هلِ العِنايةُ إِلاَّ أن تُرى رَجُلاً

ما فيه إِلاَّ إلى الخَلاَّقِ مَقْصودُ

Is providence anything but seeing a man

Whose only purpose is the Creator?

العَبْدُ تَعلو إلى المَعْبودِ هِمَّتُهُ

وهلْ إلى العبدِ غيرُ الرَّبِّ مَعبودُ

The servant aspires to his Master

Is there for the servant any deity but the Lord?

عبدُ الحَوادثِ عبدٌ في تَكبُّلِه

لهُ مع البعدِ إطلاقٌ وتَقْييدُ

A slave of worldly affairs is shackled

Though free of attachments yet constrained

وعبدُ بارِئهِ في ظلِّ رأفَتِه

فَظلُّهُ بِجناحِ العِزِّ مَمْدودُ

While God's servant in His compassion

Is shaded by the wing of Honor outstretched

يُبدي الشُّهودَ لأهْليهِ شُموسَ هُدًى

نَعَمْ وشاهدُ شمسِ الحُبِّ مَشهودُ

Revealing witnessing to his folk, suns of guidance

Yes, and witnessing the sun of love, witnessed

يُفاضُ في قَلبهِ نورٌ يُؤيِّدُه

فَيَنْجلي فيه وهو الدَّهرَ مَسعودُ

Light pours into his heart supporting him

So it clears for him while he is blessed all time

ومنْ دَهاهُ العَما عن نورِ مَشْهدهِ

فَقلبُهُ بِظلامِ الصَّدِّ مَكْمودُ

But he who worldly blindness veils the light of his witnessing

In darkness is his heart enveloped and bound

فَقلِّدِ القومَ يا هذا بسيرَتهِمْ

فكَمْ وكمْ جَرَّ للتَّحقيقِ تَقليدُ

So emulate these people, O you, by their ways

For how oft did emulation lead to realization?

في القومِ قومٌ كِرامٌ لا فُتورَ لهمْ

ما الذِّكرُ عندهُمُ في الوقتِ مَحدودُ

Among the folk are honoured folk unrelenting

Remembrance for them has no limited time

قَضَوا به جُهْدهُمْ ماتوا به وَلهاً

وما لَهمْ غيرَ ذاكَ الجُهْدِ مَجْهودُ

By it they exhausted their efforts, died enthralled by it

Naught else but that effort had they expended

إذا رَأوا لَمْعةً من طَوْرِ طالِعهِ

بها بِغيرِ عِنانٍ نَحْوها اقْتيدوا

If they saw a glimmer from the rising place of its dawn

Unreined they galloped towards it

من كلِّ قَرْمٍ هِزَبْرٍ خاشعٍ ولِهٍ

لهُ مع اللَّيلِ ألحانٌ وتَغريد

From every lover, humble and enraptured

Songs and warbling fill his nights

شَبَّ الغرامُ به والشَّوقُ أقْلَقهُ

إلى الحبيبِ وجيشُ الغَيِّ مَطرودُ

Passion for Him ignited him, yearning unsettled him

To the Beloved, and the army of illusion banished

يَرُدُّ وهْمَ الأماني عن مَطالِعهِ

إِلاَّ بِمولاهُ نِعْمَ السَّعيُ مَحْمودُ

It turns back the fancy of hopes from its horizons

Except through its Master, excellent is the effort blessed

يَرِنُّ من قلبهِ أنٌّ يُزَحْزحهُ

عنِ الوُجودِ ومنهُ القلبُ مَفْقودُ

A moan issues from his heart driving him

From existence, and from it the heart is lost

يُحاضرُ الحِبَّ لا يَبغي به بَدلاً

فيه العَجيبانِ مَفْقودٌ ومَوْجودُ

Conversing with love, seeking no substitute

In it the two marvels, lost and found

لهُ اللَّيالي قدِ ابْيضَّتْ لِغارَتهِ

أنْعمْ بعبدٍ قد ابْيضَّتْ لهُ السُّودُ

For him the nights blanched from his burning

Favor a servant whose nights have whitened

يا عُربَ وادي النَّقا طالَ المَطالُ بِنا

غِبْتم أطلْتُمْ حَناناً رَحمةً عودوا

O Arabs of Wadi Nakta, long has separation burdened us

You have been absent, be compassionate, return

بالجودِ أحْيَيْتُمو الدُّنيا وضَرَّتَها

فباللِّقاءِ عَلينا ساعةً جودوا

By generosity you enlived the world and its homes

So by meeting us for an instant be generous

رَقَّ النِّظامُ لنا في مَدْحِكمْ وحَلى

منهُ لدى النَّاسِ مَنْظومٌ ومَنْشودُ

Order was too constricting for us in praising you

Of it odes composed and sought after are with people

نَظْمي أنينٌ وأشواقٌ لِطَلْعتكُمْ

مُطارَحاتٌ بها نَوْحٌ وتَعديدُ

My composition is a lament and longings for your appearing

Pourings forth in which are wailing and enumeration

عُبيدٌ أعْتابِكُمْ منهُ الفُؤادُ على

أبوابِكُمْ منهُ قَدْ تُلْقى المَقاليدُ

Your loving slaves, from them hearts are on

Your thresholds, from them the mantles are received

حديدُ قلبي بِلينِ العِشْقِ ذابَ بكُمْ

فهلْ لَواهُ نَبيُّ الله داوودُ

My iron heart melted by the gentleness of passion for you

Will the Prophet David mend it?

أسْتَلْفِتُ البرقَ من أبراجِ دولتِكُمْ

كأنَّما فيه تَقْريعٌ وتَهديدُ

I borrowed lightning from the castles of your kingdom

As though in it a rebuke and threat

عَواذلي حَسدَتْني إذْ وَلِعتْ بكمْ

وكُلُّ ذي نِعمةٍ في النَّاسِ مَحْسودُ

My critics envied me when I was aflame for you

While every gracious one among people is envied

رَأوا عليَّ شُؤُناً من مَحبَّتِكُمْ

لها على لُبَّةِ الأشواقِ إقْليدُ

They saw in me traits of loving you

Upon the core of longing a necklace

فَحاوَلوني بِطيشٍ يا لِخِسَّتِهمْ

لِواؤُكُمْ فوقَ أهلِ الحُبِّ مَعْقودُ

So they plotted against me, O how despicable

Your standard above lovers is hoisted

روحي تُحاولُني فيكُمْ بِلَهْفتها

لها انْحدارٌ على ضُعفي وتَصْعيدُ

My soul tempts me through you in its fervor

It slopes toward my weakness and ascends

رُدُّوا لها رَمَقاً تَحْيى به لكُمُ

ما تلكَ يا سادتي والله جُلْمودُ

Return to it a breath to live by for you

Is that not, my masters - and God - being frozen?

سِرٌّ لَطيفٌ وهذا الجِسمُ ذابَ به

فَعَنْهُ باللُّطْفِ سِرًّا سادتي ذودوا

A subtle mystery which melted this body

So gently, my lords, from it defend a secret

مَقامُ عاشِقكُمْ ذُلٌّ لكُمْ أبداً

يا من مَقامكُمُ في الغَيبِ مَحْمودُ

Your lover's place is always humility to you

O you whose place in the unseen is praised