Chrysogonus' Translation #99 - from Susan Hawthorne's "Underworld"

Alam barzah

semua mencari alam barzah

di dunia          tapi saat ia datang

pada mereka tiada yang bahagia

el maut tokoh kunci

dan ia bukan orang baik

pengatur dan terlalu panas

atau dingin hingga jemari membeku

tapi ia juga datang sebagai wanita

terselubung karena kematian bersembunyi

beberapa alam barzah datang bersama

jalan pulang   Orpheus mengunjunginya

dan mengacau seperti Yakub          beberapa

dari kita berkeliling ke kota-kota

tanpa tahu kapan ia akan datang

atau pulang kembali jadi hiduplah

seperti hari ini saat terakhir kita

obat-obatan membawa kita ke barzah sebentar

bak menilik rumah untuk dibeli atau disewa

setiap lokasi penuh dengan fantasi

dan semua tampak benderang

daripada dunia kita

alam barzah adalah semua waktu

kita lupa melihat persimpangan mereka

pada keberadaan hingga habis daya kita

everyone is looking for underworlds

all over the earth   but when it lands

on them they are not so happy

death is the key character there

and he is generally not a nice fellow

controlling and the heat is too high

or so cold your toes and fingers freeze

but death comes in female form too

usually cloaked for death is hidden

some underworlds come with return

tickets   Orpheus had one of these

but blew it as did Job   some of us

have multiple city round trips

but we never know the departure

or return dates so have to live

as if today will be our very last

drugs allow day trips to the underworld

like looking for a house to buy or rent

every location is filled with fantasy

and it all looks so much brighter

than the everyday mundane world

underworlds are with are all the time

we fail to notice their intersecting

presences until our number is up