فَتَدَاكُّوا عَلَيَّ تَدَاكَّ الاِبِلِ الْهِيمِ يَوْمَ وِرْدِهَا،
They leapt upon me as the camels leap upon each other on their arrival for drinking water,
قَدْ أَرْسَلَهَا رَاعِيهَا، وَخُلِعَتْ مَثَانِيهَا،
having been let loose after unfastening of their four legs
حَتَّى ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُمْ قَاتِليَّ، أَوْ بَعْضُهُمْ قَاتِلُ بَعْض لَدَيَّ،
till I thought they would either kill me or kill one another in front of me.
وَقَدْ قلَّبْتُ هذَا الاْمْرَ بَطْنَهُ وَظَهْرَهُ حَتَّى مَنَعَنِي النَّوْمَ،
I thought over this matter in and out to the extent that it prevented me from sleeping.
فَمَا وَجَدْتُنِي يَسَعْني إِلاَّ قِتَالُهُمْ أَوِ الْجُحُودُ بِمَا جَاءَ بِهِ مُحَمَّدٌ(صلى الله عليه وآله)،
But I found no way except to fight them or else to reject whatever has been brought by Muhammad (S).
فَكَانَتْ مُعَالَجَةُ الْقِتَالِ أَهْوَنَ عَلَيَّ مِنْ مُعَالَجَةِ الْعِقَابِ،
I found that to face war was easier for me than to face the retribution,
وَمَوْتَاتُ الدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنَ عَلَيَّ مِنْ مَوْتَاتِ الاْخِرَةِ.
and the hardships of this world were easier than the hardships of the next world.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 54: Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih, al-’Iqd, IV; Ibn al-'Athir, al-Nihayah, II, 128 (d.k.k); Abu Mikhnaf, al-Jamal, see Ibn Abi al-Hadid, I, 340; also the sources mentioned under Sermon:26.
