When they saw Patroklos dead
–so brave and strong, so young–
the horses of Achilles began to weep;
their immortal nature was upset deeply
by this work of death they had to look at.
They reared their heads, tossed their long manes,
beat the ground with their hooves, and mourned
Patroklos, seeing him lifeless, destroyed,
now mere flesh only, his spirit gone,
defenseless, without breath,
turned back from life to the great Nothingness.
C.P. Cavafy, “The Horses of Achilles,” from Collected Poems (translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard)
Source: didoofcarthage
#Achilles#Patroclus#Patroklos#Horses of Achilles#C.P. Cavafy#Guess what I'm reading right now?#I found a copy of Cavafy's poems at a used bookstore and had to buy it.#Too bad that there's a nude mosaic of Dionysus on the cover so that I can't get away with reading it in public!#Modern Greek#translation#not my translation#Edmund Keeley#Philip Sherrard#poem#poetry#quote#Iliad#mythology#death
