أَسْعِفيني يا نِياقِي

بمَسيري للعرَاقِ

Help me, O my camel

On my journey to Iraq

فالنَّوى مزَّقَ قلبي

آهُ من يومِ الفِرَاقِ

For yearning has torn my heart

Alas, the day we parted!

أَنا مَشْغوفٌ بشَيخٍ

سِرُّهُ للحشْرِ بَاقِ

I'm passionate for a shaykh

His secret until Judgment Day endures

سيِّدي الغَوْثُ الرِّفاعِي

نورُ سِرِّي والمآقِ

My master, the aid Al-Rifa’i

The light of my innermost being and destinations

شِبْلُ خيرِ الخُلْقِ من قدْ

جازَ للسَّبعِ الطِّبَاقِ

The quintessence of the best of creation from afore

Who ascended the seventh heaven

وسَما كلَّ سَماءٍ

راكِباً فوقَ البُرَاقِ

And reached every heaven

Riding Al-Buraq

يا نِياقَ الرَّكبِ جِدِّي

واطْفِئِ نارَ اشْتِياقي

O camel leader, make haste

And extinguish the fire of my yearning

ولكِ الرُّوحُ جَزاءً

أَن أَرى بابَ الرُّوَاقِ

And to you my soul I give

If I see the door of the porch

أَنا مَوثوقٌ بشَوْقي

آهُ لو حُلَّ وِثاقي

I'm hopeful of my passion

Alas if my ties were loosened

أَنا مَلْسوعٌ بوَجْدي

هل لهَذا الشَّأْنِ رَاقِ

I'm seared by my love

Does this matter have any comfort?

