هَاكَ لَغْزاً فِيمَا يَصِيرُ لِغَزْلٍ

ثُمَّ تَصْحِيفٌ ذَا يُوَرِّثُ خَبْلاَ

There is a riddle in what becomes of spinning

Take a riddle concerning what becomes spun yarn,

Then a misspelling that bequeaths confusion

Then the alteration of its letters bequeaths madness,

فَإِذَا أُسْقِطَ الْمُقَدَّمُ مِنْهُ

كَانَ قَوْماً يَرْمُونَ بِالشَّرْقِ نَبْلاَ

So if the first part is omitted from it

And if its foremost part is cast away,

It becomes a people who shoot east with arrows

It becomes a people shooting arrows in the East,

فَإِذَا صُحِّفَ الْمُقَدَّمُ مِنْ ذَا

فَهْوَ عِزٌّ يَا عِزَّ مَنْ حَازَ نُبْلاَ

But if the first part of that is misspelled

And if the foremost part of that is altered,

It is glory, oh glory to those who attain nobility

Then it is glory—O the glory of one who attains nobility.