ليس طيب الحياة غير وفاتِكْ

ليس طيب الحياة غير وفاتِكْ

والسوى فاتنُ النفوس وفاتِكْ

والسوى فاتنُ النفوس وفاتِكْ

The sweetness of life is nothing but your death.

Nothing good in life except your departure,

And otherness is a seducer of souls and a slayer.

And the equal the beauties of souls is in your departure.

يا محباً أحب ثوب حبيبٍ

يا محباً أحب ثوب حبيبٍ

أعط نفس الحبيب بعض التفاتِكْ

أعط نفس الحبيب بعض التفاتِكْ

O lover who has loved a beloved's garment,

O lover, love the clothes of the beloved,

Give the beloved's very self some of your attention.

Give the soul of the beloved some of your attention,

وتحقق بمن تحب تجده

وتحقق بمن تحب تجده

أنت والجهل للأحبة هاتك

أنت والجهل للأحبة هاتك

Truly realize the one you love, and you will find him

And make sure with the one you love you will find him,

Yourself; ignorance dishonors the beloveds.

You and ignorance are for lovers your gift.

صوَرٌ عن مصور كثياب

صوَرٌ عن مصور كثياب

لبستها عليك نفس فتاتك

لبستها عليك نفس فتاتك

Forms from a fashioner, like garments

Images of a photographer like clothes

That your maiden's soul has donned before you.

You wore on yourself, your own shreds.

وحياتي بمقتضى حكم أمري

وحياتي بمقتضى حكم أمري

وهو قولي لمنيتي وحياتك

وهو قولي لمنيتي وحياتك

My oath 'By my life,' as the ruling of my state demands,

And my life according to the decree of my matter,

Is my saying to my heart's desire: 'By your life.'

It is my saying to my death and your life.

ليس لي غير وجهك الحق عنه

ليس لي غير وجهك الحق عنه

لي ثبوت بمقتضى إثباتك

لي ثبوت بمقتضى إثباتك

I have nothing but your true face; from it

I have nothing but your true face,

I have being by virtue of your establishing me.

I have stability according to your proof.

خذ نديمي أطوارَ نفسك ممن

خذ نديمي أطوارَ نفسك ممن

طاب فيه الشراب من كاساتك

طاب فيه الشراب من كاساتك

Take, my drinking companion, your self's states from him

Take my friend the moods of your soul from whom

In whom the drink from your cups has grown sweet.

The drink was good in his cups.

وأدرْها عليك منه وعربِّدْ

وأدرْها عليك منه وعربِّدْ

مع ذاك الحبيب في خلواتك

مع ذاك الحبيب في خلواتك

And pass them round to yourself from him, and carouse

And circulate it to you from it and make it Arabic

With that beloved in your secluded retreats.

With that lover in your solitude.

خمرنا في الدنان منه بواقٍ

خمرنا في الدنان منه بواقٍ

خذه واشرب واخشع به في صلاتك

خذه واشرب واخشع به في صلاتك

Our wine in the jars is what remains of him.

Our wine in the pots is from it dripping,

Take it, drink, and through it be reverent in your prayer.

Take it and drink it and be humble with it in your prayers.

وهو خمرٌ معنى القديم تصفَّى

وهو خمرٌ معنى القديم تصفَّى

قبلُ يا كرْمُ كنتَ في شجراتك

قبلُ يا كرْمُ كنتَ في شجراتك

And it is wine—the Eternal's essence—clarified

It is a wine, the essence of the ancient filtered

Before you, O vine, existed in your trees.

Before, O the generosity you were in your trees.

واسقنا ربنا شراباً طهوراً

واسقنا ربنا شراباً طهوراً

مثل ما جاء عنك في آياتك

مثل ما جاء عنك في آياتك

And give us, our Lord, a purifying drink,

And our Lord quenched us with a pure drink

Like that which came from you in your verses.

Like what came from you in your verses.

واطَّرح يا أخا الطريقة واترك

واطَّرح يا أخا الطريقة واترك

كلَّ شيء إن رمت نيل نجاتك

كلَّ شيء إن رمت نيل نجاتك

And cast off, O brother of the Path, and leave behind

And take off, O brother, the way and leave

Everything, if you seek to attain your salvation.

