What Ithaca Means

[returningstuden2]

<p>A friend sent it to me to describe her feelings about getting her degree from Cornell. Thought you might appreciate it!</p>

<p>Constantine P. Cavafy</p>

<p>Ithaca (1911)</p>

<p>When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.</p>

<p>The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon – do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.</p>

<p>The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.</p>

<p>Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.</p>

<p>Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.</p>

<p>Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.
And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.</p>

[Soccersteve511]

<p>c’mon…who likes poems? lets get real here</p>

[CayugaRed2005]

<p>Um? I do.</p>

<p>Here’s one by Cornell poet A. R. Ammons:</p>

<p>

So I said I am Ezra
and the wind whipped my throat
gaming for the sounds of my voice
I listened to the wind
go over my head and up into the night
Turning to the sea I said
I am Ezra
but there were no echoes from the waves
The words were swallowed up
in the voice of the surf
or leaping over the swells
lost themselves oceanward
Over the bleached and broken fields
I moved my feet and turning from the wind
that ripped sheets of sand
from the beach and threw them
like seamists across the dunes
swayed as if the wind were taking me away
and said
I am Ezra
As a word too much repeated
falls out of being
so I Ezra went out into the night
like a drift of sand
and splashed among the windy oats
that clutch the dunes
of unremembered seas

</p>

[Colm]

<p>The Cornell University Alma Mater … is a poem :)</p>

<p>Far above Cayuga’s waters
With its waves of blue
Stands our noble Alma Mater
Glorious to view</p>

<p>Lift the chorus
Speed it onward
Loud her praises tell
Hail to thee our Alma Mater
Hail, all hail, Cornell!</p>

<p>Far above the busy humming
Of the bustling town
Reared against the arch of heaven
Looks she proudly down</p>

<p>Sentry-like o’er lake and valley
Towers her regal form
Watch and ward forever keeping
Braving time and storm
So through clouds of doubt and darkness
Gleams her beacon light
Fault and error clear revealing
Blazing forth the right</p>

<p>To the glory of her founder
Rise her stately walls
May her sons pay equal tribute
Whene’er duty calls
When the moments swiftly fleeting
Ages roll between
Many yet unborn shall hail her
Alma Mater, Queen!</p>

<p>In the music of the waters
As they glide along
In the murmur of the breezes
With their whispered song
In the tuneful chorus blending
With each pealing bell
One refrain seems oft repeated
Hail, all hail, Cornell</p>

<p>Lift the chorus
Speed it onward
Loud her praises tell
Hail to thee our Alma Mater
Hail, all hail, Cornell!</p>

[Marit_Lage]

<p>To the OP: the poet was talking about Ithaca, Greece; not Ithaca, NY. Still a nice poem though, and very fitting.</p>

[Coup_D_etat]

<p>Too funny.</p>

[aloe]

<p>Marit: Yes, it’s obviously a reference to the Odyssey, though it seems almost more fitting for Ithaca, NY. </p>

<p>To you chemistry nerds out there, this poem is also prominently featured in Nicolaou’s “Classics in Total Synthesis”, about how the process to get to the target molecule is just as worthwhile as the target molecule itself.</p>

[Colm]

<p>To Marit Lage: I’m sure that the piece that the OP listed above was used in a certain sense of irony, or with tongue-in-cheek (just as you alluded to when you called it none-the-less fitting). This poem on Ithaca, when used to refer to the locale in New York State, is not meant to be taken too literally. The Oxford English Dictionary defines this type of usage as “ironic, slyly humorous; not meant to be taken too seriously.” As used above, I take it to express a certain type of orientation toward the acquisition of wisdom – and a certain state of mind that the journey to mythical Ithaca holds the potential of much good fortune.</p>

[CayugaRed2005]

<p>Ten characters</p>

[CayugaRed2005]

<p>

To the OP: the poet was talking about Ithaca, Greece; not Ithaca, NY.

</p>

<p>

This poem on Ithaca, when used to refer to the locale in New York State, is not meant to be taken too literally.

</p>

<p>I disagree with both of these suggestions. In Homer’s Illiad, Ithaca becomes more than a place, it becomes an idea – of a life filled with struggle, hard work, and hope. The reference to ‘Ithacas’ in the last bit of the poem is telling; Homer could have chosen any other handful of Greek islands to illustrate his thoughts. </p>

<p>So Cavafy wasn’t talking about a specific place, per se, but it is awfully convenient that Ithaca, NY was named after the mythical Greek isle. So I’m not certain if the usage here should be characterized as ironic. Perhaps it can, but I would liken it more as a double entendre. And I do think the lessons of the poem can be taken literally.</p>

[Colm]

<p>Cayuga, you are right on the mark. What I meant was that the literal, or original city of Greek Ithaca was not to be taken literally – not that the lessons shouldn’t be. Your take on the poem is a nice one, and I also very much agree that double entendre fits.</p>

[returningstuden2]

<p>Just to clarify: I was aware of the irony. My friend who sent it was seeking a PhD at Cornell, one of the few female students in her technical subject. She read the poem to give her courage on the way to her own Ithaca.</p>

[Colm]

<p>Upon further reflection I would just like to thank Returningstuden2 for posting ‘What Ithaca Means.’ It really does work on many levels, and – for thoughtful readers – is generally conducive to rewarding rumination. Thank you.</p>

[monydad]

<p>For those interested in connecting your Ithaca with Homer, it’s been done before, I recommend “Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me”, by Richard Farina. Before you read it though, by way of background you might want to research the campus demonstrations of May 1958, and related events.</p>

<p>As for #4, a number of alternative lyrics have been developed over the years, unfortunately.</p>

<p>It’s amazing how many schools have copied the tune of Cornell’s alma mater. That is, assuming Cornell didn’t copy it too. I remember attending a U Kansas basketball game and being startled to hear it. My son’s HS uses it.</p>

[sammy2]

<p>Marit Lage… everyone knows that !!!</p>

[CayugaRed2005]

<p>Well, Cornell was the first school to use the tune of Annie Lisle for its Alma Mater. And then every other school in existence seems to have copied our chart-breaking tendencies.</p>

<p>Fari</p>

[Colm]

<p>Regarding the use of Cornell’s tuneful and poetic Alma Mater, and their embrace of the 1857 ballad by a writer named H.S. Thompson, an analysis abstracted from Wikipedia’s entry on Annie Lisle follows:</p>

<p>

The first college to have used the tune in a spirit song seems to have been Cornell University. In 1870, students Archibald Weeks and Wilmot Smith wrote “Far Above Cayuga’s Waters” and used an adaptation of Thompson’s melody. Many other colleges and high schools, almost certainly influenced by Cornell’s version, have since created their own renditions.

</p>

<p>By the way, my father’s high school also used a version of the melody!</p>

[CayugaRed2005]

<p>For those Cornellian poets out there, a holiday haiku contest:</p>

<p>[Twitter</a> / Cornell_Univ: Fame, fortune, and fabulou …](<a href=“http://twitter.com/Cornell_Univ/status/1061259774]Twitter”>http://twitter.com/Cornell_Univ/status/1061259774)</p>

[intl_echo]

<p>My high school had the same tune as our alma mater, something my closest friend and fellow soon-to-be Cornellian found out at our graduation!</p>