For some people the day comes
when they have to declare the great Yes
or the great No. It's clear at once who has the Yes
ready within him; and saying it,
he goes from honor to honor, strong in his conviction.
He who refuses does not repent. Asked again,
he'd still say no. Yet that no--the right no--
drags him down all his life.
~ Cavafy [translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard]
Jane Hirshfield: I love the poem both for its reminder of the possibility of declaring a great Yes and a great No, and also for the koan held by the phrase "the right no." What does that mean, "the right no drags him down all his life"? Sometimes I think it means one thing and sometimes I think it means the other. For me it's a question you can weigh a life against.
3 comments:
Love the poem. It is one to think about and consider. And I love Hirschfield's comment on it. Her question is definitely one you can weigh a life against.
Stefanie I've been thinking about this poem too for the past week. The "right No" -- is it possible to do the right thing and suffer for it all our lives.
There is another english translation of this poem on a Kavafy website (translated by someone with the same family name - i'm not sure exactly what the relationship between poet and translator is).
This other version seems less ambiguous and reads as though the "great no" is a stand on convictions, while the reply "yes" is a compromise that will burden one for life.
I wish I could remember the URL for the site. Sorry.
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