Everything if you wanted the salvation.

واسمع النفخ منك في صوْرِ جسم

واسمع النفخ منك في صوْرِ جسم

لك فالناي طاب من نغماتك

لك فالناي طاب من نغماتك

And hear your breath in the trumpet of a body

And listen to the blowing from you in the images of the body

That is yours; the reed flute is sweet with your melodies.

For you, so the flute is good from your melodies.

هذه نشأة بها أنت بادٍ

هذه نشأة بها أنت بادٍ

لك عندي هاتيك من نشآتك

لك عندي هاتيك من نشآتك

This is a form of being in which you appear

This is an industry in which you have perished

To yourself in me; that is one of your forms of being.

You have it for me, those from your achievements.

يا رعى الله بالأجارع قوماً

يا رعى الله بالأجارع قوماً

هم لدينا يا دهرُ من حسناتك

هم لدينا يا دهرُ من حسناتك

Ah, may God watch over a people on the sandy plains,

O God's guidance to the people of bare lands

They are, to us, O Time, among your good deeds.

They are for us, O time, from your good deeds.

حفظوا العهد من ألستُ فوافوا

حفظوا العهد من ألستُ فوافوا

لمن الملك وهو للكل باتِك

لمن الملك وهو للكل باتِك

They kept the covenant from 'Am I not?' and thus came

They kept the covenant of when I asked, so they fulfilled

To 'Whose is the dominion?'—and he severs all.

For whom is the kingdom, and He is the protector of all your night.

لم تُملْهم عن نوره ظلماتٌ

لم تُملْهم عن نوره ظلماتٌ

يا سوى بارتكابهم شهواتك

يا سوى بارتكابهم شهواتك

No darkness turned them away from his light,

The darkness did not divert them from His light,

O otherness, through their indulging your desires.

O the equal, by their indulgence in your desires.

أخذتهم لها المليحة منهم

أخذتهم لها المليحة منهم

حين نادوا أنا ظهور صفاتك

حين نادوا أنا ظهور صفاتك

The beautiful one took them from themselves to herself,

They took them for it the beautiful ones among them

When they cried, 'I am the manifestation of your attributes.'

When they called out, we are the appearance of your qualities.

فمحتهم بها وقد أثبتتهم

فمحتهم بها وقد أثبتتهم

عندها في حمى العيون الفواتك

عندها في حمى العيون الفواتك

So she effaced them through herself, though she had established them

So it erased them, and it proved them

In her presence, in the sanctuary of the deadly eyes.

In its protection, in the orbits of your missing ones.

هذه زينب التي كشفت عن

هذه زينب التي كشفت عن

وجهها يا محبُّ في سكراتك

وجهها يا محبُّ في سكراتك

This is Zaynab, who unveiled

This is Zainab who uncovered

Her face, O lover, amid your drunken trances.

Her face, O lover, in your intoxications,

وهو عند الجهول خلف قناع

وهو عند الجهول خلف قناع

هو يا ذا الجهول أنت بذاتك

هو يا ذا الجهول أنت بذاتك

Yet to the ignorant it lies behind a veil;

And it is in the ignorant behind a mask

That veil, O ignorant one, is your very self.

It is you, O ignorant one, yourself.

فانخلع عنك في الوجود إليها

فانخلع عنك في الوجود إليها

سائحاً منك في فضا فلواتك

سائحاً منك في فضا فلواتك

So divest yourself of yourself in existence, turning toward her,

So take off yourself in existence to it

Wandering out of yourself through your deserts' expanse.

Wandering from yourself in the vastness of your wilderness.

ثم مت راكعاً بها لا تبالي

ثم مت راكعاً بها لا تبالي

وعن الغير فافن في سجداتك

وعن الغير فافن في سجداتك

Then die, bowing through her, without a care,

Then die bowing to it, not caring

And be lost to all else in your prostrations.

And about others, so be pleased in your prostrations.

