دخلتُ حَمَّاما على غِرةٍ

دخلتُ حَمَّاما على غِرةٍ

لما دعاني سوءُ حَظٍّ وحَيْنْ

لما دعاني سوءُ حَظٍّ وحَيْنْ

I entered a bathhouse unsuspectingly,

I entered a bathhouse unawares,

when my ill fortune and my doom summoned me,

When ill luck and doom summoned me,

تَوفُّراً مني على راحةٍ

تَوفُّراً مني على راحةٍ

أَحظَى بها إثْرَ كَلالٍ وأَيْنْ

أَحظَى بها إثْرَ كَلالٍ وأَيْنْ

eager as I was for a little repose

Intent, for my part, on finding rest

to enjoy after exhaustion and fatigue.

To enjoy after weariness and exhaustion.

فنلتُ منها كلَّ ما ساءني

فنلتُ منها كلَّ ما ساءني

من همِّ نفسٍ ثم إسخانِ عين

من همِّ نفسٍ ثم إسخانِ عين

Instead, I found in it all that could distress me:

But from it I gained all that distressed me:

anguish of spirit and an eye made hot with grief,

Anguish of soul, then an eye burning with grief.

حَرٌّ أذاب القلب غما كما

حَرٌّ أذاب القلب غما كما

يفعل بالعشاق هجر وبين

يفعل بالعشاق هجر وبين

a heat that melted the heart with anguish, as

Heat melted the heart with sorrow, just as

abandonment and parting do to lovers.

Estrangement and parting do to lovers.

والناسُ فيها في زحامٍ كما

والناسُ فيها في زحامٍ كما

يُفْرَغ في القالَبِ ذَوْبُ اللُّجَين

يُفْرَغ في القالَبِ ذَوْبُ اللُّجَين

The people within were packed in a crush, as

And the people inside were packed together, as

molten silver is poured into a mold,

Molten silver is poured into a mold,

تحتَ دخانٍ جاء من ثغرةٍ

تحتَ دخانٍ جاء من ثغرةٍ

تفضِى لمُستوقَدِها من رُكين

تفضِى لمُستوقَدِها من رُكين

beneath smoke that came through an opening

Beneath smoke that came from an opening

leading from a little nook to its furnace,

Leading to its furnace from a little corner,

وفَرْطِ نَتنٍ كامنٍ خِلْتُه

وفَرْطِ نَتنٍ كامنٍ خِلْتُه

يُطالب الأنفَ بثأرٍ ودَين

يُطالب الأنفَ بثأرٍ ودَين

and such an excess of lurking stench that I thought it

And overwhelming, lurking stench, which I thought

was hounding the nose for an old score and a debt.

Was demanding vengeance and repayment from the nose.

فرمتُ أنْ أخرجَ من بعدِما

فرمتُ أنْ أخرجَ من بعدِما

دخلتُ ظَنّاً أنّ ما رمتُ هَيْن

دخلتُ ظَنّاً أنّ ما رمتُ هَيْن

So I resolved to get out, after

So I sought to get out after

having entered, supposing what I sought was easy.

I had entered, thinking what I sought was easy.

فكان ما صَوَّره خاطرِي

فكان ما صَوَّره خاطرِي

من ذلك الظنِّ غرورُ ومَيْن

من ذلك الظنِّ غرورُ ومَيْن

But what my imagination had pictured

But what my mind had pictured

in that belief proved delusion and falsehood.

From that supposition was delusion and falsehood.

والبابُ قد ضاع وهَبْ لم يَضِعْ

والبابُ قد ضاع وهَبْ لم يَضِعْ

كيف سبيلٌ لخلاصي وأين

كيف سبيلٌ لخلاصي وأين

The door had vanished—and suppose it had not—

And the door was lost to sight; suppose it had not been—

how, and where, was there any path to escape?

How could I escape, and where was the way?

وزادَني الجهدُ إلى غايةٍ

وزادَني الجهدُ إلى غايةٍ

فيها هي الموتُ وإلا دُوَيْن

فيها هي الموتُ وإلا دُوَيْن

The ordeal pressed me to an extremity

And the strain drove me to a point

that was death itself, or barely short of it.

That was death—or, if not, just short of it.

فلعنةُ اللهِ على عالمٍ

فلعنةُ اللهِ على عالمٍ

أو جاهلٍ يدخُلها مَرَّتين

أو جاهلٍ يدخُلها مَرَّتين

So may God's curse fall upon any learned man

So God's curse be upon a learned man

or fool who enters it twice.

Or an ignorant one who enters it twice.