يدل الجزؤ من مضمون كوني

يدل الجزؤ من مضمون كوني

على ما دلَّ كلّي من وجوده

على ما دلَّ كلّي من وجوده

The part contained within my being points

A part intimates the essence of being,

To what my whole indicates of his existence.

Of what the whole intimated in its existence.

فيشهدني وأشهده بنفسي

فيشهدني وأشهده بنفسي

فأفنى عن وجودي من شهوده

فأفنى عن وجودي من شهوده

So he witnesses me, and I witness him through myself,

It makes me bear witness to it and it bears witness to me through my essence,

And through witnessing him, I vanish from my own existence.

So I perish from my existence through witnessing it.

ولولا أن يقال صبا لأمر

ولولا أن يقال صبا لأمر

لقلت صدورُنا من عينِ جوده

لقلت صدورُنا من عينِ جوده

Were it not that someone might say, ‘He is enamored of something,’

Had it not been said it was infatuation with matters,

I would say: our emanation is from the wellspring of his generosity.

I would have said our issuance was from the essence of its generosity.

يراه النائمُ اليقظانُ كشفا

يراه النائمُ اليقظانُ كشفا

كرؤية ذي التهجد في هجوده

كرؤية ذي التهجد في هجوده

The wakeful sleeper sees him through unveiling,

The sleeper sees it as does the awake one in unveiling,

As one who keeps night vigil sees him in his sleep.

Like the vision of one in devout prayer during his vigil.

يراه الحائرون بلا دليل

يراه الحائرون بلا دليل

كرؤية ذي المقاصد في قصوده

كرؤية ذي المقاصد في قصوده

The bewildered see him without proof,

The lost ones see it without proof,

As one with aims sees him in his intent.

Like the vision of one with purpose during his quest.

يراه ناظم المرجان فيه

يراه ناظم المرجان فيه

من أسماء له سلكا بجيده

من أسماء له سلكا بجيده

The stringer of coral sees him within it,

The stringer of pearls sees in it,

As a thread of his names around his neck.

From names for it, a thread strung through its necklace.

يراه ناظم الألفاظ بيتاً

يراه ناظم الألفاظ بيتاً

هو الروح المؤيد في قصيده

هو الروح المؤيد في قصيده

The composer of words sees him as a verse:

The stringer of phrases sees it as a line of verse,

It is the strengthened spirit within his poem.

It is the spirit given success in his ode.

يراه ناظم الأحجار عقدا

يراه ناظم الأحجار عقدا

وذاك العقد من اسنى عقوده

وذاك العقد من اسنى عقوده

The stringer of stones sees him as a necklace,

The stringer of stones sees it as a necklace,

And that necklace is among the most splendid of his necklaces.

That necklace being the most precious of its necklaces.

قرأت بعقده أجيادَ دهرٍ

قرأت بعقده أجيادَ دهرٍ

به أخذ الشهادة في عقوده

به أخذ الشهادة في عقوده

I read the necks of an age through his necklace;

I read in its necklace the studs of an epoch,

Through it he took testimony in his covenants.

Through it, witness was taken in its contracts.

له التسبيحُ والفرقان فيه

له التسبيحُ والفرقان فيه

يميزه ركوعك مع سجودِه

يميزه ركوعك مع سجودِه

To him belongs glorification, and discernment lies within him;

For it is the glorification and the Criterion wherein

Your bowing, together with his prostration, distinguishes him.

Your bowing and prostration distinguish it.

وحاذرْ أن تمازجَ بي ربٍّ

وحاذرْ أن تمازجَ بي ربٍّ

وبين من اصطفاهم من عبيده

وبين من اصطفاهم من عبيده

And beware of confusing a Lord

And beware mixing between me and a Lord

With those he has chosen from among his servants.

And those servants I have chosen from among His servants.

يراه مطلقا من كان اعمى

يراه مطلقا من كان اعمى

كرؤية ذي البصيرة في قيوده

كرؤية ذي البصيرة في قيوده

Whoever is blind sees him as unbounded,

The blind see it absolutely,

As one with insight sees him within his fetters.

Like the vision of the sighted in their shackles.

فذاك الفيلسوف بغير حدٍّ

فذاك الفيلسوف بغير حدٍّ

وهذا الأشعريّ على حدوده

وهذا الأشعريّ على حدوده

The former is the philosopher, without a limit,

Thus is that philosopher without limit,

And the latter is the Ash'arite, within his limits.

And this Ash'ari upon his boundaries.

