Let Ithaka be always in your thoughts.
To get there is your goal and destiny.
But do not hasten to your journey’s end:
it’s better if it lasts for many years
so that you'll reach the island when you’re old,
wealthy with all you’ve gained along the way,
not hoping Ithaka will make you rich.
Your marvellous journey is Ithaka’s gift.
Without her you would not have started out.
But she has nothing more to give you now.
And if you find she's poor, you’ve not been fooled.
So wise have you become, so much you’ve learned,
that you will know what Ithakas must be.
Source: Seen in passing on X-Twitter. Holler if you want the whole thing.
Author/Translator: Armand D'Angour, Professor of Classics, Oxford. Cello lover. Larkin about. Turning life into Latin verse, one hexameter at a time. Podcast “It’s All Greek (& Latin!) to Me”.
Posted: Feb 06
When frustration threatens to set in, I change my subject. Thank goodness for spring buds: they sometimes offer an uncluttered view of the world that is rest and relaxation for the eye as well as for the brain.
We are having a spring-like feeling in the air — sun is higher, days are longer…
only 2 more months of winter to go!!
Barbara – Hahaha. May we survive the wait until Spring.
I accept your glorious clarion of spring, although I have posted an April ice storm photo on my desktop to keep a toe-hold on our Canadian reality. Dick pointed out yesterday that willow tree branches here have turned pale gold. We face a week of winter cold, then march into slushy, muddy, windy, welcoming spring.
Laurna – “Slushy, muddy, windy, welcoming” – yes, that about covers Spring in central Canada, for sure.