يَقولُ : تَرْتَجِلُ الأَشْعَار تُنْشِدُها

وَزْناً وَقَافِيةٍ قَيْداً وإِعسارا

He says: Poetry is improvised

In meter and rhyme, a constraint and hardship

دَعِ القْوافيَ والأَوْزَانَ ! إِنَّ بِهَا

رَجْعَ التُّراثِ وأَغلالاً وأَوضارا

Leave rhyme and meter! For in them

Is the echo of heritage, shackles and disgrace

ودَعْ بَلاغَةَ أَجْدَادٍ وقَدْ غَبَروا

واتْبَعْ هواكَ ومَا قَدْ شاءَ واخْتارا

And leave the eloquence of ancestors, for they are gone

Follow your passion and what you have chosen

و " اغْسلْ " كَلامَك أو "طهّره" إِنّ به

مِنْ السِّنين، مِنَ التّاريخ ، وإِغبارا

"Wash" or "purify" your words, for in them

Are years, history, and dust

واتْركْ قَواعِدَهمْ واهْدِمْ دَعائِهُمْ

واجعل " حديثك " بينَ الناس أَسرارا

And leave their rules, demolish their claims

And make your "talk" a secret among people

واجْعَلْ مِنَ الشّعرِ ألغازاً تدورُ بِهِمْ

لا يَفْقَهُ القومُ ما قَدْ قِيلَ أو دارا

And make poetry riddles that revolve around them

The people do not understand what has been said or occured

حُرّاً يُعِيدُ أَساطيرَ الخَيالِ بِهِ

ويَنتَشي بِضَلالٍ حَيْثُما سَارا

A free man who brings back the myths of imagination

And promenades in misguidance wherever he traveled

يَهيمُ في كلِّ وادٍ مِنْ ضلالَتِه

مَعَ الشياطينِ إِقْبَالاً وإِدْبَارا

He raves in every valley of his misguidance

With the devils, going and coming

كُلُّ القَدِيم قَدِيمٌ لا يُبَالِ بِهِ

وجَدِّدِ اليوم أَهْوَاءً وأَفْكارا

All the old is old, it is not cared for

Innovate desires and thoughts today

ومَزِّقِ "الشَّكلَ" لَيْسَ "الشَّكْلُ" ذا صِلَةٍ

بالدِّينِ ! أَنْشِبْ بهِ ناباً وأَظفَاراً

And tear up "the form", "the form" has no connection

To religion! Bite it with fangs and claws

كلُّ الشياطين جَالَتْ في مَنَازِلِهِ

تُغْري وتُطلِقُ أَعواناً وأَنْصَارا

All the devils have wandered in its dwellings

Tempting and unleashing supporters and helpers

فَكَمْ جَذَبْنَا بأَلْوانِ الخِدَاع فَتىً

هَوَى يُرَدِّدُ أعذاراً وإِعْذارا

How many youths have we lured with the colors of deception

Who echo excuses and seeking excuses

فَقُلْتُ : وَيْحَكَ ما قَدْ قُلْتَ إِنَّ بِهِ

مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الشَّرِّ أو مِنْ وقْدِه نارا

So I said: Woe to you for what you have said, for in it

Is the sedition of evil or the kindling of fire

الشِّعْرُ حُرُّ بِأَوْزَانٍ وقَافِيةٍ

ملءَ المَيَادينِ دفَّاقاً وزَخَّاراً

Poetry is free in meter and rhyme

Filling the horizons with rhythm and vibration

إذا تَجَرَّدَ مِنْها غابَ في ظُلُمٍ

بَيْنَ المَجَاهِل إِجْداباً وإِقْفارا

If stripped of them, it disappears into darkness

Among the ignorant, barren and empty

كَأَنَّهُ هَذَرٌ لمُ يُبْقِ آصِرَةٍ

لَهُ مَعَ الشِّعْرِ لا صَحْباً ولا جَارا

As if it is nonsense that left no ties

To it with poetry, no company or neighbor

لَمَ يَتْرُكُوا نَسَباً للشِّعْرِ أَو رحِماً

يَاوَيْلَ مَنْ قطَّعَ الأرْحام أَو جَارا

They left no lineage or womb for poetry

Oh woe to those who cut off kinship or a neighbor!

لاّلئُ الشِّعْرِ أَوْزانٌ وقافِيةٌ

تَشِعُّ مِنْ وَهَجِ الإِبْداعَ أَنْوارا

The pearls of poetry are meter and rhyme

Beaming from the glow of creativity, lights

الشِّعْرُ فَنُّ وآلافُ السِّنين بَنَتْ

لآلئَ الوزنِ أو صَاغَتْ لَه الغَارا

Poetry is an art built over thousands of years

For the pearls of meter or made for it caves

لِسَانُهُ لُغةُ القُرْآنِ آيَتُها

إِعْجازُه دَارَ إِجْلالاً وإِكْبارا

Its tongue is the language of the Quran, its verses

Miraculous revolving in veneration and pride

وَعَبْقَرِيُّ عَطاءِ الشعْرِ قَافِيةٌ

تَجْري مَعَ " البَحْر " إِنشاداً وإِبْحارا

And the genius of the gift of poetry is rhyme

Flowing with the "sea" in recital and sailing

الشِّعْرُ فنُّ إّذا ما قُلْتُه انتفَضَتْ

مِنْكَ الجَوارح تَحْنَاناً وَتَذْكَارا

Poetry is an art that when I utter it

Your limbs tremble in affection and remembrance

في صُورةٍ جَمَعَتْ أَلْوانَها فَزَهتْ

وحرّكَتْ من بَدِيع اللَّحْنِ أوتارا

In an image that gathered its colors and shone

And moved the strings of wonderful melody

وخفقَةٍ عَبْقرِيُّ الفَنِّ يُطلِقُها

رَوائِعاً مِنْ غَنِيِّ الشعْر أَبْكارا

And a throbbing that the genius of art unleashes

Masterpieces from the soul of poetry maidens

كَأَنْها اسْتَلْهَمَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ قَافِيةٍ