سعدت أمة إلى الغيب حجت

سعدت أمة إلى الغيب حجت

ثم طافت يا كعبتي بجهاتك

ثم طافت يا كعبتي بجهاتك

Blessed is a people that made pilgrimage to the unseen,

A nation was fortunate to the absence, authority

Then circled, O my Kaaba, around your sides.

Then it circumambulated, O my Kaaba, your aspects.

وأتت زمزم العلوم فنالت

وأتت زمزم العلوم فنالت

شربة العز من كفوف سقاتك

شربة العز من كفوف سقاتك

And came to the Zamzam of knowledge, receiving

And she came to Zamzam, the sciences, so she obtained

A draught of glory from your cupbearers' palms.

A drink of honor from the palms of your waterers.

وبذكر الحبيب لبت وعما

وبذكر الحبيب لبت وعما

دونه أحرمت لدى ميقاتك

دونه أحرمت لدى ميقاتك

And, remembering the beloved, it cried 'At your service,' and from all

And by mentioning the beloved, she spent the night and forgot

Besides him abstained in consecration at your appointed station.

What is besides Him, so she restricted herself in your stationing place.

ومُناها فازت به في مِناها

ومُناها فازت به في مِناها

بعدما قد أتت إلى عرفاتك

بعدما قد أتت إلى عرفاتك

And won its desire in its Mina,

And her destination, she won it in her destination

After it had come to your Arafat.

After she had come to your Arafat.

إن هذا هو النعيم فطوبى

إن هذا هو النعيم فطوبى

للذي يا مقام في جناتك

للذي يا مقام في جناتك

Indeed, this is bliss; so blessed is

This is the bliss, so good fortunes

The one, O station, in your gardens.

To those who, my position, are in your gardens.

منك فيه يسيل كوثر روح

منك فيه يسيل كوثر روح

فتراه السكران من رشفاتك

فتراه السكران من رشفاتك

From you a Kawthar of spirit flows within him,

From you in it the Kawthar of the soul flows

So you see him drunk from sips of you.

So you see it intoxicated from your sips.

يا رياض الجنان من حان قربي

يا رياض الجنان من حان قربي

عطرينا بالطيب من نفحاتك

عطرينا بالطيب من نفحاتك

O gardens of Paradise, from the tavern of my nearness,

O gardens of paradise, whoever's turn came near

Perfume us with fragrance from your breaths.

Perfume us with scent from your breezes.

وانشري ما انطوى من الذكر عنا

وانشري ما انطوى من الذكر عنا

وامنحينا اللذيذ من ثمراتك

وامنحينا اللذيذ من ثمراتك

And unfold the remembrance folded away from us,

And spread what was folded from the mention about us

And grant us the sweetness of your fruits.

And grant us the delicious from your fruits.

إننا عنك ظاهرون بلطفٍ

إننا عنك ظاهرون بلطفٍ

منك في أرضك اقتضا نياتك

منك في أرضك اقتضا نياتك

We are indeed manifest from you through a subtle grace

We about you are apparent with kindness

From you, on your earth, as your intentions required.

From you in your land your intentions required.

لم نجد كثرة الوسائط جسماً

لم نجد كثرة الوسائط جسماً

تمنع الروح ربنا من هباتك

تمنع الروح ربنا من هباتك

We did not find the multitude of intermediaries a body

We did not find the multitude of mediums a body

That bars the spirit, our Lord, from your gifts.

That prevents the soul, our Lord, from your gifts.

فالذي منك قد وفى فتدلى

فالذي منك قد وفى فتدلى

لم ينقِّصه كونه ابن العواتك

لم ينقِّصه كونه ابن العواتك

For the one from you who kept faith and descended

So the one from you has fulfilled, so he hung

Was not diminished by being the son of the Atikas.

His body did not diminish him being the son of your Atmosphere.

هو أمر لنا قريب بعيد

هو أمر لنا قريب بعيد

فارجعي يا حروف في ألفاتك

فارجعي يا حروف في ألفاتك

It is a matter for us, both near and far;

It is an order for us, near and far

So return, O letters, into your alifs.

So return, O letters, in your harmonies.