إنما الماءُ من الماءِ روى

إنما الماءُ من الماءِ روى

والذي مذهبُه ذا ما روي

والذي مذهبُه ذا ما روي

“Water is only from water”—so he narrated.

Water comes only from water,

And he whose doctrine is this has not been quenched.

And he whose doctrine this is, has what has been narrated.

قد روتْ ناسخةٌ عائشةٌ

قد روتْ ناسخةٌ عائشةٌ

عند قومٍ جهلوا ما قد روي

عند قومٍ جهلوا ما قد روي

ʿĀʾisha has narrated as an abrogator,

A narrator has narrated, Aisha,

In the eyes of people ignorant of what had been narrated.

Among a people who were ignorant of what was narrated.

إنما زادتْ بما قد ذكرت

إنما زادتْ بما قد ذكرت

عين حكم وهو برهانٌ قوي

عين حكم وهو برهانٌ قوي

She only added, through what she mentioned,

She only increased by what she mentioned,

The very substance of a ruling—and it is a strong proof.

The essence of wisdom, which is a strong proof.

غرضي والله يوماً أن أرى

غرضي والله يوماً أن أرى

الذي بي من جواه يرتوي

الذي بي من جواه يرتوي

My aim, by God, is one day to see

My intention, by Allah, one day, is to see

The one who, through me, slakes his burning longing.

Him from whom I draw satisfaction being quenched.

وإذا أبصرته لم أره

وإذا أبصرته لم أره

وهو ذو شوقٍ عليه يحتوي

وهو ذو شوقٍ عليه يحتوي

And when I behold him, I do not see him,

And when I see him, I do not see him,

While he has a longing that enfolds him.

While he has an ardent desire contained within him.

ما أنا في ظاهر الحرف به

ما أنا في ظاهر الحرف به

بل أنا عينُ الوجودِ المعنوي

بل أنا عينُ الوجودِ المعنوي

In the letter’s outward sense, I am not he;

I am not the literal letters in which he is contained,

Rather, I am the very essence of spiritual existence.

Rather, I am the essence of the spiritual existence.

ما يرى ما قام بي من كَلَفٍ

ما يرى ما قام بي من كَلَفٍ

غيرُ شخصٍ عربيّ نبوي

غيرُ شخصٍ عربيّ نبوي

No one sees the ardent love that has arisen in me

None can see what troubles have befallen me,

Except an Arab, prophetic person.

Except an Arab person, a prophet.

هو رمزٌ فارسيٌّ غامضٌ

هو رمزٌ فارسيٌّ غامضٌ

وهو نصٌّ عند شخصٍ علوي

وهو نصٌّ عند شخصٍ علوي

It is an obscure Persian symbol,

He is an obscure Persian symbol,

And it is plain text to an ʿAlawī person.

And he is a text with a person of Divine ascent.