لحدث بنتي بيدي

لحدث بنتي بيدي

لأنها ذو جسدي

لأنها ذو جسدي

I buried my daughter with my hand [uncertain reading],

With my own hands I chastise my daughter,

because she possesses my body.

For she is of my own flesh.

أنا على حكم النوى

أنا على حكم النوى

فليس شيءٌ بيدي

فليس شيءٌ بيدي

I am under separation's decree;

I follow the rule of principles,

so nothing is in my hand.

So nothing is in my hands.

مقيد في وقتنا

مقيد في وقتنا

ما بين أمسٍ وغدِ

ما بين أمسٍ وغدِ

Bound within our time,

Trapped in our time,

between yesterday and tomorrow.

Between yesterday and tomorrow.

جسمي لُجين خالصٌ

جسمي لُجين خالصٌ

حقيقتي من عسجدِ

حقيقتي من عسجدِ

My body is pure silver;

My body is purely material,

my true essence is of gold.

My essence is from the One.

كالقوس نشئي ولذا

كالقوس نشئي ولذا

عينُ قوامي حيدي

عينُ قوامي حيدي

My formation is like a bow, and hence

Like a bow my constitution

my very uprightness is my deviation.

The pupil of my eye deviates.

يقول ربي إنه

يقول ربي إنه

خلقني في كبد

خلقني في كبد

My Lord says that He

My Lord says that

created me in hardship.

He created me in spirit.

فكيف أرجو راحة

فكيف أرجو راحة

ما دمت في ذا البلد

ما دمت في ذا البلد

How, then, can I hope for rest

So how can I hope for rest

as long as I remain in this land?

As long as I am in this land?

لولاه ما كنتُ أنا

لولاه ما كنتُ أنا

ذا والدٍ وولد

ذا والدٍ وولد

Were it not for Him, I myself would not be

Were it not for Him I wouldn't exist

one with a father and a child;

As one with a father and son.

ولم يكن لي كفؤاً

ولم يكن لي كفؤاً

كخالقي من أحد

كخالقي من أحد

nor would I have an equal—

And none were suited to me

anyone at all—just as with my Creator.

Like my Creator from anyone.

فالنعتُ نعتٌ واحدٌ

فالنعتُ نعتٌ واحدٌ

في عينِ ذاتِ العدد

في عينِ ذاتِ العدد

So the attribute is a single attribute,

Attribution is one thing

in the very essence of number.

In the eye of the plural self.

وإنني لخالقي

وإنني لخالقي

في خلقنا كالعدد

في خلقنا كالعدد

And to my Creator I am

And I, to my Creator

in our creation, like number.

In our creation, am like a number.

فحل إلهي بيننا

فحل إلهي بيننا

في الكون لا المعتقد

في الكون لا المعتقد

My God is a sire among us,

So resolve, my God, between us

in the cosmos, not in belief,

In existence, not doctrine.

بنشأةٍ ثابتة

بنشأةٍ ثابتة

يصحُّ منها سندي

يصحُّ منها سندي

through a firmly established formation,

With a fixed nature

from which my warrant is valid

From which my evidence stems.

في أنني مثلكمُ

في أنني مثلكمُ

وأنت لي مستندي

وأنت لي مستندي

in that I am like you all,

That I am like you

and you are my support,

And You are my support.

بالفرض لا إني أنا

بالفرض لا إني أنا

مثل وهذا رشدي

مثل وهذا رشدي

by supposition—not that I myself am

By hypothesis, not that I

an equal; and this is my sound judgment.

Am an example, and this is my reason.

نفيت عني المثل في

نفيت عني المثل في

شورى وذا معتقدي

شورى وذا معتقدي

I denied any likeness to myself in

I denied the example in

Shura; and this is my belief.

Consultation, and this is my belief.

وجنتي عالية

وجنتي عالية

مع الحسانِ الخرّد

مع الحسانِ الخرّد

And my garden is lofty,

And my paradise is lofty

with the beautiful, bashful maidens.

With the fine, tiny pearls.

وإنما قال به

وإنما قال به

كما لنا في المقصد

كما لنا في المقصد

And he only affirmed it,

And He only said it

according to our intended meaning:

As we have in purpose.

طبيعةُ الكون له

طبيعةُ الكون له

أهل وعينُ الأحد

أهل وعينُ الأحد

the nature of the cosmos is his

The nature of the universe is His

wife, and the essence of the One

People, and the eye of the One.

بعلٌ لها فاجتمعا

بعلٌ لها فاجتمعا

على وجودي وقد

على وجودي وقد

is her husband; so the two united

A husband to it, so they gathered

for my existence. And indeed,

On my existence and did.

ما قلت ذا عن نظر

ما قلت ذا عن نظر

قد قام بي في خَلَدي

قد قام بي في خَلَدي

I did not say this from speculation

I did not say this from sight

that had arisen within me, in my mind;

That stood by me in eternity.

وإنما قرَّره

وإنما قرَّره

عندي رسولُ الصمد

عندي رسولُ الصمد

rather, it was established

But rather he determined it

for me by the Messenger of al-Samad.

For me, the Messenger of the Eternal.

فكان يملي وأنا

فكان يملي وأنا

أكتب عنه بيدي

أكتب عنه بيدي

So he would dictate, while I

So he would dictate and I

wrote from him with my hand.

Would write from him with my hand.

وهكذا الأمر ولا

وهكذا الأمر ولا

يعرفه من أحد

يعرفه من أحد

And such is the matter, and no

And this is how it is, and none

one at all knows it

Knows it except one from anyone.

غيرُ إمامٍ سابق

غيرُ إمامٍ سابق

بالخير أو مقتصد

بالخير أو مقتصد

except an imam foremost

Other than a preceding imam

in goodness, or one on a middle course.

In goodness, or moderate.

والغيرُ لا يعرفه

والغيرُ لا يعرفه

في الحال بل في الأبد

في الحال بل في الأبد

And the others do not know it

And the rest do not know it

in the present state, but in eternity.

Now, but in eternity.

وكلُّ فرع راجع

وكلُّ فرع راجع

لأصله لم يزد

لأصله لم يزد

And every branch returns

And every branch goes back

to its root, without increase.

To its origin, nothing more.