وجه العزم بجد والجما — Mufti Fathallah

وَجّهِ العَزمَ بِجدٍّ وَاِلجُما

مِن جِيادِ العَزمِ أَسنى فَرسِ

Direct your resolve in earnest, and bridle

The noblest horse among the steeds of resolve.

ثُمَّ سِرْ نَحوَ دِمشقٍ وَاِغنما

فُرصَةَ السَّيرِ بِوقتِ الغلسِ

Then travel toward Damascus, and seize

The chance to journey in the gloom of dawn.

بَلدَةٌ فَيحاء جَلَّت عَن مِثالْ

قَد حَوَت لُطفَ هَواءٍ وَمَعينْ

A spacious city, exalted beyond compare,

Possessing gentle air and flowing water.

رَوضة غَنّاء تُكسى بِالجَمالْ

فَتَبدَّت قُرَّة لِلناظِرين

A luxuriant garden clothed in beauty,

Appearing as a delight to all who behold it.

جَنّة مِنها لِسانُ الحالِ قالْ

اِدخُلوها بِسلامٍ آمِنين

A paradise whose very state proclaimed:

"Enter it in peace, secure."

وَجهُها بِالحُسنِ حقّاً وُسِما

وَبِثوبِ الأنسِ دامَت تكتسي

Its face was truly marked with beauty,

And it ever clothes itself in the robe of convivial joy.

ثَغرُها بِالبشرِ حُسناً بسما

لاِبتِهاجِ الرّوحِ ثمّ الأَنفسِ

Its lips smiled beautifully with gladness,

To gladden the spirit, and then the souls.

قَد بَناها اللَّه داراً لِلسُّرورْ

فَاِزدَهَت تَسمو عَلى كلِّ البِلادْ

God built it as an abode of joy,

So it flourished, rising above all lands.

وَجَرت أَنهارُها تَحتَ القُصور

وَتَبَدَّت تَزدَري ذات العِمادْ

And its rivers flowed beneath the palaces,

And it appeared, scorning the city of pillars.

وَنُجوم الفَضلِ فيها وَالبدور

وَشُموس العِلمِ تَبدو بِالرّشادْ

And in it are the stars of excellence and the full moons,

And the suns of knowledge shine forth with guidance.

وَلأَهلِ الفَضلِ بُرج وَسَما

لا تُضاهيها سَماء الخنَّسِ

And the people of excellence have a constellation and a heaven,

Which the heaven of the receding stars cannot rival.

يا رَعى اللَّه حِماها مِن حِمى

وَسَقاها بِالمُلثّ الأَقدسِ

Ah, may God guard its sanctuary—what a sanctuary!

And water it with the most sacred, unceasing rain.

فَإِلَيها اِدخل بِحُسنِ الأدَبِ

وَابْدُ لِلتّوفيدِ أَجلى مظهرِ

So enter it with proper courtesy,

And appear for the visit in your finest guise.

زُرْ بِها كلَّ رَسولٍ وَنَبي

مِثلَ يَحيى الماجِدِ الفَخمِ السري

Visit there every messenger and prophet,

Such as Yahya, the glorious, majestic, noble one,

وَوَلِيٍّ سيّما اِبن العَربي

سَيّدي القطب وَشَيخي الأكبرِ

And every saint, especially Ibn al-Arabi,

My master, the spiritual Pole, and my Greatest Shaykh,

عارِف الدّهرِ الّذي قَد كرُما

وَالإِمام الحاتِمي الأَندَلُسي

The gnostic of the age, who was truly noble,

And the imam, al-Hatimi al-Andalusi,

مَنْ لَهُ اللَّه تَعالى أَكرَما

بِعلومٍ لَم تُنل بِالهَوَسِ

Whom God Most High honored

With knowledge never attained through frenzy.

ذاكَ مُحيي الدّين شَمسُ العارفينْ

وارِث المُختارِ طهَ المُصطفى

That is Muhyi al-Din, the sun of the gnostics,

Heir to the Chosen One, Ta-Ha, the Elect.

عَلمُ الأَفرادِ فَرد العالَمينْ

بِالصّفا صُوفيَ حتّى أَنْ صَفا

The standard of the unique ones, peerless in all the worlds,

Through purity he was befriended, until he became pure.

قُطب غَوثٍ في الوَرى وَالعالَمِين

وَبِهِ في الدّهرِ حقّاً وُصِفا

A Pole of succor among humankind and all the worlds,

And as such he was truly described in his age.

بَحرُ عِرفانٍ أَرانا حِكَما

هِيَ كالدّرِّ الثّمينِ الأَنفسِ

An ocean of gnosis, he showed us words of wisdom;

They are like precious pearls of the greatest worth.

كَم لَنا مِنها عُقوداً نظما

نالَها مِن حَضراتِ القدسِ

How many necklaces of them he strung for us,

Having received them from the presences of holiness.

كَالفُتوحاتِ الّتي قَد شهرَت

وَكَذا صاح فُصوص الحِكمِ

Like al-Futuhat, which became renowned,

And likewise, my friend, Fusus al-Hikam.

وَعَنِ العِلم اللّدنُّي ظَهَرَت

بِتَجلّي اللَّه ربّي الحَكمِ

And they arose from divinely bestowed knowledge,

Through the self-disclosure of God, my Lord, the Judge.

وَمِن الفَيضِ الإِلهي صَدَرت

مِن هِباتِ اللَّه مُولِي النِّعمِ

And they issued from the divine effusion,

From the gifts of God, the Bestower of blessings.

يا لَها مِن كتب قَد أحكما

إِذ بِناها بالبديعِ الكيِّسِ

Ah, what books he perfected,

For he fashioned them with ingenious, discerning artistry.