وكلهم رهين الحبس فيه

وكلهم رهين الحبس فيه

بجعلِ العقلِ ذلك من صيوده

بجعلِ العقلِ ذلك من صيوده

And all of them are prisoners, confined within him,

And all of them are prisoners in it

Since the intellect makes that part of its quarry.

By making the intellect that which confines them.

على الإنصاف آمنهم شخيص

على الإنصاف آمنهم شخيص

طليقٌ ليس يرسفُ في قيوده

طليقٌ ليس يرسفُ في قيوده

In fairness, the safest among them is a person of stature,

In fairness, I believe them private,

Free, not shuffling in his fetters.

Unrestrained, not extravagant in their shackles.

وهم أجنادُه وظهور ملك

وهم أجنادُه وظهور ملك

مطاع إنما هو من جنودِه

مطاع إنما هو من جنودِه

They are his troops; the manifestation of a king,

They are its armies and manifestations of a King

Who is obeyed, is merely one of his soldiers.

Who must be obeyed - verily He is among its soldiers.

بذا سعدوا وحازوا الأمن منه

بذا سعدوا وحازوا الأمن منه

وإن تعبوا المال إلى سعوده

وإن تعبوا المال إلى سعوده

Through this they found felicity and obtained safety from him,

Through this they were fortunate and attained security from it,

And though they toiled, the outcome leads to his good fortune.

Even if they wearied themselves striving toward its good fortune.

لذا سبقت إلى الغايات رحمتي

لذا سبقت إلى الغايات رحمتي

وحازتها بمنزلتي سعوده

وحازتها بمنزلتي سعوده

Thus my mercy raced ahead to the final ends,

For this reason my mercy took precedence toward the goals

And his good fortune attained them through my station.

And attained them in my position, its good fortune.

فحلتْ في الجنان وفي جحيم

فحلتْ في الجنان وفي جحيم

وإن كانا لنا داري خلوده

وإن كانا لنا داري خلوده

So it dwelt in the Gardens and in Hell,

So it took effect in the Gardens and in Hellfire,

Though both were, for us, the two abodes of his eternal abiding.

Even if the two are our abode of eternity.

فاخبئه ليستر في جحيمٍ

فاخبئه ليستر في جحيمٍ

من الآلام أنسى من جحوده

من الآلام أنسى من جحوده

So conceal him, that he may be veiled in a hell

Conceal it that it may hide in Hellfire

Of pains; I forget through denying him.

From pains, the most forgotten of its disregard.

فلو لزموا الحقائقَ لم يكونوا

فلو لزموا الحقائقَ لم يكونوا

كمنكر ما رآه لذي وروده

كمنكر ما رآه لذي وروده

Had they held fast to the realities, they would not have been

Had they clung to the realities, they would not have been

Like one denying what he saw to one who comes to him.

Like one who denies what he sees upon its arrival.

تجلّى للبصائر من بعيد

تجلّى للبصائر من بعيد

تجليه كمن هو في وريده

تجليه كمن هو في وريده

He manifested himself to inner sight from afar,

It manifested itself to insights from afar,

His manifestation like that of one within his jugular vein.

Its manifestation being like one in its vein.

وأطلعه على ما كان منه

وأطلعه على ما كان منه

من الشكر العميم على مزيده

من الشكر العميم على مزيده

And he showed him what had come from him,

And it enlightened him about what had been of it

Of abundant gratitude for his increase.

From all-encompassing gratitude for its increase.

تراه عند وصل العين منه

تراه عند وصل العين منه

بذاتك مثل فصلك في شروده

بذاتك مثل فصلك في شروده

You see him when his essence is joined

You see it when the eye connects to it

To your essence, as in your separation when he flees.

Like your disconnecting during your distraction.

فلا تطلب من الرحمن عهداً

فلا تطلب من الرحمن عهداً

فيسألك المهيمن عن عهوده

فيسألك المهيمن عن عهوده

So ask no covenant of the All-Merciful,

So do not seek from the Merciful a pact

Lest the Guardian ask you about his covenants.

Whereby the Guardian will ask you about His pacts.

وسالمه تكن عبدا سؤوساً

وسالمه تكن عبدا سؤوساً

وتظفر بالزيادة في شهوده

وتظفر بالزيادة في شهوده

And make peace with him; you will be a servant adept at managing affairs,

And may His peace be upon you, be a humble servant

And gain an increase in witnessing him.

And gain by increase in witnessing Him.