ذاتٌ تبدَّت في بديع حُلاها

ذاتٌ تبدَّت في بديع حُلاها

مخفية عمن يكون سواها

مخفية عمن يكون سواها

An essence revealed herself in her wondrous adornments,

A being appeared in the perfection of her beauty

Hidden from whoever is other than her.

Hidden from all but herself

وحياةِ من بجمالها نتباهى

وحياةِ من بجمالها نتباهى

إن التي ملأ الوجود هواها

إن التي ملأ الوجود هواها

And by the life of her in whose beauty we glory,

And a life we boast of through her beauty

Indeed, she whose love has filled existence—

She whose love filled existence

أصبحت مشغوفاً بمن سوّاها

أصبحت مشغوفاً بمن سوّاها

هي ذات وجه تنجلي في حضرةٍ

هي ذات وجه تنجلي في حضرةٍ

I have become enamored of the one who fashioned her.

I became enamored with her who created her

She has a face and is unveiled in a presence,

She is an essence whose face shines in the presence

للعاشقين بها الهيام بنظرةٍ

للعاشقين بها الهيام بنظرةٍ

قال الحجى لا بد لي من نفرةٍ

قال الحجى لا بد لي من نفرةٍ

For her lovers, a glance brings rapture.

Of lovers enraptured by her with a glance

Reason said, "I must recoil."

Al-Hajj said I must get away

فلقد تجلت لي بأحسن صورةٍ

فلقد تجلت لي بأحسن صورةٍ

فيها ولم يكن الوجود سواها

فيها ولم يكن الوجود سواها

For she manifested herself to me in the fairest form,

For she has appeared to me in the best form

Within her—and existence was none other than she.

In it and existence was none but her

أنا لم أزل بين الورى أزهو بها

أنا لم أزل بين الورى أزهو بها

وأمد باعي في تناول قربها

وأمد باعي في تناول قربها

I have always gloried in her among humankind,

I have not ceased boasting among creatures about her

And I stretch my arms out to attain nearness to her.

And extending my hand to draw nearer to her

وأقول مع سكرى بخمرة حبها

وأقول مع سكرى بخمرة حبها

من أعجب الأشياء محو محبها

من أعجب الأشياء محو محبها

And I say, drunk on the wine of her love:

And I say in my drunkenness on the wine of her love

Among the strangest things is the effacement of her lover,

Of the most wondrous things is the erasure of her lover

عند الشهود بعرشها وعماها

عند الشهود بعرشها وعماها

ذاتي التي هي في الوجود جديدةٌ

ذاتي التي هي في الوجود جديدةٌ

Upon beholding her at her throne and in her cloud.

In witnessing her throne and her pillars

My essence, which is new in existence—

My being which is something new in existence

كم مغرم أشقته وهي سعيدةٌ

كم مغرم أشقته وهي سعيدةٌ

إني أنا حلل لها معدودةٌ

إني أنا حلل لها معدودةٌ

How many a lover she has made wretched, while she is happy!

How she has enchanted many a lover while she is happy

Indeed, I am a number of robes for her.

I am indeed slight vestiges attributed to her

لطفت عن التشبيه فهي فريدةٌ

لطفت عن التشبيه فهي فريدةٌ

فيما جلته لنا وفي معناها

فيما جلته لنا وفي معناها

Too subtle for comparison, she is unique,

She was gently absolved of metaphor, for she is unique

In what she has unveiled to us and in her meaning.

In what she has majestically revealed to us and its meaning

يا للهوى من غادة بدويةٍ

يا للهوى من غادة بدويةٍ

حضرية وهي التي في خفيةٍ

حضرية وهي التي في خفيةٍ

Oh, the passion for a Bedouin maiden—

Oh, that natural, simple love

City-dwelling too, and she remains hidden.

Learned yet hidden in secrecy

حرنا فلم نرها بغير منيةٍ

حرنا فلم نرها بغير منيةٍ

مع أنها في صورة جسديةٍ

مع أنها في صورة جسديةٍ

We were bewildered and did not see her without death,

It made us mourn for we did not see it except through yearning

Although she is in a bodily form,

Despite her being in a corporeal form

وتَعُزُّ أن تُعْزَى لمن أبداها

وتَعُزُّ أن تُعْزَى لمن أبداها

نحن الشخوص نلوح في مرآتها

نحن الشخوص نلوح في مرآتها

And it is hard to ascribe her to the one who manifested her.

And disdaining to be likened to any who expressed her

We are the figures that appear in her mirror,

We, mere forms, glimmer in her mirror

وهي الوجود لنا بحسن صفاتها

وهي الوجود لنا بحسن صفاتها

أواه واويلاه من فتكاتها

أواه واويلاه من فتكاتها

And she is our existence, through the beauty of her attributes.

While she is existence for us in the perfection of her attributes

Ah, woe is me for her deadly assaults!

Oh woe, oh woe from her blows

حجبت بصورتها حقيقة ذاتها

حجبت بصورتها حقيقة ذاتها

فمماتها في صورها محياها

فمماتها في صورها محياها

She veiled the reality of her essence with her form,

She veiled with her form the reality of her essence

So her death in her forms is her life.

So her annihilation in her forms is her existence