أَبا العَبّاسِ ما ظَنّي بِشُكري

أَبا العَبّاسِ ما ظَنّي بِشُكري

إِذا ما كُنتَ تَعفو بِالذَميمِ

إِذا ما كُنتَ تَعفو بِالذَميمِ

O Abu al-Abbas, what may I expect for my thanks

O Abu al-Abbas, what do I think will be my gratitude

O Abu al-Abbas, I do not deem my gratitude,

when you grant pardon for what is blameworthy?

When you pardon the slanderer?

Should you choose to pardon, a thing of blame.

وَإِنّي وَالَّذي حاوَلتَ مِنّي

وَإِنّي وَالَّذي حاوَلتَ مِنّي

لَمُعوَجٌ دَفَعتَ إِلى مُقيمِ

لَمُعوَجٌ دَفَعتَ إِلى مُقيمِ

And I—by what you sought from me—

By Him whom you have tried with me,

For truly I, in the task you sought to mend,

am indeed a crooked man you have handed to a straightener.

I am crooked, but you made me upright,

Am a crooked branch entrusted to a straightener.

وَكُنتَ أَباً سِوى أَن لَم تَلِدني

وَكُنتَ أَباً سِوى أَن لَم تَلِدني

رَحيماً أَو أَبَرَّ مِنَ الرَحيمِ

رَحيماً أَو أَبَرَّ مِنَ الرَحيمِ

And you were a father, save that you did not beget me,

You were a father to me, had you not given me birth,

You were a father—save that you begot me not—

merciful—or kinder than the merciful.

Merciful, or more merciful than the Merciful.

Merciful, nay, even kinder than the merciful.

حَلَفتُ بِرَبِّ ياسينٍ وَطَهَ

حَلَفتُ بِرَبِّ ياسينٍ وَطَهَ

وَأُمِّ الآيِ وَالذِكرِ الحَكيمِ

وَأُمِّ الآيِ وَالذِكرِ الحَكيمِ

I swore by the Lord of Ya-Sin and Ta-Ha

I swear by the Lord of Ya Sin and Taha,

I have sworn by the Lord of Ya-Sin and Ta-Ha,

and the Mother of the Verses and the wise Remembrance:

And the Mother of the Book, and the Wise Remembrance,

By the Essence of Verses and the Wise Reminder:

لَئِن أَصبَحتُ ذا جُرمٍ عَظيمٍ

لَئِن أَصبَحتُ ذا جُرمٍ عَظيمٍ

لَقَد أَصبَحتَ ذا عَفوٍ كَريمِ

لَقَد أَصبَحتَ ذا عَفوٍ كَريمِ

if indeed I have become guilty of a grave offense,

If I wake up guilty of a terrible crime,

That if I have come to bear a sin of vast proportion,

you have surely become a man of generous pardon.

You will have woken up with noble pardon.

Then you are possessed of a pardon most noble.

وَلي حُرَمٌ فَلا تَنتَطَّ عَنها

وَلي حُرَمٌ فَلا تَنتَطَّ عَنها

فَتَدفَعَ حَقَّها دَفعَ الغَريمِ

فَتَدفَعَ حَقَّها دَفعَ الغَريمِ

And I have sacred claims; do not turn away from them,

I have inviolable rights, so do not turn away from them

I hold sacred claims, so do not turn far from them,

thereby denying their due as a debtor does.

And reject her rights, rejecting the disinherited,

Denying their due like a debtor shunning payment.

تَغافَلُ لي كَأَنَّكَ واسِطِيٌّ

تَغافَلُ لي كَأَنَّكَ واسِطِيٌّ

وَبَيتُكَ بَينَ زَمزَمَ وَالحَطيمِ

وَبَيتُكَ بَينَ زَمزَمَ وَالحَطيمِ

You turn a blind eye for my sake, as though you were from Wasit,

You overlook my sins as if you are my intercessor

You feign ignorance of me like a stranger from Wasit,

though your house is between Zamzam and al-Hatim.

And your house is between Zamzam and Hatim.

Though your true house stands 'twixt Zamzam and Al-Hatim.