يا كريماً لم يزل محتمِلاً

يا كريماً لم يزل محتمِلاً

محناً في عبده بعدَ مِحَنْ

محناً في عبده بعدَ مِحَنْ

O generous one, who has never ceased enduring

O Generous One who has always been patient

trials concerning his servant, trial after trial,

With afflictions upon His servant after afflictions

يتلقَّى فيَّ ما يأذَى به

يتلقَّى فيَّ ما يأذَى به

وأُكافيه بأنواع الظِّنَنْ

وأُكافيه بأنواع الظِّنَنْ

who encounters, on my account, what causes him hurt,

He takes from me what hurts Him

while I repay him with every kind of suspicion;

And I repay Him with all sorts of suspicions

وهْو لا ينفك من عَوداته

وهْو لا ينفك من عَوداته

فيه بالآلاء تَتَرى والمِنَنْ

فيه بالآلاء تَتَرى والمِنَنْ

yet he never ceases returning,

Yet He never ceases His favors upon me

bringing him blessings and favors, one after another.

With blessings and graces that continue to flow

بالذي لو فاخر الخلقَ اعتلى

بالذي لو فاخر الخلقَ اعتلى

والذي لو وازنَ الخلقَ وَزن

والذي لو وازنَ الخلقَ وَزن

By him who, if he vied in glory with all creation, would rise above it,

He who, if the creation competed with Him, would prevail

and him who, if he weighed himself against all creation, would outweigh it,

And who, if the creation was weighed against Him, would outweigh

اعفُ عنِّي وأقِلْني عَثْرتي

اعفُ عنِّي وأقِلْني عَثْرتي

يا عياذي لمُلمَّاتِ الزمن

يا عياذي لمُلمَّاتِ الزمن

forgive me, and pardon my lapse,

Pardon me and overlook my mistake

O my refuge against the calamities of time.

O my refuge from the twists of fate

لا تعاقِبني فقد عاقَبَني

لا تعاقِبني فقد عاقَبَني

ندمٌ أقلق روحي في البدن

ندمٌ أقلق روحي في البدن

Do not punish me, for I have already been punished

Do not punish me, for regret has punished me

by remorse that unsettled my spirit within my body.

Disturbing my soul within my body

بنظير الشمس والبدر الذي

بنظير الشمس والبدر الذي

زانه اللَّهُ بمنفوس الزِّين

زانه اللَّهُ بمنفوس الزِّين

By the peer of the sun and the full moon, whom

By the likeness of the sun and moon which

God adorned with precious beauty,

God has adorned with the beauty of decor

والذي لولاكَ أضحى لا يُرى

والذي لولاكَ أضحى لا يُرى

رَأيَ حَق إن في الدين سكن

رَأيَ حَق إن في الدين سكن

and by him who, but for you, would be shown no

And who without You would not be seen

true judgment, should he dwell within the faith,

The truth of religion if it brought tranquility

يا أميناً عنده مؤتمناً

يا أميناً عنده مؤتمناً

كُنْ على المجد أميناً مؤتَمَن

كُنْ على المجد أميناً مؤتَمَن

O faithful one, trusted by him,

O Trustworthy One, entrusted before Him

be a faithful, trusted guardian of glory.

Be faithful to glory, entrusted

واجعل العفو لحمدي ثمناً

واجعل العفو لحمدي ثمناً

فلكم أغليت بالحمدِ الثمن

فلكم أغليت بالحمدِ الثمن

And make pardon the price of my praise,

And make pardon the price for my praise

for often I have raised the price through praise.

For how much I have overvalued praise

إنَّ ما أمسيتَ تعتدُّ بهِ

إنَّ ما أمسيتَ تعتدُّ بهِ

لم يكنْ سِرّ نفاقٍ فَعَلَن

لم يكنْ سِرّ نفاقٍ فَعَلَن

Indeed, what you have come to hold against me

What You have taken offense to

was no secret hypocrisy that then came to light.

