أمسعود جاء السعد والخير واليسر

وولّت جيوش النحس ليس لها ذكرُ

O Mas'oud, felicity, goodness, and ease have arrived,

And the armies of misfortune have turned back, leaving no trace behind.

ليالي صدودٍ وانقطاعٍ وجفوةٍ

وهجران ساداتٍ فلا ذكرَ الهجر

Nights of avoidance, severance, and estrangement,

And the abandonment of masters—let there be no mention of such abandonment.

فأيامها أضحت قتاماً ودجنةً

ليالي لا نجم يضيء ولا بدر

For their days became as gloom and pitch darkness,

Nights wherein no star shines, nor any full moon.

فراشي فيها حشوه الهم والضنى

فلا التذ لي جنب ولا التذ لي ظهر

My bedding within them was stuffed with anxiety and wasting away,

So neither my side nor my back found any comfort.

ليالي أنادي والفؤاد متيّم

ونار الجوى تشوي لما قد حوى الصدر

Nights when I call out while my heart is enslaved by love,

And the fire of burning passion roasts what my chest contains.

أمولاي طال الهجر وانقطع الصبر

أمولاي هذا الليل هل بعده فجر

O my Master, the separation has dragged on and patience has snapped,

O my Master, this night—is there a dawn to follow it?

أغث يا مغيث المستغيثين والهاً

ألمّ به من بعد أحبابه الضر

Succor me, O Succor of those who seek aid, a man distracted by love,

Upon whom harm has descended after being parted from his loved ones.

أسائل كل الخلق هل من مخبّر

يحدّثني عنكم فينعشني الخبر

I ask all of creation: is there any informant,

Who can speak to me of you, so that the news might revive me?

إلى أن دعتني همة الشيخ من مدى

بعيد ألا فادن فعندي لك الذخر

Until the high resolve of the Sheikh called me from a far distance:

"Come close, for I possess a treasure stored for you."

فشمّرت عن ذيلي الإطار وطار بي

جناح اشتياقٍ ليس يخشى له كسر

So I tucked up the train of my robe, and I was borne aloft by

A wing of yearning that fears no fracture.

وما بعدت عن ذا المحب تهامةٌ

ولم يثنه سهل هناك ولا وعر

And Tihama was not too distant for this lover,

Nor did any easy plain or rugged terrain turn him back there.

إلى أن أنخنا بالبطاح ركابنا

وحطت بها رحلي وتم لها البشر

Until we made our mounts kneel at the open valley,

And there I set down my saddle, and joy was made complete.

بطاح بها البيت المعظّم قبلةٌ

فلا فخر إلا فوقه ذلك الفخر

A valley containing the Exalted House as a Qibla;

So there is no glory except that which rises above that glory.

بطاح بها الصيد الحلال محرمٌ

ومن حلها حاشاه يبقى له وزر

A valley where lawful game is forbidden to hunt,

And whoever violates it—far be it from him—bears a heavy burden.

أتاني مربي العارفين بنفسه

ولا عجبٌ فالشأن أضحى له أمر

The Educator of the Knowers came to me in person,

And it is no wonder, for the affair has become his command.

وقال فإني منذ أعداد حجة

لمنتظر لقياك يا أيها البدر

He said, "Indeed, for many a pilgrimage season,

I have been waiting to meet you, O full moon.

فأنت بنيي مذ ألست بربكم

وذا الوقت حقاً ضمّه اللوح والسطر

For you are my son since the day of 'Am I not your Lord?';

And this very moment was truly encompassed by the Tablet and the Pen.

وجدّك قد أعطاك من قدم لنا

ذخيرتكم فينا ويا حبذا الذخر

And your Grandfather gave you, from ancient times, to us

As your stored treasure among us—and what an excellent treasure it is!"

فقبّلت من أقدامه وبساطه

وقال لك البشرى بذا قضي الأمر

So I kissed his feet and his carpet,

And he said, "Glad tidings to you; with this, the matter is decreed."

وألقى على صفري باكسير سرّه

فقيل له هذا هو الذهب التبر

He cast the elixir of his secret upon my copper,

And it was said to him, "This is now pure, unminted gold."

وأعني به شيخ الأنام وشيخ من

له عمة في عذبة وله الصدر

I mean by him the Sheikh of all people, and the Sheikh of those

Who possess a turban with a tail, and who possess precedence.

عياذي ملاذي عمدتي ثم عدّتي

وكهفي إذا أبدى نواجذه الدهر

My refuge, my sanctuary, my pillar, and my equipment,

And my cave of safety when Time bares its molars.

