The present article offers an annotated translation of Abu Nasr al-Farabi's Treatise on the Cannons of the Art of the Poets (Qawanin fisina`at al- s"u`ara'). We introduce this translation with a presentation divided in three parts. Firstly, a general context is provided about the context of the Qawanin in al-Farabi's work and in the Arabic philosophical tradition. Secondly, a possible thematic division of the text is proposed. And thirdly, the peculiarities of the translation are specified, referring to the text taken as a basis and the main translation decisions.