Giorgos Seferis in The Manner of G
Giorgos Seferis in The Manner of G
Giorgos Seferis in The Manner of G
Giorgos Seferis
What do they want, all those who say they're in Athens or Piraeus?
Someone comes from Salamis and asks someone else whether
he "originates from Omonia Square?"
"No, I originate from Syntagma," replies the other, pleased;
"I met Yianni and he treated me to an ice cream."
Meanwhile Greece is travelling
and we don't know anything, we don't know we're all sailors out of work,
we don't know how bitter the port becomes when all the ships have gone;
we mock those who do know.
Strange people! they say they're in Attica but they're really nowhere;
they buy sugared almonds to get married
they carry hair tonic, have their photographs taken
the man I saw today sitting against a background of pigeons and flowers
let the hands of the old photographer smoothe away the
wrinkles left on his face by all the birds in the sky.
https://allpoetry.com/Giorgos-Seferis