إذا ما ذكرت الله في غسق الدجى

إذا ما ذكرت الله في غسق الدجى

دُجى الجسمِ لو عند الصباحِ إذا بدا

دُجى الجسمِ لو عند الصباحِ إذا بدا

When you remember God in the deep darkness of night,

When I mention God in the dusk of night

the body's darkness—if at morning, when it appears,

The body's dusk when dawn first appears

صباحُ الذي يحيى به الجسم عندما

صباحُ الذي يحيى به الجسم عندما

هو الروح لكن بالمزاجِ تبلَّدا

هو الروح لكن بالمزاجِ تبلَّدا

the dawn of that by which the body is given life, when

Dawn when the body comes alive

it is the spirit, yet grown dull through bodily mixture.

It is the soul but with a sluggish disposition

فلا يأخذِ الأشياء من غير نفسه

فلا يأخذِ الأشياء من غير نفسه

ولكن بآلاتٍ بها سرُّه اهتدى

ولكن بآلاتٍ بها سرُّه اهتدى

So it does not take in things from outside itself,

So it doesn't take things from itself

but through instruments by which its secret found guidance.

But with instruments through which its secret was guided

فأمسى فقيراً بعد أن كان ذا غنى

فأمسى فقيراً بعد أن كان ذا غنى

وأصبح عبداً بعد أن كان سيِّدا

وأصبح عبداً بعد أن كان سيِّدا

Thus it became poor after having been wealthy,

So it became poor after having been wealthy

and became a slave after having been a master.

And became a slave after having been a master

لقد خلته رُوحاً كريماً منزهاً

لقد خلته رُوحاً كريماً منزهاً

فأصبح ريحاً عنصرياً مُجسَّدا

فأصبح ريحاً عنصرياً مُجسَّدا

Indeed, I deemed it a noble, transcendent spirit,

It had made him a generous, pure soul

then it became an elemental wind, embodied.

So he became a vulgar, embodied wind

وكان جليساً للخضارمةِ العُلى

وكان جليساً للخضارمةِ العُلى

بمقعد صدقٍ للنفوسِ مؤيدا

بمقعد صدقٍ للنفوسِ مؤيدا

It had been a companion of the exalted great ones,

And he was a companion to the supreme elders

in a seat of truth, sustaining souls.

With a seat of truth, supporting souls

لقد كان فيهم ذا وقارٍ وهيبةٍ

لقد كان فيهم ذا وقارٍ وهيبةٍ

فلما ارتدى الجسمَ الترابيّ ألحدا

فلما ارتدى الجسمَ الترابيّ ألحدا

Indeed, among them it possessed dignity and commanding presence,

He had in them dignity and awe

but when it donned the earthen body, it strayed.

But when he wore the earthly body he disputed

وأجرى له نهراً من الخمر سائغاً

وأجرى له نهراً من الخمر سائغاً

فلما تحسي شربةً منه عربدا

فلما تحسي شربةً منه عربدا

And He made a river of wine flow for it, pleasant to drink,

And it flowed for him a river of delicious wine

but when it sipped a draught from it, it grew riotous.

But when he tasted a sip of it, he was confused

وكان له فوق السموات مشهدٌ

وكان له فوق السموات مشهدٌ

فلما رأى الأرض الأريضة أخلدا

فلما رأى الأرض الأريضة أخلدا

Above the heavens it had a place of witnessing,

And he had above the heavens a scene

but when it saw the luxuriant earth, it clung to it.

But when he saw the lowly earth he settled

وكان لما يلقاه بالذاتِ قائلاً

وكان لما يلقاه بالذاتِ قائلاً

وكان إذا ما جاءه الوحي أسجدا

وكان إذا ما جاءه الوحي أسجدا

And it would speak of what it encountered directly,

And when the revelation came to him, he would prostrate

and whenever revelation came to it, it bowed low.

He used to be described and became descriptive

وقد كان موصوفاً فأصبح واصفاً

وقد كان موصوفاً فأصبح واصفاً

كما كان ذا قصدٍ فأصبح مَقصدا

كما كان ذا قصدٍ فأصبح مَقصدا

It had indeed been described, then became a describer,

Just as he had an intention and became intended

just as it had possessed a purpose, then became a goal.

As he had a promised attained from Him

كما كان فيما نال منه موعدا

كما كان فيما نال منه موعدا

فأصبح فيما نيل منه موحدا

فأصبح فيما نيل منه موحدا

Just as it had been promised what it received from Him,

He became, in what is attained from Him, a unifier

it then became acknowledged as one in what was received from it.

