C. P. CAVAFY (1863-1933) was a Greek poet who lived in Alexandria,
Egypt, and worked as a journalist and civil servant. He published 154 poems; dozens
more remained incomplete. His fame grew substantially after his death. ABOUT THE
TRANSLATOR/EDITOR: Daniel Mendelsohn's reviews and essays appear regularly
in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and other publications. His
award-winning books include The Elusive Embrace and The Lost: A Search for Six of
Six Million, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Prix Medicis. He
teaches at Bard College.