يا من له في طريق زهد

يا من له في طريق زهد

حال وفي المشكلات كشف

حال وفي المشكلات كشف

O you who have, on the path of asceticism,

O you who have renunciation on the path of asceticism

A spiritual state, and insight into difficult matters,

A state and insight into difficulties

قل لي ما مبهم جلي

قل لي ما مبهم جلي

وفيه للواصفين خلف

وفيه للواصفين خلف

Tell me: what is obscure yet clear,

Tell me what is ambiguous, make clear

And a subject of disagreement among its describers?

And in it describers are behind

يعدّ حرفان حين يملى

يعدّ حرفان حين يملى

بغير شدّ وقيل حرف

بغير شدّ وقيل حرف

It is counted as two letters when dictated,

Two letters are dictated without pause

Without doubling—though it has been called one letter.

And it is said a letter

وهو كما قد ترى خفيف

وهو كما قد ترى خفيف

وفيه لطف وفيه ظرف

وفيه لطف وفيه ظرف

And it is light, as you may see,

And it is, as you see, light

And it has delicacy, and it has grace.

In it is subtlety and in it is elegance

مع أنه من عجيب أمرٍ

مع أنه من عجيب أمرٍ

يجرُّ طوداً وفيه لطف

يجرُّ طوداً وفيه لطف

Yet it is a thing of wondrous nature:

Despite it being of wondrous matter

It drags a mountain, yet is delicate.

It pulls heavily, yet in it is subtlety

وإن عكست الحروف منه

وإن عكست الحروف منه

فبلدة ما تكاد تصفو

فبلدة ما تكاد تصفو

And if you reverse its letters,

And if you reverse its letters

Then it is a town that scarcely finds peace.

Then a town you can barely describe

ألغازه في ضحى وممسى

ألغازه في ضحى وممسى

فليس يخفى وليس يخفو

فليس يخفى وليس يخفو

Its riddles lie in midmorning and evening;

Its riddles in the morning and evening

So it is neither concealed nor revealed.

It is not hidden nor concealed

ذكرته في عديد وصف

ذكرته في عديد وصف

فلا يفت مسمعيك وصف

فلا يفت مسمعيك وصف

I have mentioned it in many a description,

I mentioned it in description after description

So let no description escape your ears.

So it does not miss your hearing a description

وإن خفى زائداً فأعرض

وإن خفى زائداً فأعرض

عنه ودع منطقي يكف

عنه ودع منطقي يكف

And if it remains hidden any longer, turn away

And if an extra is hidden, then turn away

From it, and let my speech cease.

From it and let my speech suffice

فإن لفظي الفداة مثلي

فإن لفظي الفداة مثلي

أصبح والله فيه ضعف

أصبح والله فيه ضعف

For my speech [this morning?], like me,

For my words of redemption are like me

Has grown weak, by God.

By God, in it has become weak