بستانَنا في أراضي النيربينِ سقى

بستانَنا في أراضي النيربينِ سقى

رياضَك الغيثُ منهلّاً ومندفقا

رياضَك الغيثُ منهلّاً ومندفقا

O our garden in the lands of al-Nayrabayn, may

Our garden in the lands of Neyrben was watered,

rain water your meadows, pouring down and streaming forth.

Its meadows were rained on from a flowing spring.

يا سعد أيامنا فيه وقد عبقت

يا سعد أيامنا فيه وقد عبقت

روائح الزهر تحكي العنبر العبقا

روائح الزهر تحكي العنبر العبقا

How happy our days there, as there wafted

O Saad, our days in it when the fragrances

the flowers' scents, like fragrant ambergris!

Of flowers diffused ambergris and musk.

والوقت صاف وما في صفوه كدرٌ

والوقت صاف وما في صفوه كدرٌ

ونال قلبي مقام القرب مستبقا

ونال قلبي مقام القرب مستبقا

And time is clear, with no murk in its clarity,

The time was serene with no trouble in its calm,

and my heart attained the station of nearness, racing ahead.

My heart attained the station of proximity.

هي الشخوص تقادير الوجود بدت

هي الشخوص تقادير الوجود بدت

في نوره باطل بالحق قد زهقا

في نوره باطل بالحق قد زهقا

These forms are the determinations of Being, made manifest

The manifestations of existence appeared

in His light—falsehood dispelled by the Truth.

In its light, falsehood with truth had vanished.

ونحن فيه بأنس القرب ليس لنا

ونحن فيه بأنس القرب ليس لنا

من وحشة مثل معشوق ومن عشقا

من وحشة مثل معشوق ومن عشقا

And within it, in the intimacy of nearness, we have

And we in it, in the intimacy of nearness, we have

no estrangement, like a beloved and one who loves.

No desolation, like a lover and the one loved.

قامت معارجنا فيه على درج

قامت معارجنا فيه على درج

من التجلي الإلهي جل من رزقا

من التجلي الإلهي جل من رزقا

Our paths of ascent rose within it upon steps

Our spiritual ascent in it was by steps

of divine self-disclosure—exalted is He who provides!

Of divine revelation, Exalted is He who granted.

والوجه يشرق من خلف الحوادث لي

والوجه يشرق من خلف الحوادث لي

بفيض علم مبين فيه سرُّ بقا

بفيض علم مبين فيه سرُّ بقا

And the Face shines for me from behind created things,

The face shines from behind events, bestowing

with an outpouring of clear knowledge, in which lies the secret of abiding.

The overflowing knowledge in which is the secret of eternity.

الله أكبر هذا كله أثر

الله أكبر هذا كله أثر

مقدرٌ عدمٌ فيه الوجود رقا

مقدرٌ عدمٌ فيه الوجود رقا

God is greatest! All this is a trace,

God is Greatest! All this is but an effect

decreed—a nonbeing in which Being has ascended.

Of predestination, in it existence is thin.

وجود حق إذا أكوانه رمقت

وجود حق إذا أكوانه رمقت

في وجهه الحق لم يترك لها رمقا

في وجهه الحق لم يترك لها رمقا

True Being: when His worlds gaze

The existence of Truth, when its universes fade

upon His true face, He leaves them no breath of life.

In the face of Truth, left no trace for them.

وإن بدا خفيت في نوره وإذا

وإن بدا خفيت في نوره وإذا

بدت ففيها اختفى لا تدرك الشفقا

بدت ففيها اختفى لا تدرك الشفقا

And if He appears, they are hidden in His light; and when

And if it appears, hidden in His light, and when

they appear, He is hidden within them; you discern no twilight.

It appears, in it He is hidden, not reached by the horizon.

لا تستطيع له الأكوان تحضر مع

لا تستطيع له الأكوان تحضر مع

حضوره إذ هما ضدان ما اتفقا

حضوره إذ هما ضدان ما اتفقا

The worlds cannot be present before Him alongside

The universes cannot attend with

His presence, for the two are opposites that never coincide.

His attendance, as they are opposites, not agreeing.

لولا تجليه بالأفعال ما عقلت

لولا تجليه بالأفعال ما عقلت

عقولنا أنه الحق الذي خلقا

عقولنا أنه الحق الذي خلقا

Without His self-disclosure through acts, it would not be understood

Had He not revealed Himself through deeds, our minds

by our minds that He is the Real who created.

Would not have conceived Him as the Truth that originated.

لكننا نتراآه بأعيننا

لكننا نتراآه بأعيننا

من خلف تقديره المعدوم وقت لقا

من خلف تقديره المعدوم وقت لقا

Yet we behold Him with our eyes,

But we see Him with our eyes,

from behind His nonexistent determination, at the moment of encounter.

Behind His predestined nonexistence when encountered.

كم أمة قبلنا كانت تشاهده

كم أمة قبلنا كانت تشاهده

من غير علم به عن قيدها انطلقا

من غير علم به عن قيدها انطلقا

How many a community before us used to behold Him,

How many communities before us

without knowledge of Him, who was free of its fetter.

Used to witness Him without knowing, beyond their bondage.

لو أنهم بفنا أكوانهم علموا

لو أنهم بفنا أكوانهم علموا

لعاينوا وجهها المكشوف قد برقا

لعاينوا وجهها المكشوف قد برقا

Had they known the annihilation of their worlds,

Had they through annihilation of their universes known,

they would have beheld their unveiled face shining forth.

They would have seen His uncovered face shining.

لكنها أغفلتهم عن محاسنها

لكنها أغفلتهم عن محاسنها

فابصروا سترها الفاني الذي انمحقا

فابصروا سترها الفاني الذي انمحقا

But those worlds made them heedless of their beauties,

But it made them oblivious of His beauty,

so they saw their perishing veil, which was effaced.

So they saw His ephemeral veil that vanished.

ولم يزالوا على ما هم عليه إلى

ولم يزالوا على ما هم عليه إلى

أن تم تقديره ذاك الذي سبقا

أن تم تقديره ذاك الذي سبقا

And they remained as they were until

And they remained as they were,

His determination was fulfilled—the one that had gone before.

Until His predestination, the preceded, was completed.