يَتَسَاءَلُوْنَ , فَقُلْتُ : يَا آلَ النُّهَىَ

أَوَ مِثْلُكُمْ مَنْ كَانَبِيْ لاَ يَعْلَمُ

They ask, so I say: O people of reproach

Or is there anyone like you who does not know?

أَنَا شَاعِرٌ , أَرْضُ الْعُرُوْبَةِ مَوْطِنِيْ

وَإذِا انْتَسَبْتُ يُجِيْبُ عِرْقِيَ وَالدَّمُ

I am a poet, the land of Arabism is my homeland

And if I trace my origin, my blood and body respond

مِنْ أَرْضِ مِصْرَ إِذَا طَلَبْتُ أَشَاوِساً

فَهُمُ الْفِدَاءُ , وَهُمْ لِعَيْنِيْ مَرْهَمُ

From the land of Egypt, if I seek comrades

They are redemption, and a balm for my eyes

وَهُمُ الأَرُوْمَةُ , وَالْخُؤُوْلَةُ , وَالنَّدَىَ

فَالرَّحْمُ عِنْدَهُمُ يُبَرُّ , وَيُكْرَمُ

They are fragrance, and yearning, and dew

Kinship with them is cherished and honored

كَمْ أَمَّهَا مِنْ مُرْسَلِيْنَ لأَمْنِهِمْ

مُوْسَىَ , وَيُوْسُفُ , وَالْمَسِيْحُ , وَمَرْيَمُ

How many messengers did it shelter for their safety

Moses, Joseph, Christ, and Mary

وَبِهَا لإِبْرَاهِيْمَ , جَدِّ نَبِيِّنَا

نَسَبُ الْمُصَاهَرَةِ الَّذِيْ لاَ يُفْصَمُ

And through it for Abraham, grandfather of our Prophet

Lineage of kinship which cannot be severed

مَنْ أَرْضِ تُوْنُسَ , وَالْفُرَاتِ , وصَعدةٍ

فَانْظُرْ طُرُوْسَهُمُ الَّتِي ْتَتَكَلَّمُ

From the land of Tunisia, the Euphrates, and Sada

Look at their portraits which speak

ومن الخليج إلى الرباطِ أرُومتي

نَشَأتْ ولِيْ بِثرىَ الجزَائر أسْهمُ

And from the Gulf to Rabat is my fragrance

It grew and I have stakes in Algeria’s land

إنا أردنيٌّ من دمشقَ وبُرقةٍ

سيفُ ابنِ مُختار ٍبِها لايثلمً

I am Jordanian from Damascus and Petra

The sword of Ibn Mukhtar in it does not blunt

مِنْ مَكَّةٍ مَهْدِ الْغَطَارِفَةِ الأُلَىَ

أرْسُوْا الْبِنَاءَ , فَصَرْحُهمْ لاَ يُهْدَمُ

From Mecca, cradle of the glorious ancestors

They laid the foundation, so their palace cannot crumble

مِنْ يَثْرِبٍ , وَالْعِطْرُ فِيْ جَنَبَاتِهَا

عَبِقٌ بِأَحْمَدَ , وَالْخُطَىَ تُتَرَسَّمُ

From Yathrib, and the scent in its sides

It is fragrant with Ahmed, and the steps are engraved

أَنَا ثَائِرٌ , وَالْقُدْسُ يَشْهَدُ مَوْلِدِيْ

وَكُرُوْمُ يَافَا , وَالرُّبَىَ , وَالأَنْجُمُ

I am a rebel, and Jerusalem testifies my birth

And the vineyards of Jaffa, the hills, and the stars

مِنْ غَزَّةٍ , وَالشِّبْلُ فِيْهَا قَدْ رَوَىَ

أُسْطُوْرَةً , وَالْكُلُّ يَعْلَمُ مَنْ هُمُ

From Gaza, where the wolf once

Told a legend, which everyone knows

أَنَا شَاعِرٌ حَلَّقْتُ فِيْ كَبِدِ السَّمَا

وَإِلَىَ الْمَعَالِيْ لاَ أَمَلُّ وَأَسْأَمُ

I am a poet who circled in the core of the sky

And to the heights I do not hope or tire

وَإذِا هَبَطْتُ , فَفِيْ الْهُبُوْطِ مَآرِبٌ

وَالْغَوْر أَسْبُرُهُ , وَإِنْ هُوَ مُبْهَمُ

And if I descend, in descent are wonders

And the abyss I illuminate, even if it is ambiguous

وَأَغُوْصُ فِيْ بَحْرِالْقَرِيْضِ بِهِمَّةٍ

وَأَلُمُّ شَمْلَ الدُّرِّ مِنْهُ , وَأَنْظُمُ

