کَریما، بِبَخْشای بَر حالِ ما
کِه هَسْتیم اَسیرِ کَمَنْدِ هَوا
نَداریم غَیْر اَز تو فَریادْرَس
تُویی عاصِیان را خَطا بَخْش و بَس
نِگَهدار ما را زِ راهِ خَطا
خَطا دَرْگُذار و صَوابَم نَما
(یا: کِه هَسْتیم گِرِفْتارِ کَمَنْدِ هَوا)
Meaning
O Generous One! Pardon our condition
For we are captives in the snare of our desires!
We have none other than You whom we can call upon for help!
You alone are the Forgiver of sinners.
Guard over us/Protect us from the path of sin
Pardon our mistakes, and guide us to righteousness.
Language
Persian/Farsi
Transliteration
Kareema bi bakhshai bar haale-maa
Ki hastam aseeray kamanday hawaa
Nadareem Ghair Az Tu Faryaad Ras
Tui Aasiyan Ra Khata Baksh wa bas
Nigahdar Ma Ra ZeRaahe Khata
Khata Dar Guzaar wa Sawabam Numa
Video/Audio
Brief Explanation
The prayer to the Most Generous One asks for forgiveness, realising that we human beings are easily waylaid by our desires unless protected by the Lord—who else but Him? It goes further to seek protection from sins and asks for guidance.
Background
These lines are the beginning of Saadi Shirazi’s Pandnamah, or Scroll of Wisdom, and it is often known as “Kareema” due to the line Kareemaa bi bakhshai bar haale maa. In South Asia, this is one of the first encounters with Persian poetry for any scholar interested in exploring the rich mother-lode of oriental wisdom. It is also considered a blessing to study the poem because it is itself a prayer.
