As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon – don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon – you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbours you’re seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvellous journey.
Without her you wouldn’t have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
Ithaka by C.P. Cavafy is a profound reflection on the journey of life, using the metaphor of Ithaka, the home island from Homer’s Odyssey.
The poem encourages us to embrace the journey, rather than rushing to the destination. As you set out for Ithaka, hope for a road filled with adventure and discovery, and do not fear the obstacles, for they only exist if you carry them within yourself.
The Laistrygonians, Cyclops, and Poseidon represent the fears and challenges we conjure in our minds, but if your spirit is high and your thoughts are noble, they will not appear on your path. The poem wishes for long, enriching travels where you encounter new experiences, learn from others, and savour life’s pleasures. Ithaka symbolises the goals and dreams we strive for, but the real treasure lies in the journey itself.
Even if Ithaka appears poor when you arrive, it has already given you the gift of the journey – one filled with wisdom and experience. The destination does not define the richness of your life; it is the journey that brings fulfilment and meaning.