And I dive in the sea of verse with determination

And gather the pearls from it, and string them

فِيْ كُلِّ يَوْمٍ كَمْ تُقَالُ تَفَاهَةٌ

يَدْعُوْنَهَا شِعْرَاً ! , وَأَنْفُكَ يُرْغَمُ

Each day how much nonsense is said

They call it poetry! And I am forced to be silent

وَيُرَوِّجُوْنَ بِضَاعَةً مَسْمُوْمَةً

وَتَرَىَ مِنَ الْجُهَلاَءِ مَنْ يَتَرَنَّمُ

And they promote rotten goods

And you see among the ignorant those who hum to it

وَالشِّعْرُ يَنْدُبُ مَا اعْتَرَاهُ , وَيَشْتَكِيْ

قَوْلاً يَحَارُ بِهِ الِّلِسَانُ , وَيَعْجِمُ

While poetry laments what befell it, complaining

Of words that confuse the tongue and mystify

الشِّعْرُ ذَوْقٌ , وَالْبُحُوْرُ جَمَالُهَا

وَزْنٌ وَقَافِيَةٌ , وَمَعْنَىً يُفْهَمُ

Poetry is taste, and meters are its beauty

Rhyme and meaning that can be understood

الشِّعْرُ وَحْيُ الْمُرْهَفِيْنَ , وَقَوْلُهُ

نَسَمَاتُ صُبْحٍ فِيْ الصُّدُوْرِ تُتَرْجَمُ

Poetry is the revelation of the discerning

Its words are morning breezes in hearts translated

أَنَا شَاعِرٌ غَزَلَا لْحُرُوْفَ بِمِغْزَلٍ

وَالشِّعْرُ عِنْدِيْ بِالرَّحِيْقِ يُخَتَّمُ

I am a poet who spun letters with a spindle

And to me poetry is sealed with nectar

فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُ الشَّوْكَ لَفَّ وُرُوْدَهُ

فَالشَّوْكُ هُدْبٌ حَوْلَ عَيِنٍ قَيِّمُ

So when I see thorns wrap their roses

The thorns are a fence around a straight well

وَالطَّيْرُ , لَوْ نَاحَتْ لِفَقْدِ أَلِيْفِهَا

آسَىَ لَهَا , وَأُخَفِّفَنَّ وَأَرْحَمُ

And if a bird laments for its lost beloved

I grieve for it, and lighten and have mercy

وَالزَّهْرَ أَلْحَظُهُ إِذَا جَنَّ الدُّجَىَ

صَحْوَاً , وَيَرْنُوْ لِلْفَرَاشِ , فَيُلْثَمُ

And I notice the flowers when dusk falls

Wakeful, and yearning for the moth, so it kisses

وَالْبَدْرُ , لو يُخْفِيْهِغَيْمٌ , لاَ أَرَىَ

عَيْباً لَهُ , فَغَداً يِكِرُّ , وَيَهْجُمُ

And the moon, if a cloud hides it, I do not see

A flaw in it, for tomorrow it will return and attack

وَأَرَىَ الْجَدَاوِلَ , وَالْمِيَاهَ إِذَا سَرَتْ

تَشْدُوْ , وَتَبْذُلُ نَفْسَهَا , وَتُقَسِّمُ

And I see the streams, and the waters when they flow

Sing, exert themselves, and share

هَذَا أَنَا , أَلْبَسْتُ قَفْراً أَحْرُفِيْ

فَاخْضَرَّ , وَانْتُدِبَتْ إِلَيْهِ الْحُوَّمُ

This is me, I clothed the barrenness of my letters

So it turned green, and insects crawled to it

لاَ غَرْوَ إِنْ تَبِعَ الْكَلاَمُ مَقَاصِدِيْ

وَانْقَادَ حَيْثُ رَمَيْتُ سَهْمِيَ يَخْدُمُ

No wonder if words follow my purposes

And submit wherever my arrow points to serve

فَلَرُبَّمَا رَضِعَ الْوَلِيْدُ فَرَاسَةً

أغْنَتْهُ عَنْ لَبَنٍ , إِذَا هُوَ يُفْطَمُ

For sometimes an infant suckles perception

That spares it milk, when it is weaned

سُبْحَانَ مَنْجَعَلَ الْخِطَابَ لأَحْمَدٍ

فَصْلاً . فَفَسَّرَ مَا يُخَطُّ , وَيُرْقَمُ

Glory to Him who made speech for Ahmed

A chapter. So he interpreted what is penned and numbered