1. عدّ عن جناتِ عدن

    وارتسم في الصدرِ الأوَّلِ

    Turn away from the gardens of Eden,

    And take form within the first breast.

  2. تخفضِ القسطَ وترتفعْ

    وتولّي ثم تعزلِ

    You lower the balance and rise,

    And appoint, then dismiss.

  3. بابي معنى شريف

    بابي مُعنى غريب

    My father be ransom for a noble meaning;

    My father be ransom for a tormented stranger.

  4. بيته بيتٌ كثيف

    حجبتْ فيه الغيوب

    His dwelling is a dense house;

    Within it, unseen mysteries were veiled.

  5. حكمه فيه لطيفْ

    رأيه فيه مصيب

    His judgment within it is subtle;

    His opinion within it is sound.

  6. بَطَلٌ خَلفَ مِجنّ

    امتطى أغرَّ أرجل

    A hero behind a shield

    Mounted a white-blazed steed with one white hind foot.

  7. فترى المتلالي الأترع

    تحته السِّماكُ الأعزل

    So you see the glittering, brimming one,

    With the Unarmed Simāk beneath him.

  8. أظهر العقلُ النفيس

    نفسَ غيبِ المتمنى

    The precious intellect revealed

    The soul of the longed-for mystery.

  9. فهو الملكُ الرئيس

    وهي ملك ليس يفنى

    So he is the presiding king,

    And she a kingdom that never perishes.

  10. وجد الجسمُ الخسيس

    أحرفاً جاءت لمعنى

    The lowly body found

    Letters that came for a meaning.

  11. وعنى بذاك عني

    وأنا لا أتبدل

    And by that he referred to me,

    While I do not change.

  12. ثم أخفاه وأودع

    أمره الإمام الأعدل

    Then he hid it and entrusted

    Its charge to the most just Imam.

  13. أشرقت شمسُ المعاني

    بقلوبِ العارفينا

    The sun of meanings shone

    In the hearts of those who know.

  14. أشرفت أرضُ المثاني

    فتنة للسالكينا

    The land of the oft-repeated verses came into view,

    A trial for the wayfarers.

  15. وبد سرُّ المثاني

    لعيونِ الناظرينا

    And the secret of the oft-repeated verses appeared

    To the eyes of those who gaze.

  16. إذ خفى في نشر كوني

    نوره لما تنزل

    When, in the unfolding of my being, there lay hidden

    Its light, as it descended

  17. لسراجٍ ليس يسطعُ

    بمثالٍ ليس يمهل

    To a lamp that does not shine,

    In a likeness that grants no respite.

  18. حضرةَ العليِّ زْين

    ومقامَ الوارثينا

    Adorn the presence of the Most High

    And the station of the inheritors.

  19. جَدولٌ بها مَعين

    لذةٌ للشاربينا

    Within it is a flowing stream,

    A delight for those who drink.

  20. فهي الصبحُ المبين

    تجعلُ الشك يقينا

    For it is the clear dawn,

    Turning doubt into certainty.

  21. وهي تجلو كلَّ دجْن

    مع بقاءِ الوبلِ والطلِّ

    And it dispels every gloom,

    While downpour and dew remain.

  22. فسناها الوتر الأرفع

    من سَنا المهاة أجمل

    So its radiance—the Unpaired, the most exalted—

    Is lovelier than the radiance of the oryx.

  23. يا لطيفاً بالعباد

    أرني أنظر إليكا

    O you who are gentle with the servants,

    Show yourself to me, that I may look upon you.

  24. قال زّلْ عن كلِّ واد

    يُعقد الأمر عليكا

    He said: "Withdraw from every valley

    Where the matter becomes tangled for you.

  25. ما أنا غير المنادي

    فالتفِت لناظريكا

    I am none other than the caller,

    So turn toward your two eyes.

  26. وكيف لا وأنت مني

    بمكان السِّرِّ الأكمل

    And how could it be otherwise, when you are to me

    At the station of the most perfect secret?

  27. فبمعِ الحقِّ تسمع

    وبأمر الأمر ينزل

    So with the Real you hear,

    And by a command, the command descends."