أرادوا ليلقوا فيَّ عيباً فلم يروا

أرادوا ليلقوا فيَّ عيباً فلم يروا

فقالوا وما قالوا به لو وعوا فخر

فقالوا وما قالوا به لو وعوا فخر

They sought to find a fault in me, but saw none.

They wished to find fault in me, but found none,

So they said—though, had they understood, their words were cause for pride:

So said what they said, had they understood, their words were vain boasts,

فلا عيب فيه غير أن بشعره

فلا عيب فيه غير أن بشعره

جناساً بديعا والجناس هو الشعر

جناساً بديعا والجناس هو الشعر

He has no fault, save that his verse contains

No fault can be found in him except that in his poetry

splendid wordplay—and wordplay is poetry.

Is excellent paronomasia, and paronomasia is the essence of poetry.