وعُصْبةِ شرٍّ منْ يَهودٍ لَقيتُها

وعُصْبةِ شرٍّ منْ يَهودٍ لَقيتُها

يُجانِبُها داعي الهُدَى ويُحاشيها

يُجانِبُها داعي الهُدَى ويُحاشيها

Many a band of wandering Jews have I encountered;

And a wicked band of Jews I encountered,

the herald of right guidance keeps his distance from them and shuns them.

whom the herald of guidance shuns and avoids.

إذا أمِنوا واستَوْثَقوا البابَ أعْلنوا

إذا أمِنوا واستَوْثَقوا البابَ أعْلنوا

خَبائِثَ ما كان اللّسانُ ليُفْشِيها

خَبائِثَ ما كان اللّسانُ ليُفْشِيها

Once they feel safe and make sure the door is fast, they voice

When they feel safe and have secured the door, they proclaim

abominations no tongue would ever divulge.

abominations the tongue would never divulge.

كأنّ رؤوسَ القومِ عندَ صَلاتِهمْ

كأنّ رؤوسَ القومِ عندَ صَلاتِهمْ

وقد أوْمأتُ للأرْضِ صُفْر شَواشِيها

وقد أوْمأتُ للأرْضِ صُفْر شَواشِيها

It is as though the people’s heads, while they pray—

It is as though the men's heads, during their prayers—

their yellow caps bowing toward the ground—

as I nodded toward the earth, their caps yellow—

أقاحٍ أمالَتْها الرّياحُ علَى الثّرى

أقاحٍ أمالَتْها الرّياحُ علَى الثّرى

وقد أسْقَطَتْ عنْها بَياضَ حَواشِيها

وقد أسْقَطَتْ عنْها بَياضَ حَواشِيها

were daisies the winds had bent down upon the soil,

were daisies the winds had bent down to the soil

having stripped the white from their outer petals.

and stripped of their white fringes.