حَرامُ دَمي لِمَن أَهواهُ حِلُّ

حَرامُ دَمي لِمَن أَهواهُ حِلُّ

وَفي قَتلي بِهِ لِلمَوتِ قَتلُ

وَفي قَتلي بِهِ لِلمَوتِ قَتلُ

My inviolable blood is lawful to the one I love;

My inviolable blood is lawful for the one I love.

and when He slays me, death itself is slain.

And in my being slain by him lies the slaying of death.

وَكَالثَمَرِ الَّذي يَبدو مَريراً

وَكَالثَمَرِ الَّذي يَبدو مَريراً

وَيَحلو فيهِ عَقبَ الصَبرِ يَحلو

وَيَحلو فيهِ عَقبَ الصَبرِ يَحلو

It is like fruit that first appears bitter,

And like fruit that seems bitter

then, after patience, turns sweet—sweet indeed.

And grows sweet—in him, sweetness comes after patience.

وَتَعذيبي بِهِ عَذبٌ كَعَيشٍ

وَتَعذيبي بِهِ عَذبٌ كَعَيشٍ

بِأَوطارِ الشَبيبَةِ لا يُمَلُّ

بِأَوطارِ الشَبيبَةِ لا يُمَلُّ

Torment at His hands is sweet, like a life

And my torment by him is sweet, like a life

amid youth’s desires, of which one never tires.

Amid the pleasures of youth, never wearisome.

وَكَالإِقدامِ في خَوضِ المَنايا

وَكَالإِقدامِ في خَوضِ المَنايا

إِلى العَلياءِ فيهِ الجَهلُ عَقلُ

إِلى العَلياءِ فيهِ الجَهلُ عَقلُ

It is like boldly plunging into mortal perils

And like daring to plunge into mortal perils

to reach the heights: there, folly is reason.

To attain the heights—in him, ignorance is reason.

تَجَلّى لي فَجَلّاني لِعَيني

تَجَلّى لي فَجَلّاني لِعَيني

كَما لي صورَتي المِرآةُ تَجلو

كَما لي صورَتي المِرآةُ تَجلو

He manifested Himself to me and revealed me to my own eyes,

He revealed himself to me, then revealed me to my own eye,

just as a mirror reveals my image to me.

As the mirror reveals my image to me.

وَمَثَّلَ لي الحَقيقَةَ في خَيالٍ

وَمَثَّلَ لي الحَقيقَةَ في خَيالٍ

كَما في النورِ يَحكي الشَخصَ ظِلُّ

كَما في النورِ يَحكي الشَخصَ ظِلُّ

He represented Reality to me within an image,

And represented reality to me in an image,

as, in the light, a shadow imitates the person.

As a shadow in the light imitates a person.

وَأَوجَدَني وَأَفقَدَني وُجودي

وَأَوجَدَني وَأَفقَدَني وُجودي

كَمَهجورٍ لَهُ في النَومِ وَصلُ

كَمَهجورٍ لَهُ في النَومِ وَصلُ

He brought me into being and made me lose my being,

And brought me into being and deprived me of my existence,

like one forsaken who finds union in a dream.

Like one forsaken who finds union in sleep.

تَضَمَّنَ جودُهُ مِنّي وُجودي

تَضَمَّنَ جودُهُ مِنّي وُجودي

كَما يَتَضَمَّنَ الأَجزاءَ كُلُّ

كَما يَتَضَمَّنَ الأَجزاءَ كُلُّ

His bounty encompassed my existence, drawn from me,

His bounty encompassed my own existence,

as a whole encompasses all its parts.

As a whole encompasses its parts.

فَمِنهُ لي وُجوبي مِثلُ نَوعٍ

فَمِنهُ لي وُجوبي مِثلُ نَوعٍ

تَجَنَّسَ عَنهُ في الإِمانِ فَصلُ

تَجَنَّسَ عَنهُ في الإِمانِ فَصلُ

From Him derives my necessary being, like a species

So from him comes my necessary existence, like a species

whose differentia, within faith, takes its genus from Him.

From which, in faith, a differentia took generic form.

أَزيدُ بِهِ وَأَنقُصُ كُلَّ يَومٍ

أَزيدُ بِهِ وَأَنقُصُ كُلَّ يَومٍ

كَما يَبدو الهِلالُ وَيَضمَحِلُّ

كَما يَبدو الهِلالُ وَيَضمَحِلُّ

Through Him I wax and wane each day,

I wax through him and wane each day,

as the crescent moon appears and fades away.

As the crescent appears and dwindles away.

وَفيهِ أَنا وَفِيَّ غَدا كَشَبَحي

وَفيهِ أَنا وَفِيَّ غَدا كَشَبَحي

أَراهُ وَمالَهُ مِنّي مَحَلُّ

أَراهُ وَمالَهُ مِنّي مَحَلُّ

In Him am I, and in me He became—like my phantom;

I am in him, and in me he became like my phantom;

I see Him, though He has no dwelling-place in me.

I see him, yet he has no place within me.

فَمَن مِثلي وَقَد أَصبَحتُ مَولىً

فَمَن مِثلي وَقَد أَصبَحتُ مَولىً

لِمَولىً مالَهُ في الخَلقِ مِثلُ

لِمَولىً مالَهُ في الخَلقِ مِثلُ

Who, then, is like me, now that I have become a devotee

Who, then, is like me, now that I have become a servant

of a Lord who has no equal in creation?

To a master with no equal in creation?

عَزيزٌ عَزَّني صَبري عَلَيهِ

عَزيزٌ عَزَّني صَبري عَلَيهِ

لِأَنَّ هَواهُ عَن مِثلي يَجَلُّ

لِأَنَّ هَواهُ عَن مِثلي يَجَلُّ

Mighty is He; my patience for Him has made me mighty,

He is mighty; patience with him eludes me,

for love of Him rises far above one such as me.

Because love of him is too exalted for one like me.

لَهُ عَنّي بِمالي فيهِ فَرقٌ

لَهُ عَنّي بِمالي فيهِ فَرقٌ

وَفيهِ مِنهُ جَمعٌ لَيسَ يَخلو

وَفيهِ مِنهُ جَمعٌ لَيسَ يَخلو

He is distinct from me through what of mine is in Him,

Through what is mine in him, he is distinct from me;

yet in Him is a union from Him that is never void.

And in him, from him, is union that is never void.

لِئِن شَغَلَ المُغَيِّبَ عَنكَ وَهمٌ

لِئِن شَغَلَ المُغَيِّبَ عَنكَ وَهمٌ

فَلي بِكَ عَن ذَوي الأَوهامِ شُغلُ

فَلي بِكَ عَن ذَوي الأَوهامِ شُغلُ

Though a delusion distract the one made absent from You,

Even if an illusion engrosses the one who hides from you,

through You I am distracted from the people of delusion.

Yet my absorption in you keeps me from those who harbor illusions.

فَغَيري مِن سِواكَ لَهُ دَليلٌ

فَغَيري مِن سِواكَ لَهُ دَليلٌ

وَلَيسَ عَلَيكَ غَيرُكَ مَن يَدِلُّ

وَلَيسَ عَلَيكَ غَيرُكَ مَن يَدِلُّ

Others than I have, among all besides You, a guide;

For another has a guide from what is other than you,

but to You none can guide except You.

And none but you points the way to you.