خليلي ما بال القوافل هكذا

خليلي ما بال القوافل هكذا

عن الحق مصرفون وهو ضلالُ

عن الحق مصرفون وهو ضلالُ

My two friends, why are the caravans like this,

My friend, why are the caravans thus

turned away from the Real—and this is error?

Turning away from the truth, which is misguidance?

يرون الوجود الحق للخلق ظاهراً

يرون الوجود الحق للخلق ظاهراً

يُحققُ هذا عندهم ويقال

يُحققُ هذا عندهم ويقال

They see true existence as manifestly belonging to creation;

They see the existence of the creation as manifest

this is affirmed among them and declared.

This is realized for them, it is said

كأن الوجود الخلق صار محقَّقاً

كأن الوجود الخلق صار محقَّقاً

وأما الوجود الحق فهو خيال

وأما الوجود الحق فهو خيال

As though creation's existence had become established as real,

As if the existence of creation has been realized

while true existence is an illusion.

While the existence of Truth is an illusion

خيال لديهم ظاهر في نفوسهم

خيال لديهم ظاهر في نفوسهم

لهم غائب عنهم وذاك محال

لهم غائب عنهم وذاك محال

An illusion to them, manifest within their souls,

An illusion in their minds, manifest

yet, to them, absent from them—and that is impossible.

Absent from them, which is impossible

فهم يعبدون الله فيما تخيلوا

فهم يعبدون الله فيما تخيلوا

وقد بان في كل العقول عقال

وقد بان في كل العقول عقال

So they worship God in what they have imagined,

So they worship God in what they imagined

and a fetter has become apparent in every intellect.

And it has become clear to all minds, rationally

وإن الوجود الحق صار مقيداً

وإن الوجود الحق صار مقيداً

لديهم بأشيا تنمحي وتُزال

لديهم بأشيا تنمحي وتُزال

And indeed, true existence has become constrained,

That the existence of Truth has become restricted

in their view, by things that are effaced and removed.

For them by things that fade and disappear

فمن أجل هذا أنكروه وقد بدا

فمن أجل هذا أنكروه وقد بدا

وغاب وهامت في هواه رجال

وغاب وهامت في هواه رجال

So for this reason they denied Him, though He appeared,

And so because of this, they denied it though it appeared

and became hidden, while men wandered, lost in love for Him.

And was absent, and men roamed in its passion

به شُغلوا عنه وآثارُ صنعه

به شُغلوا عنه وآثارُ صنعه

تقاديرُ حالت دونَه وظلال

تقاديرُ حالت دونَه وظلال

By Him they were distracted from Him; and the traces of His handiwork

Preoccupied with it, and the traces of His making

are decrees and shadows that have come between them and Him.

The ordainments of states prevented them, and shadows

فلا هم مع الأقوام فيما تحققوا

فلا هم مع الأقوام فيما تحققوا

ولا هم على تحقيقهم فيخال

ولا هم على تحقيقهم فيخال

So they are not with the people in what they have ascertained,

So they are neither with the people in what they realized

nor do they stand by their own certainty—so one supposes.

Nor with establishing their realization, so they differ

وجهل على جهل فجهل مركب

وجهل على جهل فجهل مركب

وليس لهم في دفع ذاك مجال

وليس لهم في دفع ذاك مجال

And ignorance upon ignorance—thus, compound ignorance;

Ignorance upon ignorance, so compounded ignorance

and they have no way to dispel that.

And they have no means of dispelling that