تقرّب الينا أيها العاشق المضنا

تقرّب الينا أيها العاشق المضنا

بحبك فينا لا بشعر ولا مغنا

بحبك فينا لا بشعر ولا مغنا

Draw near to us, O love-worn lover,

Draw near to us, O longing lover,

through your love for us, not through poetry or song,

With your love for us, not with verse or singer,

سوى بافتقار واضطرار وذلة

سوى بافتقار واضطرار وذلة

وعدم اختيار واتباع لما قلنا

وعدم اختيار واتباع لما قلنا

but only through need, helplessness, and humility,

Only with destitution, need, and lowliness,

and through forgoing choice and following what we have said.

And lack of choice, obeying what we told you,

وكن فانياً مستهتراً في مرادنا

وكن فانياً مستهتراً في مرادنا

فما نال لذّة وصلنا معرض عنا

فما نال لذّة وصلنا معرض عنا

And be self-effaced, wholly absorbed in our will;

Be annihilated, heedless, in our will,

for no one who turns away from us has tasted the delight of union with us.

For no relisher of our union disobeyed us,

حرام على عين تريد جمالنا

حرام على عين تريد جمالنا

وتهنى كراها في الدجا أن تشاهدنا

وتهنى كراها في الدجا أن تشاهدنا

It is forbidden for an eye that desires our beauty

Forbidden to an eye that wants our beauty,

yet enjoys its sleep in the darkness to behold us.

And enjoys refusing to see us in the dark,

ولا طالب يطلب هوانا وقربنا

ولا طالب يطلب هوانا وقربنا

ويشرك فيه غيرنا أن ينل منا

ويشرك فيه غيرنا أن ينل منا

Nor may a seeker who seeks love of us and nearness to us,

No seeker seeks our disgrace and nearness,

yet associates others with us in it, receive anything from us.

And shares it with others, will get it from us.

فيا مدّعي حباً بغير حقيقة

فيا مدّعي حباً بغير حقيقة

فما أسهل الدعوى وما أعسر المعنى

فما أسهل الدعوى وما أعسر المعنى

So, O you who claim a love without truth:

O you who claim love falsely,

how easy the claim, and how hard the reality!

How easy is the claim, how hard the meaning!

فيا عاذلي لا نستمع ما تقوله

فيا عاذلي لا نستمع ما تقوله

فدعنا ومن نهواه يا عاذلي دعنا

فدعنا ومن نهواه يا عاذلي دعنا

O my reproacher, we do not listen to what you say;

O you who blame us, we don’t listen to you,

so leave us and the one we love—O my reproacher, leave us!

So leave us and those we love, O blamer, leave us!

اذا ذكر المحبوب ذابت قلوبنا

اذا ذكر المحبوب ذابت قلوبنا

وكدنا به نفنى وحقّ لنا نفنى

وكدنا به نفنى وحقّ لنا نفنى

When the beloved is mentioned, our hearts melt,

When the beloved is remembered, our hearts melt,

and through him we nearly vanish—and rightly should we vanish.

And we almost perish, and we have the right to perish!

فما نجد ما سلع وما شعب عامر

فما نجد ما سلع وما شعب عامر

إذا ذكر المحبوب ما هند ما لبنا

إذا ذكر المحبوب ما هند ما لبنا

Then what do Najd, Salʿ, and Shiʿb ʿAmir matter,

We find no land or prosperous people,

when the beloved is mentioned? What do Hind and Lubna matter?

When the beloved is remembered - no India or Yemen!

ولولا مظاهر حسنه وجماله

ولولا مظاهر حسنه وجماله

تجلى لمن يهواه ما ذكرت حسنا

تجلى لمن يهواه ما ذكرت حسنا

Were it not for the manifestations of his loveliness and beauty,

Were it not for manifestations of his beauty and perfection

through which he reveals himself to those who love him, I would not have spoken of beauty.

Appearing to those who love him, we would not have mentioned beauty.

قل اللَه ربي واستقم متأدّبا

قل اللَه ربي واستقم متأدّبا

فهذا هو المطلوب والمشرب الأهنا

فهذا هو المطلوب والمشرب الأهنا

Say, 'God is my Lord,' and be steadfast in reverence;

Say God is my Lord, and follow humbly,

for this is what is sought, and the most delightful draught.

For this is what is sought, and wholesome drink.

توجه بوجن القلب ان شئت قربه

توجه بوجن القلب ان شئت قربه

ولا تلتفت يسرى ولا تلتفت يمنى

ولا تلتفت يسرى ولا تلتفت يمنى

Turn with the heart's cheeks, if you desire nearness to him;

Turn with the heart’s direction if you want his nearness,

and turn neither to the left nor to the right.

And look not right nor left,

ولا تمش من كون لكون تكن كما

ولا تمش من كون لكون تكن كما

حمار الرحا وارحل إلى المقصد الأسنى

حمار الرحا وارحل إلى المقصد الأسنى

Do not walk from one created thing to another, lest you become like

And walk not from world to world - just be

the donkey of the millstone; journey to the most exalted goal.

Like a mule free of burdens, and travel to the noblest goal.

قريب إذا ناديته متضرّعا

قريب إذا ناديته متضرّعا

بأوصافه العظمى وأسمائه الحسنى

بأوصافه العظمى وأسمائه الحسنى

He is near when you call upon him in humble supplication,

He is near when you call Him pleadingly

by his supreme attributes and his most beautiful names.

With his mighty attributes and beautiful names.

له الخلق والتصريف والأمر كله

له الخلق والتصريف والأمر كله

في العالم الأقصى وفي العالم الأدنى

في العالم الأقصى وفي العالم الأدنى

To him belong creation, governance, and command in its entirety,

To Him belong creation, control, and command,

in the farthest world and in the nearest world.

In the highest world and in the lowest world.

وتمت بحمد اللَه وأزكى صلاته

وتمت بحمد اللَه وأزكى صلاته

على من به فزنا على من به سدنا

على من به فزنا على من به سدنا

And it is completed with praise of God and his purest blessing

It concludes with praise of God and His purest prayers

upon the one through whom we triumphed, upon the one through whom we gained eminence.

Upon the one through whom we won, upon the one we sought refuge in.

هو الشافع المقبول عند إلهنا

هو الشافع المقبول عند إلهنا

ببركاته يوم القيامة يرحمنا

ببركاته يوم القيامة يرحمنا

He is the intercessor accepted by our God;

He is the intercessor accepted by our God,

through his blessings, God will have mercy on us on the Day of Resurrection.

By his blessings on Judgement Day He will have mercy on us.