كلماتِي قَلائِدُ الأَعْناقِ

سَوْفَ تَفنى الدُّهُورُ وَهْيَ بَواقِ

My words are necklaces

That will remain as epochs pass away

دَلَّ فيهَا الذِّهْنُ الجَلِيُّ بِأَلْفا

ظٍ رِقاقٍ على مَعانٍ دِقاقِ

The lucid mind adorned them with delicate,

Refined meanings and insights

فَقَريضِي يَراهُ مَنْ يَنْقُدُ الأَشْ

عارَ سَهْلَ المَرامِ صَعْبَ المَراقي

So my poetry is seen by critics of verse

As easy in purpose, yet hard to attain

لَمْ يَشِنْهُ المَعْنى العَويصُ وَلا لَفْ

ظٌ يَكِدُّ الأَسْماعَ مُرُّ المَذاقِ

The abstruse meaning did not make it unsightly

Nor a difficult expression that hurts the ears

وَهْوَ في مَنْجَمِ الفَصاحَةِ مِنْ فَرْ

عَيْ نِزارٍ مُقابَلُ الأَعْراقِ

It has a place in the constellation of eloquence

A counterpart to the highest branches

وَإِلَيْهِ يَصْبو الرُّواةُ وَفيهِ

مَعَ شِكْل الحِجازِ ظَرْفُ العِراقِ

To it aspire the narrators, in it lies

The Hijazi form and Iraqi courtesy

مُؤْيِسٌ مُطْمِعٌ قَريبٌ بَعيدٌ

فَهْوَ أُنْسُ المُقيمِ زادُ الرِّفاقِ

Giving hope, giving desire, near yet far

The friend of the settled, provision for the road