بنفسي الذي يلقى المحق وما لقى

بنفسي الذي يلقى المحق وما لقى

ولم يبق منه في الشهود وما بقى

ولم يبق منه في الشهود وما بقى

My soul be the ransom of him who encounters obliteration, yet has not encountered it.

With my own soul that meets what is right and did not meet,

And nothing of him remained in witnessing, nor did he remain.

And nothing remained of it among the witnesses or remained,

لو أنَّ الذي عندي يكون بخلقه

لو أنَّ الذي عندي يكون بخلقه

من العلم بي لم يبقَ في الملك من بقى

من العلم بي لم يبقَ في الملك من بقى

If his creatures had what I have

If what is with me becomes with his creation,

Of knowledge of myself, none who remained would remain in the realm.

From knowledge of me, none would remain in the kingdom who remained,

لقد نظرتْ عيني إليه وإنه

لقد نظرتْ عيني إليه وإنه

ليلقى الذي قد قيل لي إنه لقى

ليلقى الذي قد قيل لي إنه لقى

My eye has indeed looked upon him, and indeed he

My eyes have indeed looked upon him, and he,

Does encounter what I was told he had encountered.

Meets what has been said to me that he met,

ألا ليتَ شعري هل أرى اليوم من فتى

ألا ليتَ شعري هل أرى اليوم من فتى

صحيح الدعاوى بالصوابِ منطق

صحيح الدعاوى بالصوابِ منطق

Ah, would that I knew: shall I see today any young man

Oh! I wish I knew, will I see today a young man,

Sound in his claims, eloquent in what is right,

Correct in claims with truth speaking,

رحيم رؤوفٌ عاطفٌ متعطِّفٌ

رحيم رؤوفٌ عاطفٌ متعطِّفٌ

وَلوُعٌ بذكراه على الخلقِِ مشفق

وَلوُعٌ بذكراه على الخلقِِ مشفق

Merciful, tenderhearted, affectionate, compassionate,

Merciful, compassionate, sympathetic,

Ardently devoted to remembering him, solicitous for creation,

Yearning for remembering him over the people concerned,

بلفظٍ تراه في الحقيقةِ معجزا

بلفظٍ تراه في الحقيقةِ معجزا

لزور الذي يأتي به الخصم مزهق

لزور الذي يأتي به الخصم مزهق

With an utterance you find truly inimitable,

With speech you see as truly miraculous,

Dispelling the falsehood the adversary brings,

For the falsehood which the opponent comes with destroyed,

يناضل عن أصل الوجودِ بنفسه

يناضل عن أصل الوجودِ بنفسه

يباري رياحَ الجود جوداً ويتقى

يباري رياحَ الجود جوداً ويتقى

Who fights for the root of existence with his own self,

He contends for the origin of existence itself,

Rivals the winds of bounty in generosity, and is wary,

Competing winds of generosity with generosity, and piety,

حذارا عليه أن يحوزَ مقامه

حذارا عليه أن يحوزَ مقامه

سواه بتأييدٍ وغيرة مشفق

سواه بتأييدٍ وغيرة مشفق

Out of concern for him, lest his station be attained

Beware that he gains his position,

By another, through support and a caring one's jealousy?

Other than him with support and zeal concerned,

لقد جهل الأقوام قولي ومقصدي

لقد جهل الأقوام قولي ومقصدي

ولم يدرما قلناه غير محقق

ولم يدرما قلناه غير محقق

The people have indeed failed to understand my words and my intent,

The people have been ignorant of my words and my purpose,

And none but a true investigator has understood what we said.

And did not know what we said without being realized,

عساه يرى في جوّه من فريسةٍ

عساه يرى في جوّه من فريسةٍ

فليس يرى التقييد إلا بمطلق

فليس يرى التقييد إلا بمطلق

Perhaps he will see some prey in his sky,

I hope he sees in his atmosphere prey,

For he sees limitation only through the unbounded.

For he does not see restriction except by the absolute,

لقد رام أمراً ليس في الكون عينه

لقد رام أمراً ليس في الكون عينه

بنقضٍ وتقريبٍ كسيرِ المحقق

بنقضٍ وتقريبٍ كسيرِ المحقق

He has indeed sought a thing whose very being is not in the cosmos,

He has intended something that has no likeness in existence,

Through refutation and approximation, like the true investigator's journey.

With nullification and reconciliation like the act of the realized one,

ولما رأى أن لا وصول لما ابتغى

ولما رأى أن لا وصول لما ابتغى

وأنَّ الذي قد رام غير محقق

وأنَّ الذي قد رام غير محقق

And when he saw there was no reaching what he sought,

And when he saw that there is no attainment to what he sought,

And that what he had sought was not realized,

And that what he intended is not realized,

أتى لفظ لا أحصى يجرُّ ذيوله

أتى لفظ لا أحصى يجرُّ ذيوله

بقوةِ قهَّارٍ بعجز مصدِّق

بقوةِ قهَّارٍ بعجز مصدِّق

The phrase 'I cannot enumerate' came, trailing its skirts,

He came with speech I do not enumerate, dragging its consequences,

With a conqueror's might, with the helplessness of one who affirms.

With the power of an omnipotent one, confirming incapacity,

لقد صار ذا علم لما كان جاهلا

لقد صار ذا علم لما كان جاهلا

به وهو نفي العلم فانظر وحقّق

به وهو نفي العلم فانظر وحقّق

He has indeed gained knowledge of what he was ignorant

He has indeed become knowledgeable whereas he was ignorant,

Of—and it is the negation of knowledge; so look and verify.

Of it while he is negating knowledge, so look and verify.