جليلٌ دق عن صفةِ اللسانِ

جليلٌ دق عن صفةِ اللسانِ

يمثلهُ التوهمُ للعيانِ

يمثلهُ التوهمُ للعيانِ

Sublime—too subtle for the tongue to describe—

Majestic, yet too subtle for the tongue to describe.

imagination pictures him before the eyes.

Imagination gives him form before the eyes.

تراهُ بكل جارحةٍ وطرفٍ

تراهُ بكل جارحةٍ وطرفٍ

مثالاً من ضياءٍ في مكانِ

مثالاً من ضياءٍ في مكانِ

You behold him with every sense and eye,

You see him with every limb and eye,

as a likeness of radiance set within a place:

a form of radiance in a place.

فمتضحٌ ومشتبهٌ عليها

فمتضحٌ ومشتبهٌ عليها

وكل مشكلٌ عند البيانِ

وكل مشكلٌ عند البيانِ

clear, yet ambiguous to them,

Thus he is clear and indistinct to them,

and altogether perplexing when put into words.

and all is obscure when put into words.

كذا مَن لست تدركهُ بطرفٍ

كذا مَن لست تدركهُ بطرفٍ

فما إن لِلقلوب بهِ يدانِ

فما إن لِلقلوب بهِ يدانِ

Such is one whom no eye can apprehend;

Such is one you do not perceive with the eye:

for hearts have no hands with which to grasp him.

for hearts have no hands to grasp him.