حَمْدا لمكرمنا بأيّ عوارف

حَمْدا لمكرمنا بأيّ عوارف

شَمَخْتَ عن الإِحصا بأنفٍ آنفِ

شَمَخْتَ عن الإِحصا بأنفٍ آنفِ

Praise to our Benefactor for such bounties,

Praise to the one who honored us with noble traits

rising beyond reckoning, with a proud nose held high.

You tower above counting, with a lofty nose

وصلاتُهُ وسلامُهُ أبداً على

وصلاتُهُ وسلامُهُ أبداً على

مُجْلِي الرّجا بصوارم وعوارفِ

مُجْلِي الرّجا بصوارم وعوارفِ

And His blessings and His peace forever upon

May his prayers and peace be upon

the one who reveals hope through sharp swords and bounties.

The one who inspires hope with swords and noble traits

ولكلّ من والاه أّغْدَقُ رَحْمَةٍ

ولكلّ من والاه أّغْدَقُ رَحْمَةٍ

ينهلّ دائمُها انْهِلاَلَ الواكفِ

ينهلّ دائمُها انْهِلاَلَ الواكفِ

And for all who are loyal to him, the most abundant mercy,

And for all those loyal to him, I invoke ample mercy

its ceaseless flow pouring down like falling rain.

That flows perpetually like a torrent

هذا ولمّا ساقني القَدَرُ الذي

هذا ولمّا ساقني القَدَرُ الذي

ما في وقوع صروفه من صارف

ما في وقوع صروفه من صارف

Now, when I was led by destiny, whose

Thus has destiny led me

changing turns no one can avert,

To that which cannot be averted

نَحْوَ القُسَنْطينيَّةِ البَلَدِ الذي

نَحْوَ القُسَنْطينيَّةِ البَلَدِ الذي

لا يُسْتَطاعُ جمالُه للواصف

لا يُسْتَطاعُ جمالُه للواصف

toward Constantine, the city whose

Toward Constantinople, the city that

beauty no describer can capture,

Cannot be fully described

نَفَحَتْ لروحي نفحةً مِسْكِيَّةً

نَفَحَتْ لروحي نفحةً مِسْكِيَّةً

كانت مُسَكِّنَةً لقلبي الواجفِ

كانت مُسَكِّنَةً لقلبي الواجفِ

it wafted a musky breath to my soul,

My soul was filled with a musky fragrance

soothing my trembling heart.

That soothed my anxious heart

وأنار لي منها ضياءٌ خاطفٌ

وأنار لي منها ضياءٌ خاطفٌ

خِلْتُ البيوتَ سماءَ ذاك الخاطفِ

خِلْتُ البيوتَ سماءَ ذاك الخاطفِ

And from it a dazzling radiance shone for me;

It illuminated me with a fleeting glow

I took the houses for the sky of that dazzling light.

I mistook the houses for the glowing sky

فسألتُ ما هذا النّسيمُ وذا الضِّيَا

فسألتُ ما هذا النّسيمُ وذا الضِّيَا

قالوا ألم تسمع بأحمدَ عارِفِ

قالوا ألم تسمع بأحمدَ عارِفِ

So I asked: What is this breeze, and this radiance?

I asked, “What is this breeze and glow?”

They said: Have you not heard of Ahmad Arif?

They said, “Have you not heard of the Gnostic Ahmad?”

ذاك الذي أخلاقُه كالرّاح في

ذاك الذي أخلاقُه كالرّاح في

لُطْفٍ يَلَذُّ مَذَاقُه للرّاشفِ

لُطْفٍ يَلَذُّ مَذَاقُه للرّاشفِ

He is the one whose virtues are like wine in

The one whose character is like a gentle wind

delicacy, its taste delightful to the sipper;

With a sweetness relished by the one who tastes

أو أنّها هاروتُ في سحر النّهى

أو أنّها هاروتُ في سحر النّهى

إن لم نقل سرٌّ سرى من آصف

إن لم نقل سرٌّ سرى من آصف

or they are Harut in their enchantment of minds,

Or he is like Harut in the magic of restraint

unless we call them a secret that passed from Asif.

