أمرت فلم أسمع دعوتُ فلم تجب

أمرت فلم أسمع دعوتُ فلم تجب

ألا ليت شعري من هو الربُّ والعبدُ

ألا ليت شعري من هو الربُّ والعبدُ

You commanded, but I did not hear; I called, but you did not answer.

I commanded but did not hear, I called but got no response

Ah, if only I knew who is the Lord and who the servant!

Oh, would that I knew who is the Lord and who the servant!

تسترت عني بي فقلت بأني

تسترت عني بي فقلت بأني

ظهرت فلم تخفَ خفيت فلم أبدُ

ظهرت فلم تخفَ خفيت فلم أبدُ

You veiled yourself from me through me, so I said that I

You hid from me in me, so I said it was I

Appeared, and you were not hidden; I was hidden, and did not appear.

You appeared but did not shy away, I hid but did not last

طلبتكم مني فلم أر غيركم

طلبتكم مني فلم أر غيركم

فهل حكمُ القبلِ المحكم والبعدُ

فهل حكمُ القبلِ المحكم والبعدُ

I sought you from within myself, but saw none other than you.

You sought me from me but I saw none but you

Is the rule of before and after, then, definitive?

So does the judgment of before and after hold firm?

قعدتُ بكم عنكم لكوني كونكم

قعدتُ بكم عنكم لكوني كونكم

فلما قعدنا قمتَ أنت بنا تعدو

فلما قعدنا قمتَ أنت بنا تعدو

Through you I sat back from you, for my being is your being.

I sat with you, from you, due to my being your being

Then, when we sat, you yourself rose, running with us

But when we sat, you rose and strode before us

إليكم عسى يبدو وجودي إليكمُ

إليكم عسى يبدو وجودي إليكمُ

فألفيته في اسم يقال له الفرد

فألفيته في اسم يقال له الفرد

Toward you; perhaps my being would appear to you.

To you I hope my existence appears to you

So I found it in a name called the Unique.

And I found it in a name called the Unique

فأسماؤك الحسنى يكثر كونها

فأسماؤك الحسنى يكثر كونها

وجودي ولولا ذاك لم يكن البعد

وجودي ولولا ذاك لم يكن البعد

So the being of your most beautiful names multiplies

For your beautiful names abound in its existence

My being; without that, there would be no distance.

And without that there would be no distance

فمن يحصها حالاً يكون بجنة

فمن يحصها حالاً يكون بجنة

ومن يحصها عدّا يكون له الحدّ

ومن يحصها عدّا يكون له الحدّ

Whoever comprehends them as a lived state will be in Paradise,

So one who enumerates them finds Paradise

And whoever counts them numerically will have a limit.

And one who counts them has the limit

لي البعد منكم والتداني من اسمكم

لي البعد منكم والتداني من اسمكم

فبعدي لكم قربٌ وقربي بكم بُعدُ

فبعدي لكم قربٌ وقربي بكم بُعدُ

Mine is distance from you, and nearness arising from your name.

For me is distance from you and nearness to your name

Thus my distance is nearness to you, and my nearness through you is distance.

So my distance to you is nearness and my nearness remoteness

إذا أنت أعطيتَ النعيم وجدتني

إذا أنت أعطيتَ النعيم وجدتني

شكوراً وإن لم تعطني قلك الحمد

شكوراً وإن لم تعطني قلك الحمد

When you bestow bliss, you find me

When you give bliss you find me thankful

Grateful; and if you give me nothing, praise is yours.

And if you do not give me, still to you belongs praise

مركبنا يبغيه برهانُ وجدكم

مركبنا يبغيه برهانُ وجدكم

وأفراده بالذاتِ يطلبها الحدّ

وأفراده بالذاتِ يطلبها الحدّ

The proof of finding you seeks our composite being,

Our boat is sought by the proof of your existence

And definition seeks its individual parts in their essence.

And its parts by the essence seek the limit

فمن قام في الأفراد فالحدّ آجلٌ

فمن قام في الأفراد فالحدّ آجلٌ

ومن قام في التركيب برهانه النقد

ومن قام في التركيب برهانه النقد

For whoever stands among the individual parts, definition is deferred,

So one who stands by the parts, the limit hastens him

And whoever stands in composition—his proof is ready cash.

And one who stands by the composition, his proof is critique

فكم بين موضع حماه محرَّم

فكم بين موضع حماه محرَّم

وكم بين محمولٍ يساعده الجدّ

وكم بين محمولٍ يساعده الجدّ

How wide the gulf between a place whose sanctuary is forbidden,

So how many a place its protector made forbidden

And—what a gulf!—one borne along whom fortune aids.

And how many a predicate his effort aids

إذا غطني ملقى الحديثِ بباطني

إذا غطني ملقى الحديثِ بباطني

ففي حلِّ تركيبي يكونُ له قصد

ففي حلِّ تركيبي يكونُ له قصد

When the bearer of the message presses me inwardly,

When the mantle of speech wraps my essence

His purpose lies in dissolving my composition.

In solving my composition lies his intent

فيفصم عني وهو للذاتِ قاهرٌ

فيفصم عني وهو للذاتِ قاهرٌ

إذا بلغ المقصودُ من غطى الجهد

إذا بلغ المقصودُ من غطى الجهد

Then he breaks away from me, overpowering the self,

So it severs me while it subdues the essence

When the aim of the pressing reaches the utmost strain.

