أيا جهبذاً دقّت معاني رموزه

أيا جهبذاً دقّت معاني رموزه

ورقت فلم يدرك لها ذو الحجا سرّا

ورقت فلم يدرك لها ذو الحجا سرّا

O master scholar, whose symbols' meanings have grown subtle

O you whose profound symbols have struck meanings

O brilliant scholar, the meanings of whose symbols are so fine, / And so delicate that no possessor of wisdom could grasp their secret,

And delicate, so no discerning mind has grasped their secret.

And whose leaves have fluttered, though the uninformed cannot grasp their secret

My thought has gone astray in the trackless deserts of your riddle, / Finding none to unfold for it what lies hidden within its folds.

لقد ضل فكري في مهامه لغزكم

لقد ضل فكري في مهامه لغزكم

ولم يلف من يوليه من طيّه نشرا

ولم يلف من يوليه من طيّه نشرا

Indeed, my thought has strayed in the trackless wastes of your riddle,

My mind has wandered lost in the riddle of your verses

It is nothing but a treasure trove of the pearls of knowledge, / Possessing a guardian that forcibly protects its jewels.

Nor found anyone to unfold what lay folded within it.

And cannot find one to give it any elucidation

So I attempted to strip the veils from its face, / And to uncover the secret within the meaning of its rhetoric.

وما هو إلّا كنز در معارف

وما هو إلّا كنز در معارف

له رصد يحمي جواهره قسرا

له رصد يحمي جواهره قسرا

And it is nothing but a treasure of pearls of knowledge;

It is but a treasure chest of knowledge

It appeared to me that 'Leadership' was its secret core, / And I imagined then that I had encompassed it with full knowledge.

It has a guardian who defends its jewels by force.

Kept under guard, its gems held captive

There is no doubt that status is the supreme object of desire, / Even though it is an evil—and how grave an evil it is!

فحاولت أن أجلو براقع وجهه

فحاولت أن أجلو براقع وجهه

وأكشف عن معنى بلاغته السرا

وأكشف عن معنى بلاغته السرا

So I tried to lift the veils from its face

I tried to lift the veils from its face

Then I deepened my thought further, and it appeared to me: / It is Arrogance, which entails severity and harm.

And uncover the secret behind the meaning of its eloquence.

And uncover the meaning of its eloquent mystery

This—by my life—is an affliction whose victim finds no cure, / Yet he attains the reward if he can secure patience.

فخيل لي أن الرئاسة سرّه

فخيل لي أن الرئاسة سرّه

وخلت إذن أني أحطت به خبرا

وخلت إذن أني أحطت به خبرا

Then it seemed to me that leadership was its secret,

I imagined that leadership was its secret

So I ask the Lord of the Throne to preserve your noble self, / By the status of the Seal of Messengers, the best of all creation entirely.

And I thought then that I had fully understood it.

And so assumed that I had uncovered some news of it

ولا ريب أن الجاه أعظم مشتهى

ولا ريب أن الجاه أعظم مشتهى

على أنه شر وأعظم به شرا

على أنه شر وأعظم به شرا

And there is no doubt that prestige is the greatest object of desire,

Doubtless, glory is a great desire

Though it is evil—and what a great evil it is!

Even if it is an evil, and through it comes greater evil

ومن بعد ذا أمعنت فكري فلاح ل

ومن بعد ذا أمعنت فكري فلاح ل

هو الكبر المستلزم البأس والضرا

هو الكبر المستلزم البأس والضرا

And after this I pondered deeply, and it became clear to...

And after this, when I examined it closely, I saw

It is old age, which necessarily entails hardship and affliction.

That haughtiness necessitates violence and harm

وهذا لعمري ليس يرقى سليمه

وهذا لعمري ليس يرقى سليمه

ولكن ينال الأجر إن أحرز الصبرا

ولكن ينال الأجر إن أحرز الصبرا

And this, by my life—no charm can heal the one it has bitten.

By my life, this does not suit the virtuous

But he gains reward if he attains patience.

Though one may earn reward if one exhibits patience

فأسأل رب العرش يحفظ ذاتكم

فأسأل رب العرش يحفظ ذاتكم

بجاه ختام الرسل خير الورى طرّا

بجاه ختام الرسل خير الورى طرّا

So I ask the Lord of the Throne to keep you safe,

So I ask the Lord of the Throne to protect your persons

By the rank of the Seal of the Messengers, the best of all creation.

For the sake of the Seal of Prophets, the Best of Creation