قِفِي قبلَ التفَرُّقِ والتَّنائي

أُزَوِّدُ للفِرَاقِ مِنَ اللقَاءِ

Stand before parting and separation

I prepare for farewell from meeting

وَأَحْمِلُ مِنْ سَناكِ سِراجَ نُورٍ

يُضِيءُ لِيَ المسَالِكَ في المسَاءِ

And I take from your radiance a lantern of light

That illuminates my paths in the evening

وأَجعَلُ مِنْ حَدِيثِكِ لِي رَفِيقاً

يُعينُ أخَ السِّفارِ على العَنَاءِ

And I make your words a companion for me

Who aids the brother of travel in hardship

فَإِنِّي في فِراقِكِ في افتقارٍ

وإني في لقائكِ في غَنَاءِ

For in your absence I am in need

And in meeting you I am in riches

ولو بَلَغَتْ يَدَايَ هُنا طِلابِي

لَما امْتَدَّت إلى تَعَبِ التنائِي

And if my hands could reach my hopes

I would not have extended to the weariness of parting

ولو قد نِلتُ مِنْ عِلْمٍ كِفَاءً

لَمَا بِتُّ اللياليَ في العَراءِ

And if I had attained sufficient knowledge

I would not spend the nights in the wilderness

وهلْ للعلمِ مِن حَدٍّ فيُرْجَى؟

وهل يُعْطَى المعالِيَ ذُو اكتِفَاءِ؟

And is there a limit to be hoped for knowledge?

Is fulfillment given to the one of contentment?

ظَمِئْتُ إلى العُلُومِ، وليسَ وِرْدٌ

لِذِي ظَمأِ العُلُومِ بِذي ارتِوَاءِ

I thirst for the sciences, and there is no water

For the one thirsty for knowledge to quench his thirst

إِذَا رُمْتُ الدَّواءَ بِبَذْلِ جُهْدٍ

شَرِبْتُ أُصُولَ دَائِي في الدَّواءِ

When I seek the cure by exerting effort

I drink the origins of my affliction in the medicine

ويحلو لي الدَّواءُ وفيه دائي

فقولي: هل لسُقْمِيَ مِن شِفَاءِ؟

And the medicine is sweet though in it is my affliction

Tell me: Is there a cure for my sickness?

بَرِئْتُ من الشِّفاء إلى سِقامِي

ومِنْ حُبِّ الجمَامِ إلى الشَّقَاءِ

I recovered from the cure to my illness

And from love of resolve to wretchedness

وأنعمْ بالشَّقَاءِ وباغْتِرابي

وفَقْري إن يَقُدْنَ إلى العلاءِ

And I enjoy wretchedness and estrangement

If poverty leads me to ascendance

وبؤْسِي في فِدَا العَلْيَاءِ سَعْدٌ

لأنَّ المجْدَ يُشْرَى بالبَلاءِ

And my misery is joy in redeeming the noble

For glory is bought with tribulation

إليْكِ أسِيرُ في سَفَرِي، فصَبْراً

لأدْنُو –بابْتِعَادِيَ مِنْ رجَائِي

I travel to you in my journey, so have patience

That I come close - by my distance from my hopes

جَعَلْتُ مِنَ التوكُّلِ لي سِلاحاً

وتقوى اللهِ لي خيرَ الوِقاءِ

I made reliance my weapon

And God's piety my best protection

وخلفِي دعوةٌ لأَبٍ وحِبٍّ

تُؤمِّنِني المصائبَ مِنْ ورائِي

And behind me is a prayer of a father and love

That secures me from calamities behind me

وتفتحُ لي نَوافِذَ كُلِّ خيرٍ

وتُغْلِقُ بابَ عجزٍ وارتخاءِ

And opens for me windows of all good

And closes the door of disability and slackness

فَدَيْتُكِ، فاصبِري.. وارضَي بحُكْمٍ

وجودي في صلاتِكِ بالدُّعاءِ

You have redeemed me, so be patient..and be content with destiny

And my presence in your prayers with supplication

ولا تَخْشَيْ عَلَيَّ مِنِ افتقارٍ

فمالِي العلمُ، والتقوى رِدَائي

And do not fear poverty upon me

For knowledge is my wealth, and piety my cloak

فِراشي الشِّعْرُ إنْ أطلُبْ جِمَاماً

أوَيتُ إليهِ والذكرى غِطَائي

Poetry is my bed if I seek a cover

Or resort to it while memories are my blanket

وما عَجَبٌ مُقامِي في رخاءٍ

فإني في جِوارِ أبي عطاءِ

And it is no wonder my staying in comfort

For I am in the neighborhood of my father Atta

ومَنْ عرَف النجُومَ كستهُ نورا

وسَارَ على المفاوزِ في اهتِداءِ

And whoever recognizes the stars cloaks himself in light

And travels the wilderness in guidance

ورَاءَ صُوَى الطريقِ فسَارَ قَصْداً

وصَارَ مِنَ المصَائِبِ في نجَاءِ

Behind the echo of the path he traveled with purpose

And became of tribulations in deliverance

فكَيْفَ بمن دَنَا منها، فأضْحَى

يساير رَكْبَ أقمَارِ الفَضَاءِ

So what of one who drew near to it, and thus became

Accompanying the caravan of the horizons

أ يرضى بعدَما صَحِبَ الثُّرَيَّا

بِبيتٍ في الثرى؟ أم في السماءِ؟

Does he, after accompanying the Pleiades

Consent to a home in the soil? Or in the skies?

