عشق المليح الغالي

عشق المليح الغالي

أفنى وجود العاشقْ

أفنى وجود العاشقْ

Love for the precious, beautiful one

Love for the precious, beautiful one

has annihilated the lover’s very being.

has annihilated the lover's existence.

ما عنه قلبي سالي

ما عنه قلبي سالي

لعرفْ حسنُهْ ناشقْ

لعرفْ حسنُهْ ناشقْ

Never is my heart forgetful of him,

My heart has not forgotten him,

but breathes in the fragrance of his beauty.

breathing in the fragrance of his beauty.

هذا علينا والي

هذا علينا والي

بالسهم قلبي راشقْ

بالسهم قلبي راشقْ

This one is sovereign over us,

This one rules over us;

shooting his arrow into my heart.

with the arrow he strikes my heart.

غيبت عن أحوالي

غيبت عن أحوالي

ما الصعو مثل الباشقْ

ما الصعو مثل الباشقْ

I have been made absent from all my states;

I was made oblivious to my own states;

sobriety is no match for the sparrowhawk.

the wren is not like the sparrowhawk.

لما بدا يتجلّى

لما بدا يتجلّى

بحسن وجهٍ زاهي

بحسن وجهٍ زاهي

When he appeared, revealing himself,

When he appeared, revealing himself

in the beauty of a radiant face,

in the beauty of a radiant face,

إليه قلبي صلّى

إليه قلبي صلّى

وما أنا باللاهي

وما أنا باللاهي

my heart prayed toward him—

my heart prayed toward him,

I am no heedless trifler.

and I am not distracted.

وفي هواه كلا

وفي هواه كلا

عنه تراني ساهي

عنه تراني ساهي

And in love of him—never

And in loving him, never

will you find me heedless of him.

will you find me heedless of him.

وكاتب الأمالي

وكاتب الأمالي

في لوح قلبي ماشق

في لوح قلبي ماشق

And the scribe of dictated teachings

And the scribe of dictations

writes with a flowing hand upon my heart’s tablet.

writes flowing script on the tablet of my heart.

صلى وسلم ربي

صلى وسلم ربي

على كثير الأنوار

على كثير الأنوار

May my Lord bless and grant peace

May my Lord bless and grant peace

upon him who abounds in lights:

upon the one abundant in lights,

طه نبي القرب

طه نبي القرب

ومن حُبِي بالأسرار

ومن حُبِي بالأسرار

Taha, the Prophet of nearness,

Ta-Ha, the Prophet of nearness,

he whom I love in secret.

and the one endowed with secrets.

عبد الغني بالحب

عبد الغني بالحب

فيه كثير الأطوار

فيه كثير الأطوار

ʿAbd al-Ghani, through love

Abd al-Ghani, in his love

of him, is manifold in states—

for him, passes through many states,

ما لاح نجم عالي

ما لاح نجم عالي

في جنح ليل واسق

في جنح ليل واسق

so long as a lofty star gleams

as long as a star gleams on high

within the wing of all-gathering night.

in the darkness of an enfolding night.