مَهْ قُلْها رِسْلاً بالصياح

مَهْ قُلْها رِسْلاً بالصياح

لَسْلَكْشِي ثانِي

لَسْلَكْشِي ثانِي

Hold! Say it gently, with a cry;

Speak not rashly with clamor

You have nothing else.

second time

وكُنْ فَقيرْ وارْمِي السِّلاحْ

وكُنْ فَقيرْ وارْمِي السِّلاحْ

وفي ضَمانِي

وفي ضَمانِي

And be poor, and cast away your weapons;

And be poor and cast away the arms

You are under my protection.

And you are in my protection

أطْلُبْ كَمَالَكْ يا فلانْ

أطْلُبْ كَمَالَكْ يا فلانْ

إِنْ كُنْتَ عاقِلْ

إِنْ كُنْتَ عاقِلْ

Seek your perfection, O so-and-so,

Seek your perfection, O so and so

If you are wise.

If you are reasonable

لا تلتفتْ لقولِ كَانْ

لا تلتفتْ لقولِ كَانْ

مَطْلَبكْ حاصِلْ

مَطْلَبكْ حاصِلْ

Do not heed the saying 'was';

Pay no heed to the saying of past

Your goal is attained.

Your object is achieved

وامْحُ المكانْ مع الزَّمانْ

وامْحُ المكانْ مع الزَّمانْ

فالْكُلُّ باطِلْ

فالْكُلُّ باطِلْ

And erase place along with time,

And erase the place with time

For all is unreal.

For all is null

وإِيَّاكْ لا تُنْكِرْ اصْطِلاحْ

وإِيَّاكْ لا تُنْكِرْ اصْطِلاحْ

فَفِيهْ مَعانِي

فَفِيهْ مَعانِي

And beware: do not deny the terminology,

And beware lest you deny convention

For within it are meanings.

For therein are meanings

تَحْتُو مَراتِبْ مِلاحْ

تَحْتُو مَراتِبْ مِلاحْ

حُسْنُوا سَباتني

حُسْنُوا سَباتني

Beneath it are beautiful stations;

Containing degrees of wit

Its beauty has captivated me.

Of excellent qualities

إِجْمَعْ وفَرِّقْ اجْتَمِع

إِجْمَعْ وفَرِّقْ اجْتَمِع

وانْفِي وأثْبِتْ

وانْفِي وأثْبِتْ

Gather and separate; come together;

Bring together and separate, gather

And negate and affirm.

And refute and prove

واحْيَا ومُتْ خَلِّ الْجَزَعْ

واحْيَا ومُتْ خَلِّ الْجَزَعْ

سَتَحْيَا إِنْ مُتْ

سَتَحْيَا إِنْ مُتْ

And live and die; abandon anguish;

And live and die, leave anxiety

You shall live if you die.

You will live if dead

واخْلَعْ عِذارَكْ وانْطَبِع

واخْلَعْ عِذارَكْ وانْطَبِع

واشْطَحْ واسكُت

واشْطَحْ واسكُت

And cast off your bridle, and yield;

And cast off your excuse and be impressed

And speak ecstatically, and be silent.

And rave and be silent

وكُنْ بحالِي في اصْطِباحْ

وكُنْ بحالِي في اصْطِباحْ

كَمَا تَرَانِي

كَمَا تَرَانِي

And be like me at the morning draught,

And be in my state in the morning

As you see me.

As you see me

واسْكَرْ وسَلِّمْ لِلْصِحَاحْ

واسْكَرْ وسَلِّمْ لِلْصِحَاحْ

فَهُمْ أوَانِي

فَهُمْ أوَانِي

And grow drunk, and yield to those who are sound,

And get drunk and surrender to the truth

For they are vessels.

For they are the vessels

فانْ شَعِرْتَ بالوجودْ

فانْ شَعِرْتَ بالوجودْ

قَدْ لاَحْ في ذَاتَكْ

قَدْ لاَحْ في ذَاتَكْ

So if you sense existence

So if you feel existence

Has shone forth in your essence,

Has appeared in yourself

هُودِسْ ولاَزِمِ الجحودْ

هُودِسْ ولاَزِمِ الجحودْ

فَذاكْ صِفاتَكْ

فَذاكْ صِفاتَكْ

Ponder, and hold fast to denial,

Be modest and keep denying

For those are your attributes.

That is your attributes

واضْرِبْ بِتُرْسَكْ للقعود

واضْرِبْ بِتُرْسَكْ للقعود

والْقِي عَصاتَك

والْقِي عَصاتَك

And strike with your shield to sit down,

And strike with your shield for sitting

And cast down your staff.

And cast your staff

وقُلْ لِعَقْلَكْ اسْتَراح

وقُلْ لِعَقْلَكْ اسْتَراح

نَخْلَعْ عِنانِي

نَخْلَعْ عِنانِي

And tell your intellect to rest:

And say to your mind take rest

I cast off my reins.