غياثي من أيدي العداة ومنقذي

منيري مجيري عندما غمّني الغمر

My relief from the hands of enemies, and my savior;

My illuminator, my protector when the calamity overwhelms me.

ومحبي رفاتي بعد أن كنت رمة

وأكسبني عمراً لعمري هو العمر

The one who gave life to my remains after I was but dust,

And gained for me a life that, by my life, is the true life.

محمدٌ الفاسي له من محمد

صفيّ الإله الحال والشيم الغرّ

Muhammad al-Fasi: he has from Muhammad,

The Chosen of God, his spiritual states and noble traits.

بفرض وتعصيب غدا أرثه له

هو البدر بين الأوليا وهم الزهر

By fixed share and by residuary inheritance, he became his heir;

He is the full moon among the saints, while they are but stars.

شمائله تغنيك إن رمت شاهدا

هي الروض لكن شق اكمامه القطر

His qualities suffice you if you seek a witness;

They are a garden, but the rain has opened its blossoms.

تضوّع طيبا كلّ زهر بنشره

فما المسك ما الكافور ما الند ما العطر

Every flower wafts its perfume abroad,

So what is musk, what is camphor, what is ambergris, what is perfume compared to him?

وما حاتم قل لي وما حلم أحنف

وما زهد ابراهيم أدهم ما الصبر

And tell me, what is Hatim? And what is the forbearance of Ahnaf?

And what is the asceticism of Ibrahim Adham? What is patience itself?

صفوحٌ يغض الطرف عن كلّ زلةٍ

لهيبته ذلّ الغضنفر والنمر

Forgiving, he lowers his gaze from every slip;

Before his majesty, the lion and the leopard humble themselves.

هشوشٌ بشوشٌ يلقى بالرحب قاصداً

وعن مثل حب المزن تلقاه يفترّ

Jovial and smiling, he meets the seeker with welcome,

And you find him beaming like the hail of rain clouds.

فلا غضبٌ حاشا بأن يستفزه

ولا حدّة كلا ولا عنده ضرّ

No anger—God forbid—can provoke him,

Nor sharpness, nay, nor is there any harm in him.

لنا منه صدرٌ ما تكدّره الدلا

ووجه طليق لا يزايله البشر

We have in him a heart that water-buckets cannot muddy,

And an open countenance that joy never leaves.

ذليلٌ لأهل الفقر لا عن مهانةٍ

عزيزٌ ولا تيه لديه ولا كبر

Humble to the people of spiritual poverty, not out of abasement,

Mighty, yet possessing no haughtiness or pride.

وما زهرة الدنيا بشء له يُرى

وليس لها يوما بمجلسه نشر

The flower of this world is seen as nothing by him,

And it has no fragrance whatsoever in his gathering.

حريصٌ على هدي الخلائق جاهد

رحيمٌ بهم برٌ خبير له القدر

Eager for the guidance of creatures, striving,

Merciful to them, righteous, aware, possessed of power.

كساه رسول اللّه ثوب خلافةٍ

له الحكم والتصريف والنهي والأمر

The Messenger of God clothed him in the robe of vicegerency;

To him belongs judgment, disposal, prohibition, and command.

وقيل له إن شئت قل قدمي علا

على كلّ ذي فضل أحاط به العصر

And it was said to him, "If you wish, say: My foot is high

Above every possessor of virtue whom the age encompasses."

فذلك فضلُ اللّه يؤتيه من يشا

وليس على ذي الفضل حصرٌ ولا حجر

That is the bounty of God; He gives it to whom He wills,

And for the possessor of bounty, there is no restriction or confinement.

وذا وأبيك الفخر لا فخر من غدا

وقد ملك الدنيا وساعده النصر

This, by your father, is true glory—not the glory of one who becomes

A king of the world while victory aids him.

وهذا كمالٌ كلّ عن وصف كنهه

فمن يدّعي هذا فهذا هو السر

This is a perfection whose essence tongues fall short of describing;

So whoever claims this—this is the secret.

أبو حسنٍ لو قد رآه أحبّه

وقال له أنت الخليفة يا بحر

If Abu'l-Hasan had seen him, he would have loved him

And said to him, "You are the Vicegerent, O Ocean!"

وما كل شهم يدعى السبق صادق

إذا سيق للميدان بان له الخسر

Not every gallant man who claims precedence is truthful

When driven to the battlefield, his loss becomes apparent.

وعند تجلّي النقع يظهر من علا

على ظهر جردبل ومن تحته حمر

And when the dust of battle clears, it appears who is high

Upon the back of a strong steed, and who is upon a donkey.

