أَمِنتُ بِحَمدِ اللَهِ مِمّا أُحاذِرُ

وَأَمسى لي التَوفيقُ مِمّا يُحاصِرُ

I have attained, by the Grace of Allah, that which I feared,

And success has come to me from what besieged me.

وَأَيُّ مَساءٍ ها هُنا قَد رَأَيتُهُ

فَها أَنا فيهِ إِذ دَجا اللَيلُ باكِرُ

And whatever evening I have seen here,

Behold, I am in it as the night falls quickly.

سَأَذكُرُ ما أَولَيتَ وَالذِكرُ شُكرُهُ

وَضامِنَتي فيهِ اللَيالي الغَوابِرُ

I will remember what you have bestowed on me, and remembering it is thanking it,

And my guarantor for that are the heavy nights.

وَحَسبُكَ أَنّي بَعدَ عُقلَةِ مِقوَلي

وَبَعدَ بِلاهُ شاكِرٌ لَكَ ذاكِرُ

It suffices you that after my speech and my confusion,

I am still grateful and remembering you.

فَإِنَّ الَّذي تُبقي المحابِرُ لَيسَ مِن

قَبيلِ الَّذي تَعدو عَلَيهِ المَقابِرُ

Indeed, who you let the nights pass over is not like,

Those over whose graves the nights pass.

أَخَذتُ الَّذي أَولَيتَني وَشَكَرتُهُ

وَما لَكَ مِثلي آخِذٌ مِنكَ شاكِرُ

I took what you bestowed upon me and thanked it,

And there is no one like me, taking from You and thanking You.

وَقَد بَقِيَت عِندَ الأَمانِيِّ فَضلَةٌ

وَأَنتَ عَلى ما يُعجِزُ الناسَ قادِرُ

There remains with hopes, bounty,

While You have power over what makes people helpless.

فَلا تَرَكنن مِنّي إِلى صَبرِ مُقتَضٍ

فَقَد كادَني مَن قالَ إِنّيَ صابِرُ

So do not rely on me exercising patience,

For I was almost destroyed by one who said that I am patient.

إِذا ما مَشى ماشٍ إِلَيكَ بِحاجَةٍ

فَدَع قَولَهُم يَمشي وَقُل هُوَ طائِرُ

When one walks to You with a need,

Disregard their saying he walks, and say he flies.

أَسَرَّكَ أَن قالوا مَشى في طَريقِهِ

إِلَيكَ المُرَجّي وَاِحتَوَتهُ المَعاثِرُ

Does it please you that they said, he who hopes in You walked

On his path to You, and difficulties overwhelmed him?

أَتَتكَ بِيَ الدُنيا لِتَغفِرَ ذَنبَها

إِلَيَّ فَبَشِّرها بِأَنَّكَ غافِرُ

The world brought me to You to forgive its sin against me,

So give it the glad tidings that You are the Forgiver.

فَلا يَشغَلَنَّ المَجدُ بِالحَمدِ قَلبَهُ

فَإِنَّ الَّذي يَبغيهِ عِندِيَ حاضِرُ

Let not glory preoccupy the heart from praising,

For the One I desire is present before me.

أَتى تاجِراً لِلحَمدِ سوقُكَ بابُهُ

وَغُرُّ القَوافي في الكِرامِ مَتاجِرُ

The market of Your praise, its door came to the merchant of praise,

And the themes of poems in generosity are profitable.

وَأَخسَرُ خَلقِ اللَهِ في الصِدقِ صَفحَةً

عَدُوٌّ يَرى أَنّي بِبابِكَ خاسِرُ

And the most loss-making of God's creation in honesty,

Is an enemy who sees me as losing at Your door.

حَلَفتُ لَهُم يا بَحرُ أَنَّكَ راجِعي

وَفي فِيَّ وَالكَفَّينِ مِنكَ الجَواهِرُ

I swore to them, O sea, that you will return,

And pour into me, and into my palms, your pearls.

لَقَد أَسِفَ الأَعداءُ أَنّي إِلَيكُمُ

حَجَجتُ فَلا سُرّوا بِأَنِّيَ نافِرُ

Indeed, the enemies were sorry that I made pilgrimage to You,

So they were not pleased that I have turned away.

أَحاديثُ أَذكى الحَقُّ جَذوَةَ نارِها

وَكُلُّ حَديثٍ يَفتَريهِ فَفاتِرُ

The talks which truth has kindled their raging fire,

And every made-up talk is cold.

إِذا نَحنُ فَضَّلنا عَلى كُبَرائِهِم

فَهَل فيهِمُ مُستَكبِرٌ أَو مُكابِرُ

If we have preferred them over their chiefs,

Is there among them one who is arrogant or obstinate?

وَشَرَّفَني دونَ السَريرِ بِوَقفَةٍ

بِها اِستُخلِصَت في الوُدِّ مِنّي السَرائرُ

And You have honored me with a halt below the throne,

Through which my secrets were extracted in affection.

وَأَدخُلُ مَأَموراً وَأَخرُجُ آمِراً

كَذَلِكَ مَأَمورُ السَلاطينِ آمِرُ

I enter commanded and leave commanding,

Such is the commanded of sultans, the commander.

تَلَفَّتُّ فيها لَم أَجِد لَكَ كاثِراً

وَمَن ذا الَّذي فَوقَ السَماءِ يُكاثِرُ

I looked around and found none rivaling You,

And who above the sky rivals You?

وَصِرتُ بِكَهفٍ تُحجَبُ الشَمسُ دونَهُ

فَللشَمسِ تَحتي مَنكِبٌ مُتَزاوِرُ

I have become a cave with the sun hidden from it,

So the sun under me has a shoulder for setting.