لَحْناً تموحُ به الأَشْعَارُ أَشْعارا

As if it drew from every rhyme

A melody the poems gesture with poems

وعطّرَتْ بالقوافي كلَّ رَابِيَةٍ

وزيَّنَتْ بالقوافي السَّاح والدَّارا

And scented with rhymes every plot of land

And adorned with rhymes the plateau and the house

وأَطْلَقَتْ في سَماء الشِّعْر أَنْجُمَهَا

لآلِئاً وعَلى الآفاقِ أقْمارا

And launched in the sky of poetry its stars

As pearls, and on the horizons as moons

كَأنّما اتَّسَعَتْ للشِّعْر سَاحَتُه

فَكَانَ بَحْراً وهِاجَ البَحْرُ إِعْصارا

As if the realm expanded for poetry

So it became an ocean, the tumultuous ocean a storm

لا يرْكَبَنَّ غَبَابَ البَحْرْ غيرُ فتىً

جَلْدٍ تمرَّس إِقلاعاً وإِبحارا

None but the hardy youth rides the mist of the ocean

Seasoned in embarking and sailing

يَخُوضُهُ كُلُّ ذي عَزمٍ وموهِبَةٍ

ويَنْثَي العَاجِزُ المضطرُّ إِدْبارا

He plunges into it, every one with will and talent

While the helpless distressed retreats

يَغُوصُ يَطْلُبُ مِنْ أَعْماقِه دُرَراً

ويَعْتَلي ظَهْرَهُ جُوْداً وإصْدارا

He dives seeking from its depths pearls

And ascends its back generous and determined

هذي " البُحورُ "بُحُورُ الشِّعْرِ ، واهِبَةٌ

للصَّادقين عُلاً يَزهو وأَعْمارا

These are the "seas" of poetry, bestowing

On the sincere sublime that glows and lives

وإِنّ فِيها لأَصْدافاً تُصَانُ بِهاَ

لآلِئُ الشِّعْرِ أوْزانا وَأقْدَارا

And in it are shells that protect

The pearls of poetry, meters and destinies

الشعْرُ بَابَانِ : بَابٌ منْ أَبالِسَةٍ

يُوحُون بالشَعْر آثاماً وأَوزَاَرا

Poetry has two gates: a gate of devils

Inspiring in poetry sins and burdens

وزُخْرُفاً لم تَزَلْ تَرْضَاه أَفْئدَةٌ

تَلقَى به النَّارَ أو تَلْقى به العارا

And ornaments that some hearts always accept

Throwing at the fire or disgrace

وشاعَرٌ من هُدى الرَّحْمنِ خَفْقَتُه

مَعْنى ولفظاً وأشْواقاً وإيثارا

And a poet from the guidance of the Merciful, his throbbing

In meaning, words, passions and altruism

يَطُوفُ في الكوْنِ يَلقَى مِنْ عَجائبه

آياً تُفَتِّح للأَلْبَابِ أَسْفارا

Revolves in the universe meeting from its wonders

Signs that open insights for the wise

يهتزُّ من شَوْقِهِ للحقِّ ، يَخْشَعُ في

جَلاَلِه رَهَباً يَغْشَى وأَذكَارا

He trembles from his longing for the truth, he is reverent

In His majesty, overwhelmed with prayers and invocations

ويُطلِقُ الشِّعْرَ أَنداءً مضمّخة

كالرّوضِ تلقاهُ أَنواراً وأَثْمارا

And unleashes poetry as calls stained

As the garden, meeting it lights and fruits

يَفيضُ فِيه الجَنى في ظِلِّ وارِفةٍ

تُفجِّرُ الماء يَنبُوعاً وَ أَنْهَارا

In it overflows abundance in the shade of sheltering

Gushing water a spring and rivers

هذا هو الشّعْرُ !شِعْرُ المُؤمنين جَرَى

يَرْوي مَعَ الدَّهْر أَمثالاً وأَخْبارا

This is poetry! The poetry of believers flowing

To irrigate with time parables and news

كَأنَّه يَهَبُ الأَحْداثَ خَفْقَتها

يَجْرِي فَيَمْلأُ أَسْماَعَا وأَبصاراً

As if gifting events their throbbing

Flowing to fill hearings and sights

حتَّى إِذا سَمِعَ الأَشعارَ أُطْلِقُها

رَوْضاً تفتَّح أوْراداً وأَزْهارا

Until when he hears poetry unleashed

As a garden blossoming litanies and flowers

فعادَ عن غَيِّه وارتَدَّ من عَجَبٍ

يُرَجّع الشّعرِ إِعْجاباً وإِكْباراً

He returns from his vanity, recoiling from wonder

Appreciating and venerating poetry

يَقُولُ هذا هُو الشّعْرُ الحَلالُ جَرَى

عِطراً يَمُوجُ وسِحْراً بَيْنَهُ دارا

Saying this is lawful poetry flowing

As fragrance rippling, and magic revolving in its abode