Remembering Ithica....one of my favorite poems of all time

Remembering Ithaca....

 

A few years back I came across the poem Ithaca by K. Kavafis on Paulo Coelho's blog and it immediately became one of my favorites. It is such an old poem that transcends time and it's message is still so relateable. Paulo Coelho is my favorite author, his books, poems and quotes have changed my life. He's one of the biggest inspirations in my life, and I am so grateful to him for everything I've learned from him. I am so honored to share this the way he shared with me (and millions of others.) I hope it means as much to you as it did to me.

 

 

 

ITHACA

As you set out for Ithaca
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 Ithaca 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 Ithaca to make you rich.

Ithaca gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn’t have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
and this is the meaning of Ithaca.

 

 

Ithaca is an island in Greece, the home of Odysseus who is trying to return to the island in Homer's The Odyssey. The poem reminds us that its not just about the destination, we have to enjoy the journey along way. Don't hurry it at all, better if it last for years. I often get down on myself over how long it's taking me to realize my dreams. But this poem reminds me that its not the island that is going to make me rich, but the experiences I have on the journey to the island. As long as I never let go of my dreams, I will be rich and strong with all of my experiences and memories along the way, and eventually I will reach my destination. Paulo Coelho wrote his first book at the age of 35, its never too late for anything, and no dream is too big.

 

 

 

 

Not only is Ithaca an island in Greece, its also a college town in upstate New York. I had always wanted to go to New York ever since I could remember. Not exactly the New York you see in movies. I wanted to see the New York I had read about in books. Where leaves turned colors during fall, and the maple syrup really comes from trees. I was fortunate enough to get to travel to a place that embodied everything I had imagined, without all of the traffic and flashing lights. Ithaca is amazing, its beautiful, and breath taking. There's waterfalls, bridges, amazing old houses, and delicious food. I will never forget my trip there. I learned a lot about how beautiful and massive mother earth is. I was so amazed by the deer hanging out in people's yards, the huge trees, the different shades of green and especially the fireflies which I had never seen before.

That trip changed my life, I realized I really didn't love the person I was with, and deep inside I knew I would experience those views again someday with someone who I would really enjoy them with. That hasn't happened yet but I know it will someday. I also met a girl who called herself Bluejay, she was the girlfriend of one the guys from the band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. She was the first to tell me I was "different", she explained things to me that no one else in the car could understand. She knew me without knowing me, and had things she had to let me know. I shared my own experiences and she explained to me I'm a dreamer, a person who can see things in my dreams. I learned from that moment on that I had to pay closer attention to my dreams, and learn to follow my intuition. Since then I've learned that it has to do with my Yaqui blood, its a gift from my ancestors. Ive grown so much since that trip, but I owe a lot of my growing up to that trip.

Its kind of ironic that my favorite poem and my most memorable trip share the same name. Goes to show everything happens for a reason. If I had not recognized the name on the blog I would not have opened the poem, and I really think my life would be a lot different. I'm happy that I came across this poem again, almost 3 years since the last time I read it. It came at a perfect time in my life like it did the first time. So now I share it with you, because no decision is the wrong decision. :)