We cast off the rein

وقُلْ لوهمكْ الرَّواحْ

وقُلْ لوهمكْ الرَّواحْ

مَعْ كُلِّ فانِي

مَعْ كُلِّ فانِي

And tell your fancy, 'Depart!'

And say to your illusion, begone

With all that perishes.

With all that perishes

في ذَا الْمَقاْم تَظْهَر صحِيحْ

في ذَا الْمَقاْم تَظْهَر صحِيحْ

عَبْداً مُحَقَّق

عَبْداً مُحَقَّق

In this station you appear sound,

In this station the real servant appears

A servant fully realized.

Verified

تُحْفَظْ عَنِ الفعلِ القبيحْ

تُحْفَظْ عَنِ الفعلِ القبيحْ

وتَتْبع الْحَقْ

وتَتْبع الْحَقْ

You are guarded from ugly deeds,

Protected from ugly action

And follow the Truth.

And follows the truth

وكُلُّ ما تَرَاهْ مَلِيحْ

وكُلُّ ما تَرَاهْ مَلِيحْ

نَظْرَكْ هُ مُطْلَقْ

نَظْرَكْ هُ مُطْلَقْ

And all you see is lovely;

And all that you see graceful

Your gaze is unbounded.

Your sight is absolute

مَن قال نعم وقْت أن يُصاح

مَن قال نعم وقْت أن يُصاح

بِلاَ تَوانِي

بِلاَ تَوانِي

Whoever says 'Yes' when the cry is raised,

Who said yes when called

Without delay,

Without delay

ثُمَّ يَسمَعْ الجوابْ صُراح

ثُمَّ يَسمَعْ الجوابْ صُراح

بِلَنْ تَرانِي

بِلَنْ تَرانِي

Then hears the answer plainly:

Then hears the frank answer

'You shall not see Me.'

You will not see me

إِعْمَلْ عَلى فَكِّ الرُّمُوز

إِعْمَلْ عَلى فَكِّ الرُّمُوز

فالتَّوْبَا سَبْعِينْ

فالتَّوْبَا سَبْعِينْ

Work to unravel the symbols,

Work on solving symbols

For repentance is seventy;

For repentance is seventy

فإنْ فَهِمْتَهْ سَتفُوز

فإنْ فَهِمْتَهْ سَتفُوز

مِنْ ذَرْعِ سَبْعِين

مِنْ ذَرْعِ سَبْعِين

For if you understand it, you will be delivered

If you understand it you will win

From a measure of seventy cubits.

From the cubit of seventy

واسْألْ في كُلِّ ما يَعُوزْ

واسْألْ في كُلِّ ما يَعُوزْ

عبْدَ ابْنِ سبْعِين

عبْدَ ابْنِ سبْعِين

And ask, about all you lack,

And ask about all that you lack

The servant of Ibn Sabʿin.

The servant Ibn Sab'in (70)

في سَاعْ يُلْقِي لَكْ سِباح

في سَاعْ يُلْقِي لَكْ سِباح

شَرْحِ الْمَثانِي

شَرْحِ الْمَثانِي

In a moment he offers you a swim

In an hour he will cast you a line

Through the exposition of the oft-repeated verses.

Explaining the meanings

يُرْجِعْ لَكَ الْمِسَا صَباحْ

يُرْجِعْ لَكَ الْمِسَا صَباحْ

والْبُعْدُ دانِي

والْبُعْدُ دانِي

He turns evening into morning for you,

Returning you the daylight morning

And what is distant becomes near.

And the distance brought near

إِنْ كُنْتَ تَفْهَم ذَا الْغَزَل

إِنْ كُنْتَ تَفْهَم ذَا الْغَزَل

وإِلاَّ فَسَلِّم

وإِلاَّ فَسَلِّم

If you understand this love-song,

If you understand this flirtation

Otherwise, submit.

Or else surrender

عرُوضُهُ قَدِ انْعمَل

عرُوضُهُ قَدِ انْعمَل

فيما تقدَّم

فيما تقدَّم

Its meter has already been fashioned

Its prosody has been done

In what came before:

In what preceded

رُمُوز بِقانُون الزَّجَل

رُمُوز بِقانُون الزَّجَل

منْظُومْ لِيُفْهَم

منْظُومْ لِيُفْهَم

Symbols according to the rules of zajal,

Symbols by convention of colloquial verse

Versified to be understood.

Composed to be understood

مَن يُعْجِبُوا عِشْقُ الْمِلاَح

مَن يُعْجِبُوا عِشْقُ الْمِلاَح

يُرْسِل في شانِي

يُرْسِل في شانِي

Whoever delights in love of the fair,

Whom the love of wit pleases

Let him send word concerning me.

Sends regards to me

يُعْجِبْنِي يا قَوْمِ إِفْتِتاح

يُعْجِبْنِي يا قَوْمِ إِفْتِتاح

وَرْدِ الزَّوانِي

وَرْدِ الزَّوانِي

I delight, O my people, in the blossoming

The opening pleases me, O people

Of the harlots' roses.

Responding to the flirts