Saʿīd ʿAql (1912-2014) was a Lebanese poet, playwright, and intellectual known for his use of symbolism in Arabic poetry and his championing of Lebanese nationalism. He was born in the city of Zahle (Zaḥla) to a Christian Maronite family and began his writing career working for a local newspaper in Zahle called al-Wādī . He moved to Beirut in 1930 to write and edit for a number of publications including al-Barq (owned by the lyrical poet Bishāra al-Khūrī, d. 1968, known as al-Akhṭal al-Ṣaghīr), al-