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Poem

From all I did and all I said

Let no one try to find out who I was.

An obstacle was there distorting

The actions and the manner of my life.

An obstacle was often there

To stop me when I’d begin to speak.

From my most unnoticed actions,

My most veiled writing –

From these alone will I be understood.

But maybe it isn’t worth so much concern,

So much effort to discover who I really was.

Later, in a more perfect society,

Someone else made just like me

Is certain to appear and act freely.

By Constantin Cavafy   (Translated from the Greek)

This poem speaks not only to gays, but to all misunderstood minorities – people who stammer, people with Asberger’s, oppressed races, in short all of us.  It is popular. I found two other English translations (printed below), but I prefer the one above. 

Here is a translation by Rae Dalven

Let them not seek to discover who I was

from all that I have done and said.

An obstacle was there that transformed

the deeds and the manner of my life.

An obstacle was there that stopped me

many times when I was about to speak.

Only from my most imperceptible deeds

and my most covert writings—

from these alone will they understand me.

But perhaps it isn't worth exerting

such care and such effort for them to know me.

Later, in the more perfect society,

surely some other person created like me

will appear and act freely.

This anonymous translator shortened the title: 

Hidden

From all I've done and all I've said
let them not seek to find who I've been.
An obstacle stood and transformed
my acts and way of my life.
An obstacle stood and stopped me
many a time as I was going to speak.
My most unobserved acts,
and my writings the most covered --
thence only they will feel me.
But mayhaps it is not worth to spend
this much care and this much effort to know me.
For -- in the more perfect society --
someone else like me created
will certainly appear and freely act.

Here are some Cavafy sites.

http://users.hol.gr/~barbanis/cavafy/

http://cavafis.compupress.gr/

http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/12/jan94/epstein.htm

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Last modified: September 20, 2006