رَوِّح ذَبيحَكَ لا تُعجِلهُ ميتَتَهُ

رَوِّح ذَبيحَكَ لا تُعجِلهُ ميتَتَهُ

فَتَأخُذَ النَحضَ مِنهُ وَهوَ يَختَلِجُ

فَتَأخُذَ النَحضَ مِنهُ وَهوَ يَختَلِجُ

Give your slaughtered victim respite; do not hasten its death,

Give your sacrifice air, do not hasten its death

taking the lean flesh from it while it still twitches.

Lest you take the afterbirth while it writhes

هَذا قَبيحٌ وَعِلمِيَ غَيرُ مُتَّسِقٍ

هَذا قَبيحٌ وَعِلمِيَ غَيرُ مُتَّسِقٍ

بِما يَكونُ وَلَكِن في الثَرى أَلِجُ

بِما يَكونُ وَلَكِن في الثَرى أَلِجُ

This is vile; my knowledge is not clear

This is ugly and my knowledge inconsistent

about what will be, yet into the earth I go.

With what happens, but in the ground I delve

وَالناسُ مِن أَجلِ هَذا الأَمرِ في ظُلمٍ

وَالناسُ مِن أَجلِ هَذا الأَمرِ في ظُلمٍ

وَما أُؤَمِّلُ أَنَّ الفجرَ يَنبَلِجُ

وَما أُؤَمِّلُ أَنَّ الفجرَ يَنبَلِجُ

And people are in darkness over this matter,

And people because of this matter are in darkness

nor do I expect the dawn to break.

And I have no hope that dawn will shine

مَضى أُناسٌ وَأَصبَحنا عَلى ثِقَةٍ

مَضى أُناسٌ وَأَصبَحنا عَلى ثِقَةٍ

أَنّا سَنَتبَعُ فَالأَشجانُ تَعتَلِجُ

أَنّا سَنَتبَعُ فَالأَشجانُ تَعتَلِجُ

Some people have passed away, and we have become certain

People have passed and we grew confident

that we shall follow; so sorrows churn.

That we would follow, so the trees sway

إِن أَدلَجوا وَتَخَلَّفنا وَراءَهُمُ

إِن أَدلَجوا وَتَخَلَّفنا وَراءَهُمُ

شَيئاً يَسيراً فَإِنّا سَوفَ نَدَّلِجُ

شَيئاً يَسيراً فَإِنّا سَوفَ نَدَّلِجُ

If they set out early in the night and we lagged behind them

If they disappeared into darkness ahead of us

a little while, we too shall set out late in the night.

By a little, then we shall surely follow