جسد في هوى المليح عليلُ

جسد في هوى المليح عليلُ

وفؤاد للشوق فيه غليلُ

وفؤاد للشوق فيه غليلُ

A body is ailing with love for the beautiful one,

A body in love's passion is frail,

and a heart holds longing's burning thirst.

And a heart wherein longing's fever prevails,

وظهور كما ترى وبطون

وظهور كما ترى وبطون

يحصل النقص منه والتكميل

يحصل النقص منه والتكميل

And manifestation, as you see, and concealment—

With backs, as you see, and bellies,

from it arise deficiency and completion.

Wherein decrease and increase alternate,

وستور تماط عن وجه حقٍّ

وستور تماط عن وجه حقٍّ

فيحق الرجاء والتأميل

فيحق الرجاء والتأميل

And veils are removed from the face of Truth,

And veils drawn before the face of truth,

so hope and expectation are warranted.

Whereby hope in it grows rightful and delays,

وبروق بها الظلام ضياء

وبروق بها الظلام ضياء

ورعود بها العلوم تسيل

ورعود بها العلوم تسيل

And lightning flashes through which darkness becomes light,

And lightnings whereby darkness shines bright,

and thunderclaps through which knowledge flows.

And thunderclaps whereby knowledge flows streaming,

أيها الركب هذه دار سلمى

أيها الركب هذه دار سلمى

فانزلواها ما خاب فيها النزيل

فانزلواها ما خاب فيها النزيل

O caravan, this is Salma's abode;

O company of travellers, this is the abode of Salma,

so alight there: no guest within has been disappointed.

So alight in it, no lodger therein is disappointed,

واسمعوا من فم الوجود كلاماً

واسمعوا من فم الوجود كلاماً

لا اعوجاج به ولا تحويل

لا اعوجاج به ولا تحويل

And hear from the mouth of existence a discourse

And hear from the mouth of existence a discourse

with no crookedness in it and no alteration.

Without crookedness in it or change,

واشربوه عتيقةً جددوها

واشربوه عتيقةً جددوها

بكؤوس مزاجها زنجبيل

بكؤوس مزاجها زنجبيل

And drink it as aged wine; renew it

And drink it, a vintage renewed,

with cups whose mixture is ginger.

In cups whereof the tempering is ginger,

واقرأوه الكتاب لا ريب فيه

واقرأوه الكتاب لا ريب فيه

نازل دائماً به جبريل

نازل دائماً به جبريل

And read it as the Book, in which there is no doubt;

And read it a book wherein is no doubt,

Gabriel continually descends with it.

Brought down on it ever is Gabriel,

وإذا شئتموه فهو مليح

وإذا شئتموه فهو مليح

أغيدٌ زان طرفَه التكحيل

أغيدٌ زان طرفَه التكحيل

And if you desire him, he is a beautiful one,

And if you wish it, it is beautiful,

supple and graceful, his eye adorned with kohl.

A bride whose eyelids are blackened with kohl,

ملك الحسن وجهه الحق نور

ملك الحسن وجهه الحق نور

فوقه التاج لاح والإكليل

فوقه التاج لاح والإكليل

The king of beauty—his true face is light;

The king of beauty His face is light,

above him shone the crown and the circlet.

Above it the crown shines and circlet,

وهو في الكون عندنا قرآن

وهو في الكون عندنا قرآن

لا زبور بقي ولا إنجيل

لا زبور بقي ولا إنجيل

And in the cosmos, for us, he is a Qur'an;

And it is in the world, in our view, Qur'an—

no Psalter remains, nor any Gospel.

No Psalms now left, nor Gospel,

وفهوم جميعها أسرار

وفهوم جميعها أسرار

وعلوم أتى بها التنزيل

وعلوم أتى بها التنزيل

And understandings, all of them mysteries,

And the meanings of them all are mysteries

and forms of knowledge brought by revelation.

And sciences brought by Revelation,

ملة للموحدين نهار

ملة للموحدين نهار

وعلى المشركين ليل طويل

وعلى المشركين ليل طويل

A faith: daylight for believers in oneness,

A creed for unitarians, daytime,

and a long night over those who associate partners with God.

And on associators a long night,

هجموا بالعقول فاغترفوها

هجموا بالعقول فاغترفوها

فإذا في كفوفهم تخييل

فإذا في كفوفهم تخييل

They rushed in with their intellects and scooped her up;

They attacked with their reasons and drew them forth,

then behold—in their palms, an imagined semblance.

And found in their palms but imagining,

وأرادوا أن يظفروا فأتاهم

وأرادوا أن يظفروا فأتاهم

من هداها الحرمان والتضليل

من هداها الحرمان والتضليل

And they wished to attain her, but there came to them

And they desired to gain the prize but there came to them

from her guidance deprivation and misguidance.

