The Favour of Alexander Valas

I'm not in the least put out that my chariot wheel broke
and I lost that silly race.
I'll drink great wines the whole night,
lying among lovely roses. Antioch is all mine.
I'm the most celebrated young man in town-
Valas' weakness, he simply adores me.
You'll see, tomorrow they'll say the race wasn't fair
(though if I'd been crude enough to insist on it secretly,
the flatterers would have given first place even to my limping
chariot).

Constantine P. Cavafy

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