the gate by Tadeusz Różewicz

the gate

Lasciate ogni speranza

Voi ch’entrate 

abandon all hope

ye who enter here 

the inscription at the entrance to the inferno

of Dante’s Divine Comedy 

courage!   

behind that gate 

there is no hell 

hell has been dismantled

by theologians

and deep psychologists 

converted into allegory

for humanitarian and educational

reasons 

courage!

behind that gate

the same thing begins again 

two drunken grave-diggers

sit at the edge of a hole 

they’re drinking non-alcoholic beer

and munching on sausage

winking at us

under the cross 

they play soccer

with Adam’s skull 

the hole awaits

tomorrow’s corpse

the “stiff” is on its way 

courage! 

here we will await 

the final judgment 

water gathers in the hole

cigarette butts are floating in it 

courage! 

behind that gate

there will neither be history

nor goodness nor poetry 

and what will there be

dear stranger? 

there will be stones 

stone 

upon stone

stone upon stone

and on that stone 

one more stone

  

(Translated by Joanna Trzeciak)