إذا لم أُعوَّد منك غير التفضُّل

إذا لم أُعوَّد منك غير التفضُّل

فهل كيف لا أرجوك في كلِّ معضل

فهل كيف لا أرجوك في كلِّ معضل

If I have grown accustomed to nothing from you but gracious favor,

If I have been accustomed to nothing from you but generosity,

how then could I fail to hope in you through every ordeal?

Then how could I not look to you in every difficulty?

وإيَّاك في عَتبي أطيلُ جراءةً

وإيَّاك في عَتبي أطيلُ جراءةً

لأَنَّك في كلِّ الأُمورِ مُؤمَّلي

لأَنَّك في كلِّ الأُمورِ مُؤمَّلي

It is toward you, in my reproach, that I prolong my boldness,

And I boldly prolong my reproach of you,

because in every affair you are the one in whom I place my hope.

Because in all affairs you are my hope,

وأنك بعد اللهِ لا المرتجى الذي

وأنك بعد اللهِ لا المرتجى الذي

عليه اتّكالي بل عليه مُعوَّلي

عليه اتّكالي بل عليه مُعوَّلي

And after God, you are not merely the hoped-for one

And because, after God, you are not merely the one I hope in,

on whom I rely, but the one on whom I wholly depend.

On whom I rely, but the one on whom I depend.

وما أحدٌ إلاَّ ويُقبَرُ ميتاً

وما أحدٌ إلاَّ ويُقبَرُ ميتاً

وها أنا ذا حيٌّ قُبرت بمنزلي

وها أنا ذا حيٌّ قُبرت بمنزلي

No one is ever buried except when dead;

And everyone is buried when dead,

yet here am I, alive, buried in my own home.

Yet here I am, alive, buried in my home.

على أنَّ هذا الدهر طبق سيفهُ

على أنَّ هذا الدهر طبق سيفهُ

الجوارحَ مني مِفصلاً بعد مفصل

الجوارحَ مني مِفصلاً بعد مفصل

Though this age has brought its sword down upon

Moreover, the sword of this age has cleaved

my limbs, joint after joint,

My limbs, joint after joint,

وحمَّلني أعباءه فكأَنَّني

وحمَّلني أعباءه فكأَنَّني

على كاهلي منها أنوءُ بأَجبُل

على كاهلي منها أنوءُ بأَجبُل

and burdened me with its loads, so that I seem

And loaded me with its burdens, as though I

to stagger beneath mountains of those burdens upon my shoulders.

Were staggering beneath mountains of them on my shoulders.

ومذ سدَّ أبوابَ الرجا دون مقصدي

ومذ سدَّ أبوابَ الرجا دون مقصدي

قرعتُ بعتبي منك بابَ التفضُّل

قرعتُ بعتبي منك بابَ التفضُّل

And since the gates of hope were closed before I reached my goal,

And since it barred the doors of hope against my quest,

I have knocked, with my reproach of you, at the gate of gracious favor.

I knocked with my reproach at your door of generosity.

أأصدرُ ظمآناً وقد جئتُ مُورِداً

أأصدرُ ظمآناً وقد جئتُ مُورِداً

رجائيَ مِن جدواك أعذبُ منهلِ

رجائيَ مِن جدواك أعذبُ منهلِ

Am I to leave thirsty, though I have come to a watering place—

Shall I depart thirsty, though I came bringing

my hope in your bounty, the sweetest spring?

My hope to the sweetest spring of your bounty?

وتُسلمني للدهر بعد تيقُّني

وتُسلمني للدهر بعد تيقُّني

بأنَّك مهما راعني الدهرُ مَعقلي

بأنَّك مهما راعني الدهرُ مَعقلي

And will you surrender me to Time, after I became certain

And will you surrender me to Time, after I became certain

that, however Time may terrify me, you are my stronghold?

That, however much Time frightens me, you are my stronghold?

فهب سوء فعلي من صِلاتك مانعي

فهب سوء فعلي من صِلاتك مانعي

فحسنُ رجائي نحو جُودِك موصلي

فحسنُ رجائي نحو جُودِك موصلي

Suppose the evil of my deeds is what bars me from your gifts;

So suppose my wrongdoing bars me from your gifts:

still, the goodness of my hope in your generosity will bring me to them.

Then the goodness of my hope will lead me to your generosity.