يتحيَّر الشعراءُ إن سَمِعوا بهِ

في حُسنِ صنعتِه وفي تأليفهِ

The poets are perplexed when they hear of it

Of its skillfully crafted composition

فكأنه في قُربه من فَهمِهم

ونكولهم في العَجزِ عن ترصيفهِ

It's as if in its proximity to their understanding

And their inability to match its composition

شجرٌ بَدا للعَينِ حسنُ نباتهِ

ونأى عن الأيدي جَنى مقطوفهِ

A tree appeared beautiful in its growth

Yet its fruits were beyond reach

فإذا قرنت أَبِيَّه بمُطيعهِ

وقرنته بغَريبه وطريفه

So when its clarity is combined with its subtlety

And combined with its uniqueness and charm

ألفيت معناه يطابق لَفظَه

والنظم منه جليُّه بلطيفهِ

You find its meaning matches its wording

And its composition is refined in its subtlety

فأتاه متَّسِقاً على إحسانه

قد نيط منه رَزينه بخفيفه

So it came to him well-composed in his excellence

Adorned by him with a delicate string

هذَّبتُه فجعلتُه لك باقيا

ومنعت صرفَ الدهر عن تَصريفه

I have refined it and made it last for you

And prevented the passing of time from altering it