شاعِرُ القَلبِ ضاقَ عَنهُ البَيانُ

وَالقَوافي وَاللَفظُ وَالأَوزانُ

The poet of the heart, eloquence falls short of him,

Rhyme and diction and meter.

صامِتٌ يُرسِلُ التَنَهُّدَ شِعراً

كُلَّما هَزَّ قَلبَه خَفَقانُ

Silent, he sends sighs as poetry

Whenever his throbbing heart flutters.

تَقرَأُ الوَحيَ في عُذوبَةِ عَينَي

هِ فَآياتُ عَينِهِ قُرآنُ

You read revelation in the sweetness of his eyes,

For the verses of his eyes are a Quran.

نَفسُهُ جَذوَةٌ من اللَهِ لَم تَد

نَس فَتَمحو نَقاءَها الأَضغانُ

His soul is an ember from God that adversities

Did not manage to erase its purity.

فَهو في مَوكِبِ الحَياةِ حَكيمٌ

وَهوَ في مَركِبِ الدُجى رُبّانُ

So in the procession of life he is wise

And in the ship of darkness he is the captain.

يَجد التائِهونَ فيهِ عَزاءً

وَأَماناً إِذا تَلاشى الأمانُ

The lost ones find in him consolation,

And safety when safety is gone.

لَقَّنَتهُ الأَيّامُ مَوعِظَة النا

رِ فَثارَت في صَدرِهِ النيرانُ

Days taught him the preaching of fire, so flames rose in his chest.

Yet Heaven said to him: "Be silent and see how volcanoes fall silent!"

غَيرَ أَنَّ السَماءَ قالَت لَهُ اِصمت

إِنظُروا كَيفَ يَصمِتُ البُركانُ

Afflictions built the palace of his inspiration

And tears painted it.

شَيَّدت قَصرَ وَحيِهِ الأَشجانُ

وَطلاه مِنَ الدموعِ دهانُ

An ascetic in life, in his coarse robes,

His body emaciated by grief, famished.

زاهِد في الحَياةِ في بردتيه

جسد شفّه الضَنى جوعانُ

The seat of his reign is tribulations and worries,

And the ruby of his crown is sorrows.

ملك عَرشِه المَصائِب وَاله

مُّ وَياقوت تاجِه الأَحزانُ

The icicles of pain are in his hands,

And sighs of a suffering king, his icicles.

صولجانُ الآلامِ في قَبضَتَيهِ

وَيحَ ملكٍ آلامهُ الصولجانُ

In his soul Jareer has laments

And in his heart Qais has fondness.

لجريرٍ في روحِهِ شَهقاتٌ

وَلِقَيسٍ في قَلبِهِ تَحنانُ

And remnants of Al-Ma'arri walked

In his blood which time did not erase.

وَبَقايا من المعرّي تَمَشَّت

في دماه لَم تَمحُها الأَزمانُ