy

Anna Comnena

Anna Comnena in her Alexiad's prologue,
laments her widowhood.

Her soul is in a dizzy state. "And I
wet my eyes," , she tells us, with rivulets
of tears. . . Alas for the waves" in her life,
"alas for the revolutions." Pain burns her
"to her bones and her marrow and the cleaving of her soul."

More like the truth, however, is that this ambitious woman
knew only one mortal sorrow;
she had only one deep longing
(though she never admits it), this haughty Greek woman,
that she was never able, with all her dexterity,
to acquire the Kingship; it was snatched
almost out of her hands by the insolent John.

Constantine P Cavafy 1920
Anna Comnena 1083-1148 must be included with Murasaki Shikibu amongst early women writers.
( I havnt seen AC's Alexiad) her AC described herself as "born and bred in the purple".. oldest daughter of Alexius and Irene, Emperor ane Empress of the East. She wrote the 15 volume Alexiad about her father's achievements 1069-1118 . John was her brother who she plotted to overthrow.
Alexius
zimb

tr Rae Dalvin
from my copy of her "he complete poems of Cavafy, expanded ed" ca 1976
perhaps the oldest remnant of my once great library
- other inet trans exist ,I want to put RD's out there

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Dangerous Thoughts

Said Myrtias (a Syrian student
at Alexandria; in the reign of
Augustus Constans and Augustus Constantius;
in part a pagan and in part a Christian)
“Fortified by theory and by study
I shall not fear my passions like a coward.
I shall yield my body to sensual delights,
to enjoyment that one dreams about,
to the most audacious amurous desires,
to the wanton impulses of my blood, without
a single fear, for whenever I wish -
and I shall have the will, fortified
as I shall be by theory and by study—
at moments of crisis, I shall find again
my spirit, as before, ascetic

Augustus Constans, Roman Emperor CE337 - 350 youngest son of Constantine the Great.
ruled with his brothers Constantine and Constantius until they fought in 340 when Constantine was killed,.. Constan picked up his piece. Killed by " a soldier" (?) in 350.

In 354 Constantius ordered the execution of Gallus, brother of Julian who was Emperor from CE361-363 Julian "the Apostate" not big on Christianity ("I read, I understood, I condemned" ) had to conform.. Cavafy has him

Julian returns once more as a reader
to the church of Nicomedeia,
where in a loud voice and with deep reverence
he reads the Holy Scriptures,
and the people admire his Christian piety.

Cavafy
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The God Forsakes Antony


When suddenly at the midnight hour
an invisible troupe is heard passing
with exquisite music, with shouts -
do not mourn in vain your fortune failing you now,
your works that have failed, the plans of your life
that have all turned out to be illusions.
As if long prepared for this, as if courageous,
bid her farewell, the Alexandria that is leaving.
Above all do not be fooled, do not tell yourself
it was only a dream, that your ears deceived you;
do not stoop to such vain hopes.
As if long prepared for this, as if courageous,
as it becomes you who are worthy of such a city;
approach the window with firm step,
and listen with emotion, but not
with the entreaties and complaints of the coward,
as a last enjoyment listen to the sounds,
the exquisite instruments of the mystical troupe,
and bid her farewell, the Alexandria you are losing.

[translated from the Greek by Rae Dalven1905-1992]
Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)
audiopoetry

Plutarch reckons the god is Bacchus "the god whom Antony had always made it his study to copy and imitate"
Shakespeare has it .
'Tis the god Hercules, whom Antony loved,
Now leaves him.
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