أتيتُ وقد غزَتْ قلبي البلايا

وأمطرتِ المصائبُ في فنائي

I came while afflictions had invaded my heart

And calamities rained in my courtyard

وأظلمَتِ الدنا حولي وأظْمَتْ

وبادرني زَماني بالعداءِ

And the world darkened around me, overwhelming me

And my times surprised me with enmity

وهِمْتُ فمَا أرى –مِنْ فرط هَمِّي

خلاصا مِنْ عذابي وابتلائِي

And I intended - from the excess of my worries -

No salvation from my torment and tribulation

سعيتُ إلى لقا رحِمي لأنسى

فأرشدني الوصالُ إلى الدواءِ

I strove to meet my kin to forget

So connection guided me to the cure

تجلت في حديثِكُمُ الأماني

وعاد الأنسُ في أُفْقِ الصفاءِ

In your conversation hopes appeared

And companionship returned on the horizon of serenity

وأحيى القلبَ ما أملى انشِراحٌ

وأعمى البؤسَ ما ألقى انتشائي

And what hope dictated revived my heart

And what my delight dictated blinded misfortune

عرفتُ بقربكمْ معنى المعالي

ومعنى العيشِ في حضن الرجاءِ

Through your nearness I knew the meaning of nobility

And the meaning of living in the lap of hope

وعادتني المصائبُ والدواهي

وقبلا كنتُ منها في إخاءِ

And tribulations and afflictions returned to me

When before I was of them in brotherhood

لقيتكَ أول اللقيا غريبا

كما الظمْآنُ يلقى حوضَ ماءِ

I met you first of meetings a stranger

As the thirsty meets a pool of water

دَنِفتُ من الصدى فسُقيتُ ماءً

فأحياني لقا أجرى دمائي

I approached the echo and was given water

So the meeting of a stream revived me

فلا والله ما في الدهرِ يومٌ

بأسعدَ من حديثك واللقاءِ

No, by God, there is no day in life

As felicitous as your conversation and the meeting

ولا يومٌ كيوم صحبتُ فيهِ

نَداكم في الطريق أبا عطاءِ

And no day like the day I accompanied

Your call on the path, O father of Atta

كأني حينها الصوفيُّ لذَّتْ

له الدنيا بألحان الغناءِ

It's as if I, at that time, was the Sufi

The world delighted him with songs of joy

كأني في انتظار حديثِ شيخي

أخو سغَبٍ يحِنُّ إلى الغِذاءِ

It's as if I await the words of my shaykh

A brother of Sighn thirsty for food

جمعتَ إلى البشاشة حسن قولٍ

كتقوى الله ضمَّ إلى الثراءِ

You combined amiability with excellent speech

Like piety combined with wealth

وما كل الدعاةِ لهم قبولٌ

وأنس في القلوب على اصطفاءِ

And not all preachers have acceptance

And intimacy in hearts with distinction

حللتَ بكلِّ قلبٍ دار أنسٍ

يفاخرُ في امتداحِكَ كلَّ ناءِ

You settled in each heart a house of familiarity

Which prides itself in praising you over all others

أسرْتَ بحسن قولٍ واستماعٍ

نفوسا قدْ برئنَ مِنَ الفداءِ

You captivated souls with excellent speech and listening

That had recovered from redemption

سعيدٌ منْ رضيتَ بِهِ مُريدا

وأسعدُ مَنْ سقيتَ مِنَ الثناءِ

Happy is he whom you accepted as a devotee

And most happy is he whose praise you quenched

وأشقى الناسِ مقرورٌ فقيرٌ

يمرُّ على السنا دونَ اصطلاءِ

And most miserable of people is one displeased and needy

Who passes the praise without touching it

يعز بصحبة العلماء قومٌ

ويُردي معشرا طلبُ الهباءِ

A people become magnificent by accompanying scholars

While a group is corrupted by seeking vanity

ومنْ صَحِبَ الأفاضلَ كان حيا

ويحيا الجاهلون على الفناءِ

And whoever accompanied the exceptional became alive

While the ignorant live for demise

دعوتُكَ يا إلهي، يا مجيبا

فسَدِّدْ في خُطاهُ أبا عطاءِ

I called upon You, oh my God, oh Responder

So guide the steps of Abu Atta