Loss, for that He misguided them and led them astray,

قصدوها تكون طبق هواهم

قصدوها تكون طبق هواهم

فأبت واختفى إليها السبيل

فأبت واختفى إليها السبيل

They sought her, wanting her to conform to their desires,

They sought it to be a tray for their passions,

but she refused, and the way to her vanished.

But it refused and to it the way was hidden,

فغدوا ينكرون ما لم ينالوا

فغدوا ينكرون ما لم ينالوا

ولهم بادعائهم تعليل

ولهم بادعائهم تعليل

So they came to deny what they had not attained,

So they took to denying what they could not attain,

and their claims furnished them with rationalizations.

And for their pretention they had an argument,

حظهم مثل حظهم من سواها

حظهم مثل حظهم من سواها

ليس إلا الوسواس والتسويل

ليس إلا الوسواس والتسويل

Their share is like their share of anything besides her:

Their fortune was like their fortune towards other than it—

nothing but whispering doubts and deceptive enticement.

Nothing but delusion and idle desire,

هذه الحضرة التي أهلها قد

هذه الحضرة التي أهلها قد

منعوها عمن به تطفيل

منعوها عمن به تطفيل

This is the Presence whose people have

This is the assembly whose people have

kept her from anyone who intrudes uninvited.

Debarred it from him who seeks to sponge,

ولتفصيلها بهم إجمالٌ

ولتفصيلها بهم إجمالٌ

ولإجمالِها بهم تفصيل

ولإجمالِها بهم تفصيل

Through them, her particulars become a whole,

And to detail it briefly they made a summary,

and through them, her whole becomes particulars.

And to summarize it they made a detail,

وقف القوم حائرين لديها

وقف القوم حائرين لديها

وجريح منهم بها وقتيل

وجريح منهم بها وقتيل

The company stood bewildered before her,

The folk stood perplexed before it,

among them, one wounded by her, another slain.

And by it wounded and slain amongst them,

كلما أومأت إليهم بشيء

كلما أومأت إليهم بشيء

كان للشيء عندهم تفضيل

كان للشيء عندهم تفضيل

Whenever she signaled something to them,

Whenever it beckoned to them with anything,

that thing was favored in their eyes.

That thing with them had preference,

تارة بالجمال فيهم تجلت

تارة بالجمال فيهم تجلت

وعليهم فكل شيء جميل

وعليهم فكل شيء جميل

At times she manifested in them through beauty,

Sometimes with beauty it revealed itself to them,

and upon them—so everything is beautiful.

And thereon everything seems beautiful,

وإذا بالجلال كان التجلي

وإذا بالجلال كان التجلي

طال قالٌ من الجهول وقيل

طال قالٌ من الجهول وقيل

And when the manifestation came through majesty,

And when with majesty the revelation took place,

the ignorant one's talk and hearsay ran on.

Prolonged speech arose from the ignorant and was said,

يا بني هذه الطريقة أنتم

يا بني هذه الطريقة أنتم

في جنان وماؤكم سلسبيل

في جنان وماؤكم سلسبيل

O children of this path, you are

O sons, this path you are upon,

in gardens, and your water is Salsabil.

In gardens, and your water fresh-flowing,

ولكم رزقكم من الله يأتي

ولكم رزقكم من الله يأتي

كم به منه بكرةٌ وأصيل

كم به منه بكرةٌ وأصيل

And your provision comes to you from God;

And your provision comes to you from God,

how often, through Him and from Him, morning and evening!

Mornings and evenings, not stinted,

فاعبدوه به على الكشف منكم

فاعبدوه به على الكشف منكم

وليراعَ التحريمُ والتحليل

وليراعَ التحريمُ والتحليل

So worship Him through Him, with unveiling on your part,

So serve Him thereby with self-disclosure from you,

and let prohibition and permission be observed.

And beware trespass and take care of the lawful and unlawful,

ثم كونوه بالفنا وليَكُنْكُم

ثم كونوه بالفنا وليَكُنْكُم

بالبقا فهو أصلُ فرع أصيل

بالبقا فهو أصلُ فرع أصيل

Then be Him through self-annihilation, and let Him be you

Then be it by annihilation, and let there subsist you

through subsistence—for He is the root of a firmly rooted branch.

By continuance, for that is the root of a genuine branch,

هي سلمى وكلهم طالبوها

هي سلمى وكلهم طالبوها

وإليها كل القلوب تميل

وإليها كل القلوب تميل

She is Salma, and all of them seek her;

She is Salma, and all of them her suitors,

and toward her all hearts incline.

And to her all hearts incline,

ظهرت بالقدود منعطفاتٍ

ظهرت بالقدود منعطفاتٍ

وبوجه كأنه قنديل

وبوجه كأنه قنديل

She appeared in curving figures,

She appeared with slender shape and flexures,

and with a face like a lamp.

