يا عَليلَ القلبِ ما أَغفَلَكَا

يا عَليلَ القلبِ ما أَغفَلَكَا

وبعلمِ الحقِّ ما أَجْهَلَكَا

وبعلمِ الحقِّ ما أَجْهَلَكَا

O you of ailing heart, how heedless you are!

O ailing of heart, how oblivious you’ve been

And how ignorant you are of knowledge of the Truth!

To the knowledge of truth, how ignorant you’ve been

غِرتَ للنَّفسِ وما غِرْتَ له

غِرتَ للنَّفسِ وما غِرْتَ له

أَنْتَ لو غِرْتَ لهُ غارَ لَكَا

أَنْتَ لو غِرْتَ لهُ غارَ لَكَا

You showed jealous zeal for the self, but not for Him;

You were deceived for the self, not for Him

Had you shown jealous zeal for Him, He would have shown it for you.

If you were deceived for Him, He would’ve protected you

تدَّعي القطعَ مع الوَصلِ وقدْ

تدَّعي القطعَ مع الوَصلِ وقدْ

رُحْتَ كَذَّاباً فما أَذْهَلَكَا

رُحْتَ كَذَّاباً فما أَذْهَلَكَا

You claim severance along with union, yet

You claim attachment amidst detachment, yet

you have become a liar—how oblivious you are!

You have lied, how confused you’ve been

قلبُكَ المَطْموسُ في أَوهامِهِ

قلبُكَ المَطْموسُ في أَوهامِهِ

يا عَليلَ العقلِ قد علَّلَكَا

يا عَليلَ العقلِ قد علَّلَكَا

Your heart, blinded in its delusions,

Your heart is sealed in its delusions

O you of ailing mind, has beguiled you.

O ailing of mind, how diseased you’ve been

تزعُمُ الوَصلَ على قطعٍ فقُلْ

تزعُمُ الوَصلَ على قطعٍ فقُلْ

بعدَ سِرِّ القطعِ من أَوْصَلَكَا

بعدَ سِرِّ القطعِ من أَوْصَلَكَا

You claim union despite severance; then say:

You claim attachment over detachment, so say

After the mystery of severance, who brought you to union?

After the secret of detachment, who attached you?

أَنْتَ في حكمِ التَّجَلِّي ناقِصٌ

أَنْتَ في حكمِ التَّجَلِّي ناقِصٌ

عندَ ذاكَ الحكمِ من أَكْمَلَكَا

عندَ ذاكَ الحكمِ من أَكْمَلَكَا

You are deficient under the judgment of divine manifestation;

You are deficient in the ruling of manifestation

Under that judgment, who has made you complete?

In that ruling, who perfected you?

تَروي للنَّفسِ أَحاديثَ الهَوَى

تَروي للنَّفسِ أَحاديثَ الهَوَى

كلُّها صادِرَةٌ عنكَ لَكَا

كلُّها صادِرَةٌ عنكَ لَكَا

You recount to the self tales of desire,

You narrate to the self the tales of passions

all of them issuing from you, for you.

All of them coming from you, to you

قلتَ لي فضلٌ على الغَيْرِ بلا

قلتَ لي فضلٌ على الغَيْرِ بلا

حُجَّةٌ يا خِبُّ من فَضَّلَكَا

حُجَّةٌ يا خِبُّ من فَضَّلَكَا

You said, 'I am superior to others,' without

You told me you're superior to others without

proof—O deceiver, who made you superior?

Any proof, O expert of preferences, who preferred you?

رُحْتَ بالوهمِ ولم تَرْضَ الهُدى

رُحْتَ بالوهمِ ولم تَرْضَ الهُدى

في أَساليبِ الغُوَى مُنْسَلِكا

في أَساليبِ الغُوَى مُنْسَلِكا

You went with delusion and would not accept guidance,

You walked the path of illusion, not content with guidance

treading the paths of error.

