C. P. Cavafy. The God Abandons Antony.

When suddenly, at midnight, you hearan invisible procession going bywith exquisite music, voices,don’t mourn your luck that’s failing now,work gone wrong, your plansall proving deceptive—don’t mourn them uselessly.As one long prepared, and graced with courage,say goodbye to her, the Alexandria that is leaving.Above all, don’t fool yourself, don’t sayit was a dream, your ears deceived you:don’t degrade yourself with empty hopes like these.As one long prepared, and graced with courage,as is right for you who proved worthy of this kind of city,go firmly to the windowand listen with deep emotion, but notwith the whining, the pleas of a coward;listen—your final delectation—to the voices,to the exquisite music of that strange procession,and say goodbye to her, to the Alexandria you are losing.