رَأَيتُ عَلى لَوحِ الخَيالِ يَتيمَةً

رَأَيتُ عَلى لَوحِ الخَيالِ يَتيمَةً

قَضى يَومَ لوسيتانيا أَبَواها

قَضى يَومَ لوسيتانيا أَبَواها

On the tablet of imagination I saw an orphan girl,

I saw on the tablet of imagination an orphan girl

Whose parents perished on the day of the Lusitania.

Whose parents were taken by death one day in Louisiana

فَيا لَكَ مِن حاكٍ أَمينٍ مُصَدَّقٍ

فَيا لَكَ مِن حاكٍ أَمينٍ مُصَدَّقٍ

وَإِن هاجَ لِلنَفسِ البُكا وَشَجاها

وَإِن هاجَ لِلنَفسِ البُكا وَشَجاها

What a faithful, trusted narrator!

Oh, what an honest, truthful painter you are

Though it stirred weeping in the soul and saddened it.

Even if grief and anguish rage in the soul

فَواهاً عَلَيها ذاقَتِ اليُتمَ طِفلَةً

فَواهاً عَلَيها ذاقَتِ اليُتمَ طِفلَةً

وَقُوِّضَ رُكناها وَذَلَّ صِباها

وَقُوِّضَ رُكناها وَذَلَّ صِباها

Alas for her! She tasted orphanhood as a child,

Alas for her, she tasted orphanhood as a child

And her two pillars were toppled, her childhood brought low.

Her pillars were destroyed and her youth was humbled

وَلَيتَ الَّذي قاسَت مِنَ المَوتِ ساعَةً

وَلَيتَ الَّذي قاسَت مِنَ المَوتِ ساعَةً

كَما راحَ يَطوي الوالِدَينِ طَواها

كَما راحَ يَطوي الوالِدَينِ طَواها

And would that the death she endured for an hour

If only the one who suffered death’s hour

Had folded her away, as it went folding away her parents.

Would shroud her parents as it folded them

كَفَرخٍ رَمى الرامي أَباهُ فَغالَهُ

كَفَرخٍ رَمى الرامي أَباهُ فَغالَهُ

فَقامَت إِلَيهِ أُمُّهُ فَرَماها

فَقامَت إِلَيهِ أُمُّهُ فَرَماها

Like a fledgling whose father the marksman shot and killed,

Like a chick whose father the archer shot so he shrieked

Then its mother rose toward him, and he shot her.

Then its mother rose against him and shot him

فَلا أَبَ يَستَذري بِظِلِّ جَناحِهِ

فَلا أَبَ يَستَذري بِظِلِّ جَناحِهِ

وَلا أُمَّ يَبغي ظِلَّها وَذَراها

وَلا أُمَّ يَبغي ظِلَّها وَذَراها

So no father in whose wing's shade it can seek refuge,

With no father to seek shade under his wing’s shadow

And no mother whose shade and shelter it can seek.

No mother wanting her shade and chicks

وَدَبّابَةٍ تَحتَ العُبابِ بِمَكمَنٍ

وَدَبّابَةٍ تَحتَ العُبابِ بِمَكمَنٍ

أَمينٍ تَرى الساري وَلَيسَ يَراها

أَمينٍ تَرى الساري وَلَيسَ يَراها

And a submarine beneath the surging sea, in a hiding place,

A submarine in ambush under the deep

Secure, it sees the night voyager, while he does not see it.

Honest, seeing the mast but it does not see it

هِيَ الحوتُ أَو في الحوتِ مِنها مَشابِهٌ

هِيَ الحوتُ أَو في الحوتِ مِنها مَشابِهٌ

فَلَو كانَ فولاذاً لَكانَ أَخاها

فَلَو كانَ فولاذاً لَكانَ أَخاها

It is the whale—or the whale bears some likeness to it;

It is the whale, or in the whale is one like it

So, were the whale of steel, it would be its brother.

If it were steel, it would be its brother

أَبَثُّ لِأَصحابِ السَفينِ غَوائِلاً

أَبَثُّ لِأَصحابِ السَفينِ غَوائِلاً

وَأَلأَمُ ناباً حينَ تَفغَرُ فاها

وَأَلأَمُ ناباً حينَ تَفغَرُ فاها

It spreads more deadly perils among those aboard ships,

I loose disasters on the sailors

And has a viler fang when it opens its mouth wide.

And pain when its jaws gape

خَئونٌ إِذا غاصَت غَدورٌ إِذا طَفَت

خَئونٌ إِذا غاصَت غَدورٌ إِذا طَفَت

مُلَعَّنَةٌ في سَبحِها وَسُراها

مُلَعَّنَةٌ في سَبحِها وَسُراها

Faithless when it dives, treacherous when it surfaces,

Traitorous when it dives, predatory when it floats

Accursed in its swimming and its journeys by night.

Accursed in its swimming and its voyaging

تُبَيِّتُ سُفنَ الأَبرِياءِ مِنَ الوَغى

تُبَيِّتُ سُفنَ الأَبرِياءِ مِنَ الوَغى

وَتَجني عَلى مَن لا يَخوضُ رَحاها

وَتَجني عَلى مَن لا يَخوضُ رَحاها

It attacks by night the ships of those uninvolved in war,

It passes the night devastating innocent ships

And wrongs those who do not enter its grinding mill.

And wrongs those who don't cross its path

فَلَو أَدرَكَت تابوتُ موسى لَسَلَّطَت

فَلَو أَدرَكَت تابوتُ موسى لَسَلَّطَت

عَلَيهِ زُباناها وَحَرَّ حُماها

عَلَيهِ زُباناها وَحَرَّ حُماها

So had it reached Moses's ark, it would have unleashed

If Moses' coffin had met it, it would have unleashed

Its pincers upon it, and the searing heat of its venom.

Its terrors and burned its protectors

وَلَو لَم تُغَيَّب فُلكُ نوحٍ وَتَحتَجِب

وَلَو لَم تُغَيَّب فُلكُ نوحٍ وَتَحتَجِب

لَما أَمِنَت مَقذوفَها وَلَظاها

لَما أَمِنَت مَقذوفَها وَلَظاها

And had Noah's ark not been hidden away and concealed,

Had Noah's ark not been obscured and hidden

It would not have been safe from its projectile and its flames.

It would not have been safe from its blows and malice

فَلا كانَ بانيها وَلا كانَ رَكبُها

فَلا كانَ بانيها وَلا كانَ رَكبُها

وَلا كانَ بَحرٌ ضَمَّها وَحَواها

وَلا كانَ بَحرٌ ضَمَّها وَحَواها

May its builder never have existed, nor its crew,

For there was no builder, no rider aboard it

Nor any sea that embraced and contained it.

No sea contained it or shielded it

وَأُفٍّ عَلى العِلمِ الَّذي تَدَّعونَهُ

وَأُفٍّ عَلى العِلمِ الَّذي تَدَّعونَهُ

إِذا كانَ في عِلمِ النُفوسِ رَداها

إِذا كانَ في عِلمِ النُفوسِ رَداها

And fie upon the science you claim,

Shame on the knowledge you claim to have

If souls' knowledge holds their ruin.

If the science of souls cannot rein it in