The Collected Poems - Cavafy (Part 1)

Story Summary:

The Collected Poems is Evangelos Sachperoglou’s translation of C.P. Cavafy’s poetry; Cavafy often uses history as a context for his fictional poems, which frequently comment on overarching themes such as homosexuality, art, and beauty.

Reflections:

Although “Satrapy” contains no explicit references to homosexuality, the poem’s content can be read symbolically as a man’s inner struggle with his sexuality. The poem is written to a man who is pressured into leaving his home land to live in a territory ruled by the satrap Artaxerxes. Despite the literal subject of the poem—satrapies—homosexuality is a reasonably inferred theme. The subject of the poem gives up his personal and innate desires in exchange for social acceptance; this concept is easily applied to closeting oneself in order to achieve a presumably “normal” and accepted lifestyle.

Under the “History” section of the introduction, Peter Mackridge writes that, “The ‘poet-historian’ subverts the work of the historian in order to see, by means of sensual intuition, something different in it, something personal, individual, and subjective, and to present an alternative view to the prevailing one” (xxvi). Essentially, it is entirely plausible that Cavafy wrote his historical poems to evoke emotion pertaining to a different, but related, issue. Cavafy uses history in “Satrapy” to tell the story of a man’s struggle with territories and rulers, but the “alternative view” could be the man’s struggle with his own homosexuality—an issue that is “personal, individual, and subjective.” Although “Satrapy” isn’t necessarily about homosexuality, it is reasonable to read it through that lens.

The poem starts off with, “What a misfortune, though you’re made for noble and prodigious deeds, this unjust fate of yours always denies you encouragement and success” (29). The introduction states that Cavafy most likely believed that one is born homosexual (xx). With this context, the first line of “Satrapy” can be read as an indirect comment on this belief; “though you’re made for noble and prodigious deeds” implies that the subject of the poem was indeed born homosexual, and that homosexuality should be celebrated and embraced. The second clause, “this unjust fate of yours always denies you encouragement and success,” describes how homosexuality is viewed by society—as something inherently bad and dooming to a person’s reputation. Through no fault of his own, the subject was born homosexual and condemned for it, which leads him to “give in” to societal pressures and adhere to social norms, i.e. closet himself. The speaker comments on how tragic this is, saying, “what a frightful day when you give in.”

When offered satrapies by Artaxerxes, the subject “accept[s] them in despair, those things [he does] not want.” The speaker continues, telling the subject, “Your soul craves other things.” Here, the subject is scrutinized for his choice to conform to the social norms that go against his very being. The subject “gives up” his innate homosexual lifestyle and hides his desires in order to attain social acceptance. The poem ends with the lines, “How can you get any of these from Artaxerxes? Where in a satrapy can any of these be found; and what a life, without them, will you live?” The speaker frantically questions the subject; implying that if he continues to suppress his desires, his life will be tragic and wasted.

Although “Satrapy” has no explicit reference to homosexuality, Cavafy may have used history in this poem to indirectly comment on the inner struggle for acceptance that homosexuals face. Furthermore, the struggle is not simply pointed out; the speaker urges the subject to accept his innate homosexuality, regardless of social scrutiny. Although history and literal meanings take first precedence in Cavafy’s “Satrapy,” homosexuality can be reasonably deduced as an underlying theme.

Words: 578