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JoannaKruczkowska
calledthe“CyprusEmergency”(Beaton319).Infact,asRoderick
BeatonobservesinWaitingfortheAngel,theabove-mentioneddip-
lomaticpositionswerestrictlyconnectedwithSeferis)sknowledge
ofbothgrounds.Heperformedanactiveroleinlobbyingonthe
internationalscenefortheunionofCypruswithGreece,and,later,
whenthecasewaslost,forbalancingthesituation.Immediately
aferwards,hefoundhimselfunwillinglyinthelion)sden.Neither
didthepublicationofhisCyprusvolumeescapethecontext:itwas
printedbeforethecrucialonsetoftheconflict,thatistheTripartite
ConferenceinLondon,towhichBritaininvitedTurkeyalongwith
Greece(Beaton321).Inotherwords,Seferiswantedtocompletehis
poeticvocationbeforesettingouttoseekpracticalsolutionsthrough
hisdiplomaticmission.
Tesecircumstancesappertaintothefocusofthisessay,i.e.the
combinationofthreepoeticvoicesinSeferis)spoem“IntheKyrenia
District”(“ΣτOΠερίχωρOτηςΚερύνεiOς”ΠOLήPOτO250-3;Collected
Poems268-70)fromtheabove-mentionedCyprusvolume(later
calledΗPερOλόγLOΚOτOστρώPOτOςΓ)-LogbookIII).Teinfluence
ofT.S.EliotandW
.H.Audenisrecognisable,andtheywerecare-
fullychosenaswriterswhoseworkofersaperplexingamalgamof
thethemesofwarandparadise.Inorderfurthertocomprehendthe
contextofthisintertextuality,itisnecessarytorealisethatSeferis
strikesadialoguewithtwomajorpoetscelebratedintheBritishlit-
erarytradition(howeveroppositetheirbiographies),andhedoesso
inthecontextoftheBritishcolonialclaimtoCyprusanditshostility
towardsanislandinhabitedbythemajorityofGreekpopulation.In
personalterms,thissituationtranslatedintoasuspensionofSerefis)s
contactswithhisBritishfriendsduringhisLondonmission(notto
mentionhisenduringdisillusionmentwithsomeofthem),andinto
asuspensionofEliot)scontactswithSeferisatthesametime.
(OneshouldnoticeonthisoccasionthatBeaton)sbook,basedon
thevastdocumentationattestingtoSeferis)spersonalandpolitical
roleandsenseofmissionintheCypriotcontext,runsagainstthe
opinionofapartoftheGreekpublicwhichcondemnsthepoetfor
cultivatingBritishfriendshipsand,lateron,forhisrestraintfrom
opencommentsontheGreekjuntauntil1969).
SeferisdiscoveredEliot)spoetrywhileinLondonintheearly
1930s.Towardstheendofthefollowingdecadeherecordsthat“from