تِلكَ تَأليفُ إِمامٍ قُدِّما

طيّب النّفْسِ وَعالي النفسِ

These are the works of an imam given precedence,

Kind of soul and lofty of spirit.

كَم بِها لِلسرِّ صاحي مِن كُنوزْ

لِذَوي الأَوهامِ لَيسَت تُفتحُ

How many treasures of mystery they hold, my friend,

Not opened to those who harbor delusions.

كَم لِعلمِ الكَشفِ فيها مِن رُموزْ

لأُولي العِرفانِ قَد تَتّضِحُ

How many symbols of the science of unveiling they contain,

Which become clear to those endowed with gnosis.

لَم تَكُن إِلّا لأهليها تَجوزْ

لَم يَكُن فيها سِواهُم يُفلِحُ

They were accessible only to those fit to receive them;

No others could succeed with them.

مَن يَرُمْ إِدراكها أَن يَعلَما

وَهوَ ذو الجَهلِ غَدا بِالأهوسِ

Whoever seeks to comprehend them, to gain knowledge,

While ignorant, becomes a madman.

لَم يَنَلها وَسِوى وادي العمى

لَم يَجُزْ في دَهرِهِ لَم يَجُسِ

He never gained them; beyond the valley of blindness

He never passed or roamed throughout his life.

زُرْهُ يا سَعد الّذي قَد زارَهُ

وَلَدى ساحَتِهِ حَطَّ الرّحالْ

Visit him—how fortunate the one who has visited him,

And set down his traveling gear in his courtyard.

وَتَأَدّب كَي تَرى أَنوارَهُ

مِن سَماءِ الفَيضِ تَبدو بِالجَمالْ

And show proper courtesy, so that you may see his lights,

Shining in beauty from the heaven of effusion.

وَاِقتَبِس مِن نورِهِ أَسرارهُ

وَاِطلبِ الإِمدادَ مِنهُ بِالكَمالْ

And draw his mysteries from his light,

And seek from him spiritual aid in its fullness.

وَاِرْجُهُ مِنهُ لَدى ذاكَ الحِمى

وَبِهِ لِلفَيضِ مِنه اِلتمسِ

And hope for it from him at that sanctuary,

And seek, through him, the effusion flowing from him.

صاحِ وَاِستَبشر بِأَن تَحظى بِما

رُمتَهُ مِنهُ ولا تَستَيئسِ

My friend, rejoice that you will obtain what

You sought from him, and do not despair.

فَهوَ كَرْم حَاتمي الكرَمِ

وَهوَ أَنسى مَنْ أَبوهُ زائِدهْ

For he is a generous man, Hatimi in bounty,

And he has made us forget the man whose father was Za'ida.

ديمَة المَعروفِ أَسخى الدّيمِ

شَأنُهُ أَنْ لم يُخيب قاصِده

An enduring rain of kindness, the most bountiful of rains;

His way is never to disappoint one who seeks him.

بَحرُ عِرفانٍ مفيض الحِكَم

مَن أَتاهُ نالَ مِنهُ الفائِدَه

An ocean of gnosis, pouring forth wisdom,

Whoever comes to him gains benefit from him.

مَن أَتى ساحِلَهُ خدنَ ظَما

عادَ بِالريِّ الهنيِّ السلسِ

Whoever comes to his shore a companion of thirst,

Returns with sweet, smooth refreshment,

مالِئاً بُردَيهِ مِنهُ نِعما

بِالّذي في فِكرِهِ لم يَهْجُسِ

Filling both his cloaks with blessings from him,

With what had never even crossed his mind.

سَيّدي شَيخي مَلاذي عُمدَتي

أَيّها الأُستاذُ أَنتَ المَلجأ

My master, my shaykh, my refuge, my support,

O teacher, you are the refuge.

قَد دَهَتني الآنَ أَدهى شدّة

لَكَ مِنها إِذ دَهَتني أَلجأُ

Now the direst hardship has struck me;

From it, now that it has struck me, I seek refuge with you.

فَلَكَم لي أَوجَبَت مِن كربَة

خيلُها لي قَد تَبَدّت تَطأُ

How many sorrows it has brought upon me!

Its horses have appeared before me, trampling me.

فَأَغِثني اليومَ ممّا دَهما

أَنا مِنهُ آيل للفَطَسِ

So rescue me today from what has assailed me;

Because of it, I am nearing death.

لَم يَخِب مَنْ سيّدي فيكَ اِحتَمى

وَبِدِرعِ الأَمنِ أَضحى يَكتَسي

No one, my master, who sought refuge in you was disappointed,

And he came to clothe himself in the armor of safety.

وَعَليك اللَّه مِن رضوانِهِ

صَبَّ غَيثاً دائماً ينسجمُ

And upon you may God, from His good pleasure,

Pour a constant rain, forever streaming.

وَلَهُ والَت يَدا إِحسانِهِ

وَتَوالى عَنكَ لا يَنفَصِمُ

And for him may both hands of His beneficence give unceasingly,

And may it continue from you without a break,

مُدَّة الدّهرِ مَدى أَزمانِهِ

ما مِنَ السّحبِ تَفيض الديمُ

For all time, through all its ages,

As long as steady rains pour from the clouds;

ما اِبنُ فَتحِ اللَّهِ نَظماً ختما

بِالّذي فيهِ سُرور الأَنفس

As long as Ibn Fath Allah ends a poem

With what brings delight to souls;

ما بَدا البَرقُ وَما شَمسُ السّما

قَد رَعَت منها عُيون النّرجِس

As long as lightning flashes, and the sun of heaven

Watches from there over the eyes of the narcissus.