وبَحْريٍّ تَلاعَبَ في شَريطٍ

وبَحْريٍّ تَلاعَبَ في شَريطٍ

وجِيءَ الفِعْلُ متّصِلَ الصُّموتِ

وجِيءَ الفِعْلُ متّصِلَ الصُّموتِ

And a sailor cavorted on a cord,

A sea played on a strip

And the act was performed in unbroken silence.

The verbs flowed, connected whispers

تَدَلّى وارْتَقى وسَما وأهْوَى

تَدَلّى وارْتَقى وسَما وأهْوَى

فأعْجَبَ في التّماسُكِ والثُّبوتِ

فأعْجَبَ في التّماسُكِ والثُّبوتِ

He dangled, climbed, rose high, and swooped down,

It dangled, climbed, soared and dove

So he amazed us by holding fast and staying steady.

Amazing in its cohesion and steadiness

فقُلْنا إنْ يَكُنْ بَشَراً سَوِيّاً

فقُلْنا إنْ يَكُنْ بَشَراً سَوِيّاً

فَفيهِ غَريزَةٌ منْ عَنْكَبوتِ

فَفيهِ غَريزَةٌ منْ عَنْكَبوتِ

So we said, “If he is a well-formed human,

We said, if it's an ordinary human

Then within him is a spider’s instinct.”

It has the instincts of a spider