ما كنت يا بحر المكارم أحسب

ان الكريم من القناعة يغضب

I never thought, O sea of noble deeds,

That a generous man would be angered by contentment.

جهلا صرفت عن المطامع همتي

وبها إليك ذوو النهي يتقرب

In ignorance I turned my resolve away from seeking gain,

Yet through such seeking the wise draw near to you.

وتركت حظي من نوالك عامدا

فزجرتني فعلمت أني مذنب

And I deliberately forwent my share of your bounty,

So you rebuked me, and I learned I was at fault.

كرم تقر ذوو المطامع عنده

وبه المذلة بالقناعة تكسب

A generosity in whose presence the covetous find rest,

And through which contentment earns humiliation.

فلأ ركبن من المطامع خطة

حتى رضاك ببعضها يستحلب

So I shall surely pursue a course of seeking gain,

Till your favor is milked forth through some of it.

ولأقدمن على التناول كلما

أعطيتني ولو ان عقلي يذهب

And I shall surely dare to accept whenever

You give me, even if my reason leaves me.

فعطاك جم لو يقال لحاتم

خذه لكانت نفسه تتهيب

For your bounty is immense: were Hatim told,

“Take it,” his soul would shrink in awe.

تعطى الجزيل فلا يصدق سائل

إن الذي تعطيه مما يوهب

You give so lavishly that no petitioner believes

That what you give is anything one could bestow.

ويراه مثل المستحيل بجهله

فيظل ينكر قوله ويكذب

And in his ignorance he sees it as something impossible,

So his account is continually denied, and he is called a liar.

ولقد أطعت الجهل حتى فاتني

رزق هنيء من نوالك طيب

Indeed, I obeyed ignorance until I missed

Pleasant, wholesome sustenance from your bounty.

فكفى بذاك عقوبة عن زلتي

الحلم أوسع والمراحم أقرب

So let that suffice as punishment for my lapse:

Forbearance is broader, and mercies nearer.