1. الشِعرُ ديوانُ العَرَب

    أَبَداً وَعُنوانُ الأَدَب

    Poetry is the record of the Arabs,

    Forever, and the emblem of literature.

  2. لَم أَعدُ فيهِ مَفاخِري

    وَمَديحَ آبائي النُجُب

    In it I have not gone beyond my glories,

    And praise of my noble forefathers,

  3. وَمُقَطَّعاتٍ رُبَّما

    حَلَّيتُ مِنهُنَّ الكُتُب

    And short poems with which, at times,

    I have adorned books—

  4. لا في المَديحِ وَلا الهِجا

    ءِ وَلا المُجونِ وَلا اللَعِب

    Not in panegyric, nor in satire,

    Nor in ribaldry, nor in play.