If not a mystery that flowed from the writer

وإذا رأيتَ جبينَه مُتَهلِّلاً

وإذا رأيتَ جبينَه مُتَهلِّلاً

فعلى بدور التِّمِّ لستَ بِآسِفِ

فعلى بدور التِّمِّ لستَ بِآسِفِ

And if you see his beaming brow,

And when you see his cheerful forehead

then you will not pine for the full moons.

Over the full moons you will not lament

وإذا سمعتَ علومَه فاسْمَعْ إلى

وإذا سمعتَ علومَه فاسْمَعْ إلى

تلك البحورِ طَمَتْ فهل من غارف

تلك البحورِ طَمَتْ فهل من غارف

And if you hear his learning, then listen to

And when you hear his knowledge, then listen

those overflowing seas—is there anyone to draw from them?

To those oceans that raged, is there one who can draw from them?

قَسَماً بما يحويه من حَسَبٍ ومِنْ

قَسَماً بما يحويه من حَسَبٍ ومِنْ

نَسَبٍ وفضلٍ لاحقٍ أو سالِفِ

نَسَبٍ وفضلٍ لاحقٍ أو سالِفِ

I swear by what he possesses of honor, and of

I swear by his lineage, grace and

lineage and merit, recent or longstanding:

Nobility, whether recent or long ago

لَوْ أَبْصَرَ النّعمانُ بهجةَ حُسْنِهِ

لَوْ أَبْصَرَ النّعمانُ بهجةَ حُسْنِهِ

لاهتزّ عِطْفاً كاهتزازِ العاصف

لاهتزّ عِطْفاً كاهتزازِ العاصف

Had al-Nu'man seen the splendor of his beauty,

If Al-Nu'man saw the beauty of his charm

he would have swayed his frame like a raging wind.

He would sway as the swaying of the stormy wind

هذا ومن عَجَبٍ رأيتُ سُؤَالَه

هذا ومن عَجَبٍ رأيتُ سُؤَالَه

منّي إجازتَه كَشَيْخٍ عارِفِ

منّي إجازتَه كَشَيْخٍ عارِفِ

Now, I was astonished to see him ask

And strangely enough, I saw him

me for authorization, as though I were a learned shaykh.

Ask me for my authorization as a Gnostic

كلاّ وإنّى والذي رفع العُلاَ

كلاّ وإنّى والذي رفع العُلاَ

أَحْرَى بأن أَرْوِي عليه صحائِفِي

أَحْرَى بأن أَرْوِي عليه صحائِفِي

Not so! By Him who raised the heights, it is I

No! And by the one who raised the banners

who should rather recite my pages before him.

It is more fitting that I present my pages to him

لكنّني لا أستطيع خلافَه

لكنّني لا أستطيع خلافَه

وعليه فيما شاء لَسْتُ بخالِفِ

وعليه فيما شاء لَسْتُ بخالِفِ

But I cannot oppose him,

But I cannot oppose him

and in what he wishes, I will not go against him.

And in what he wills I will not differ

فأقول إنّي قد أَجَزْتُ له الذي

فأقول إنّي قد أَجَزْتُ له الذي

قد صحّ لي من تالدٍ أو طارفِ

قد صحّ لي من تالدٍ أو طارفِ

So I say: I have authorized him to transmit what

So I say that I have authorized him

has been authenticated for me, inherited or newly acquired,

What is valid for me, whether new or old

موصىً لإِبراهيمَ منه بدعوةٍ

موصىً لإِبراهيمَ منه بدعوةٍ

يرجو الرّياحي بها أمان الخائف

يرجو الرّياحي بها أمان الخائف

with the charge that he offer a prayer for Ibrahim,

Entrusting Ibrahim to supplicate for him

through which al-Riyahi hopes for the safety of the fearful.

In it, Ar-Rayyahi hopes for the security of the fearful