مَعانٍ حَكَت في قُلوبِ الأَنامِ

مَنالَ الأَماني وَنَيلَ الأَمانِ

Meanings that stirred in people's hearts

The attainment of wishes and the reaching of security

بِنَثرٍ يُنَظِّمُ شَملَ العُلومِ

وَنَظمٍ يُقَلِّدُ جيدَ الزَمانِ

With prose that organizes the realm of knowledge

And verse that emulates the necklace of time

وَتَنميقِ خَطٍّ كَما نَمَّقَت

خُطوطُ الغَوالي خُدودَ الغَواني

And the embellishment of a line, as the trails

Of moles embellished the cheeks of the beautiful

وَأَبياتِ شِعرٍ إِذا أُورِدَت

حَكَت في الجَمالِ عُقودَ الجُمانِ

And verses of poetry, if connected,

Would tell of beauty and string together its pearls

فَكَم بِكرِ مَعنىً حَوى طِرسُها

وَإِن كانَ في جِسمِ لَفظٍ عَوانِ

So how many virgin meanings are contained

In its cover, though in the body of coarse words

إِذا ما شَقَقتَ صُدورَ البُيوتِ

وَجَدتَ بِهِنَّ قُلوبَ المَعاني

If you split open the chests of houses

Within them you would find the hearts of meanings