أماطت لنا ذات الخمار خمارها

أماطت لنا ذات الخمار خمارها

فهامت بها أرواحنا قبل خمرها

فهامت بها أرواحنا قبل خمرها

She who wears the veil lifted her veil for us.

The veiled one unveiled her veil for us

And our souls were enraptured by her even before her wine.

So our souls were intoxicated by her, before her wine

فيالك حسن يسكر الروح نوره

فيالك حسن يسكر الروح نوره

فما ابنة الزرجون فيه وسكرها

فما ابنة الزرجون فيه وسكرها

So, what beauty! Its light intoxicates the soul.

O, the beauty whose light intoxicates the soul

So what are the vine's daughter and her intoxication beside it?

Not the daughter of grapes in it and her intoxication

ومن عجب حجبت بنور ضيائها

ومن عجب حجبت بنور ضيائها

ومن شدّة الايضاح قد كان سترها

ومن شدّة الايضاح قد كان سترها

And wondrously, she was veiled by the light of her radiance.

And from wonder she veiled with the light of her splendor

And her concealment came from the sheer intensity of clarity.

And from the intensity of illumination was her cover

فبنا ولا بين لها غير أنها

فبنا ولا بين لها غير أنها

تقاصر مقدار الجميع لقدرها

تقاصر مقدار الجميع لقدرها

So she is within us, with no separation from her, save that

So for us there was no between for her but that she

the measure of all fell short of her worth.

Falls short of everyone's measure due to her worth

ومن عجب من طالب غير غائب

ومن عجب من طالب غير غائب

ولكن من أسرارها غاص سرّها

ولكن من أسرارها غاص سرّها

And wondrous is a seeker of one who is not absent,

And from wonder who seeks her besides the absent

yet among her mysteries, her secret has sunk deep.

But from her mysteries dove her secret

فمن ههنا حارت عقول أولى النها

فمن ههنا حارت عقول أولى النها

ووقفت ولم تعلم حقيقة كنهها

ووقفت ولم تعلم حقيقة كنهها

Hence the minds of those endowed with reason grew bewildered,

So from here the minds of the first perplexed

and halted, without knowing the true nature of her essence.

And they stood still and did not know her essence

وقد جعلوا الادراك والموت واحدا

وقد جعلوا الادراك والموت واحدا

وما ذاك الا حين بان قصورها

وما ذاك الا حين بان قصورها

And they have deemed comprehension and death one and the same,

And they made perception and death one

and that only when the minds' inadequacy became clear.

And that is only when her deficiency appeared

فايّ خطير فيك لا يفنينه

فايّ خطير فيك لا يفنينه

فكن فانياً تحظى بنيل خطيرها

فكن فانياً تحظى بنيل خطيرها

So what precious thing within you will it not annihilate?

So what serious matter in you would not diminish it

So be annihilated, and you will attain her precious prize.

So be vanishing to gain her precious

ألا فاعلموا ليلى بأني معيدها

ألا فاعلموا ليلى بأني معيدها

توسل بها إليها تفكّ أسيرها

توسل بها إليها تفكّ أسيرها

Take heed: tell Layla that I shall bring her back.

Lo, so know that Layla, I repeat

Appeal through her to her; she will free her captive.

Praying through her to her to free her captive

فقد عزّ في دائي شفائي بحبها

فقد عزّ في دائي شفائي بحبها

كما عزّ في حسن الحسان نظيرها

كما عزّ في حسن الحسان نظيرها

For my cure from the sickness of loving her has proved elusive,

For the cure in my sickness was made difficult by her love

just as her equal in beauty is elusive among fair women.

As the peer of the excellent was made difficult by her perfection

وقد لذّ لي في حبها كلّ فعلها

وقد لذّ لي في حبها كلّ فعلها

فسيان عندي حلوها ومريرها

فسيان عندي حلوها ومريرها

And in loving her, every act of hers has grown sweet to me.

And every deed of hers was pleasurable for me in loving her

So her sweetness and her bitterness are alike to me.

So for me her sweetness and her bitterness are equal

فيا عاذلي فيها جهلت هواءها

فيا عاذلي فيها جهلت هواءها

فهل يستمع قول الجهول خبيرها

فهل يستمع قول الجهول خبيرها

So, you who reproach me over her, you do not know her air.

O you who blame her, you are ignorant of her passion

So would one who knows her heed the words of the ignorant?

Can the word of the ignorant be heard by her expert?

فلا عار للشمس المضيئة في الضحى

فلا عار للشمس المضيئة في الضحى

إذا لم يرى الخفاش اشراق نورها

إذا لم يرى الخفاش اشراق نورها

So there is no shame upon the sun that shines at midmorning,

There is no shame on the shining sun in the morning

if the bat does not see the radiance of her light.

If the bat does not see the radiance of her light

فذلك نقص فيه لا يدركنها

فذلك نقص فيه لا يدركنها

لقد احتجب من نورها بظهورها

لقد احتجب من نورها بظهورها

So that is a defect in it; it cannot perceive her.

That is a deficiency in him who does not perceive her

Indeed, it has become veiled from her light by her very manifestation.

The light of her has been veiled to him by her manifestation

وصلّ على الهادي واعطف قائلاً

وصلّ على الهادي واعطف قائلاً

أماطت لنا ذات الخمار خمارها

أماطت لنا ذات الخمار خمارها

And invoke blessings upon the Guide, and turn back, saying:

And send blessings upon the Guide and say gently

She who wears the veil lifted her veil for us.

The veiled one unveiled her veil for us