{"id":44746,"date":"2022-07-30T00:43:53","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T21:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/?p=44746"},"modified":"2022-07-30T00:43:53","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T21:43:53","slug":"in-sparta-2997","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/in-sparta-2997\/?lang=en","title":{"rendered":"In Sparta (C. P. Cavafy)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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He didn\u2019t know, King Kleomenis, he didn\u2019t dare\u2014<\/div>\n
he just didn\u2019t know how to tell his mother<\/div>\n
a thing like that: Ptolemy\u2019s demand,<\/div>\n
to guarantee their treaty, that she too go to Egypt<\/div>\n
and be held there as a hostage\u2014<\/div>\n
a very humiliating, indecorous thing.<\/div>\n
And he would be about to speak yet always hesitate,<\/div>\n
would start to tell her yet always stop.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But the magnificent woman understood him<\/div>\n
(she\u2019d already heard some rumors about it)<\/div>\n
and she encouraged him to get it out.<\/div>\n
And she laughed, saying of course she\u2019d go,<\/div>\n
happy even that in her old age<\/div>\n
she could be useful to Sparta still.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
As for the humiliation\u2014that didn\u2019t touch her at all.<\/div>\n
Of course an upstart like the Lagid<\/div>\n
couldn\u2019t possibly comprehend the Spartan spirit;<\/div>\n
so his demand couldn\u2019t in fact humiliate<\/div>\n
a Royal Lady like herself:<\/div>\n
mother of a Spartan king.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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C. P. Cavafy<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Source: “The City” from C.P. Cavafy: Collected Poems. <\/em>Translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He didn\u2019t know, King Kleomenis, he didn\u2019t dare\u2014 he just didn\u2019t know how to tell his mother a thing like that: Ptolemy\u2019s demand, to guarantee their treaty, that she too go to Egypt and be held there as a hostage\u2014 a very humiliating, indecorous thing….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[132],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg",900,609,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg",900,609,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?fit=300%2C203&ssl=1",300,203,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio-square":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=570%2C570&ssl=1",570,570,true],"portfolio-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=600%2C609&ssl=1",600,609,true],"portfolio-landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1",800,600,true],"menu-featured-post":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=345%2C198&ssl=1",345,198,true],"qode-carousel_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=400%2C260&ssl=1",400,260,true],"portfolio_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=500%2C380&ssl=1",500,380,true],"portfolio_masonry_regular":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1",500,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_wide":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=900%2C500&ssl=1",900,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_tall":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=500%2C609&ssl=1",500,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_with_space":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?fit=700%2C474&ssl=1",700,474,true],"latest_post_boxes":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=539%2C303&ssl=1",539,303,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?fit=600%2C406&ssl=1",600,406,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/post-2997-1.jpg?resize=100%2C100&ssl=1",100,100,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Poetry<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"He didn\u2019t know, King Kleomenis, he didn\u2019t dare\u2014 he just didn\u2019t know how to tell his mother a thing like that: Ptolemy\u2019s demand, to guarantee their treaty, that she too go to Egypt and be held there as a hostage\u2014 a very humiliating, indecorous 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