يا رَب إِن أَخْطَأتُ أَوْ نَسِيتُ

فَأَنْتَ لا تَنْسَى وَلا تَمُوتُ

O Lord, if I erred or forgot

You do not forget nor perish

إِنَّ المُوَقَّى مِثْلَ ما وَقِيتُ

أَنْقَذَنِي مِنْ خَوْفِ ما خَشِيتُ

The destined end is like what I feared

Save me from the fear of what I dreaded

رَبِّي وَلَولا دَفْعُهُ تَوِيتُ

فَالجِد أَغْشَانِي الَّذِي غَشِيتُ

My Lord, without His protection, I would have perished

So help me, O You who helped when I cried out

أَرْمِي بِأَيْدِي العِيسِ إِذْ هَوِيتُ

فِي بَلْدَةٍ يَعْيَى بِهَا الخِرِّيتُ

I fling my hands to Jesus when I fall

In a land where the wicked swarm

رَأْيُ الأَدِلَّاء بِهَا شِتِّيتُ

هَيْهَاتَ مِنْهَا مَاؤُها المَأْموتُ

The views of the wise there confused me

Far from it - its waters bring death

مَرتٍ يُنَاصِي حَزْمَها مُرُوتُ

صَحْراءَ لَمْ يَنْبُتْ بِهَا تَنْبِيتُ

Once hosting throngs, now a barren waste

No growth sprouts in this desert

يَمْشِي بِهَا ذا الشِرَّةِ السَبُوتُ

وَهوَ مِن الأَيْنِ حفٍ نَحِيتُ

Where the devilish and cursed roam

As if I'm a sword with which I fight

كأَنَّنِي سَيْفٌ بِهَا إِصلِيتُ

يَنْشَقُّ عَنِّي الحَزْنُ وَالبِرِّيتُ

Grief and bleakness split from me

The white fortress and dark confusion

وَالبَيْضَةُ البَيْضاءُ وَالخُبُوتُ

وَوَد أَعْدائِي لَوْ نُعِيتُ

My enemies wish that I were gone

And I hope in You to see in a dream I was sated

ومِنْك أَرْجُو رُؤْيَا أَنَّنِي سُقِيتُ

سُقِيتُ ماء المُزْن أَوْ سُقِيتُ

Sated with cold honey water or sated

With icy bee nectar after thirst

مِنْ بارِدِ النَحْلِ وَقَدْ صَدِيتُ

قارَبَ نَقْع الرِيِّ أَوْ رَوِيتُ

Almost to the brim of water sweet or sated

When Your food ascended to sustain me

لَمّا عَلَا كَعْبُكَ لِي عَلِيتُ

وَقْعُكَ دَاوانِي وَقَدْ جَوِيتُ

Your fall restored me when I was broken

From my soul's illness after I despaired

مِنْ داءِ نَفْسِي بَعْدَ ما طَنِيتُ

مِثْلَ طَنَي الأَسْنِ وَمَا ضَنِيتُ

Like the despair of years and what I begrudged

Or the archer and how I was targeted

أَوْ صاحِبِ السَهْمِ وَمَا رُمِيتُ

مَسْلَمَ لا أَنْساكَ ما حَييتُ

A Muslim, I shall not forget You while I live

Your pact and what we agreed

عَهْدَكَ وَالعَهْدُ الَّذِي رَضِيتُ

لَو أَشْرَبث السُلْوانَ ما سلِيتُ

If I drank poison, it would not entice me

I need none but You, even if wealthy

ما بِي غِنىً عَنكَ وَإِنْ غَنِيتُ

لَو أَنَّنِي صَمِمْت أَوْ عَمِيتُ

If I were deaf or blind

If I don't believe You, what misery I'd meet

إِن أَنَا لَم أَصْدُقْكَ ما لَقِيتُ

مِنْ كُربٍ فَوْتَ الرَدَى رَدِيتُ

After hardship, missing relief I sought

No longer stalwart but shaken and frail

ما بَعْد أَنِّي مُرْهَقٌ مَبْهوتُ

لا آخُذ النِّصْفَ وَلا أَفُوتُ

I take neither half-measures nor lose resolve

The people are divided and I'm exhausted

قَدْ فَرِقَ النَّاسُ وَقَدْ عَيِيتُ

مِن أَيْن آتِي الأَمْر إِذ أُتِيتُ

Where can I get resolution when called?

