شمس لها قلب الموحد مطلعُ

شمس لها قلب الموحد مطلعُ

ولها النواظر مغرب والمسمعُ

ولها النواظر مغرب والمسمعُ

A sun whose rising place is the heart of one who professes God's oneness.

The sun whose heart is that of the devout has risen

And whose setting place is the eyes and the faculty of hearing.

And it has the gazes as its sunset and hearing

ظهرت علي ولات حين تأمل

ظهرت علي ولات حين تأمل

فالبرق يلمع والحوادث يلمع

فالبرق يلمع والحوادث يلمع

She appeared to me when there was no time for contemplation;

It appeared to me when I contemplated

For lightning flashes, and created things are a mirage.

So lightning flashes and events flash

يا ساكن الغيب المقدس نظرة

يا ساكن الغيب المقدس نظرة

لأسير شوق بالمطامع يخدع

لأسير شوق بالمطامع يخدع

O dweller in the sacred unseen, cast a glance

O dweller of the sacred unseen, a look

Toward a captive of longing, deceived by hopes.

For a prisoner of passion with hopes that deceive

هو ميْتُ هجرٍ بالبعاد مكفَّنٌ

هو ميْتُ هجرٍ بالبعاد مكفَّنٌ

صَلِيَت بنار الحب منه الأضلع

صَلِيَت بنار الحب منه الأضلع

He is dead of estrangement, shrouded in separation;

He is dead of separation, shrouded in remoteness

His ribs have been scorched by the fire of love.

His ribs saluted with the fire of love

وجه له كتمته ظلمة كونه

وجه له كتمته ظلمة كونه

وعليه من نسج العناكب برقع

وعليه من نسج العناكب برقع

He has a face, concealed by the darkness of his being,

A face whose darkness was veiled by his existence

And over it is a veil woven by spiders.

And over it a cobweb garment of patches

فإذا التفتَّ إليه يا قمر الحمى

فإذا التفتَّ إليه يا قمر الحمى

عمرت ببهجتك الديار البلقع

عمرت ببهجتك الديار البلقع

So if you turn toward him, O moon of the sanctuary,

So if you turn to him, O moon of fervor

The desolate dwellings come alive with your splendor.

You would grace the places with your radiance

وبنورك الأكوان مشرقة فلا

وبنورك الأكوان مشرقة فلا

يخلو مكان من سناك وموضع

يخلو مكان من سناك وموضع

And with your light the worlds shine, so

With your light the universes are shining so

No place or spot is empty of your radiance.

No place is devoid of your brilliance and position

والسر أنت ونحن عنك إشارة

والسر أنت ونحن عنك إشارة

لا زال منك بكل قلب أصبع

لا زال منك بكل قلب أصبع

And you are the mystery; we are a sign of you;

The secret is you and we are but a sign of you

A finger from you ever abides in every heart.

A finger still points to you with all hearts

وعيوننا بك ناظرات والحشى

وعيوننا بك ناظرات والحشى

أبدا بعشقك في الملاح مولع

أبدا بعشقك في الملاح مولع

And our eyes gaze through you, and the heart

Our eyes are watchers of you and the feelings

Is forever enthralled by love of you in the fair.

Are ever infatuated with loving you

ووجودنا هو أنت لا أشخاصنا

ووجودنا هو أنت لا أشخاصنا

جسماً وروحاً إننا نتقطع

جسماً وروحاً إننا نتقطع

And our existence is you, not our individual selves;

Our existence is you, not our personas

In body and spirit, we are indeed torn apart

In body and soul we are torn apart

بالفرق والجمع اللذين هما لنا

بالفرق والجمع اللذين هما لنا

لا زلت أفرق في الوجود وأجمع

لا زلت أفرق في الوجود وأجمع

By differentiation and union, both of which are ours.

By the separation and union that are ours

I never cease to differentiate and unite within existence.

I still differentiate in existence and unite

الله أكبر هذه حلل البَها

الله أكبر هذه حلل البَها

وجهُ المليحةِ ظاهرٌ يتشعشع

وجهُ المليحةِ ظاهرٌ يتشعشع

God is greatest! These are the robes of splendor;

God is Great, these are the adornments of splendor

The fair one's face is manifest, gleaming.