When the purpose is attained, the effort's discharge

أسايره حتى إذا ينقضي الذي

أسايره حتى إذا ينقضي الذي

أتاني به ألوي على عقبي أعدو

أتاني به ألوي على عقبي أعدو

I keep pace with him until, when an end comes to what

I accompany him until what brought me to him is spent

He brought me, I turn on my heel and run.

Then I turn back on my heels and stride away

يزملني من كان عندي حاضراً

يزملني من كان عندي حاضراً

لما هدَّ مني ما تضمنه العهدُ

لما هدَّ مني ما تضمنه العهدُ

The one who was present with me wraps me up,

He carries me off, who was present within me

When what the covenant contained has shattered me.

When what the pact contained collapsed from me

ولستُ بما قد قلته بمشرِّع

ولستُ بما قد قلته بمشرِّع

لقومي ولكني ورثتُ فلم أعد

لقومي ولكني ورثتُ فلم أعد

Nor am I, through what I have said, a lawgiver

And I do not sanction by what I have said

For my people; but I inherited, and did not overstep.

A people, but I inherited and did not renew

تروح عليّ الروح يوماً إذا ما آمرٌ

تروح عليّ الروح يوماً إذا ما آمرٌ

وما لي مهما جاني منهما بدّ

وما لي مهما جاني منهما بدّ

The spirit visits me one day, when there is one commanding,

The spirit comes and goes from me one day when commanded

And whatever comes to me from either of them, I have no escape.

And I have no say however it comes to me

لعبت بشطرنجِ العقولِ مدبراً

لعبت بشطرنجِ العقولِ مدبراً

ولي في الذي يبدو القبولُ أو الردّ

ولي في الذي يبدو القبولُ أو الردّ

I played the chess of intellects, directing the game,

I play the chess of intellects, arranging

And it is mine to accept or reject what appears.

And for me in what appears, agreement or refusal

وبالنرد يلهو صاحبُ الشرعِ والحجى

وبالنرد يلهو صاحبُ الشرعِ والحجى

وقد عرفَ المطلوبَ من لهوه والنرد

وقد عرفَ المطلوبَ من لهوه والنرد

And the master of sacred law and reason amuses himself with backgammon,

And the scholar plays with dice though he knows

Having understood the aim of his play and backgammon.

What's sought from his play and dice

وبينهما شطرنج نردٍ لمن يرى

وبينهما شطرنج نردٍ لمن يرى

ويقضي عليه ما يقابله العقد

ويقضي عليه ما يقابله العقد

And between the two lies a chess of backgammon, for whoever sees,

Between them lies chess of dice for one who sees

And what the knot confronts passes judgment upon it.

And fulfills for him what his contract faces

تولى على السرار سلطانُ ودِّه

تولى على السرار سلطانُ ودِّه

وأفلح سرٌّ كان سلطانه الودّ

وأفلح سرٌّ كان سلطانه الودّ

The sovereignty of his love held sway over secrecy,

Authority over secrets was assumed by his love's sultanate

And a secret prospered whose sovereign was love.

And a secret triumphed whose sultan was love

له حرمات في شهور تعينت

له حرمات في شهور تعينت

فواحدهم فردٌ وباقيهمُ سرد

فواحدهم فردٌ وباقيهمُ سرد

It has sanctities in months appointed,

It has sanctities in designated months

So one of them stands alone, and the rest are consecutive.

So one is unique and the rest enumerated

إذا أنت شاهدت الوجودَ وجودَه

إذا أنت شاهدت الوجودَ وجودَه

بذلك ما يعطيه من قدحه الزند

بذلك ما يعطيه من قدحه الزند

When you behold existence as his existence,

When you witness existence, his existence is its witness

Through that which the fire-stick yields when struck.

By what he gives it of his eternal power

ولكنه بالريح روحٌ بقائه

ولكنه بالريح روحٌ بقائه

يقال له في عُرفنا النفخ والوقد

يقال له في عُرفنا النفخ والوقد

But through the wind comes the breath sustaining it,

But by the wind he is a spirit, his remaining

Called in our usage blowing and burning.

We call it in our convention breath and kindling

فيفعل فعل النورِ والنارِ وسمه

فيفعل فعل النورِ والنارِ وسمه

كما لهما الإطفاء والذم والحمد

كما لهما الإطفاء والذم والحمد

It acts as light and fire act; name it,

So it acts the deeds of light and fire, name it

Just as both have extinguishing, blame, and praise.

As they have extinguishing, blaming and praise

فخض بفتح النون إذ عمّ نفعه

فخض بفتح النون إذ عمّ نفعه

ورحمته والضم من شأنه السدّ

ورحمته والضم من شأنه السدّ

So plunge in with an a-vowel on nūn, since its benefit is universal,

So live prosperously when its benefits spread

And its mercy; closure is the nature of the u-vowel.

And mercy, and binding when checking spreads

فتطمع فيه الكاعبات لنفعه

فتطمع فيه الكاعبات لنفعه

وترهب منه في أماكنها الأسد

وترهب منه في أماكنها الأسد

So the full-breasted maidens long for it, for its benefit,

Thus do the stars covet its benefits

And the lions fear it in their own haunts.

And in their abodes lions dread it