أَيا قَوسَ خَرّاطٍ يُشيرُ وَلا يَرمي

أَيا قَوسَ خَرّاطٍ يُشيرُ وَلا يَرمي

وَيا سَيفَ رِعديدٍ يَرُضُّ وَلا يُدمي

وَيا سَيفَ رِعديدٍ يَرُضُّ وَلا يُدمي

O woodturner’s bow, you point but never shoot;

O woodturner's bow, which points but does not shoot,

and O coward’s sword, you bruise but never draw blood.

And O coward's sword, which bruises but draws no blood,

تَعَلَّمتَ خُلفَ الوَعدِ مِن بَرقِ خُلَّبٍ

تَعَلَّمتَ خُلفَ الوَعدِ مِن بَرقِ خُلَّبٍ

فَبَرقُكَ لايُثري وَلَكِنَّهُ يُعمي

فَبَرقُكَ لايُثري وَلَكِنَّهُ يُعمي

You learned to break your word from a rainless flash;

You learned to break promises from rainless lightning;

so your lightning brings no bounty—it only blinds.

So your lightning does not enrich, but it blinds.