أَعَادَكَ مِن أسمَاءَ عِيدٌ مُشَوِّقٌ

أَعَادَكَ مِن أسمَاءَ عِيدٌ مُشَوِّقٌ

أم اعتَادَ مَغفَاكَ الخَيَالُ المُؤرِّقُ

أم اعتَادَ مَغفَاكَ الخَيَالُ المُؤرِّقُ

Has a longing-stirring visitation from Asma returned to you,

Did a joyous feast restore you from oblivion’s names,

or has the sleep-robbing apparition haunted your slumber?

Or did haunting dreams make you their familiar?

أم احتَرقَت بالشَّوقِ نَفسُكُ أم بِهَا

أم احتَرقَت بالشَّوقِ نَفسُكُ أم بِهَا

جَوَى السُّقمِ في نِيرَانِها تَتَحَرَّقُ

جَوَى السُّقمِ في نِيرَانِها تَتَحَرَّقُ

Or has your soul burned with longing, or does it bear

Or has your soul been set ablaze with yearning,

the anguish of sickness, burning in its flames?

And so with sickness smolders in its flames?

أم اكتَحَلَت عَينَاكَ بِالصَّابِ والحُذَا

أم اكتَحَلَت عَينَاكَ بِالصَّابِ والحُذَا

أمِن ألَمِ الأشوَاقِ فِيهَا التَّحَرُّقُ

أمِن ألَمِ الأشوَاقِ فِيهَا التَّحَرُّقُ

Or have your eyes been kohled with bitter sab and hudha sap?

Or have your eyes been rimmed with kohl and stibium

Is the burning there from the anguish of longing?

From the searing pain of passions in their deeps?

أم انتَشَبَت في حَبَّةِ القَلبِ أسهُمٌ

أم انتَشَبَت في حَبَّةِ القَلبِ أسهُمٌ

مُرَيَّشَةٌ زُرقٌ مِنَ السُّمرِ رُشَّقُ

مُرَيَّشَةٌ زُرقٌ مِنَ السُّمرِ رُشَّقُ

Or have arrows lodged in the very kernel of your heart,

Or have arrows lodged inside your heart, their plumes

fletched, blue and slender, from brown-shafted spears?

Blue-tipped and brilliant, split shards from Destiny?

اذَا الغصن أم ذَا الدِّعصُ أم هِىَّ دُرَّةٌ

اذَا الغصن أم ذَا الدِّعصُ أم هِىَّ دُرَّةٌ

تَلألاَ في جُنحِ الظَّلاَمِ وتَبرَقُ

تَلألاَ في جُنحِ الظَّلاَمِ وتَبرَقُ

Is this a branch, or this a sand dune, or is she a pearl,

Are you the branch, the palm frond, or a lustrous pearl

gleaming beneath the wing of darkness and flashing?

Agleam within the wings of darkest night?

أم اعتَادَكَ التَّهيَامُ والحُزنُ والبُكَا

أم اعتَادَكَ التَّهيَامُ والحُزنُ والبُكَا

ولَستَ إِلَى غَيرِ الهَوَى تَتَعَلَّقُ

ولَستَ إِلَى غَيرِ الهَوَى تَتَعَلَّقُ

Or have love's delirium, sorrow and weeping revisited you,

Or have despair and sorrow and weeping claimed you,

and you cling to nothing but love?

And you cling to none but love and its caprice?

أبِيحِى حَرِيمِى أو دَعِيني فَإِنَّمَا

أبِيحِى حَرِيمِى أو دَعِيني فَإِنَّمَا

يَفُوزُ وَينجُو مَن إلَى الشَّيخِ يَعلَقُ

يَفُوزُ وَينجُو مَن إلَى الشَّيخِ يَعلَقُ

Lay open my sanctuary, or leave me; for only

Ravage my sanctum, or leave me be, for only

whoever clings to the Sheikh triumphs and is saved.

He who clings to the Shaykh shall win and find deliverance.

هُو الرَّوضَةُ الغَّنَاءُ والغُرَّةُ التى

هُو الرَّوضَةُ الغَّنَاءُ والغُرَّةُ التى

بِهَا يَهتَدِى السَّارِى الطَّرِيدُ المُؤرَّقُ

بِهَا يَهتَدِى السَّارِى الطَّرِيدُ المُؤرَّقُ

He is the lush garden and the radiant blaze by which

He is the fragrant garden, the melodious lute

the outcast, sleepless night-traveler finds his way.

To guide the wanderer, soothe the restless, and the sick.

فَكِلتَا يَدَيهِ الرَّافِدَان كِلاَهُمَا

فَكِلتَا يَدَيهِ الرَّافِدَان كِلاَهُمَا

وكِلتَاهُما غُرٌّ مِنَ الدَّلوِ تَفهَقُ

وكِلتَاهُما غُرٌّ مِنَ الدَّلوِ تَفهَقُ

For both his hands are the twin rivers, both of them,

His hands both runnels from the water-skin—each is

and both are radiant, overflowing from the bucket.

