عَوجاءُ تُعطَفُ ثُمَّ تُرسَلُ تارَةً

عَوجاءُ تُعطَفُ ثُمَّ تُرسَلُ تارَةً

فَكَأَنَّما هِيَ حَيَّةٌ تَنسابُ

فَكَأَنَّما هِيَ حَيَّةٌ تَنسابُ

A curved bow is bent, then released at times;

Crooked, she bends, then straightens, now and then;

so it seems a serpent gliding along.

Like a serpent gliding smoothly on her way.

وَإِذا اِنحَنَت وَالسَهمُ مِنها خارِجٌ

وَإِذا اِنحَنَت وَالسَهمُ مِنها خارِجٌ

فَهِيَ الهِلالُ اِنقَضَّ مِنهُ شِهابُ

فَهِيَ الهِلالُ اِنقَضَّ مِنهُ شِهابُ

And when it bends, with the arrow emerging from it,

When she is strung, and the arrow drawn forth,

then it is the crescent moon, from which a shooting star has darted down.

She is the new moon whose comet flees away.