لنا غرقٌ كلنا في القدمْ

لنا غرقٌ كلنا في القدمْ

ببحر الوجود وبحر العدمْ

ببحر الوجود وبحر العدمْ

We are all drowned in beginningless eternity,

We all are drowning in antiquity

in the sea of existence and the sea of nonexistence.

In the sea of existence and the sea of nonexistence

فيحكم هذا على بعضنا

فيحكم هذا على بعضنا

وهذا على بعضنا قد حكم

وهذا على بعضنا قد حكم

So this one rules over some of us,

So this one rules over some of us

and this other has ruled over some of us.

And that one rules over some of us

ويسبح في النور منا الفتى

ويسبح في النور منا الفتى

ويسبح جاهلنا في الظلم

ويسبح جاهلنا في الظلم

And the young man among us swims in the light,

And the youth among us swims in the light

and our ignorant one swims in darkness.

While our ignorant one swims in the darkness

وبحران عندي هما يجريان

وبحران عندي هما يجريان

فبحرٌ بلحمٍ وبحر بدم

فبحرٌ بلحمٍ وبحر بدم

And I have two seas, both flowing:

And I have two seas that flow

one sea in flesh and one sea in blood.

One of flesh and one of blood

وبينهما برزخ ظاهر

وبينهما برزخ ظاهر

فلا يبغيان لأمر أتم

فلا يبغيان لأمر أتم

And between them is a visible barrier,

And between them is an apparent isthmus

so neither transgresses, owing to a most perfect command.

So they do not desire for a more perfect matter

وبرزخه عالم الجبروت

وبرزخه عالم الجبروت

خيال له الغي والعقل همّ

خيال له الغي والعقل همّ

And its barrier is the realm of divine omnipotence—

And its isthmus is the world of omnipotence

an illusion to which error belongs, and reason is anguish.

An imagination that preoccupies the mind and the intellect

فكن رجلا عارفا لا تكن

فكن رجلا عارفا لا تكن

جهولاً وربك عنك انبهم

جهولاً وربك عنك انبهم

So be a man who knows; do not be

So be a man of knowledge, do not be

utterly ignorant, with your Lord obscured from you,

An ignorant one while your Lord is disappointed in you

وتعبد طيف الخيال الذي

وتعبد طيف الخيال الذي

ترى في المنام أفقْ لا تنم

ترى في المنام أفقْ لا تنم

while you worship the phantom of imagination that

And worship the specter of imagination that

you see in dreams. Awake; do not sleep.

You see in a dream, a horizon that does not sleep

فهذا الوجود وأفعاله

فهذا الوجود وأفعاله

هي العدم المحض لا غير ثم

هي العدم المحض لا غير ثم

So this existence and its acts

For this existence and its actions

are pure nonexistence; nothing else is there.

Are absolute nothingness, nothing else, it is done

وحاصله أنه لا سوى

وحاصله أنه لا سوى

وبعض خلاف لبعض وتم

وبعض خلاف لبعض وتم

And the sum of it is that there is no other,

And its summation is that there is nothing but

and some are opposed to others—and that is all.

Some contrary to some, and it is complete