The beautiful face is apparent, radiating

ما نالها إلا الذي هو محرمٌ

ما نالها إلا الذي هو محرمٌ

والأجنبيُّ على التباعد يطمع

والأجنبيُّ على التباعد يطمع

None has attained her except one who is an intimate;

None can attain it but the privileged

And the stranger, despite his distance, covets her.

While the stranger hopes for distance

إياك تقنع بالسوى عن حسنها

إياك تقنع بالسوى عن حسنها

إن السوى ما فيه عنها مقنع

إن السوى ما فيه عنها مقنع

Beware of settling for anything else instead of her beauty;

Do not be content with anything less than its beauty

For nothing else can satisfy in her stead.

For anything less cannot satisfy about it

هي رامة هي لعلعٌ ولأجل ذا

هي رامة هي لعلعٌ ولأجل ذا

ناديتها يا رامة يا لعلع

ناديتها يا رامة يا لعلع

She is Rāmah; she is Laʿlaʿ; and for this reason

It is lofty, it is brilliant, and for that

I called to her, “O Rāmah, O Laʿlaʿ!”

I called it “O lofty, O brilliant”

وهي الحوادث باعتبار وجودها

وهي الحوادث باعتبار وجودها

وسوى الوجود عن التحقق يمنع

وسوى الوجود عن التحقق يمنع

And she is created things, in respect of their existence;

It is events in consideration of its existence

And what is other than existence is barred from actuality.

Other than existence, it defies attainment

والكل محتاج إليه لأنهم

والكل محتاج إليه لأنهم

بسواه للعدم المحقق أسرع

بسواه للعدم المحقق أسرع

And all have need of it, for they

All need it for without it they

Apart from it, hasten toward certain nonexistence.

Hasten to the realized oblivion

والنور تلك وما سواها ظلمة

والنور تلك وما سواها ظلمة

فإذا أرادت أن ترى تتقشع

فإذا أرادت أن ترى تتقشع

And she is light; whatever is other than her is darkness;

That light it is, and anything else is darkness

Then, when she wills to be seen, it clears away.

When it wants to be seen, it illuminates

كثرت لكثرة ما ترى بشئونها

كثرت لكثرة ما ترى بشئونها

وعن الجميع لها المقام الأرفع

وعن الجميع لها المقام الأرفع

She grew manifold through the multitude you see in her manifestations;

It multiplied due to the multitude it sees in its affairs

And above all, hers is the highest station.

And it has the highest position over all

وهي الوحيدة ما لها من مشية

وهي الوحيدة ما لها من مشية

والوتر والشفع الذي لا يشفع

والوتر والشفع الذي لا يشفع

And she is the sole one; she has no gait;

It alone has no intention apart from it

And the odd and the even that is not paired.

The one and the even which has no intercession

لا تحتجب عنها بكثرة فعلها

لا تحتجب عنها بكثرة فعلها

فعل المليحة للمليحة يرجع

فعل المليحة للمليحة يرجع

Do not veil yourself from her through the multiplicity of her acts;

Do not veil yourself from it by the multitude of its action

The fair one's action returns to the fair one.

The action of the beautiful returns to the beautiful

ولنا إشارات وتلك لها بها

ولنا إشارات وتلك لها بها

هي إن تشا فهمت وفاض المنبع

هي إن تشا فهمت وفاض المنبع

And we have allusions; those are hers, through her.

We have signs while it has thereby

She, if she wills, is understood, and the wellspring overflows.

If it wills, it understands and the spring overflows

أهدت إلى عبد الغني غناءها

أهدت إلى عبد الغني غناءها

عما سواه وهو فقر مدقع

عما سواه وهو فقر مدقع

She bestowed upon ʿAbd al-Ghanī her freedom from need

It guided its servant to the richness of its melody

Of all besides Him, though he is abject poverty itself.

Beyond anything else, and he is abject poverty

ومتى يحاول ذكرها هو بلبل

ومتى يحاول ذكرها هو بلبل

بالنطق منها في رباها يسجع

بالنطق منها في رباها يسجع

And whenever he attempts to mention her, he is a nightingale;

And whenever he tries to mention it, he is a nightingale

With speech from her, he warbles on her hills.

Articulating through its nesting, singing poetry

وهي الأمان له فما هو خائف

وهي الأمان له فما هو خائف

في النشأتين بها ولا هو يفزع

في النشأتين بها ولا هو يفزع

And she is his safety, so he has no fear

It is his safety, so he fears nothing

In either life, through her, nor is he alarmed.

In both lifetimes, through it he trembles not