لَم أَبكِ في مَجلِسِ مَنصورِ

شَوقاً إِلى الجَنَّةِ وَالحورِ

I did not weep in Mansur's assembly

I did not weep within Mansur's assembly

Yearning for Paradise and the maidens

From longing for the Garden or its Houris,

لَكِن بُكائي لِبُكا شادِنٍ

تَقيهِ نَفسي كُلَّ مَحذورِ

Rather, my tears were for shedding tears

But I wept for the weeping of a fawn,

To protect my soul from every danger

Whom my soul shelters from all dreaded harm.

تَنتَسِبُ الأَلسُنُ مِن وَصفِهِ

إِلى مَدى عَجزٍ وَتَقصيرِ

Tongues strain in describing him

Tongues, in the face of his description, plead

To the point of incapacity and falling short

Their utter incapacity and failure.

فاتَ لِسانَ الوَصفِ لَكِنَّ ذا

تَفديهِ نَفسي جُهدُ مَعذورِ

The tongue falls short in description, but this

He lies beyond description's reach, yet this—

My soul ransoms with its best effort

—my soul be his ransom—is a humble effort.

أَحسَنُ مِن مَجلِسِ مَنصورِ

ضَربٌ بِعودٍ وَبِطَنبورِ

Better than Mansur's assembly

Far better than the assembly of Mansur

With sticks and tambourines

Is the strumming of the oud and the tanbur,

نَتيجُ أَنوارٍ سَماوِيَّةٍ

قَرينُ تَقديسٍ وَتَطهيرِ

The yield of heavenly lights

The offspring of the lights of heaven above,

Paired with sanctity and purification

Aligned with sanctity and purity.

جَوهَرُهُ روحٌ وَأَعراضُهُ

قَد أُلِّفَت مِن مارِجِ النورِ

Its essence is spirit, and its states

Its substance is the spirit, and its traits

Are compiled from the exudings of light

Are gathered from the smokeless flame of light.