And in the world of distance I saw

وفي عالم البعدِ الذي قد رأيته

وفي عالم البعدِ الذي قد رأيته

رأيت له في حضرةِ القربِ مقعدا

رأيت له في حضرةِ القربِ مقعدا

And in the realm of remoteness that I had seen,

I saw for him in the presence of nearness a seat

I saw a seat for it in the presence of nearness.

And when He manifested from those manifested by His attributes

ولما تجلّى من تجلى بنعتهم

ولما تجلّى من تجلى بنعتهم

رأيتهمُ خرّوا بكياً وسجّدا

رأيتهمُ خرّوا بكياً وسجّدا

And when the One who manifests revealed Himself in their attributes,

I saw them bow down crying and prostrate

I saw them fall down, weeping and prostrate.

And a revelation from God came to them unconscious

وأصعقهم وحيٌ من الله جاءهم

وأصعقهم وحيٌ من الله جاءهم

فلما أفاقوا قلت ماذا فقال دا

فلما أفاقوا قلت ماذا فقال دا

A revelation from God that came to them struck them senseless.

So when they regained consciousness I said what happened

When they revived, I asked: What? He said: An ailment

There afflicted them in the state of their essence

أصابهم في حالِ نشأةِ ذاتهم

أصابهم في حالِ نشأةِ ذاتهم

ولن يصلحَ العطارُ ما الدهر أفسدا

ولن يصلحَ العطارُ ما الدهر أفسدا

befell them as their very being was formed.

And the perfumer will not fix what time has corrupted

And the perfumer will never mend what time has spoiled.

So I said did you recognize me among their convoy

فقلت وهل ميزتني في رعيلهم

فقلت وهل ميزتني في رعيلهم

فقال وهل عبدٌ يصير مسوَّدا

فقال وهل عبدٌ يصير مسوَّدا

So I asked: And have you set me apart among their company?

He said does a servant become blackened

He replied: And can a slave become a master?

I made you in the land of My creation My deputy

جعلتكمُ في أرض كوني خليفةً

جعلتكمُ في أرض كوني خليفةً

وأبلست من ناداك فيها وفندا

وأبلست من ناداك فيها وفندا

I made you a vicegerent on the earth of My creation,

And clothed in prestige whoever called upon you and sought refuge

and drove to despair the one who called you there and spoke folly.

And I made my angels prostrate, and they were

وأسجدتُ أملاكي وكانوا أئمة

وأسجدتُ أملاكي وكانوا أئمة

لرتبتك العليا فأمسيت معبدا

لرتبتك العليا فأمسيت معبدا

And I made My angels, who had been leaders, bow down

Leaders of your lofty position, so you became a place of worship

to your highest rank; thus you became a shrine.

I forbade you from something yet you approached it and did not

نهيتك عن أمر فقاربته ولم

نهيتك عن أمر فقاربته ولم

نجد لك عزماً إذ نرى منك ما بدا

نجد لك عزماً إذ نرى منك ما بدا

I forbade you something, yet you approached it, and We did not

Find in yourself resolve when we saw what appeared from you

find resolve in you, as We see what has emerged from you.

And you stood for them with a clear excuse

وقمت لكم فيه بعذر مُبين

وقمت لكم فيه بعذر مُبين

بوّئت داراً خالداً ومخلدا

بوّئت داراً خالداً ومخلدا

And I came forward with a clear excuse for you concerning it.

I settled for you an eternal, settled abode

You were lodged in an abode, abiding forever and made immortal,

As He said who seduced you, not knowing

كما قال من أغواكمُ غير عالم

كما قال من أغواكمُ غير عالم

بما قاله إذ قال قولاً مسددا

بما قاله إذ قال قولاً مسددا

just as the one who led you astray said, unaware

What He said when He said a steady saying

of what he said when he spoke words that hit the mark.

And he passed with loss to his essence's creation

ومار بخسران إلى أصل فلقه

ومار بخسران إلى أصل فلقه

كنوز سراج في ظلام توقَّدا

كنوز سراج في ظلام توقَّدا

And he moved, in loss, toward the source of his creation—

The treasures of a lamp in darkness ignited

treasures of a lamp that blazed in darkness.

It illuminates vision and burns itself

يضيء لإبصارٍ ويحرقُ ذاته

يضيء لإبصارٍ ويحرقُ ذاته

عن أمر إلهي أتاه فما اعتدى

عن أمر إلهي أتاه فما اعتدى

It gives light for seeing and burns its own being,

By a divine command that came to it but did not transgress

at a divine command that came to it; thus it did not transgress.