وما كل من يعلو الجواد بفارس

إذا ثار نقع الحرب والجو مغبر

Not everyone who mounts a horse is a knight

When the dust of war rises and the air is choked with grey.

فيحمي ذماراً يوم لاذوا حفيظةٍ

وكل حماة الحي من خوفهم فرّوا

Protecting the sanctuary on a day they seek refuge in zealotry,

While all the protectors of the tribe have fled from fear.

ونادى ضعيف الحي من ذا يغيثني

أما من غيور خانني الصبر والدهر

And the weak of the tribe call out, "Who will save me?

Is there no jealous warrior? Patience and Time have betrayed me."

وما كلّ سيف ذو الفقار بحدّه

ولا كل كرارٍ عليا إذا كروا

Not every sword is Dhu'l-Faqar in its sharpness,

Nor is every attacker 'Ali when they charge.

وما كلّ طير طار في الجو فاتكاً

وما كل صياح إذا صرصر الصقر

Not every bird that flies in the sky is a raptor,

Nor is every screamer, when he shrieks, a falcon.

وما كل من يسمى بشيخ كمثله

وما كل من يدعى بعمروٍ إذا عمرو

Not everyone named "Sheikh" is like him,

Just as not everyone called 'Amr is truly 'Amr.

وذا مثلٌ للمدعين ومن يكن

على قدم صدق طبيبا له خبر

This is a parable for the pretenders; but whoever is

Upon a footing of truth, the physician has news of him.

فلا شيخ إلا من يخلّص هالكاً

غريقاً ينادي قد أحاط بي المكر

For there is no Sheikh except the one who saves a perishing man,

A drowning man calling out, "The plot has surrounded me!"

ولا تسألن عن ذي المشائخ غير من

له خبرةٌ فاقت وما هو مغترّ

And do not ask about these Sheikhs except for one who

Possesses experience that excels, and who is not deluded.

تصفّح أحوال الرجال مجربّا

وفي كل مصر بل وقطر له أمر

Examine the states of men as one who tests them,

For in every city, nay every land, He has a command.

فانعم بمصرٍ ربّت الشيخ يافعا

وأكرم بقطر طار منه له ذكر

So blessed be a city that raised the Sheikh as a youth,

And how noble is a land from which his renown took flight!

فمكّة ذي خير البلاد فديتها

فما طاولتها الشمس يوما ولا النسر

Mecca is this land, the best of lands—may I be its ransom;

Neither the sun nor Sirius has ever rivaled it in height.

بها كعبتان كعبة طاف حولها

حجيج الملا بل ذاك عندهم الظفر

Within it are two Kaabas: a Kaaba around which

The pilgrims of the masses circle—indeed, that for them is triumph.

وكعبة حجّاج الجناب الذي سما

وجلّ فلا ركنٌ لديه ولا حجر

And a Kaaba for the pilgrims of the Divine Presence that has soared

And become majestic; it has neither physical corner nor stone.

وشتّان ما بين الحجيجين عندنا

فهذا له ملك وهذا له أجر

And what a difference between the two pilgrimages in our view:

For this one has sovereignty, while that one has a reward.

عجبتُ لباغي السير للجانب الذي

نقدّس ممّا لا يجدّ له السير

I marveled at one who seeks to journey to the side that

We sanctify, yet he does not make his journey earnest,

ويلقي إليه نفسه بفنائه

بصدقٍ تساوى عنده السر والجهر

And cast his soul into its courtyard

With a sincerity wherein the secret and the public are equal.

فيلقى مناخ الجود والفضل واسعا

ويلقى فراتا طاب نهلا فما القطر

Then he would meet a resting place of generosity and vast grace,

And he would meet a sweet Euphrates—how good a drink! What is rain compared to it?

ويلقى رياضا أزهرت بمعارفٍ

فيا حبذا المرأى ويا حبذا الزهر

And he would meet gardens blooming with spiritual knowledge;

Oh, how lovely is the sight! And how lovely are the flowers!

ويلقى جنانا فوق فردوسها العلى

وما لجنان الخلد ان عبّقت نشر

And he would meet gardens higher than the Highest Paradise;

The Gardens of Eternity possess no fragrance if this scent wafts.

ويشرب كأساً صرفة من مدامةٍ

فيا حبذا كاس ويا حبذا خمر

And he would drink a pure cup of ancient wine;

Oh, how lovely is the cup! And oh, how lovely is the wine!

فلا غول فيها لا ولا عنها نزفة

وليس لها برد وليس لها حرّ

There is no headache in it, nor any depletion of mind,

And it possesses neither cold nor heat.