A stream from the bucket overflowing without cease.

فَمَا مُدجِنٌ مِن هُمَّعِ الجُونِ

فَمَا مُدجِنٌ مِن هُمَّعِ الجُونِ

غُزَّرٌ ولاَ لُجَّةٌ يوماً مِنَ اليَمِّ تَدفَقُ

غُزَّرٌ ولاَ لُجَّةٌ يوماً مِنَ اليَمِّ تَدفَقُ

For no overcast cloud among the pouring dark clouds,

No pining heart oppressed with sadness and distress,

abundant in rain, nor any sea-depth that ever surges,

No cleft on rocky crag where billows crash and break.

بِأبذَلَ مِنهُ لِلطَّرِيفِ وتَالِدٍ

بِأبذَلَ مِنهُ لِلطَّرِيفِ وتَالِدٍ

إِذَا ضَنَّ مِبذَالٌ بِمَا كَانَ يُنفِقُ

إِذَا ضَنَّ مِبذَالٌ بِمَا كَانَ يُنفِقُ

is more lavish than he with newly acquired and inherited wealth,

More generous than he to visitor and kin

when a lavish giver begrudges what he used to spend.

When misers hoard what once they spent so free.

ومَا بَذَلَ المَاضُونَ مِعشارَ سَيبِهِ

ومَا بَذَلَ المَاضُونَ مِعشارَ سَيبِهِ

إِذَا ازدَحَم العَافُونَ يَوماً وأحدَقُوا

إِذَا ازدَحَم العَافُونَ يَوماً وأحدَقُوا

And those gone before never bestowed a tenth of his bounty,

Not a tithe the ancients gave of what he did

when seekers of gifts throng one day and gather around.

When throngs pressed in upon him in their need.

كَأنَّ الجَدَا يَشكُو الجَدَا مِنهُ كَثرَةً

كَأنَّ الجَدَا يَشكُو الجَدَا مِنهُ كَثرَةً

إليه ولاَ يَعرُوهُ غَورٌ مُرَنَّقُ

إليه ولاَ يَعرُوهُ غَورٌ مُرَنَّقُ

As though bounty complains of his bounty's abundance

As if the generous vied in generosity—

to him; no murky ebb overtakes it.

To him they came and went, a constant stream.

هُو المَشرَبُ الشَّافي مِنَ الجُوعِ والظَّمَا

هُو المَشرَبُ الشَّافي مِنَ الجُوعِ والظَّمَا

وهُوَّ عَلَى مَن صَبَّهُ اللهُ شَِبرَقُ

وهُوَّ عَلَى مَن صَبَّهُ اللهُ شَِبرَقُ

He is the watering place that cures hunger and thirst,

He is the drink that quenches thirst and hunger;

and to anyone God has cast down, he is thorny shibraq.

He rains on those decreed by Godfavorably.

ألاَ بَارَكَ الرحمنُ يَا شَيخُ فِيكُمُ

ألاَ بَارَكَ الرحمنُ يَا شَيخُ فِيكُمُ

ولاَ فَارَقَت يَوماً بِمَغنَاكَ فُرَّقُ

ولاَ فَارَقَت يَوماً بِمَغنَاكَ فُرَّقُ

Lo, may the All-Merciful bless you, O Sheikh,

Bless you, O Sheikh: may the Merciful never cease

and may your dwelling never lack she-camels near calving.

To bless your abode and dwell within it happily.

لَيَالِيكَ أقمَارٌ وَيومُكَ نَيِّرٌ

لَيَالِيكَ أقمَارٌ وَيومُكَ نَيِّرٌ

ومِثلُكُ مَغبُوُط وَرَاجِيكَ مُورِقُ

ومِثلُكُ مَغبُوُط وَرَاجِيكَ مُورِقُ

Your nights are moons, and your day is radiant,

Your nights are moons, your days a streaming sun,

and one like you is envied, while whoever hopes in you puts forth leaves.

You are most blessed, and in your footsteps, light.

فَبُورِكتَ يا سَرحَ الخَدِيمِ وبُورِكَت

فَبُورِكتَ يا سَرحَ الخَدِيمِ وبُورِكَت

قُصورٌ ثَوَى فِيهَا الخَدِيمُ المُحَقَّقُ

قُصورٌ ثَوَى فِيهَا الخَدِيمُ المُحَقَّقُ

So may you be blessed, O tree of al-Khadim, and blessed be

Blessed be, O Sheikh, Blessed the manse that is

the palaces where al-Khadim, the accomplished one, dwelt.

Your dwelling place—the saint fulfilled and verified.