أقول بالله لا بكوني

أقول بالله لا بكوني

فإنه بالدليلِ عيني

فإنه بالدليلِ عيني

I speak through God, not through my existence.

I speak by Allah, not by my being

For He, by proof, is my very self.

For with evidence it's clear to see

إن الحدوث الذي لكوني

إن الحدوث الذي لكوني

قد حال ما بينه وبيني

قد حال ما بينه وبيني

Indeed, the temporal origination of my existence

That the occurrence that's my existence

has come between Him and me,

Has come between it and me

في نظر العقلِ لا بكشفي

في نظر العقلِ لا بكشفي

فالبينُ بيني والبينُ بيني

فالبينُ بيني والبينُ بيني

in the intellect's view, not through my unveiling.

In reason's view, not my unveiling

So separation is mine, and union is mine.

So the distance between me is the distance between me

إنْ دلَّ أني له بغير

إنْ دلَّ أني له بغير

فذاك لي إذا سألت عوني

فذاك لي إذا سألت عوني

If it shows that I am other than Him,

If it indicates that I'm for it without

then that holds for me when I ask for aid.

Then when I ask for help, that's for me

أو قلتُ إني له بعين

أو قلتُ إني له بعين

أكذبني صوته وصوني

أكذبني صوته وصوني

Or if I say I am identical with Him,

Or if I said I'm for it specifically

His voice and my preservation belie me.

Its voice and guarding belie me

فالأمر بيني وبين حبي

فالأمر بيني وبين حبي

عليه نبني إن كنتَ تبني

عليه نبني إن كنتَ تبني

So the affair is between me and my Beloved;

So the matter's between me and my love

upon it we build, if you build.

On it we build, if you want to build

أثنيتَ يوماً عليَّ جهلاً

أثنيتَ يوماً عليَّ جهلاً

فقال أثني عليَّ تثني

فقال أثني عليَّ تثني

You praised me one day in ignorance;

You praised me one day in ignorance

so He said: "Praise Me—you make two."

So he said "Praise me and you will praise me"

فنيت عني به إليه

فنيت عني به إليه

وذاك ما لم يقم بظني

وذاك ما لم يقم بظني

I vanished from myself, through Him, unto Him.

So I passed from me to him through him

And that is what had never arisen in my thought.

And that's what didn't stand by my guess

وما جهلتُ الرويّ فيما

وما جهلتُ الرويّ فيما

نظمته فانظروه مني

نظمته فانظروه مني

Nor was I ignorant of the rhyme-letter in what

And I didn't know the narration in what

I composed; so examine it as coming from me.

I composed, so look at it from me

فما تراه من نظم قولي

فما تراه من نظم قولي

فليس شعراً خذوه عني

فليس شعراً خذوه عني

So what you see of my words' composition

So whatever poetry you see in my words

is not poetry; take it from me.

It's not poetry, take it from me

بل هو ما قال فيه ربي

بل هو ما قال فيه ربي

من ذكر جمع ببينِ كوني

من ذكر جمع ببينِ كوني

Rather, it is what my Lord said of it:

Rather it's what my Lord said about it

a remembrance of union through my existence's separation.

From the mention of creation in my existence

فكلُّ ما في الوجود نظمٌ

فكلُّ ما في الوجود نظمٌ

وليس شعراً والوزنُ وزني

وليس شعراً والوزنُ وزني

For all that is in existence is an ordered composition,

So everything in existence is a composition

and is not poetry; and the meter is my meter.

And not poetry, and the meter is my meter

ليس الفراهيد لي إمامٌ

ليس الفراهيد لي إمامٌ

أنا إمام له فإني

أنا إمام له فإني

Al-Farāhīd is not my guide.

Al-Farahidi is not my guide

I am his guide, for I,

I'm his guide, for I am

في كلِّ ما قلت من روي

في كلِّ ما قلت من روي

علام وقتي فلا تثني

علام وقتي فلا تثني

in every rhyme-letter I have uttered,

In all I have narrated

am the great knower of my time; so do not make two.

A sign of my time, so do not praise me

في آل عمرانَ إن نظرتم

في آل عمرانَ إن نظرتم

بيتٌ وفي توبة وثني

بيتٌ وفي توبة وثني

In Āl ʿImrān, if you look,

In the Family of Imran, if you look

there is a verse; in Tawbah too, and a second

A house, and in Repentance a praise

بالحجر واعلم بأنَّ قولي

بالحجر واعلم بأنَّ قولي

في كلِّ ما قلت عنه يغني

في كلِّ ما قلت عنه يغني

in al-Ḥijr; and know that my speech,

By the stone, and know that my words

in all I have said of Him, suffices.

In all I have said about Him suffice

فالرقم مني والحقُّ يملي

فالرقم مني والحقُّ يملي

فكلُّ ما خُط ليس مني

فكلُّ ما خُط ليس مني

So the writing is mine, and the Real dictates;

So the numbering's from me, and the truth dictates

so all that has been written is not from me.

Thus all I have written is not from me