أَقُولُ لِلْخِدْنِ الأَبَّرِّ الَّذِي

أَهْدَى وَمَا إِهْدَاؤُهُ بِالْيسِيرْ

I say to the generous host who gifted me

Though his gift was no trivial deed

يَا مَخْرَجاً مَا جَاشَ فِي صَدْرِهِ

وَجَالَ أَخْفَى جَوْلَةً فِي الضَّميرْ

O you who vent what boiled in your chest

And spoke most privately in your conscience

طَرَائِفُ الأَفْكَارِ أَجرَيْتَهَا

فِي أَيِّ قَوْلٍ عَبْقَرِيٍّ مُنِيرْ

You wove the tapestries of thoughts

In which eloquent, brilliant saying?

مُنْتَظِمٌ مُنْتثِرٌ ضَاحِكٌ

بَاكِ لَهُ مَاءٌ وَفِيهِ سَعِيرْ

Organized, scattered, laughing

Crying for him whose water has blaze

يُحَرِّكُ الْطَّوْدَ إِذَا ثَارَ أَوْ

يَهْدَأُ رِفْقاً فيَهِزُّ السَّرِيرْ

It stirs a passion when aroused

Or gently calms to rock the bed

هَذَا هُوَ الشِّعْرُ الطَّلِيقُ الَّذِي

لَيْسَ لَهُ كَاتِبُهُ بِالأَسِيرْ

This is the unconstrained poetry that

Its writer is no captive to it

رَقَّتْ مَعَانِيَهُ وَأَلْفَاظُهُ

فَهْوَ شُعَاعُ الْوَحْيِ وَهْيَ الأَثِيرْ

Delicate are its meanings and words

It's the ray of revelation and the ether