مازالَ يَمشي في الأُمورِ بِفِكرِهِ

حَتّى تَمَشّى النَومُ في الأَجفانِ

He still walks in matters with his mind

He kept wandering through matters with his mind,

Until sleep walks in the eyelids

Until sleep crept softly into his eyelids.

وَكَما يَرى الوَسنانُ راءَ كَأَنَّهُ

في النَعشِ مَيتٌ هامِدُ الجُثمانِ

And as the lonely one sees a mirage as if

And as a drowsy man sees visions, he saw himself

In the coffin a dead frozen body

Lying in a coffin, a corpse with lifeless limbs.

وَعَلى جَوانِبِ نَعشِهِ صَفّانِ

مِن جُندِ أَلبِرتِ الرَفيعِ الشانِ

And on the sides of his coffin two lines

And flanking the sides of his hearse were two rows

Of Albert's soldiers, dignified

Of the soldiers of Albert, the high-esteemed.

يَبكونَهُ لا شامِتينَ بِمَوتِهِ

لَيسَ الشَماتَةُ عادَةَ الشُجعانِ

Crying over him, not gloating over his death

They wept for him, with no gloating at his death;

Gloating is not the habit of the brave

For gloating is not the custom of the brave.

وَرَأى حَوالَيهِ جَماهيرَ الوَرى

تَستَعرِضُ المَلحودَ في الأَكفانِ

And he saw around him the masses of people

He saw the throngs of people all around him

Inspecting the cursed one in the shroud

Reviewing the entombed one within his shrouds.

وَكَأَنَّما كَرِهَ اِختِلاطَ رُفاتِهِ

في الأَرضِ بِالضُعَفاءِ وَالعُبدانِ

As if he disliked mixing his remains

As if he loathed the mingling of his remains

In the ground with the weak and slaves

In the earth alongside the weak and the slaves.

أَو أَنَّ مَرأى الحَشدِ أَقلَقَ روحَهُ

في جِسمِهِ فَهَفا إِلى الطَيَرانِ

Or the sight of the crowds disturbed his soul

Or perhaps the sight of the crowd disturbed his spirit

In his body, so he fluttered to flight

Within his body, so it yearned to take flight.

وَمِنَ العَجائِبِ في الكَرى أَنَّ الفَتى

يَغدو بِهِ وَكَأَنَّهُ شَخصانِ

And of the wonders in the universe, that the young man

And among the wonders of slumber is that a man

Walks with it as if he were two people

Becomes therein as if he were two persons.

أَمَّ السَماءَ وَقَد تَوَهَّمَ أَنَّهُ

لا شَكَّ والِجَها بِلا اِستِئذانِ

He aimed for the sky, imagining that he

He made for Heaven, imagining that he

Was no doubt entering without permission

Would doubtless enter it without permission.

ما زالَ يَرقى صاعِداً حَتّى اِنتَهى

حَيثُ الغِناءُ مَثالِثٌ وَمَثاني

He kept rising until he reached

He kept rising, ascending until he reached

Where the singing is triple and octave

Where the singing was of triple and double strings.

فَرَمى بِناظِرِهِ فَأَبصَرَ بابَها

فَمَشى إِلَيهِ مِشيَةَ العَجلانِ

So he threw his sight and saw her door

He cast his gaze about and spotted its gate,

And walked to it with the pace of urgency

So he walked toward it with the stride of a hurried man.

وَأَقامَ يَقرَعُهُ فَأَقبَلَ بُطرُسٌ

ذو الأَمرِ في الفِردَوسِ وَالسُلطانِ

And stood knocking on it, so Peter came

He stood knocking on it, and Peter came forth,

The one in charge of Paradise and the Sultanate

The holder of command and authority in Paradise.

وَأَدارَ فيهِ لَحظَهُ فَإِذا بِهِ

ضَيفٌ وَلَكِن لَيسَ كَالضيفانِ

And glanced at him, and behold

He turned his glance upon him, and behold,

A guest, but not like other guests

He was a guest, yet unlike other guests.

ما جاءَنا بِكَ صاحَ بُطرُسُ غاضِباً

يا شَرَّ إِنسانٍ عَلى الإِنسانِ

What brought you here? Peter shouted angrily

"What brought you to us?" shouted Peter in rage,

O evil of men upon men

"O worst of humans toward humanity!"

إِذهَب فَما لَكَ في السَما مِن مَوضِعٍ

يا أَيُّها الرَجُلُ الأَثيمُ الجاني

Go away, you have no place in the sky

"Begone! You have no place in the Heavens,

O wicked sinful man

O sinful man, O criminal!"

