Ithaca

Ithaca
by C. Cavafy

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

This poem is a little long so I've linked to it.

Another one of my favorites although I'm not sure I completely agree with its theme, i.e, that the journey matters more than the destination. It's easy to get sidetracked and even lost if you don't remain focused on getting to where you intend to go.

But then maybe that is his real point, that the journey is the destination....if I've got this right: The traveler is not really going anywhere special, he's just traveling but the going is what matters not the going to somewhere (this is a little deep for me and so probably a good thing I decided not to pursue my PhD in Literature).