Hostage of deceitful devils

رَهْنَ الحَرُورِيِّينَ إِذْ صُرِيتُ

صَمَّاءَ صُمٍّ طَيْرُها سُكُوتُ

Silent birds, their wisdom muted

If not for my waiting, I'd have tested them

لَولا انْتِظاري كَشْفَها بَلِيتُ

إِذْ قَالَ شَيْطانُهُمُ العِفْرِيتُ

When their accursed devil said

You have no dominion or stability

لَيْسَ لَكُمْ مُلْكٌ وَلا تَثْبِيتُ

إِنْ لَمْ يُصَبْ مِنْ صِيتِ سَعْدٍ صِيتُ

Unless overwhelmed by Sa'd's ill-repute

I was obstinate whenever I disobeyed

وكُنْتُ مِجْذاماً إِذَا عَصِيتُ

إِذ الْتَوَى بِي الأَمْر أَوْ لُوِيتُ

When matters twisted or I was bent

I do not yield to terror when afraid

وَلا أُجِيبُ الرُعْبَ إِنْ رُقِيتُ

حَتَّى يَفِيقَ الغَضَبُ الحَمِيتُ

Until wrathful fury is awakened

When the unjust leader turns

إِذَا اسْتَدَارَ البَرَمُ الغَلُوتُ

قُلْتُ وَقَوْلِي عِنْدَهُمْ مَقْتُوتُ

I said - and to them my words are loathed

A saying, when I uttered it, I went astray

مَقَالَةً إِذْ قُلْتُهَا غَوِيتُ

بَلْغٌ إِذَا اسْتَنْطَقْتَنِي صَمُوتُ

An eloquence, if you make me speak, the mute

So I said, I save my soul when saved

فَقُلْت أَنْجُو النَفْس إِذْ نُجِيتُ

هَلْ يَعْصِمَنِّي حَلِفٌ سِخْتِيتُ

Will an oath sanctify me if I swore?

Or silver or sulfur make me secure

أَوْ فِضَّة أَوْ ذَهَبٌ كِبْرِيتُ

مِنْهُمْ وَمِن خَيْلٍ لَهَا صِيْتُ

From them and from horses known for might?

No, I called on God when guided

لا بَلْ دَعَوْتُ اللَّهَ إذْ هُدِيتُ

دَعَوْتُهُ وَالمُتَّقِي ثَبِيتُ

Called on Him, and the pious are secure

He gave me success and no curse reached me

فَانْتَاشَنِي وَلمْ يُصَبْ تَعْنِيتُ

مِنْ رَوْحِهِ رَوْحٌ فَقَدْ حَييْتُ

A spirit from Him, so I came alive

He who saved me without my knowing

إِنَّ الَّذِي نَجَّى وَمَا بُدِيتُ

نَجَّى وَكُلُّ آجِلٍ مَوْقُوتُ

Saved me, and each end is prescribed

Moses, and Moses over whom loomed the Ark

مُوسَى وَمُوسَى فَوْقَهُ التابُوتُ

وَصاحِبَ الحُوتِ وَأَيْنَ الحُوتُ

And the companion of the whale - where's the whale?

In darkness underneath which I wandered

فِي ظلُمَاتٍ تَحْتَهُنَّ هِيتُ

لِلْحُوتِ فِي أَثْنائِهِ بُتُوتُ

For the whale, in its gut, are huts

And the sea foam is its quilts

وَزَبَدُ الماءِ لَهُ كَتِيتُ

تَرَاهُ وَالحُوتُ لَهُ نَئِيتُ

You see it, the whale has its bedding

Both engulfed, immersed

كِلاهُما مُغْتَمِسٌ مَغْتُوتُ

وَكَلْكَلُ الماءِ لَهُ مَبِيتُ

The sea waves its place to sleep

And the night atop the water slumbering

وَاللَّيْلُ فَوْقَ الماءِ مُسْتَمِيتُ

يُدْفَعُ عَنْهُ جَوْفُهُ المَسْحُوتُ

Its hollow belly protects him