الرُوح ما الرُوح إِلّا طائر غَرَد

الرُوح ما الرُوح إِلّا طائر غَرَد

لَهُ جَناحان مِن نور وَظَلماء

لَهُ جَناحان مِن نور وَظَلماء

The soul—the soul is nothing but a singing bird,

The soul, what is the soul but a bird that sang

with two wings of light and darkness.

With two wings, one of light and one of darkness

كَطائر الرَوض إِلّا أَنَّه أَبَداً

كَطائر الرَوض إِلّا أَنَّه أَبَداً

يَشدو هُنالك شَدو الحائر النائي

يَشدو هُنالك شَدو الحائر النائي

Like the garden's bird, except that it forever

Like a bird of the garden, except that forever

sings there the song of one bewildered and far away.

It sings there the song of the bewildered wanderer

يَظَل يَهبط مِن دوح لمؤتلق

يَظَل يَهبط مِن دوح لمؤتلق

وَقَد يُغادر خَضراء لِخَضراء

وَقَد يُغادر خَضراء لِخَضراء

It keeps descending from a grove to a radiant one,

It continues alighting from grove to grove

and may leave one green place for another.

And it may leave a green one for a green one

لا العَقل يَهتك ما أَخفاه مِن حجب

لا العَقل يَهتك ما أَخفاه مِن حجب

وَعَين كُل بَصير جد عَمياء

وَعَين كُل بَصير جد عَمياء

Reason cannot rend the veils that conceal it,

Neither reason unveils what it has hidden of veils

and every discerning eye is utterly blind.

And the eye of every seer is quite blind

اللَه وَالرُوح كَم نَسعى وَراءَهُما

اللَه وَالرُوح كَم نَسعى وَراءَهُما

وَنَستَعين بِأَموات وَأَحياء

وَنَستَعين بِأَموات وَأَحياء

God and the soul—how hard we strive after them both,

God and the soul, how much we quest for them

and seek help from the dead and the living.

And seek help from the dead and the living

هُما الخَفيان في نُور وَفي غَسَق

هُما الخَفيان في نُور وَفي غَسَق

تَرفَعا عَن إِشارات وَإِيماء

تَرفَعا عَن إِشارات وَإِيماء

Both are hidden, in light and in dusk;

They are the hidden ones in light and in dusk

they have risen above signs and gestures.

Rising above gestures and hints

سران ما نَقب الإِنسان دونَهُما

سران ما نَقب الإِنسان دونَهُما

إِلذا تَوَغل في شَك وَإِعياء

إِلذا تَوَغل في شَك وَإِعياء

Two mysteries: never has man probed toward them

Two mysteries that man has not probed beyond them

without plunging deep into doubt and exhaustion.

Unless he penetrated into doubt and exhaustion

الوَيل لِلعَقل هَذا مشكل جَلل

الوَيل لِلعَقل هَذا مشكل جَلل

فَكَيفَ يَنظُر في عَجز وَإِبطاء

فَكَيفَ يَنظُر في عَجز وَإِبطاء

Woe to reason! This is a grave problem;

Woe to this reason, a momentous riddle

how, then, can it ponder, helpless and slow?

How can it look with incapacity and tardiness

لُهُ الثُبور وَماذا عافَهُ فَمَضى

لُهُ الثُبور وَماذا عافَهُ فَمَضى

يَقلب الطَرف في ذُعر وَرَعناء

يَقلب الطَرف في ذُعر وَرَعناء

Doom be upon it! What did it spurn? Then it went on,

It has misfortunes and what did it gain, so it passed

turning its gaze in terror and folly.

Turning the glance in panic and foolishness

لَو يَنزل العَقل قَبل الرُوح في جَسَد

لَو يَنزل العَقل قَبل الرُوح في جَسَد

لَم يَلبَث الرُوح سراً بَينَ أَحشاء

لَم يَلبَث الرُوح سراً بَينَ أَحشاء

If reason descended into a body before the soul,

If reason descended before the soul into a body

the soul would not remain a secret within its entrails.

The soul would not have tarried a secret among the entrails

تَكشفت رُسل الآراء عَن شيع

تَكشفت رُسل الآراء عَن شيع

شَتى وَعَن فرق كَثر وَآراء

شَتى وَعَن فرق كَثر وَآراء

The messengers of ideas have revealed sects

The messengers of opinions were revealed about factions

of many kinds, and numerous factions and opinions.

Diverse, and about sects, many and opinions

فَلَيتَ شعري وَالإِنسان مُنصَرم

فَلَيتَ شعري وَالإِنسان مُنصَرم

أَفي الخُلود نَصيب لِلوريقاء

أَفي الخُلود نَصيب لِلوريقاء

If only I knew, as humankind passes away:

I wonder, and man is transient

is there a share in immortality for the little gray dove?

Is there a share of immortality for the flimsy

يا أَيُّها الرُوح كَم تدنو بِمَقرُبة

يا أَيُّها الرُوح كَم تدنو بِمَقرُبة

وَأَنتَ أَبعَد مَن يوح وَعَلواء

وَأَنتَ أَبعَد مَن يوح وَعَلواء

O soul, how closely you draw near,

O soul, how you come near with a censer

yet you are farther away than Yuh and Alwa’.

While you are farther than revelation or the most high

جَرى وَراءك سُقراط فَما علقت

جَرى وَراءك سُقراط فَما علقت

كَفاهُ منكَ بِشَيء وَاِبن سِيناء

كَفاهُ منكَ بِشَيء وَاِبن سِيناء

Socrates ran after you, but could not lay

Socrates went after you, but you did not provide him

his hands on anything of you—nor could Ibn Sina.

With anything, and the son of Sinai

لَأَنت صَعب عَلى الأُلى نَزَلوا

لَأَنت صَعب عَلى الأُلى نَزَلوا

مِن ظَهر آدم أَوجاؤوا بِحَواء

مِن ظَهر آدم أَوجاؤوا بِحَواء

You are indeed elusive to those who descended

You are difficult for those who came down

from Adam's back, or came with Eve.

From the back of Adam or came with Eve