ولا هو بعد المزج أصفر فاقع

ولا هو قبل المزج قانٍ ومحمر

It is not, after mixing, a bright yellow,

Nor is it, before mixing, deep red or crimson.

معتّقة من قبل كسرى مصونة

وما ضمّها دنّ ولا نالها عصر

Aged since before Chosroes, carefully guarded;

No earthen jar contained it, nor did any press squeeze it.

ولا شانها زقّ ولا سار سائر

بأجمالها كلا ولا نالها تجر

No wineskin marred it, nor did any traveler journey

With camels carrying it, nay, nor did merchants obtain it.

فلو نظر الأملاك ختم إنائها

تخلّوا عن الأملاك طوعا ولا قهر

If the kings were to look upon the seal of its vessel,

They would abandon their kingdoms willingly, without coercion.

ولو شمّت الأعلام في الدرس ريحها

لما طاش عن صوب الصواب لها فكر

And if the scholars in their study circles smelled its scent,

Their thinking would never stray from the path of correctness.

فيا بعدهم عنها ويا بئس ما رضوا

فقد صدّهم قصدٌ وسيرّهم وزر

Oh, how far they are from it! And how miserable is what they settled for!

For a lowly intention blocked them, and a heavy burden directed them.

هي العلم كلّ العلم والمركز الذي

به كلّ علمٍ كلّ حينٍ له دور

It is Knowledge—all Knowledge—and the Center around which

Every knowledge, at every moment, revolves.

فلا عالم إلاّ خبيرٌ بشربيها

ولا جاهلٌ إلا جهولٌ بها غرّ

There is no scholar except one expert in drinking it,

And there is no ignoramus except one ignorant of it, deceived.

ولا غبن في الدنيا ولا من رزيئةٍ

سوى رجل عن نيلها حظّه نزر

There is no fraud in the world, nor any calamity,

Except for a man whose share of obtaining it is scant.

ولا خسر في الدنيا ولا هو خاسرٌ

سوى والهٍ والكفّ من كأسها صفر

And there is no loss in the world, nor is anyone a loser,

Except a distracted one whose palm is empty of its cup.

إذا زمزم الحادي بذكر صفاتها

وصرح ما كنّى ونادى نأى الصبر

When the camel-driver trills the mention of its attributes,

And declares clearly what he hinted at, and calls out, "Patience has fled!"

وقال اسقني خمراً وقل لي هي الخمر

ولا تسقني سرّا إذا أمكن الجهر

And says: "Pour me wine, and tell me: 'This is the Wine!'"

And do not serve me in secret if it is possible to do so openly.

وصرّح بمن تهوى ودعني من الكنى

فلا خير في اللذات من دونها ستر

And declare clearly whom you love, and leave me be with hints;

For there is no good in pleasures if a curtain hides them.

نرى سائقيها كيف هامت عقولهم

ونازلهم بسطٌ وخامرهم سكر

We see those who drive it—how their minds wander,

While spiritual expansion descends upon them and intoxication infuses them.

وتاهوا فلم يدروا من التيه من هم

وشمس الضحى من تحت أقدامهم عفر

They wandered in ecstasy, and in their wandering knew not who they were,

While the morning sun was but dust beneath their feet.

وقالوا فمن يرجى من الكون غيرنا

فنحن ملوك الأرض لا البيض والحمر

And they said: "Who is to be hoped for in the universe other than us?

For we are the kings of the earth, not the white kings nor the red."

تميد بهم كاسٌ بها قد تولّهوا

فليس لهم عرفٌ وليس لهم نكر

A cup sways them with which they have become enraptured,

So they have no conventional knowledge nor any denial.

حيارى فلا يدرون أين توجّهوا

فليس لهم ذكرٌ وليس لهم فكر

Bewildered, they know not where they have turned,

For they have no remembrance and no thought.

فيطربهم برقٌ تألّق بالحمى

ويرقصهم رعد بسلعٍ له أزر

The lightning flashing at the sanctuary stirs their joy,

And the thunder at Sal' makes them dance, tightening its belt.

ويسكرهم طيب النسيم إذا سرى

تظنّ بهم سحرا وليس بهم سحر

The perfume of the breeze intoxicates them when it travels;

You would think them under a spell, yet there is no magic in them.

وتبكيهم ورق الحمائم في الدجى

إذا ما بكت من ليس يدري لها وكر

The cooing of doves in the darkness makes them weep,

When a bird weeps not knowing where its nest lies.

بحزنٍ وتلحين تجاوبتا بما

تذوب له الأكباد والجلمد الصخر

With sorrow and melody, the two respond with that

Which melts the livers and the solid rock.