ثُمَّ اِنثَنى لِلبابِ يُحكِمُ سَدَّه

وَالضَيفُ لَم يَنبِس بِبِنتِ لِسانِ

Then he turned to the door to seal it

Then he turned to the door to lock it tight,

And the guest did not utter a word

While the guest did not utter a single word.

ما ذي الفَظاظَةُ قالَ وِليَمُ وَاِنثَنى

لِليَأسِ كَالمَصفودِ في الأَقرانِ

What is this roughness? William said, turning

"What is this rudeness?" said William, and turned away

To despair like the shackled in chains

In despair, like one bound in shackles.

وَبِمِثلِ لَمحِ الطَرفِ أَسرَعَ هابِطاً

نَحوَ الجَحيمِ يَقولُ ذاكَ مَكاني

And in the blink of an eye he rushed down

And like the blink of an eye, he sped descending

To hell saying "That is my place"

Towards Hell, saying, "That is my place."

هَيهاتَ يُحرَمُ مِن جَهَنَّمَ عائِدٌ

مِن جانِبِ الفِردَوسِ بِالحِرمانِ

Alas, a returnee is deprived of hell

"Far be it that one returning from the edge of Paradise

From the side of Paradise with deprivation

With rejection should be denied entry to Hell."

حَتّى إِذا ما صارَ دونَ رِتاجِها

سَمِعَ الزَعيمَ يَصيحُ بِالأَعوانِ

Until when he was below its clamor

But when he stood before its mighty gate,

He heard the leader shouting for helpers

He heard the Leader shouting to his minions:

أَبَني جَهَنَّمَ أَوصِدوا أَبوابَكُم

وَاِستَعصِموا كَالطَيرِ بِالأَوكانِ

Oh people of hell, close your doors

"O sons of Hell, bolt your doors shut!

And take refuge like birds in nests

And take shelter like birds within their nests!"

كونوا عَلى حَذَرٍ فَفي هَذا الضُحى

يَأتي إِلَينا قَيصَرُ الأَلمانِ

Be alert for in this morning

"Be on your guard, for in this morning hour

The German Caesar comes to us

The Kaiser of the Germans is coming to us."

إِن كُنتُمُ لَم تَعرِفوهُ فَإِنَّهُ

رَجُلٌ بِلا قَلبٍ وَلا وِجدانِ

If you do not recognize him, he

"If you do not know him, know that he is

Is a heartless, conscienceless man

A man without a heart and without a conscience."

أَخشى عَلى أَخلاقِكُم إِن زارَكُم

وَهيَ الحِسانُ تَصيرُ غَيرَ حِسانِ

I fear for your morals if he visits you

"I fear for your morals if he visits you;

And good turns to other than good

Though they are fine, they will become unrefined."

إِيّاكُمُ أَن تَسمَحوا بِدُخولِهِ

فَدُخولُهُ خَطَرٌ عَلى السُكّانِ

Beware of letting him enter

"Beware of ever permitting his entry,

For his entry is dangerous for the inhabitants

For his entrance is a danger to the residents."

أَمري لَكُم أَصدَرتُهُ فَخُذوا بِهِ

وَحَذارِ ثُمَّ حَذارِ مِن عِصياني

I have issued my order to you, take it

"I have issued my command to you, so take heed;

And beware, beware of disobeying me

And beware, then beware, of disobeying me."

ماذا تَراني صاحَ وُليَمُ باكِياً

حَتّى الأَبالِسُ لا تُحِبُّ تَراني

What do you see me as? William cried

"How do you see me?" cried William, weeping,

Even demons do not like to see me

"That even the devils do not wish to see me?"

إِبليسُ يا شَيخَ الزَبانِيَةِ الأُلى

كانوا الأَخداني مِنَ الأَخدانِ

Iblis, oh elder of the first demons

"O Iblis! O Sheikh of the Wardens who were

They were my brothers from the brothers

Once my friends among friends!"

رُحماكَ بي فَالَيلُ قاسٍ بَردُهُ

وَالهَولُ يَملَءُ ناظِري وَجَناني

Have mercy on me, the night is harshly cold

"Have mercy on me, for the night is biting cold,

And horror fills my sight and self

And terror fills my vision and my heart."

بِجَهَنَّمٍ بَِلساكِني حُجراتِها

بِمَواقِدٍ النيرانِ بِالنيرانِ

By hell, by its burning chambers

"By Hell, and by the dwellers of its chambers!

With fires, with fires

By the hearths of fire, and by the fires!"

وَبِكُلِّ شَيطانٍ مَريدٍ ماكِرٍ

وَبِكُلِّ تابِعِ مارِدٍ شَيطانِ

And by every willing, deceitful devil

"And by every rebellious, cunning devil!

