تَقلَّدَ بِالبيضِ المَواضي وَسَلَّها

تَقلَّدَ بِالبيضِ المَواضي وَسَلَّها

وَهَزَّ قُوامَ السُّمر والسُّمر ميّالَهْ

وَهَزَّ قُوامَ السُّمر والسُّمر ميّالَهْ

He girded himself with keen white blades and drew them.

He adorned himself with eggs, scattering them about,

He girded on the sharp white blades and drew them forth,

And shook the shafts of brown spears, the spears swaying.

And shook the slender waists of the bitter berries, while they inclined toward him.

And brandished tawny spears until they swayed.

وَقَد ظَنّ حبَّ البيضِ والسّمرِ مُنْجِياً

وَقَد ظَنّ حبَّ البيضِ والسّمرِ مُنْجِياً

يُنجِّيهِ مِن قَتلٍ وَقَد مَدَّ آمالَه

يُنجِّيهِ مِن قَتلٍ وَقَد مَدَّ آمالَه

And he thought love of white blades and brown spears would save him,

He hoped the love of eggs and berries would save him,

He deemed the love of white and brown a savior,

Rescuing him from being slain—and he had stretched his hopes far.

Saving him from being killed, though he extended his hopes.

To guard his life from death, while hopes ran high.

فَأَقْبحْ بِهِ مِن جاهِلٍ عَدِمَ الحِجى

فَأَقْبحْ بِهِ مِن جاهِلٍ عَدِمَ الحِجى

أَلَمْ يَدرِ أَنَّ البيضَ وَالسُّمرَ قتّاله

أَلَمْ يَدرِ أَنَّ البيضَ وَالسُّمرَ قتّاله

How contemptible he was—a fool bereft of reason!

Yet with them he was uglier than an ignorant man without protection.

How foul a fool he is, bereft of reason—

Did he not know that white blades and brown spears were his killers?

Did he not know that eggs and berries were his killers?

Did he not know the white and brown are killers?