Let the day perish on which I was born Let that day be darkness Let the sun not shine upon that place Let it be reclaimed by the deepest gloom Let a rain cloud settle over it Let whatever darkens the day terrify it Let it not rejoice among the days of a year Let it not enter among the number of the months Let that night become barren Let no joyful cry be heard in it Let a curse be put on it Let the stars of its twilight grow dark Let it wait in vain for daylight Let it not see the rays of dawn It did not close the dorrs of my mother’s womb It did not hide trouble from my eyes Why did I not die at birth Why did I not perish when I came from the womb Why were there knees to receive me And breasts to nurse me For now I would be lying down undisturbed
I would be sleeping at rest with kings of the earth and their advisers Who built for themselves places that are now in ruins Or with princes who possessed gold Whose houses were filled with silver Why was I not like a hidden miscarriage Like children who have never seen the light There, men have ceased from agitation There, the weary are at rest They do not hear the voice of the one forcing them to work Small and great are the same there There, the slave is set free from his master Why is light given to one who suffers Why do they long for d**h but it does not come Why is light given to a man who has lost his way In place of my food comes my sighing My groaning pours out like water What I have dreaded has come upon me