Væ Ariel, Ariel civitas, quam expugnavit David! additus est annus ad annum: solemnitates evolutæ sunt.

Out upon her, Ariel, the lion-city King David stormed long ago! This year once added to the tale of years, feast-days of it over and gone,

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel the city which David took: year is added to year: the solemnities are at an end.

Et circumvallabo Ariel, et erit tristis et mœrens, et erit mihi quasi Ariel.

I will lay siege to Ariel, that shall roar and roar again, a lion-city indeed.

And I will make a trench about Ariel, and it shall be in sorrow and mourning, and it shall be to me as Ariel.

Et circumdabo quasi sphæram in circuitu tuo, et jaciam contra te aggerem, et munimenta ponam in obsidionem tuam.

Trust me, I will ring thee round, throw up earth-works against thee, set engines in place to besiege thee.

And I will make a circle round about thee, and will cast up a rampart against thee, and raise up bulwarks to besiege thee.

Humiliaberis, de terra loqueris, et de humo audietur eloquium tuum; et erit quasi pythonis de terra vox tua, et de humo eloquium tuum mussitabit.

Cower down thou must, and offer parley from the earth where thou liest; from the ruins thy voice will make itself heard, no better than a muttering from the ground, as it were some ghost that moaned there under the earth.

Thou shalt be brought down, thou shall speak out of the earth, and thy speech shall be heard out of the ground: and thy voice shall be from the earth like that of the python, and out of the ground thy speech shall mutter.

Et erit sicut pulvis tenuis multitudo ventilantium te, et sicut favilla pertransiens multitudo eorum qui contra te prævaluerunt;

Then, like fine dust, the hordes that routed thee shall vanish; like a spark that smoulders, thy conquerors shall die away.

And the multitude of them that fan thee, shall be like small dust: and as ashes passing away, the multitude of them that have prevailed against thee.

eritque repente confestim. A Domino exercituum visitabitur in tonitruo, et commotione terræ, et voce magna turbinis et tempestatis, et flammæ ignis devorantis.

Suddenly, in a moment, the Lord will sweep down upon them in thunder, and earthquake, in a storm of roaring wind, in fire that devours all before it;

And it shall be at an instant suddenly. A visitation shall come from the Lord of hosts in thunder, and with earthquake, and with a great noise of whirlwind and tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire.

Et erit sicut somnium visionis nocturnæ multitudo omnium gentium quæ dimicaverunt contra Ariel, et omnes qui militaverunt, et obsederunt, et prævaluerunt adversus eam.

gone, the thronging nations that fought against Ariel, like a dream that passes with the night; gone, the fighting, and the siege, and their triumph.

And the multitude of all nations that have fought against Ariel, shall be as the dream of a vision by night, and all that have fought, and besieged and prevailed against it.

Et sicut somniat esuriens, et comedit, cum autem fuerit expergefactus, vacua est anima ejus; et sicut somniat sitiens et bibit, et postquam fuerit expergefactus, lassus adhuc sitit, et anima ejus vacua est: sic erit multitudo omnium gentium quæ dimicaverunt contra montem Sion.

Dreams hungry man of a full belly, then wakes empty as ever; dreams thirsty man of a cool draught, then wakes weary, and thirsty, and still unsatisfied! Such comfort shall be theirs, the many folk that beleaguered Sion.

And as he that is hungry dreameth, and eateth, but when he is awake, his soul is empty: and as he that is thirsty dreameth, and drinketh, and after he is awake, is yet faint with thirst, and his soul is empty: so shall be the multitude of all the Gentiles, that have fought against mount Sion.

Obstupescite et admiramini; fluctuate et vacillate; inebriamini, et non a vino; movemini, et non ab ebrietate.

Ay, gape and gaze as you will; hum and haw you, bemused ere you lifted cup, besotted ere you have been at your wine, besotted with never a taste of drink!

Be astonished, and wonder, waver, and stagger: be drunk, and not with wine: stagger, and not with drunkenness.

Quoniam miscuit vobis Dominus spiritum soporis; claudet oculos vestros: prophetas et principes vestros, qui vident visiones, operiet.

So deep a lethargy the Lord instils, blinding the prophets that should be your eyes, muffling with a veil the wise heads that should see visions for you.

For the Lord hath mingled for you the spirit of a deep sleep, he will shut up your eyes, he will cover your prophets and princes, that see visions.

Et erit vobis visio omnium sicut verba libri signati, quem cum dederint scienti litteras, dicent: Lege istum: et respondebit: Non possum, signatus est enim.

What is revelation to you, but a sealed book, offered as vainly to scholar that finds it sealed,

And the vision of all shall be unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which when they shall deliver to one that is learned, they shall say: Read this: and he shall answer: I cannot, for it is sealed.