And a face like a lamp,

فرأينا الهدى ولا تشبيهٌ

فرأينا الهدى ولا تشبيهٌ

قد بقي عندنا ولا تعطيل

قد بقي عندنا ولا تعطيل

So we saw guidance; no likening of God to creation

We saw guidance, no likening remains with us,

remained with us, nor denial of His attributes.

Continuance abides with us and no nullification,

صاح خفِّض عليك ليس يريك ال

صاح خفِّض عليك ليس يريك ال

حقَّ ذا الإنقطاعُ والتبتيل

حقَّ ذا الإنقطاعُ والتبتيل

Friend, go easy on yourself: it does not show you the

"Hush! Bow yourself, you are not shown by

Truth, this withdrawal and ascetic devotion.

The Real (but) this disconnectedness and detachment!"

لمتى الجهل فيك هاهي لاحت

لمتى الجهل فيك هاهي لاحت

أين منك التكبير والتهليل

أين منك التكبير والتهليل

How long will ignorance remain in you? Behold, she shines forth!

How long the ignorance in you? Behold, it shone,

Where are your cries of 'God is greatest' and 'No god but God'?

Where now from you magnifying and extolling?

لا ترمها إن كنت تبخل بالنف

لا ترمها إن كنت تبخل بالنف

س عليها هيهات يحظى البخيل

س عليها هيهات يحظى البخيل

Do not seek her if you begrudge your

Do not pelt her if you are niggardly towards your soul about her

self to her; far from attainment is the miser!

Never shall the niggard obtain his desire,

وادخل الدار دارها بخضوع

وادخل الدار دارها بخضوع

لتراها بها وأنت ذليل

لتراها بها وأنت ذليل

And enter the house, her house, with submission,

Enter her house submissively, to see her while you are abject,

so you may see her through her, while you are humbled.

And approach with what you contain to her,

وتقرب بما حويت إليها

وتقرب بما حويت إليها

فعساها لما طلبت تنيل

فعساها لما طلبت تنيل

And draw near to her with what you possess;

That perhaps she may grant you your request,

so perhaps she will grant you what you sought.

How many a youth she disclosed herself to and then was veiled,

كم فتى عنه أسفرت وتبدت

كم فتى عنه أسفرت وتبدت

لكن الطرف عن سناها كليل

لكن الطرف عن سناها كليل

From how many a youth she has unveiled herself and appeared!

But the eye from beholding her beauty held back!

But the eye is too weak for her radiance.

While she in the All shows herself in every robe

وهي في الكل تنجلي بثياب ال

وهي في الكل تنجلي بثياب ال

كل لولا التصوير والتمثيل

كل لولا التصوير والتمثيل

And she reveals herself in all things, wearing the garments of

Were it not for figuration and symbolization,

all—were it not for image-making and likeness-making.

A sun whose rays are the souls,

شمس ذات لها النفوس شعاع

شمس ذات لها النفوس شعاع

في البرايا والجسم ظل ظليل

في البرايا والجسم ظل ظليل

A sun of Essence: souls are her rays

In the wilds, while the body is a little shadow,

among created beings; the body is a deep shade.

Everything through her indeed became a thing,

كل شيء بها لقد صار شيئاً

كل شيء بها لقد صار شيئاً

ولتحقيره بها تبجيل

ولتحقيره بها تبجيل

Every thing, through her, has indeed become something,

And by deprecating it she magnified it,

and through her, its abasement becomes honor.

She, none but she, though generations passed away,

فهي لا غيرها وإن راح جيل

فهي لا غيرها وإن راح جيل

قد تجلت به وأقبل جيل

قد تجلت به وأقبل جيل

So it is she, none other, though a generation passes—

Appearing through them as generations came,

one through which she has manifested—and a generation comes.

The meanings are many: error

والمعاني كثيرة من ضلالٍ

والمعاني كثيرة من ضلالٍ

وهدىً لكن الصواب قليل

وهدىً لكن الصواب قليل

And meanings are many, of error

And guidance, but right is little,

and guidance; yet what is right is rare.

And that we are in, it is unaffected by

والذي نحن فيه لايعتريه النس

والذي نحن فيه لايعتريه النس

خ طول المدى ولا التبديل

خ طول المدى ولا التبديل

And what we dwell in is untouched by abrogation

Abrogation or change in the long course of time,

throughout all time, or by alteration.

So cling, I have advised you sincerely,

فتمسك فقد نصحتك والزم

فتمسك فقد نصحتك والزم

وعلى ما أقول ربي الوكيل

وعلى ما أقول ربي الوكيل

So hold fast, for I have counseled you; keep to it.

And keep to what I say, for God is my Guarantor.

And my Lord stands surety for what I say.