تُهَدِّدُني عِجلٌ وَما خِلتُ أَنَّني

تُهَدِّدُني عِجلٌ وَما خِلتُ أَنَّني

خَلاةٌ لِعجلٍ وَالصَليبُ لَها بَعلُ

خَلاةٌ لِعجلٍ وَالصَليبُ لَها بَعلُ

‘Ijl threatens me, and I never thought that I was

A hasty people threaten me, yet I have not been empty of that I am

A tuft of grass for ‘Ijl, whose husband is the cross.

A bride for haste, and for it the Cross is a husband

وَما خِلتُني وَالدَهرُ فيهِ عَجائِبٌ

وَما خِلتُني وَالدَهرُ فيهِ عَجائِبٌ

أُعَمَّرُ حَتّى قَد تُهَدِّدُني عِجلُ

أُعَمَّرُ حَتّى قَد تُهَدِّدُني عِجلُ

And I never thought—though time holds wonders—that I

I have not been emptied while time has within it wonders

Would live long enough for ‘Ijl to threaten me.

I live until haste itself threatens me

وَتُوعدُني بِالقَتل منهم عِصابَةٌ

وَتُوعدُني بِالقَتل منهم عِصابَةٌ

وَلَيسَ لَهُم في العِزِّ فَرعٌ وَلا أَصلُ

وَلَيسَ لَهُم في العِزِّ فَرعٌ وَلا أَصلُ

And a band of them threatens me with death,

And a rabble among them threatens me with death

Yet they have neither branch nor root in honor.

Yet for them in glory there is neither branch nor origin

وَعِجلٌ أَسوَدٌ في الرَخاءِ ثَعالِبُ

وَعِجلٌ أَسوَدٌ في الرَخاءِ ثَعالِبُ

إِذا التقتِ الأَبطالُ واختلفَ النَبلُ

إِذا التقتِ الأَبطالُ واختلفَ النَبلُ

And ‘Ijl are lions in times of ease, but foxes

And black is haste in prosperity, foxes

When champions meet and arrows crisscross.

When the heroes meet and the nobles differ

فان تَلقَنا عِجلٌ هناكَ فَما لَنا

فان تَلقَنا عِجلٌ هناكَ فَما لَنا

وَلا لهمُ مِ المَوتِ منجىً وَلا وَعلُ

وَلا لهمُ مِ المَوتِ منجىً وَلا وَعلُ

So if ‘Ijl meets us there, then neither we

So if we meet haste there, for us, and for them

Nor they have any escape from death or any refuge.

From death is there no refuge, no way to evade