Was no secret hypocrisy made public

إنَّما كان هفوءاً ساقه

إنَّما كان هفوءاً ساقه

سهوُ قلب بين هم وحزن

سهوُ قلب بين هم وحزن

It was only a lapse, driven by

Rather it was an oversight prompted

the inattention of a heart amid anxiety and sorrow.

By the heedlessness of a heart amidst anxiety and sadness

لا تُطَيِّرْ وَسناً عن مُقْلةٍ

لا تُطَيِّرْ وَسناً عن مُقْلةٍ

أنت أهديتَ لها حُلْو الوَسَن

أنت أهديتَ لها حُلْو الوَسَن

Do not send drowsiness flying from an eye

Do not spurn white hair from a head

to which you yourself gave sweet slumber.

To which You granted the sweetest youth

لم يصرِّحْ لك بالسوء ولا

لم يصرِّحْ لك بالسوء ولا

أضمر السوء اعتماداً إذْ لحن

أضمر السوء اعتماداً إذْ لحن

He did not speak evil plainly to you, nor

He did not explicitly offend You, nor

deliberately harbor evil when he spoke amiss.

Hide evil, relying on if he erred

لك سلطانٌ عزيزٌ فإذا

لك سلطانٌ عزيزٌ فإذا

أنت لم تعفُ عن الجاني وَهَن

أنت لم تعفُ عن الجاني وَهَن

You have mighty authority; but if

You have mighty authority, so if

you do not forgive the offender, it weakens.

You do not pardon the offender, he despairs

أيُّ سلطانٍ وقد أصبحْتُما

أيُّ سلطانٍ وقد أصبحْتُما

كمسيٍء ومسيءٍ في قَرن

كمسيٍء ومسيءٍ في قَرن

What authority, when the two of you have become

What authority, when You have both become

like two wrongdoers bound by one tether?

Like a wrongdoer and a wrongdoer paired

ومتى لم تعفُ عن ذي هفوةٍ

ومتى لم تعفُ عن ذي هفوةٍ

مَرَد القلبُ عليها ومَرَن

مَرَد القلبُ عليها ومَرَن

And whenever you do not forgive one who has slipped,

And when You do not forgive one who slips

the heart persists stubbornly in that fault and grows used to it.

The heart rebels against it and is bent

كن عزيزاً بالتغاضي إنه

كن عزيزاً بالتغاضي إنه

يترك الجاني مسلوبَ اللَّسَن

يترك الجاني مسلوبَ اللَّسَن

Be mighty through forbearance, for it

Be mighty by overlooking, for it

leaves the offender bereft of eloquence.

Leaves the offender robbed of speech

ومتى لاحظْتَهُ في مجلس

ومتى لاحظْتَهُ في مجلس

ضربَ الزَّوْرُ ذليلاً بالذَّقن

ضربَ الزَّوْرُ ذليلاً بالذَّقن

And whenever you glance at him in an assembly,

And when You notice him in an assembly

his chest meets his chin in submission.

Deceit strikes the coward with the beard

خاشعَ الطرفِ عليه ربقةٌ

خاشعَ الطرفِ عليه ربقةٌ

يخضعُ الجيدُ من العفوِ الحسن

يخضعُ الجيدُ من العفوِ الحسن

His gaze downcast, a halter upon him,

Humbled of glance, upon him a sheen

his neck bows before gracious pardon.

The neck bows from the most beautiful pardon

هو عزٌّ غامضٌ فافطِنْ له

هو عزٌّ غامضٌ فافطِنْ له

يا ذكيَّ القلبِ والعين فطَن

يا ذكيَّ القلبِ والعين فطَن

It is hidden power; so discern it,

It is a profound glory, so perceive it

O keen of heart and eye, discerning one.

O wise of heart and eye, be perceptive

وازجُرِ النفسَ إذا ما حَرنَتْ

وازجُرِ النفسَ إذا ما حَرنَتْ

أن يفوتَ القوم سبقاً من حرن

أن يفوتَ القوم سبقاً من حرن

And chide your soul whenever it balks,

And restrain the self when it is bitter

lest the others outstrip the one who balks in the race.

