وَذِي حَدَبٍ يَلْتَجُّ بِالسُّفْنِ كُلَّمَا

زَفَتْهُ نَؤُوجٌ فَهُوَ يَعْلُو وَيَسْفُلُ

With undulating ridges it surges with ships

Each time the waves carry it, it rises and falls

كَأَنَّ اطِّرَادَ الْمَوْجِ فَوْقَ سَرَاتِهِ

نَعَائِمُ فِي عَرْضِ السَّمَاوَةِ جُفَّلُ

As if the constant motion of the waves upon its decks

Are sails billowing in the breadth of the heavens

إِذَا شَاغَبَتْهُ الرِّيحُ جَاشَ عُبَابُهُ

وَظَلَّ أَعَالِي مَوْجِهِ يَتَجَفَّلُ

When the winds disturb it, its foam seethes

And the tops of its waves cap and spray

يَهِيجُ فَيَرْغُو أَوْ يَعِجُّ كَأَنَّمَا

تَخَبَّطَهُ مِنْ أَوْلَقِ الضِّغْنِ أَزْفَلُ

It swells and then subsides as though

It was shaken by the breaking of the ocean swells

تَقَسَّمَهُ خُلْقَانِ لِينٌ وَشِدَّةٌ

بِعَصْفَةِ رِيحٍ فَهْوَ دَاهٍ وَأَرْفَلُ

Its nature divided into gentleness and violence

By a gust of wind, at times serene, and at times choppy

عَلَوْنَا مَطَاهُ وَهْوَ سَاجٍ فَمَا انْبَرَتْ

لَه الرِّيحُ حَتَّى ظَلَّ يَهْفُو وَيَرْفُلُ

We mounted its crest while it was tranquil but no sooner

Had the wind stirred before it began to pitch and roll

كَأَنَّا عَلَى أُرْجُوحَةٍ كُلَّمَا وَنَتْ

أَحَالَ عَلَيْهَا قَائِمٌ لَيْسَ يَغْفُلُ

As if we were on a swing, whenever a rider

Boarded it, heedless of its motion

فَطَوْرَاً لَنَا فِي غَمْرَةِ اللَّجِّ مَسْبَحٌ

وَطَوْرَاً لَنَا بَيْنَ السِّمَاكَيْنِ مَحْفِلُ

At times plunging us into the deep trough

And at times lifting us between the two abysses

فَلا هُوَ إِنْ رُعْنَاهُ بِالْجِدِّ يَرْعَوِي

وَلا إِنْ سَأَلْنَاهُ الْهَوَادَةَ يَحْفِلُ

It would not steady, however much we checked it

Nor calm, however much tranquility we asked of it

عَرَوْنَا فَأَبْخَلْنَاهُ فَضْلَ حِبَائِهِ

وَمِنْ عَجَبٍ إِمْسَاكُهُ وَهُوَ نَوْفَلُ

We roamed it, our shares of its bounty withheld

And strangely, it kept its abundance though plenteous

قَلِيلٌ عَلَى عَهْدِ الإِخَاءِ ثَبَاتُهُ

فَأَسْفَلُهُ عَالٍ وَعَالِيهِ سَافِلُ

Fleeting is its constancy in brotherly accord

Its top is low, and its bottom is high

إِذَا حَرَّكَتْهُ غَضْبَةٌ مَاتَ حِلْمُهُ

وَظَلَّ عَلَى أَضْيَافِهِ يَتَأَفَّلُ

When angered, its patience dies

And it remains imposing upon its guests

شَدِيدُ الْحُمَيَّا يَرْهَبُ النَّاسُ بَطْشَهُ

وَلَكِنَّهُ مِنْ نَفْخَةِ الرِّيحِ يُجْفِلُ

Fierce in zeal, people dread its might

Yet it is dispersed by a puff of wind

كَأَنَّ أَعَالِي الْمَوْجِ عِهْنٌ مُشَعَّثٌ

بِهِ وَانْحِدَارَ السَّيْحِ شَعْرٌ مُفَلْفَلُ

As if the towering waves are disheveled hair

Streaming with it, while the descending spray is tousled curls

ذَكَرْنَا بِهِ مَا قَدْ مَضَى مِنْ ذُنُوبِنَا

وَفِي النَّاسِ إِنْ لَمْ يَرْحَمِ اللَّهُ غُفَّلُ

We recalled our past sins

And lacking God's mercy, all people are negligent

وَكَيْفَ تُرَانَا صَانِعِينَ وَكُلُّنَا

بِقَارُورَةٍ صَمَّاءَ وَالْبَابُ مُقْفَلُ

What can we do, when we are all

In a sealed urn with a locked door?

فَلا تَبْتَئِسْ إِنْ فَاتَ حَظٌّ فَرُبَّمَا

أَضَاءَتْ مَصَابِيحُ الدُّجَى وَهْيَ أُفَّلُ

So do not despair if fortune misses you

For the lamps of dusk may yet illuminate when darkened

فَقَدْ يَبْرَأُ الدَّاءُ الْعُضَالُ وَيَنْجَلِي

ضَبَابُ الرَّزَايَا وَالْمُسَافِرُ يَقْفُلُ

Disease may yet be cured and adversity dispelled

The fog of sins may lift and the traveler return

وَكَيْفَ يَخَافُ الْمَرْءُ حَيْفَاً وَرَبُّهُ

بِأَحْسَن مَا يَرْجُو مِنَ الرِّزْقِ يَكْفُلُ

How can one fear injustice when one's Lord

Guarantees the best of livelihoods one hopes for?