Homeric Motifs in Cavafy’s Poem "Priam’s Night Journey"

Abstract

The paper discusses Homeric motifs in ‘Priam’s Night Journey’, a poem by the contemporary Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy and, more precisely, one of the ten poems composed by Cavafy on mythological themes. The discussion begins by comparing Cavafy’s treatment of a motif from the Iliad, Canto 24 – Priam’s journey to Achilles – with its ancient counterpart. The question of Cavafy’s sources is addressed as well: does the poet draw on the Ancient Greek original or on the Modern Greek translation? The second part of the article analyses in detail those passages which closely lean on the ancient epic, and concludes by illustrating Cavafy’s departure from the myth, which emerges most radically in the close of the poem.