ما ان ذكرتك في سرّ وفي علن

ما ان ذكرتك في سرّ وفي علن

إلا وذكرك يسليني ويطربني

إلا وذكرك يسليني ويطربني

No sooner do I remember You, in secret or openly,

Never have I remembered you in secret or in public

than remembrance of You consoles me and fills me with rapture.

without your remembrance consoling and delighting me.

وليس يحجبني بالبعد عنه بلى

وليس يحجبني بالبعد عنه بلى

القرب منه على التحقيق يحجبني

القرب منه على التحقيق يحجبني

Distance from Him does not veil me—rather,

And he does not veil me through distance from him; rather,

nearness to Him, in truth, is what veils me.

nearness to him, in truth, veils me.

القرب منه بكوني عينه فإذا

القرب منه بكوني عينه فإذا

ما كنته فهو بالتكليف يكذبني

ما كنته فهو بالتكليف يكذبني

Nearness to Him lies in my being His very essence; then whenever

Nearness to him lies in my being his very self; so when

I am Him, He gives me the lie by laying obligation upon me.

I am him, he belies me by imposing obligation.

ذكري به ليس ذكري فهو ذاكره

ذكري به ليس ذكري فهو ذاكره

بنا ومن بعدِ ذا بالذكر يطلبني

بنا ومن بعدِ ذا بالذكر يطلبني

My remembrance of Him is not my remembrance; it is He who remembers it

My remembrance through him is not my own: he remembers himself

through us; and thereafter, through remembrance, He seeks me.

through us; and thereafter he seeks me through remembrance.

قد حِرت فيه كما قد حِرت فيّ وما

قد حِرت فيه كما قد حِرت فيّ وما

أعاتب النفس إلا ظلَّ يعتبني

أعاتب النفس إلا ظلَّ يعتبني

I am bewildered in Him, just as I am bewildered in myself; nor do I

I have been bewildered by him, as I have been by myself; and never

reproach the self—except that it persists in reproaching me.

do I reproach the self without his continuing to reproach me.

فما عرفتُ سوى نفسٍ وما عرفتُ

فما عرفتُ سوى نفسٍ وما عرفتُ

ربي ومن لي بها والعجز يصحبني

ربي ومن لي بها والعجز يصحبني

Thus I have known none but a self, and I have not known

So I have known nothing but a self, and have not known

my Lord. Who can help me with it, while helplessness accompanies me?

my Lord; and who can grant it to me, while helplessness accompanies me?

والله ما نظرتْ عيني إلى أحد

والله ما نظرتْ عيني إلى أحد

إلا رأيتك تبكيني وتندبني

إلا رأيتك تبكيني وتندبني

By God, my eye has never looked upon anyone

By God, my eye has never looked at anyone

without my seeing You, making me weep and mourning me,

without seeing you making me weep and lamenting me,

خوفاً على الملك أن يحظى به أحد

خوفاً على الملك أن يحظى به أحد

سواك غيرة سلطان يكبكبني

سواك غيرة سلطان يكبكبني

for fear lest anyone gain the Kingdom

fearing for the kingdom, lest anyone gain it

besides You—a sovereign jealousy keeps casting me headlong.

other than you, out of the jealousy of a sovereign who casts me headlong.

تولد الأمر ما بيني على سخط

تولد الأمر ما بيني على سخط

وبينه ولذا أضحى يقربني

وبينه ولذا أضحى يقربني

The affair arose between me, amid displeasure,

The matter arose amid displeasure between me

and Him; therefore He has come to draw me near.

and him; and so he has come to draw me near.

فلو تولد عن قرب تخيله

فلو تولد عن قرب تخيله

وهمي لأصبح بالبلوى يعذبني

وهمي لأصبح بالبلوى يعذبني

Had it arisen from a nearness imagined by

For had it arisen from a nearness imagined

my fancy, it would surely have tormented me with affliction.

by my fancy, he would have tormented me with affliction.

فما ابتليتُ ولكني أراه إذا

فما ابتليتُ ولكني أراه إذا

رأيت رأياً على كره يصوِّبني

رأيت رأياً على كره يصوِّبني

Thus I have not been afflicted; yet I see Him whenever

So I have not been put to the test; yet I see him, whenever

I behold my vision, despite myself, setting me aright.

I hold a view, declaring me right despite reluctance.