That people miss a step from bitterness

لا تُضِق عفوك عني واجْزني

لا تُضِق عفوك عني واجْزني

يا فسيحَ العفوِ يا رحبَ العَطَن

يا فسيحَ العفوِ يا رحبَ العَطَن

Do not make your pardon too narrow for me; reward me,

Do not restrict Your pardon from me, and grant me

O vast in pardon, O wide in watering grounds.

O Expansive in pardon, O Vast in clemency

رُبَّ نفسٍ حرَّةٍ قد ألِفَتْ

رُبَّ نفسٍ حرَّةٍ قد ألِفَتْ

وطنَ السُّوء فهَبْ أنَّي وطن

وطنَ السُّوء فهَبْ أنَّي وطن

Many a free soul has grown attached to

Many a free soul has grown accustomed

an evil homeland; suppose, then, that I am a homeland.

To the abode of evil, so suppose I dwelled

كيف تستسهل إبعادَ امرئٍ

كيف تستسهل إبعادَ امرئٍ

قد بنى إلفك فيه وقطن

قد بنى إلفك فيه وقطن

How can you find it easy to banish a man

How can You easily discard a man

in whom your affection has built its home and dwelt?

Who built familiarity and settled with You?

إنني من حَمْأة مسنونة

إنني من حَمْأة مسنونة

وأرى أنك من خير الطِّيَن

وأرى أنك من خير الطِّيَن

Indeed, I am of black, altered mud,

I am from fermented clay

and I see that you are of the best of clays.

And I see You are of the best mud

إن أطعتَ النفسَ في رَفْضِ العُلى

إن أطعتَ النفسَ في رَفْضِ العُلى

واطِّراح الحمد ذَمَّتْكَ المِنن

واطِّراح الحمد ذَمَّتْكَ المِنن

If you obey your soul in rejecting loftiness

If You obey the self in refusing glory

and casting praise aside, your favors will reproach you,

And discarding praise, favors blame You

ورأتْ أنَّكَ لم تحفلْ بها

ورأتْ أنَّكَ لم تحفلْ بها

حين دلَّتْك على قصدِ السَّنن

حين دلَّتْك على قصدِ السَّنن

and deem that you have paid them no heed

And sees that You did not care for it

when they guided you toward the straight course.

When it guided You to righteous ways

قد دعتْكَ النفسُ من غمْرتها

قد دعتْكَ النفسُ من غمْرتها

فتداركْها فلم تدعُ وثن

فتداركْها فلم تدعُ وثن

The soul has called to you from its engulfing distress;

The self has called You in its delusion

so rescue it, for it has not called upon an idol.

So take hold of it before it becomes an idol

وانخدِعْ لي أو تَخَادَعْ إنها

وانخدِعْ لي أو تَخَادَعْ إنها

خُدعةٌ فيها رَباحٌ لا غبن

خُدعةٌ فيها رَباحٌ لا غبن

And let yourself be deceived for my sake, or pretend to be, for it is

And be fooled for me or fool it, for it

a trick that brings profit, not loss.

Is a trickery with no loss, only gain

إن تناومْتَ فَمَنْ ذا أرتجي

إن تناومْتَ فَمَنْ ذا أرتجي

أو تصاممت فلم تسمع فمن

أو تصاممت فلم تسمع فمن

If you feign sleep, in whom then can I hope?

If You slumber or refuse and do not listen, who

Or feign deafness and do not hear—then in whom?

Shall I hope for or if You insist, who can I turn to?

واعذِر اللَّهفانَ في أفعاله

واعذِر اللَّهفانَ في أفعاله

إنه يُغشَى ويَعمى ويُجن

إنه يُغشَى ويَعمى ويُجن

And excuse the anguished man for his deeds:

And excuse the passionate in their deeds

for he swoons, goes blind, and goes mad.

For they are overcome, blinded, and possessed