نظرتْ في وجوه شعري وجوهٌ

أُوسِعت قبلَ خلقِها تقبيحا

I looked into the faces of my poetry, faces

That were made ugly before their creation

فغدتْ وهي زاريات عليه

والذي أنكرتْه منها أُتيحا

So they went to it in distress

And what it denied of them was granted

أبصرتْ في صِقاله صُوَراً منـ

ـه قِباحاً فأظهرت تكليحا

I saw in its polish images from it

Of ugliness, so it showed clear reproach

شهد الله أنها عند ذاكم

أعنتتْ سالماً وعرَّت صحيحا

God witnessed that at that time

It helped the blameless and stripped the corrupt

عايَنتْ فيه قبحها فاجتوتْه

ظالماتٍ هناك ظلماً صريحا

It looked upon its ugliness so it covered it

With oppressive shadows, clear oppression

ورأته وجوهُ قوم وِضاءٍ

فرأت وجهَه وضيئاً صبيحا

And bright-faced people saw it

And saw its face radiant and clear

هكذا المنظر الصقيل يؤدِّي

ما يوازي به بليغاً فصيحا

Thus does the polished view lead

To matching it with an eloquent rhetorician

والمَرايا تُري الجميل جميلاً

وكذاكم تُري القبيح قبيحا

Mirrors show the beautiful as beautiful

And so they show the ugly as ugly

هاكها يا سعيدُ غراءَ عذرا

ءَ تداوي بها الفؤاد القريحا

With which to treat the heart's wound

An example for weak minds

مَثلاً للعقول تضعُفُ والشعْـ

ـرُ يُصفَّى فلا تراه قليحا

And poetry is purified, no longer vile