An Unexpected Love Poem

As found on today's MSN.com Slate's anthology of classic romantic poems, I found this one particularly intriguing.

The great Greek poet Constantine Cavafy finds an unexpected, passionate image for love in "The Bandaged Shoulder." Here it is as translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard:










THE BANDAGED SHOULDER

He said he'd hurt himself against a wall or had fallen down.
But there was probably some other reason
for the wounded, the bandaged shoulder.

With a rather abrupt gesture,
as he reached for a shelf to bring down
some photographs he wanted to look at,
the bandage came undone and a little blood ran.

I did it up again, taking my time
over the binding; he wasn't in pain
and I liked looking at the blood.
It was a thing of my love, that blood.

When he left, I found, in front of his chair,
a bloody rag, part of the dressing,
a rag to be thrown straight into the garbage;
and I put it to my lips
and kept it there a long while—
the blood of love against my lips.