لَذَّ من خَمرَةِ شَيْخي

بينَ خُلاَّني مَذاقي

I tasted from my shaykh’s wine

Among his intimate circles its flavor

بعد هذا البُعْدِ عنهُ

لستُ أَرضى بالعِنَاقِ

After this distance from him

I'm not content with an embrace

مازِجاً روحاً برُوحٍ

ليسَ يلوي لافْتِرَاقِ

Mixing soul with soul

No separation can twist

قَمَرُ العَلياءِ قِدْماً

نالَ قَطْعاً بانْشِقَاقِ

The full moon of loftiness in steps

Attained pieces by its splitting

عادَ بعدَ الشَّقِ جُزءًا

وطَوى ساقاً بسَاقِ

Returning after the cleft a part

Having folded a leg over a leg

يا حُوَيْدي النِّياقِ طرْ بالنِّياقِ

واحْدِرَنْها إلى بِطاحِ العِرَاقِ

O camel leader by camel set forth for Iraq

And take it down to the terrain of Iraq

وإذا ما وصَلتَ أُمَّ عِبادٍ

حضرَةَ الأُنسِ كعبَةَ العُشَّاقِ

And when you reach Mother of All Saints

The company of intimacy, beloveds' Kaaba

ورأَيتَ الأَنوارَ من ساكِنيها

طبَّقَتْ بالشُّعاعِ فُسْحَ الطِّبَاقِ

And you see the lights from its dwellers

Tiered by rays, the expanse of the skies

قلْ لأَهلِ الغَرامِ موتوا غَراماً

قد يكونُ اللِّقا كيَومِ التَّلاقي

Tell the people of passion, die of passion

For the meeting could be as the day we meet

وابْكِ ما شئتَ من عُيونٍ كِرامٍ

وتَناهَى بالمَدمَعِ الرَّقرَاقِ

And cry as long as you wish from generous eyes

And let tears flow profusely

هذه دارُهُمْ وأنتَ مُحِبٌّ

ما بَقاءُ الدُّموعِ في الآماقِ

This is their abode and you're a lover

No lingering of tears in depths

يا حُوَيْدي النِّياقِ باللهِ عنِّي

بلِّغِ الحيَّ لوعَتي واحْتِراقي

O camel leader for God deliver my

Torment and burning to them

بفَمِ الرُّوحِ قبِّلِ الأَرضَ سَبعاً

عن غَرامي وبِلَّ لي أَشْواقي

With the soul's utterance seven times kiss the earth

Of my passion and convey to me my longings

لا تخَفْ إن فعَلْتَ هذا عِتاباً

حضرَةُ الغَوثِ حضرَةُ الإطْلاقِ

Don’t fear blame if you do this

The presence of the aid is the presence of release

شخُنا السَّيِّدُ الجَليلُ الرِّفاعِي

من غَدا للرِّجالِ أَعظَمَ سَاقِ

Our master the eminent Al-Rifa’i

For men tomorrow the greatest pillar

صدْرُهُمْ تاجُهُمْ وقطبُ رَحاهُمْ

عينُهُمْ لمعُ جذوَةِ الإشْرَاقِ

Their chests are their crowns and the axis of their serenity

Their eyes the sparkle of the emergence of light

سيرَةُ المُصْطَفى به قد تجلَّتْ

وعَلَتْ أن تُحاطَ بالأَوْرَاقِ

The traits of Mustafa in him appeared

Sublime that they be contained in papers

رحمَةً لي يا حادِيَ العِيسِ إنِّي

للَديغٌ وذِكْرُهُ تِرْياقي

Have mercy on me O camel rider I

Am bitten and the mention of him is my remedy

لكَ رُوحي وليسَ عندي سِواها

إن تكنْ ذاكِري بذاكَ الرُّوَاقِ

For you is my soul and I have nothing besides it

If you remember me in that porch

أَنا في رَكْبِهِ ضَليعٌ وما لي

مُسعِفٌ يومَ نهزَةِ السُّبَّاقِ

I'm seasoned in his caravan and I have

No helper the day of the swift race

ذُقْتُ منهُ خمرَ المحبَّةِ طِفْلاً

يا لذوقٍ من أَشرَفِ الأَذْوَاقِ

I tasted from him the wine of love as a child

O what a taste from the noblest tastes!

أَنهَضَتْني منهُ عزيمَةُ عزمٍ

تجعَلُ العارِفينَ في إطْرَاقِ

It invigorated me, the determination of resolve

Making the gnostics bolt

وتَصَدَّرْتُ في المَحافِلِ وحدي

فاتِحاً كلَّ مُرْصَدٌ مِغْلاقِ

And I took precedence in gatherings, alone

Opening every locked observatory

ناشِراً في الوُجودِ من عَلَمِ المجْ

دِ مُروطاً من ثوبِهِ الخَفَّاقِ

Displaying in existence from the banner of glory

Fluttering from its fluttering gown

مرَّ شيخُ العَرْجاءِ بالكأْسِ نَحوي

وحَباني بشُرْبِ كأْسٍ دِهَاقِ

The shaykh of the lame passed by me the cup

And gifted me a drink from a clear cup

فتَمايَلْتُ من غَرامي ونادَيْ

تُ مَزيداً للَوْعَتي يا ساقي

So I swayed from my passion and called

For more anguish, “More, cupbearer!”

وتَسَلْطَنْيُ في المَحاضِرِ غَوْثاً

كضُحى الشَّمسِ كامِلَ الإشْرَاقِ

And it made me domineer in lectures a succor

Like the dawn sun full of emergence

أَنا ختمُ الوَلايَةِ المُتَدلِّي

في سَمَواتِ مِرْطِها البرَّاقِ

I'm the seal of sainthood dangling

In its glistening heavens

شَمِلَتْني رُوحُ النَّبيِّ بِحالٍ

نَبَوِيٍّ وطَهَّرتْ أَخْلاقي

The soul of the Prophet embraced me in a

Prophetic state and purified my manners

طَوْرُ حالٍ يمُنُّ بالحالِ طَوْراً

منه صَوْغُ الأَطْوَاقِ للأَعْنَاقِ

Sometimes a state confers upon a state

By it the forms of collars to necks are molded

فانْسِجامُ المعْنى بقلبِ مُحِبٍّ

فيه سِرٌّ من القَديمِ الباقِي

So the coherence of meaning in a loving heart

In it a secret from the Everlasting remains

يا رِفاقي ولوعَةُ الحُبِّ نارٌ

عَلِّلوني برِفْقَتي يا رِفاقي

O my companions, the agony of love a fire

Comfort me with my company, O companions

لا تَلُمْني يا صاحِبي بهَواهُمْ

وأغِثْني من ريحِهِمْ بانْتِشَاقِ

Don’t blame me, my friend, for their love

And save me from their breeze by dispersion

أَرضُهُمْ أَرضُهُمْ عقيلَةُ روحي

إنَّ فيها مَصارِعَ العُشَّاقِ

Their land, their land the heart of my soul

For in it the resting places of lovers!