نحن الجفون نحفظ العيونا

ونحن أهل الذكر فاسألونا

We are the eyelids protecting the eyes

And we are the people of remembrance, so ask us

ونحن ذات من بدت صفاته

تكشف من صبغتنا فنونا

And we are an essence whose attributes

Reveal our various arts from our dye

جنوننا في حبكم عقلاً يُرى

وعقلنا في ديننا جنونا

Our madness for your love is reason that's seen

And our reason in our religion is madness

وجودنا الحق ونحن باطل

نذوق في حياته المنونا

Our existence is the Truth and we are false

We taste in His life that which passes away

وهو الذي له الصفات كلها

والغافلون عنه يدَّعونا

And He is the one who has all attributes

Yet the heedless of Him claim us

الله وحده هو الموجود لا

سواه والجميع معدومونا

God alone, He exists, there is no

Other than Him, and all are doomed

لإنهم هم التقادير التي

قدَّرها لنا بأن تكونا

For they are the determinations which

He determined for us that they be

ويظهر الوجود منه في الذي

يظهر عنه واضحاً مكنونا

And existence appears from Him in that

Which appears from Him clearly concealed

والنور نور الذات في ظلامنا

ولم نزل نحنُ له الشئونا

And the light is the light of the essence in our darkness

And we have not ceased being His affairs

نلوح كالبرق له ونختفي

فنعرف الظهور والبطونا

We flare like lightning for Him and disappear

Thus we know appearance and concealment

ونحن في كلامه حروفه

نحمل معناه لنا المصونا

And we in His speech are His letters

Bearing His meaning protected for us

وأمره الواحد ينجلي لنا

فيرسم الكاف بنا والنونا

And His one command manifests for us

Thus scripting the kaf through us and the nun

كاف كفاية ونون نعمة

روحاً وجسماً سَلِساً موزونا

Kaf - Sufficiency, Nun - Blessing

Spirit and body, fluent, rhythmic

وفعله نحن على مراده

فنقتضي التحريك والسكونا

And His action - we, as He desires

Thus requiring movement and stillness

عز وجل عن مشابه له

قد أعجز الأفكار والظنونا

Glorious and Exalted above likeness to Him

Has confounded thoughts and guesses

وهو الغنيُّ والورى جميعهم

يرجون غيث فضله الهتونا

And He is The Rich and all creation

Hope for the downpour of His overflowing generosity

أضلَّ في آدمَ عن طلعته

عدوَّه إبليساً الملعونا

He led Adam astray from his ascent

Through his enemy, accursed Iblis

وقد هدى فيه إليه أمةً

بأمره قد جاء يعملونا

And He guided in him a community

By His command which came they work

تبارك الله الذي بوجهه

في كل شيء هيج الشجونا

Blessed is Allah by whose face

In everything passions are stirred

وأتعب العاشق المسبي به

وحيَّر المتيم المفتونا

And the lover weary of Him

And the crazed confounded

وإن يشأ بالبعد يحرق الذي

أراد غيراً أو أحب دونا

And if He wills by distance He burns the one

Who wanted another or loved besides

وإن يشأ يكشف عن الوجه لمن

يحبه ويخرج المسجونا

And if He wills He unveils the face to the one

Who loves Him and releases the captive

مطروده بغيره مفتتن

ولم يزل مقبوله المحصونا

Expelled for another, infatuated

And he has not ceased to be His protected beloved

وحكمه ليس له من علة

فإن بدا لا تمنع الماعونا

And His rule has no cause

So if it appears, means do not prevent

وكن به له خفياً ظاهراً

ولا تكن بجهله مغبونا

And be to Him for Him secretly manifest

And be not duped in your ignorance of Him