He is certainly right that you need more than one translation of Cavafy (Aralia press has exquisitely printed three of his poems beautifully translated by James Merrill), but I am not sure I agree with what he says about the erotic poems. Something about their lack of specificity seems to me essential, conveying that however intense the experiences were at the time of their happening, they have faded into something generic whose light may flicker feebly but that still gives off a certain steady warmth. And that says something worth knowing about erotic love.
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