In the ways of misguidance, a wanderer

ليلَكَ الدَّاجي سنَطْويهِ سُدًى

ليلَكَ الدَّاجي سنَطْويهِ سُدًى

إنَّ ضوءَ الشَّمسِ يَمحو الحَلَكَا

إنَّ ضوءَ الشَّمسِ يَمحو الحَلَكَا

We shall fold away your pitch-dark night as a thing of no account;

Your dark night, we will fold away

For the sun's light wipes away the darkness.

For the sun's light erases the darkness

سَلْسَلَتْكَ النَّفسُ طَيشاً للعُلى

سَلْسَلَتْكَ النَّفسُ طَيشاً للعُلى

غيرُ طيشِ النَّفسِ من سَلْسَلَكَا

غيرُ طيشِ النَّفسِ من سَلْسَلَكَا

The self has chained you in rash ambition for the heights;

Your self chained you foolishly to the sublime

Who but the self's rashness has chained you?

Other than the self's foolishness, who chained you?

تَكْرَهُ العَدلَ وتَبْغي ظالِماً

تَكْرَهُ العَدلَ وتَبْغي ظالِماً

عن طَريقِ اللهِ ما أَعْدَلَكَا

عن طَريقِ اللهِ ما أَعْدَلَكَا

You hate justice and transgress, acting unjustly;

You dislike justice and love an oppressor

How far you have strayed from God's path!

From God's path, how unjust you've been

تحصُدُ الشَّرَّ وتَبغي طَيِّباً

تحصُدُ الشَّرَّ وتَبغي طَيِّباً

يا أَخا الخِسَّةِ لُمْ مِنْجَلَكَا

يا أَخا الخِسَّةِ لُمْ مِنْجَلَكَا

You reap evil, yet seek what is good;

You reap evil and desire goodness

O brother of baseness, blame your sickle!

O brother of villainy, why did you sharpen your sickle?

خَفْ إلهاً كلَّما رُمْتَ أَذًى

خَفْ إلهاً كلَّما رُمْتَ أَذًى

للأَحِبَّاءِ لهُ عَطَّلَكا

للأَحِبَّاءِ لهُ عَطَّلَكا

Fear God: whenever you intend harm

You feared God whenever you intended harm

to those dear to Him, He thwarts you.

To loved ones, so He disabled you

هُمْ بحِفْظِ اللهِ يا مِسْكينُ نَمْ

هُمْ بحِفْظِ اللهِ يا مِسْكينُ نَمْ

أَنْتَ بالوَهْمِ أَدَرْتَ الفَلَكَا

أَنْتَ بالوَهْمِ أَدَرْتَ الفَلَكَا

They are in God's keeping; O poor wretch, sleep!

They are under God's protection, O poor soul

You have set the celestial sphere turning—in delusion.

While you, with illusion, spun the sphere

هُمْ بعَيْنِ المُصْطَفى في مَدَدٍ

هُمْ بعَيْنِ المُصْطَفى في مَدَدٍ

كلَّما حارَبْتَهُمْ حارَبَكا

كلَّما حارَبْتَهُمْ حارَبَكا

They are under the Chosen One's eye, receiving aid;

They have the aid of Mustafa’s eye

whenever you wage war on them, he wages war on you.

Whenever you fight them, they will fight you

سيِّدٌ سادَ على الرُّسلِ عُلًى

سيِّدٌ سادَ على الرُّسلِ عُلًى

أَنزَلَ اللهُ عليهِ المَلَكَا

أَنزَلَ اللهُ عليهِ المَلَكَا

A master who surpassed the messengers in loftiness;

A master who ruled over the messengers with supremacy

God sent the angel down to him.

God sent down to him the angels

فعَليهِ اللهُ صلَّى سَرْمَداً

فعَليهِ اللهُ صلَّى سَرْمَداً

مِثلما الأَشياءَ طُرًّا مَلَكَا

مِثلما الأَشياءَ طُرًّا مَلَكَا

So God blesses him everlastingly,

So upon him, God prayed eternally

just as He possesses all things, one and all.

Just as He determined all things eternally