Et dabitur liber nescienti litteras, diceturque ei: Lege; et respondebit: Nescio litteras.

as to yonder simpleton, that vows he never learned his letters?

And the book shall be given to one that knoweth no letters, and it shall be said to him: Read: and he shall answer: I know no letters.

Et dixit Dominus: Eo quod appropinquat populus iste ore suo, et labiis suis glorificat me, cor autem ejus longe est a me, et timuerunt me mandato hominum et doctrinis,

This people, the Lord says, makes profession of worshipping me, does me honour with its lips, but its heart is far from me. If they fear me, it is a lesson they learned from human precepts.

And the Lord said: Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but their heart is far from me, and they have feared me with the commandment and doctrines of men:

ideo ecce ego addam ut admirationem faciam populo huic miraculo grandi et stupendo; peribit enim sapientia a sapientibus ejus, et intellectus prudentium ejus abscondetur.

What remains but some great, some resounding miracle, to strike awe into such hearts as these? Bereft of wisdom their wise men shall be, cunning of their counsellors vanish.

Therefore behold I will proceed to cause an admiration in this people, by a great and wonderful miracle: for wisdom shall perish from their wise men, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Væ qui profundi estis corde, ut a Domino abscondatis consilium; quorum sunt in tenebris opera, et dicunt: Quis videt nos? et quis novit nos?

Out on you, that would hide your designs from the Lord in the depth of your hearts, plotting on in the dark and telling yourselves none can see, none can find you out!

Woe to you that are deep of heart, to hide your counsel from the Lord: and their works are in the dark, and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us?

Perversa est hæc vestra cogitatio; quasi si lutum contra figulum cogitet, et dicat opus factori suo: Non fecisti me; et figmentum dicat fictori suo: Non intelligis.

What a strange thought is this! As well might clay scheme against the potter; handicraft disown its craftsman, or thing of art call the artist fool.

This thought of yours is perverse: as if the clay should think against the potter, and the work should say to the maker thereof: Thou madest me not: or the thing framed should say to him that fashioned it: Thou understandest not.

Nonne adhuc in modico et in brevi convertetur Libanus in carmel, et carmel in saltum reputabitur?

Short the time shall be, and quickly fled, ere Lebanon forest shall be fruitful as Carmel, ere land fruitful now shall be reckoned as forest.

Is it not yet a very little while, and Libanus shall be turned into charmel, and charmel shall be esteemed as a forest?

Et audient in die illa surdi verba libri, et de tenebris et caligine oculi cæcorum videbunt.

Then this book will have a message for deaf ears to hear, for blind eyes to see through the mist that darkens them;

And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and out of darkness and obscurity the eyes of the blind shall see.

Et addent mites in Domino lætitiam, et pauperes homines in Sancto Israël exsultabunt;

humble folk shall yet learn to rejoice in the Lord, poor clods of earth triumph in the Holy One of Israel.

And the meek shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

quoniam defecit qui prævalebat, consummatus est illusor, et succisi sunt omnes qui vigilabant super iniquitatem,

Vanished, the triumphant foe, scornful incredulity is silenced; where are they now, that spent themselves on wrongdoing,

For he that did prevail hath failed, the scorner is consumed, and they are all cut off that watched for iniquity:

qui peccare faciebant homines in verbo, et arguentem in porta supplantabant, et declinaverunt frustra a justo.

watching a man’s words to convict him of guilt, defrauding him of justice at the city gate, setting aside, with a quibble, the plea of the innocent?

That made men sin by word, and supplanted him that reproved them in the gate, and declined in vain from the just.

Propter hoc, hæc dicit Dominus ad domum Jacob, qui redemit Abraham: Non modo confundetur Jacob, nec modo vultus ejus erubescet;

Here is a message to the race of Jacob from the Lord, that was Abraham’s deliverer: No longer shall Jacob be disappointed, no longer put to the blush.

Therefore thus saith the Lord to the house of Jacob, he that redeemed Abraham: Jacob shall not now be confounded, neither shall his countenance now be ashamed:

sed cum viderit filios suos, opera manuum mearum in medio sui sanctificantes nomen meum, et sanctificabunt Sanctum Jacob, et Deum Israël prædicabunt;

He shall see children of his, my gift, doing honour publicly to my name; honour to the Holy One of Jacob, homage to the God of Israel!

But when he shall see his children, the work of my hands in the midst of him sanctifying my name, and they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall glorify the God of Israel:

et scient errantes spiritu intellectum, et mussitatores discent legem.

Restless hearts will attain true knowledge then, and the murmurers learn wisdom.

And they that erred in spirit, shall know understanding, and they that murmured, shall learn the law.