إذا انطبعت مرأى بمرآك تنعكس

أشعة مطبوع بمنقلب الفلك

When an image is imprinted in your sight, reflected are

Rays of what is imprinted at the celestial sphere’s turning.

تراك إذا ما كنته أنت لا هو

وإن كان مطبوعا فإن كنت في شك

You see yourself when you are it—you, not it.

And even if it is imprinted—if you are in doubt,

فنحن به أولى من إبراهم الذي

تلا فرقان الفرقان في حضرة الملك

Then we are more entitled to it than Abraham, who

Recited the Furqan of the Furqan in the King’s presence.

وعلمنا الرحمن قرآن فرقان

فكنا هيولى الجمع في مدرج الملك

And the All-Merciful taught us a Qur’an of Furqan.

So we became the prime matter of union along the path of dominion.

فما قامت الأعداد إلا بواحد

ولولاها ما غنت مثاني على أيك

For numbers arose only through one,

And but for them, no oft-repeated verses would have sung upon groves.

قسمت الصلا بيني وبينه آخذا

شؤوني وفياضا عليه سنا الفلك

I divided prayer between myself and him, taking up

My affairs and pouring abundantly upon him the celestial sphere’s radiance.

فكل له من ربه قدر ما له

بنفسه عرفانا نتائج لي عنك

Thus each has from his Lord as much as he has

Of knowledge of himself—results for me from you.

فلولا وجود النفس ما عرف الرب

العظيم ولا بانت حقائق ذي ملك

So, but for the self’s existence, unknown would be the Lord,

The Great; nor would the realities of the possessor of dominion be manifest.

فصاحب فرقان وصاحب قرآن

صفاتي وذاتي قد أزيح عن الشك

Thus the bearer of Furqan and the bearer of Qur’an

Of my attributes and my essence has been freed from doubt.