لا معه نحن ولا معْنا

لا معه نحن ولا معْنا

ونحن لا حرفٌ ولا معنى

ونحن لا حرفٌ ولا معنى

We are not with Him, nor is He with us.

We are with Him, nor are we apart,

And we are neither letter nor meaning.

We are no word, no meaning have we.

بل نحن أمر واحد كلنا

بل نحن أمر واحد كلنا

إشارة القوسين أو أدنى

إشارة القوسين أو أدنى

Rather, we are all one single thing,

We all are but one thing, that is certain,

A sign of the two bows, or nearer.

A hint, or less, as some bow signify.

وهو الوجود الحق كنّا به

وهو الوجود الحق كنّا به

وهماً على وهمٍ وما كنا

وهماً على وهمٍ وما كنا

And He is true Being; through Him we were

By truth existent we existed too,

Illusion upon illusion—and we were not.

Mere dreams on fantasy, we were not true.

نذوب ذوب الثلج في مائه

نذوب ذوب الثلج في مائه

إذا تجلى عندنا استغنى

إذا تجلى عندنا استغنى

We melt as snow melts in its own water,

Like snow we melt in water at His look

When He manifests Himself before us, He needs nothing.

When unto us His essence is made known.

صفاته مرجعها ذاته

صفاته مرجعها ذاته

إذ لا ثلاثٌ لا ولا مثنى

إذ لا ثلاثٌ لا ولا مثنى

His attributes return to His essence,

His attributes all back to His essence lead,

For there is no triad—no, nor a pair.

Since there is no third thing, nor twain indeed.

يا وحدةً مطلقةً ما على

يا وحدةً مطلقةً ما على

وجودها حكم له يُعنى

وجودها حكم له يُعنى

O absolute unity, there is no

O Absolute Oneness, what thing is there

Judgment upon its existence to be heeded.

Upon Thy being to be said or known?

بالعدم الصرف أحاطت كما

بالعدم الصرف أحاطت كما

قالت لنا لما لها قلنا

قالت لنا لما لها قلنا

It encompassed pure nonbeing, as

By utter nothingness Thou art enclosed

It told us when we spoke to it.

As Thou Thyself to us hast disclosed.

ونحن لا قول ولا قائل

ونحن لا قول ولا قائل

ولا نرى خوفاً ولا أمنا

ولا نرى خوفاً ولا أمنا

And we are neither speech nor speaker,

We have no saying, and no sayers are,

Nor do we perceive fear or security.

We see no fear, no safety do we ken.

وقد وقفنا عند أسمائه

وقد وقفنا عند أسمائه

شرعاً فما أغنى وما أقنى

شرعاً فما أغنى وما أقنى

And we have stopped at His names,

And at His names we have made halt, and ceased,

By sacred law—yet no enrichment, no endowment.

So by no profit we were increased.

وكلما جزنا به جاءنا

وكلما جزنا به جاءنا

شرك الخفا يدني إلى المغنى

شرك الخفا يدني إلى المغنى

And whenever we crossed through Him, there came to us

And whatsoever by them we expressed

Hidden polytheism, drawing us toward the abode.

Secretly shared belief will straight destroy.

والأصل لا علمٌ به عندنا

والأصل لا علمٌ به عندنا

كلا ولا جهلٌ به منا

كلا ولا جهلٌ به منا

And at root, we have no knowledge of Him,

And of His Essence we have no knowledge,

No indeed, nor any ignorance of Him on our part.

Either denial or confession showeth.

ولا حضور لا ولا غيبة

ولا حضور لا ولا غيبة

وقد عدمنا الظهر والبطنا

وقد عدمنا الظهر والبطنا

Nor presence—no, nor absence;

Presence nor absence can we claim to find,

And we have lost both back and belly.

We've lost all thought of front and base behind.

هذا جنون الحق في عقلنا

هذا جنون الحق في عقلنا

يدريه من في الحق قد جنا

يدريه من في الحق قد جنا

This is the madness of the Real within our reason,

This, of His knowledge, is the madness known

Whoever has gone mad in the Real knows it.

To whom in Truth's path madness has grown.

يا ابن طريق الحق لا تلحني

يا ابن طريق الحق لا تلحني

من وحد الموجود ما ثنّى

من وحد الموجود ما ثنّى

O son of the path of the Real, do not reproach me.

O son, say not 'two' having said the 'One',

Whoever affirms the Existent's oneness has not made it two.

Or who makes one with Being will rue.

قول المجانين الذي قلته

قول المجانين الذي قلته

أنَّى لعقلٍ فهمُه أنَّى

أنَّى لعقلٍ فهمُه أنَّى

The madmen's saying that I have uttered—

What I have spoken, reason cannot know,

How could a mind comprehend it—how?

How should a rational mind perceive it so!