وَلَيسَ اِختِلاسُ المرءِ شعراً بشعره

وَلَيسَ اِختِلاسُ المرءِ شعراً بشعره

بِموجِب قَطع المَرء نطقاً ولا يدا

بِموجِب قَطع المَرء نطقاً ولا يدا

And a man's pilfering poetry in his verse does not

A man's plagiarizing poetry is not poetry

warrant cutting off his speech or his hand.

Though a man may withhold speech or hand.

فَإِنْ لَم أَكُن في الشّعرِ مُجتَهِداً فلا

فَإِنْ لَم أَكُن في الشّعرِ مُجتَهِداً فلا

عجيبٌ إذا قد كنت فيه مقلِّدا

عجيبٌ إذا قد كنت فيه مقلِّدا

So if I am not an independent creator in poetry, it is not

If I'm not assiduous in poetry, no wonder -

strange if I have indeed been an imitator in it.

I therein may be an imitator.