وتسبيهم غزلان رامة إن بدت

وأحداقها بيض وقاماتها سمر

And the gazelles of Ramah captivate them when they appear,

With their white-and-black eyes and their slender, tawny forms.

وفي شمّها حقا بذلنا نفوسنا

فهان علينا كلّ شيء له قدر

In smelling it, truly, we sacrificed our very souls,

So every valuable thing became cheap to us.

وملنا عن الأوطان والأهل جملة

فلا قاصرات الطرف تثني ولا القصر

We turned away from homelands and family entirely;

Neither modest maidens nor palaces could hold us back.

ولا عن أصيحاب الذوائب من غدت

ملاعبهم منى الترائب والنحر

Nor the little companions of the side-locks, whose playgrounds

Were but the desires of the chest and the embrace.

هجرنا لها الأحبا والصحب كلهم

فما عاقنا زيدٌ ولا راقنا بكر

For its sake, we abandoned all loved ones and companions;

So Zayd did not hinder us, nor did Bakr please us.

ولا ردّنا عنها العوادي ولا العدا

ولا هالنا قفرٌ ولا راعنا بحر

The misfortunes of time did not turn us back, nor the enemies,

Nor did the wasteland terrify us, nor did the sea startle us.

وفيها حلا لي الذلّ من بعد عزة

فيا حبذا هذا ولو بدءهمرّ

In it, humility became sweet to me after pride;

Oh, how lovely is this! Even if its beginning is bitter.

وذلك من فضل الإله ومنّه

عليّ فما للفضل عدّ ولا حصر

And that is from the grace of God and His favor

Upon me; for His grace has no number and no limit.

وقد أنعم الوهّاب فضلا بشربها

فللّه حمد دائمٌ وله الشكر

The Bestower has granted the blessing of drinking it;

So to God belongs eternal praise, and to Him belongs thanks.

فقل لملوك الأرض أنتم وشأنكم

فقسمتكم ضئزى وقسمتنا كثر

So say to the kings of the earth: "You have your affairs,

But your division is meager, while our share is abundant."

خذ الدينا والأخرى أباغيهما معاً

وهات لنا كأسا فهذا لنا وفر

Take the world and the Hereafter, O seeker of them both,

But bring us a cup, for this is our wealth.

جزى اللّه عنّا شيخنا خير ما جوى

به هادياً فالأجر منه هو الأجر

May God reward our Sheikh on our behalf with the best reward

Given to a guide; for the reward comes from Him.

أمولاي إني عبد نعمائك التي

بها صار لي كنزٌ وفارقني الفقر

O my Master, I am the slave of your favors,

Through which I gained a treasure and poverty departed from me.

وصرت مليكاً بعد ما كنت سوقة

وساعدني سعد فحصباؤنا درّ

I became a king after I was a common subject,

And felicity aided me, so our pebbles became pearls.

أمولاي إني عبد بابك واقف

لفيضك محتاجٌ لجودك مضطر

O my Master, I am a slave standing at your door,

In need of your overflow, compelled by your generosity.

فمر أمر مولى للعبيد فإنني

أنا العبدذاك العبد لا الخادم الحرّ

So command the command of a master to his slaves, for I am

I am that slave—that very slave—not a free servant.

هنيئاً لنا يا معشر الصحب إننا

لنا حصنُ أمن ليس يطرقه ذعر

Congratulations to us, O company of companions! For truly,

We possess a fortress of security that panic cannot breach.

فنحن بضوء الشمس والغير في دجى

وأعينهم عميٌ وآذانهم وقر

We are in the light of the sun, while others are in darkness;

Their eyes are blind and their ears are deaf.

ولا غرو في هذا وقد قال ربّنا

تراهم عيون ينظرون ولا بصر

There is no wonder in this, for our Lord has said:

"You see them looking at you, yet they do not see."

وغيم السما مهما سما هان أمره

فليس يرى إلا لمن ساعد القدر

The clouds of the sky, however high they rise, their matter is trivial,

But they are not seen except by those whom Destiny aids.

ألا فاعلموا شكرا لمن جاد بالذي

هدانا ومن نعمائه عمّنا اليسر

Now know gratitude to the One who generously gave that

Which guided us, and from whose blessings ease has encompassed us.

وصلّوا على خير الورى خير مرسل

وروح هداة الخلق حقاً وهم ذرّ

And send prayers upon the best of mankind, the best Messenger,

The spirit of the guides of creation, in truth, while they are but atoms.

عليه صلاة اللّه ما قال قائل

أمسعود جاء السعد والخير واليسر

Upon him be the prayers of God as long as a speaker says:

"O Mas'oud, felicity, goodness, and ease have arrived."