I was halfway through my work shift
when I realized that I was alone in the place,
uncertain about how I had gotten from my desk to this corridor.
I felt a deep pressure stirring then,
the oppression that demands relief
and I could see no sign of a closet for such purpose.
It's difficult to describe the sense of terror
that inhabited me then in that lonely dark hallway,
I shudder at the memory of it!
Looking up, I thought I saw a light down the way;
it calmed me down,
and I started making my way towards it.
It seemed as if the light never got closer
no matter how far I walked or how fast
and the pressure kept building.
And just as I thought I might be getting closer,
a shrill alarm sounded
and a laser grid appeared before my eyes, barring the way.
Turning back, I stumbled into a side corridor
that seemed to hold promise of escape,
for a light shone at the end of it also.
But just as hope revived
and my bladder could taste nearing relief
Down CLANGED a heavy iron plate, denying egress.
The barrier was thick,
and on its front a message:
"Abandon all hope, who wish to enter here."
This so weighed my spirit down
as the infernal pressure welled up
that I lost all thought of ever finding release.
As I turned again, a lonely figure stood before me,
A shade of existence pushing mop and bucket
through the concourse gloom.
"Have mercy on me,
whatever you are," I cried,
"Whether shade or living man." **
"It is another path that you must follow,"
he answered when he saw me weeping,
"if you would flee this wild and savage place."
"You must traverse the desert of cubicles,
to reach the place of executive wonders;
there you shall find the golden key."
He led me along the path he thus described
and many discoveries did I make
of my co-workers foibles displayed upon their desks.
At long last the light grew strong,
and the key to my relief appeared before me.
I took it and fit it in the lock of the door marked [Private, Execs only].
As I entered that realm of light and sweet scents,
of real hand towels and flowered soaps,
I found the release I sought.
** This verse is a direct citation of the translation by Robert and Jean Hollander
when I realized that I was alone in the place,
uncertain about how I had gotten from my desk to this corridor.
I felt a deep pressure stirring then,
the oppression that demands relief
and I could see no sign of a closet for such purpose.
It's difficult to describe the sense of terror
that inhabited me then in that lonely dark hallway,
I shudder at the memory of it!
Looking up, I thought I saw a light down the way;
it calmed me down,
and I started making my way towards it.
It seemed as if the light never got closer
no matter how far I walked or how fast
and the pressure kept building.
And just as I thought I might be getting closer,
a shrill alarm sounded
and a laser grid appeared before my eyes, barring the way.
Turning back, I stumbled into a side corridor
that seemed to hold promise of escape,
for a light shone at the end of it also.
But just as hope revived
and my bladder could taste nearing relief
Down CLANGED a heavy iron plate, denying egress.
The barrier was thick,
and on its front a message:
"Abandon all hope, who wish to enter here."
This so weighed my spirit down
as the infernal pressure welled up
that I lost all thought of ever finding release.
As I turned again, a lonely figure stood before me,
A shade of existence pushing mop and bucket
through the concourse gloom.
"Have mercy on me,
whatever you are," I cried,
"Whether shade or living man." **
"It is another path that you must follow,"
he answered when he saw me weeping,
"if you would flee this wild and savage place."
"You must traverse the desert of cubicles,
to reach the place of executive wonders;
there you shall find the golden key."
He led me along the path he thus described
and many discoveries did I make
of my co-workers foibles displayed upon their desks.
At long last the light grew strong,
and the key to my relief appeared before me.
I took it and fit it in the lock of the door marked [Private, Execs only].
As I entered that realm of light and sweet scents,
of real hand towels and flowered soaps,
I found the release I sought.
** This verse is a direct citation of the translation by Robert and Jean Hollander
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