لقد نظرت قومٌ بطرف لهم قذِي

لقد نظرت قومٌ بطرف لهم قذِي

فلم يشهدوا إلا حجاب جمال ذي

فلم يشهدوا إلا حجاب جمال ذي

Some people indeed looked with a mote-clouded eye of theirs;

Some looked with eyes that barely see

so they saw only the veil of this one's beauty.

And witnessed naught but veils of beauty

وقوم لقد شموا شذا روضها الشذِي

وقوم لقد شموا شذا روضها الشذِي

يقولون لي ما العلم ما السر ما الذي

يقولون لي ما العلم ما السر ما الذي

And others indeed breathed in the fragrance of her fragrant garden.

While others sensed the garden’s fragrant breeze

They say to me: What is knowledge? What is the secret? What is it

And asked “What knowledge, what secret is this?”

هو الجوهر الغالي عن البحر خبِّرْنا

هو الجوهر الغالي عن البحر خبِّرْنا

على صحبنا غنت فِصاحُ طيورِنا

على صحبنا غنت فِصاحُ طيورِنا

that is the precious jewel? Tell us about the sea.

“Tell us, o pearl diver, of the precious pearl

Our eloquent birds sang over our companions;

That graced our company and made our birds sing

وذات الحميا أشرقت في صدورِنا

وذات الحميا أشرقت في صدورِنا

تجلت علينا تنجلي فوق طورِنا

تجلت علينا تنجلي فوق طورِنا

and she of the wine's ardor shone within our breasts.

The Praised One shone within our hearts

She revealed herself to us, shining forth above our Mount.

Revealing herself atop our holy mount”

فقلت لهم هذي مطالع نورِنا

فقلت لهم هذي مطالع نورِنا

ومغربها فينا ومشرقها منّا

ومغربها فينا ومشرقها منّا

So I said to them: These are the rising places of our light;

I said “These are the dawning rays of our light

and her setting-place is within us, and her rising-place is from us.

Whose setting lies within us, whose rising is through us

إلى حضرات الحق كان ارتفاعُنا

إلى حضرات الحق كان ارتفاعُنا

ومنا لقد مدت إلى الغيب باعُنا

ومنا لقد مدت إلى الغيب باعُنا

Our ascent was to the presences of the Real;

Our ascent was towards Truth’s holy presences

and from us our arm-span was indeed stretched toward the unseen.

And our gifts reached into the Unseen through us

وفي أزل الآزال زاد انتفاعُنا

وفي أزل الآزال زاد انتفاعُنا

على الدرة البيضاء كان اجتماعُنا

على الدرة البيضاء كان اجتماعُنا

And in the beginningless eternity of eternities our gain increased;

Before all time, in eternity’s origin

our gathering was upon the white pearl;

We gathered as one upon the White Pearl

ومن قبل خلق الخلق والعرش قد كنّا

ومن قبل خلق الخلق والعرش قد كنّا

سحاب غيوب الذات تمطر ماءَنا

سحاب غيوب الذات تمطر ماءَنا

and we already existed before the creation of creatures and the Throne.

Before the cosmos and the Throne’s creation

The clouds of the Essence's mysteries rain down our water;

We were clouds of the Essence raining our water

ومن حُطَّ قدراً كيف يدري سماءَنا

ومن حُطَّ قدراً كيف يدري سماءَنا

ولما استرحنا واطَّرحنا عناءَنا

ولما استرحنا واطَّرحنا عناءَنا

and how can one brought low in rank know our sky?

How can one fated to lowness know our heaven?

And when we found rest and cast off our hardship,

When we took rest and shed our burden

تركنا البحار الزخرات وراءَنا

تركنا البحار الزخرات وراءَنا

فمن أين تدري الناس أين توجهنا

فمن أين تدري الناس أين توجهنا

we left the surging seas behind us.

We left behind the abundant, thrashing seas

So how can people know where we have headed?

So how can people know where we are headed?

كشفنا عن الوجه الجميل غياهبا

كشفنا عن الوجه الجميل غياهبا

وقد صار منا السر للكل ناهبا

وقد صار منا السر للكل ناهبا

We lifted darkness from the beautiful face;

Lifting the veils from that beautiful face

and from us the secret has become a plunderer of all.

Making the secret free for all to take

ومن حضرة الرحمن نلنا مواهبا

ومن حضرة الرحمن نلنا مواهبا

ألا يا لقومي قد قرأتم مذاهبا

ألا يا لقومي قد قرأتم مذاهبا

And from the presence of the All-Merciful we received gifts.

Gifts we got from the Merciful’s station

Take heed, O my people: you have read doctrines,

Oh people! Have you understood our ways?

ولم تُدْرَ يا قومي رموزُ مذاهِبْنا

ولم تُدْرَ يا قومي رموزُ مذاهِبْنا

فوائدكم أضحت قيودَ رهينِنا

فوائدكم أضحت قيودَ رهينِنا

yet, my people, the symbols of our doctrines were not understood.

Our ways’ symbols you don’t understand, o people!

Your benefits have become the fetters of our captive;

Your understandings have become chains binding us

وعنكم لقد أُخْفِي مقامُ أمينِنا

وعنكم لقد أُخْفِي مقامُ أمينِنا

ويا علماء الرسم هل من معينِنا

ويا علماء الرسم هل من معينِنا

and the station of our trusted one has indeed been hidden from you.

Our trusted station has been hidden from you

And O scholars of outward form, are they from our wellspring—

Learned ones! Is there a helper among you?

مذاهبكم نرفو بها بعضَ ديننا

مذاهبكم نرفو بها بعضَ ديننا

ومذهبنا عُمِّي عليكم وما قلنا

ومذهبنا عُمِّي عليكم وما قلنا

your doctrines? With them we patch part of our religion.

With some of what we know we adorn your religion

But our doctrine and what we have said have been obscured to you.

While our way remains obscured to you all