In The Month Athyr

by Constantine P. Cavafy

Constantine P Cavafy

I can just read the inscription on this ancient stone.
"Lo[r]d Jesus Christ." I make out a "So[u]l."
"In the mon[th] of Athyr' 'Lefkio[s] went to sleep."
Where his age is mentioned-"lived to the age of"-
the Kappa Zeta shows that he went to sleep a young man.
In the corroded part I see "Hi[m]…Alexandrian."
Then there are three badly mutilated lines-
though I can pick out a few words, like "our tea[r]s,"
"grief,"
then "tears" again, and "sorrow to [us] his [f]riends."
I think Lefkios must have been greatly loved.
In the month of Athyr Lefkios went to sleep.





Last updated January 14, 2019