Sol 6

  1. A greeting like jewels strung on a cord,

    fragrant with sweet essences, like musk.

  2. It shone brightly over those landmarks,

    like a full moon appearing in the depth of darkness.

  3. The noble precinct of al-Fayha, splendid through him,

    is where devout travelers lay down their packs.

  4. How often its farthest reaches have filled with fragrance,

    and the east wind comes to tell us of its scent.

  5. How often I have entrusted it with his sweetest breath of perfume,

    which refreshes the soul's very spirit with fragrance and scented paste.

  6. On my behalf it greets a master with a greeting,

    for whose absent face my eyes weep blood.

  7. From my tears comes a vast sea of anguish,

    and my spirit sails through it like a boat, driven by longing.

  8. I marvel that this sea of tears, immense as it is,

    does not quench the fire of yearning, but feeds it.

  9. My heart finds no consolation; his station is sacred.

    He became Medinan in love, though he is a Meccan youth.

  10. He is the servant of the Merciful throughout His dominion,

    while others serve some other master in the realm.

  11. So my longings pack their bags

    and journey to him with painful effort and a distressed heart.

  12. For him, the path of piety leads to guidance.

    He has not strayed; among people, his character has been purified.

  13. For love's sake, he fights fierce battles

    against a self now brought near ruin by his blows.

  14. That self has perished, while the spirit lives in piety.

    Whoever says otherwise has spoken falsehood.

  15. We tested the pure gold of his nature as desire passed

    through passion's fire and gleamed in the casting mold.

  16. Say to anyone who would match the metal of his nature:

    Come, test the coin of his virtues by rubbing it.

  17. You will find him a son of perfection's dinar,

    no counterfeit glitter in exhausting dealings.

  18. From Ibn Abi al-Dunya he related a report of exalted things,

    whose chain reaches the hereafter, surely and without doubt.

  19. His renown for praise and commendation

    spread among people like “Qifā nabki.”

  20. To you I offer an apology for my weakness and my lapse

    in praise, arising from neither estrangement from you nor neglect.

  21. Rather, the manifestation of God, exalted be His majesty,

    spread as spiritual constriction overtook Arabs and Turks.

  22. So remain in God's safety, sheltered by His

    beautiful veil, never exposed or torn through all time,

  23. for as long as clouds weep

    and garden flowers smile like parted lips,

  24. and as long as the east wind hums and whispers

    with its breath in the garden, like lute and harp,

  25. and as long as the wind bears my greeting on my behalf:

    a greeting like jewels strung on a cord.

Sol 6