I am slightly embarassed to admit that I first read of Cavafy in a spy thriller. The old and jaded, but brilliant spy master was fond of quoting Cavafy. I was quite taken by his poems. I had forgotten all about it, until I read the awesome Cavafy translations in Languagehat. Cavafy was homosexual. Some of his lyrics have homoerotic intent. It is interesting how different translators interpret that differently.
Here are the other links to Cavafy’s poems on the net:
Thrace
Barbanis
Marios