And by every obedient, rebellious devil

And by every follower and defiant demon!"

مُر يَنفَتِح بابُ اجَحيمِ فَإِنَّني

قَد كادَ يَجمُدُ لِلصَقيعِ لِساني

Command the gates of hell to open, for I

"Order the door of Hell to open, for I—

Have nearly frozen stiff my tongue

My tongue has almost frozen from the frost."

يا لَيتَ شِعري أَينَ أَذهَبُ بَعدَما

سُدَّ السَبيلُ وَأوصِدَ البابانِ

I wish I knew where to go after

"Oh, woe is me! Where shall I go, after

The way was blocked and both doors shut

The path is blocked and both doors are locked?"

مُر لي بِزاوِيَةٍ أَزُجَّ بِمُهجَتي

فيها وَإِن تَكُ مِن حَميمٍ آنِ

Command me a corner to rest my brain

"Order me a corner where I may thrust my soul,

In even if it is intensely hot

Even if it be of boiling water."

هَلّا قَبِلتَ تَضَرُّعي فَأَجابَهُ

إِبليسُ وَهَوَ يَروغُ كَالسَرحانِ

Why did you not accept my plea? So Iblis answered him

"Will you not accept my plea?" Then answered him

Turning away like a snake

Iblis, dodging slyly like a wolf:

لَو كُنتُ أَعلَمُ ما سَكَتُّ فَلا تَزِد

لا رَأيَ لِلحَيرانِ في الحَيرانِ

If I knew I would have kept silent, so do not increase

"If I knew a way, I would not have kept silent, so add no more;

The confused have no opinion among the confused

The confused has no counsel for the confused."

عَبَثاً تُحاوِلُ أَن تُصادِفَ عِندَنا

نُزلاً فَهَذا لَيسَ بِالإِمكانِ

You try in vain to find lodging with us

"In vain you attempt to find with us

This is impossible

Any lodging, for this is simply not possible."

لا تَذكُرَنَّ لِيَّ الحَنّانَ وَما جَرى

مَجراهُ إِنّي قَد قَتَلتُ حَناني

Do not mention to me the Tender One and what happened

"Do not mention affection to me, nor what flows

To her, I have killed my tender one

In its course, for I have killed my affection."

لا يَدخُلَنَّ جَهَنَّماً ذي مَطمَعٍ

بِالمَجدِ أَو بِالأَصفَرِ الرَنّانِ

He who aspires for glory or gold

"Let no one enter Hell who harbors ambition

Shall not enter hell

For glory or for the ringing yellow gold."

إِن كُنتَ تَشتاقُ الإِقامَةَ في اللَظى

فَالنارُ وَالِكبريتُ كُلَّ مَكانِ

If you long for staying in the flames

"If you yearn for residence in the blaze,

Then fire and sulfur are everywhere

Then fire and sulfur are in every place."

فَاِجمَعهُما وَاِصنَع لِنَفسِكَ مِنهُما

وَلِمَن تُحِبُّهُمُ جَحيماً ثاني

So gather them and make for yourself from them

"So gather them, and fashion from them for yourself

And for those you love, another hell

And for those you love, a second Hell."

وَهُنا تَقَهقَرَ وُليَمٌ ثُمَّ اِختَفى

ما بَينَ لَيلٍ حالِكٍ وَدُخانِ

And here William recoiled then disappeared

And here William retreated, then vanished

Between a dark night and smoke

Between pitch-dark night and smoke.

فَأَفاقَ مَذعوراً يُقَلِّبُ طَرفَهُ

لِلرُعبِ في الأَبوابِ وَالحيطانِ

So he woke up terrified, turning his eye

He woke in panic, turning his eyes

To the horror in the doors and walls

In terror toward the doors and the walls.

وَيَقولُ لا أَنساكَ يا حُلمي وَلَو

نَسَجَت عَلَيَّ عَناكِبُ النِسيانِ

And says I will not forget you, oh my dream, even

And saying, "I will not forget you, O my dream, even if

If the spiders of forgetfulness weaved over me

The spiders of forgetfulness weave their webs over me."

ما راعَني أَنّي طُرِدتُ مِنَ السَما

أَنا قانِطٌ مِن رَحمَةِ الدَيّانِ

What startled me was that I was expelled from the sky

"It did not appall me that I was banished from Heaven;

I despair of the mercy of the Judge

I have despaired of the Judge's mercy."

لَكِنَّ طَردي مِنَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّهُ

ما دارَ في خُلدي وَلا حِسباني

But my expulsion from hell, it

"But my banishment from Hell—indeed,

Did not cross my mind or calculations

That had never crossed my mind nor my reckoning."