النظم أولى به إن كنتَ تعرفه

النظم أولى به إن كنتَ تعرفه

والنثر أولى بنا إن كنت تعرفنا

والنثر أولى بنا إن كنت تعرفنا

Verse is more fitting for him, if you know him.

Prose is more suited to us if you know us,

And prose is more fitting for us, if you know us.

And poetry more suited to him if you know him.

فالوجه أولى بنا إن كنت تشهده

فالوجه أولى بنا إن كنت تشهده

ونحن أولى به إن كنت تشهدنا

ونحن أولى به إن كنت تشهدنا

The face, then, is more fitting for us, if you behold it.

The face is more suited to us if you witness it,

And we are more fitting for him, if you behold us.

And we are more suited to it if you witness us.

فما يعز عليه فهو بي وله

فما يعز عليه فهو بي وله

وما يعز علينا قد يخص بنا

وما يعز علينا قد يخص بنا

So whatever is difficult for him is through me and for him.

What is hard for him, that is for me and mine,

And what is difficult for us may be ours alone.

What is hard for us, he may reserve for us.

فما لنا منه إلا ما يكون لنا

فما لنا منه إلا ما يكون لنا

مجلى فننظره وليس ينظرها

مجلى فننظره وليس ينظرها

So we have nothing from him except what becomes for us

We have of him only what there is for us,

A place of manifestation; so we behold him, though he does not behold her.

A shining moon - we look at it, not looking at us.

ما إنْ ذكرتك في سرٍّ وفي علن

ما إنْ ذكرتك في سرٍّ وفي علن

إلا رأيتُ الذي ما زال يذكرنا

إلا رأيتُ الذي ما زال يذكرنا

Never have I remembered you, in secret or in public,

When I mention you in secret and openly,

Without seeing the one who has never ceased remembering us.

I only see the one who still mentions us.

ولست أفرح بالذكرى على سخط

ولست أفرح بالذكرى على سخط

لكن على كثب إن كنت تعلمنا

لكن على كثب إن كنت تعلمنا

Nor do I rejoice in remembrance under wrath,

I’m not happy with memories out of anger,

But in nearness, if you know us.

But out of longing if you know us.

والله يذكر قوماً ما لأخلاق لهم

والله يذكر قوماً ما لأخلاق لهم

بقوله اخسأوا فيها ويشهدنا

بقوله اخسأوا فيها ويشهدنا

And God mentions a people with no moral qualities,

And God mentions a people with no morals,

By his saying, 'Be abased in it!'—and he makes us witness

Saying, “Be apes” - and He witnesses us.

مقامهم وهم عن عينهم حجبوا

مقامهم وهم عن عينهم حجبوا

به وعنهم بما هم فيه يحجبنا

به وعنهم بما هم فيه يحجبنا

Their station, while they are veiled from their own essence

Their status while they are veiled from their eyes

By him; and through what they are in, he veils us from them.

By Him, and from them by what veils us from Him.

لو عاين القلب منهم ما أعاينه

لو عاين القلب منهم ما أعاينه

لعاينوه بلا شك يعايننا

لعاينوه بلا شك يعايننا

If their heart beheld what I behold,

If the heart saw them as I saw them,

They would behold him, without doubt, beholding us.

They would see Him without doubt seeing us.