فاضَت قَريحَتُهُ فيما لَهُ وُزِنَت

فاضَت قَريحَتُهُ فيما لَهُ وُزِنَت

فَما عَرَفناهُ لا نَظماً وَلا نَثرا

فَما عَرَفناهُ لا نَظماً وَلا نَثرا

His poetic gift overflowed in what had been metered for him;

His poetic inspiration overflowed in what was put into meter for him;

yet we knew it as neither verse nor prose.

yet we recognized it as neither verse nor prose.

فَسَدَّها حينَما قَد ظَنّها خُرِقَت

فَسَدَّها حينَما قَد ظَنّها خُرِقَت

بِبَلعهِ الشَّعْر حتّى قاءَهُ شِعرا

بِبَلعهِ الشَّعْر حتّى قاءَهُ شِعرا

So he plugged it up when he thought it had been pierced,

So he plugged it when he thought it had been punctured,

by swallowing poetry until he vomited it out as verse.

by swallowing hair until he vomited it as poetry.