This article examines the first Arabic translation of Aristotle's Poetics by Matta bin Yunus (932 AD) and its reception in Classical Arabic tradition. Focusing on Ibn Rushd's exegesis of the translation (which adapted Aristotle's literary terms to Arabic ones), the article examines how Ibn Rushd used this commentary to form an ethical view of poetry which he integrated into his political philosophy. Thus, the book, it is argued, was adapted into contemporary debates in a case of creative translation that defies the simple designations of "accuracy" and "faithfulness," offering new perspectives on ethical responsibility, adaptation, and the transformation of the Other.