For Ammonis, Who Died At 29, In 610

Raphael, they’re asking you to write a few lines
as an epitaph for the poet Ammonis:
something very tasteful and polished. You can do it,
you’re the one to write something suitable
for the poet Ammonis, our Ammonis.

Of course you’ll speak about his poems-
but say something too about his beauty,
about that subtle beauty we loved.

Your Greek is always elegant and musical.
But we want all your craftsmanship now.
Our sorrow and our love move into a foreign language.
Pour your Egyptian feeling into the Greek you use.

Raphael, your verses, you know, should be written
so they contain something of our life within them,
so the rhythm, so every phrase clearly shows
that an Alexandrian is writing about an Alexandrian.