أَبى لي أَن أُطيلَ الشِعرَ قَصدي

إِلى المَعنى وَعِلمي بِالصَوابِ

I refused to make the poem long

My intention was the meaning and my knowledge of what's right

وَإيجازي بِمُختَصَرٍ قَريبٍ

حَذَفتُ بِهِ الفُضولَ مِنَ الجَوابِ

My brevity was with concise and close words

With it I removed superfluous from the answer

فَأَبعَثَهُنَّ أَربَعَةً وَخَمساً

مُثَقَّفَةً بِأَلفاظٍ عَذابِ

So I sent them four or five

Cultured with agonizing words

خَوالِدَ ما حَدا لَيلٌ نَهاراً

وَما حَسُنَ الصِبا بِأَخي الشَبابِ

Immortal as long as day alternates with night

And as long as the beauty of youth remains, my brother

وَهُنَّ إِذا وَسَمتُ بِهِنَّ قَوماً

كَأَطواقِ الحَمائِمِ في الرِقابِ

And when I described a people with them

Like necklaces around doves' necks

وَهُنَّ إِذا أَقَمتُ مُسافَراتٌ

تَهادَتها الرُواةُ مَعَ الرِكابِ

And when I sent them traveling

Storytellers would vie for them alongside riders