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is uncertain about his state in this life. The use of 'uncertain' in
the third line has enfeebled the mighty and vigourous sense of the
original. The alliteration in 'dread' and 'decree' in the second line,
and 'seat' and 'secure' in the fourth line has heightened the evocative
effect of the poetic message. The translator's overuse of ellipsis in
the second and third lines, an attitude not unfamiliar in the
composition and translation of poetry, has rendered the poetic image
partially incomplete. The last two words with which the second line
ends are reminiscent of Coleridge's first and last stanzas in Kubla
Khan. But Coleridge's decree is 'stately' and his dread, 'holy'.
In the second line, the Arabian poet carries the concept of mortal
life somewhat further, and adds a new dimension to its intrinsically
lasting character. The introduction of the second person pronoun
'anta' (you) is characteristically functional in that it carries
referential, logical, and interpersonal implications. A pseudo-
dialogue is conceptually created between the addresser and the
addressee to consolidate the ideational substance and push the
argument a bit forward. The use of the passive verbal phrase at the
very outset of the line initiates the ensuing concept into the realm of
universality. The obligatory meaning of the line can be easily
captured if one knows how the constituent elements are organized within
the grammatical context of the text. The text generally means that it
is not unnatural that life is full of sorrow and affliction, and yet
man wishes to lead a life unnaturally void of grief and agitation. Man
is so helpless and powerless that he cannot challenge his predestined
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