1. لقد نظرت قومٌ بطرف لهم قذِي

    فلم يشهدوا إلا حجاب جمال ذي

    Some people indeed looked with a mote-clouded eye of theirs;

    so they saw only the veil of this one's beauty.

  2. وقوم لقد شموا شذا روضها الشذِي

    يقولون لي ما العلم ما السر ما الذي

    And others indeed breathed in the fragrance of her fragrant garden.

    They say to me: What is knowledge? What is the secret? What is it

  3. هو الجوهر الغالي عن البحر خبِّرْنا

    على صحبنا غنت فِصاحُ طيورِنا

    that is the precious jewel? Tell us about the sea.

    Our eloquent birds sang over our companions;

  4. وذات الحميا أشرقت في صدورِنا

    تجلت علينا تنجلي فوق طورِنا

    and she of the wine's ardor shone within our breasts.

    She revealed herself to us, shining forth above our Mount.

  5. فقلت لهم هذي مطالع نورِنا

    ومغربها فينا ومشرقها منّا

    So I said to them: These are the rising places of our light;

    and her setting-place is within us, and her rising-place is from us.

  6. إلى حضرات الحق كان ارتفاعُنا

    ومنا لقد مدت إلى الغيب باعُنا

    Our ascent was to the presences of the Real;

    and from us our arm-span was indeed stretched toward the unseen.

  7. وفي أزل الآزال زاد انتفاعُنا

    على الدرة البيضاء كان اجتماعُنا

    And in the beginningless eternity of eternities our gain increased;

    our gathering was upon the white pearl;

  8. ومن قبل خلق الخلق والعرش قد كنّا

    سحاب غيوب الذات تمطر ماءَنا

    and we already existed before the creation of creatures and the Throne.

    The clouds of the Essence's mysteries rain down our water;

  9. ومن حُطَّ قدراً كيف يدري سماءَنا

    ولما استرحنا واطَّرحنا عناءَنا

    and how can one brought low in rank know our sky?

    And when we found rest and cast off our hardship,

  10. تركنا البحار الزخرات وراءَنا

    فمن أين تدري الناس أين توجهنا

    we left the surging seas behind us.

    So how can people know where we have headed?

  11. كشفنا عن الوجه الجميل غياهبا

    وقد صار منا السر للكل ناهبا

    We lifted darkness from the beautiful face;

    and from us the secret has become a plunderer of all.

  12. ومن حضرة الرحمن نلنا مواهبا

    ألا يا لقومي قد قرأتم مذاهبا

    And from the presence of the All-Merciful we received gifts.

    Take heed, O my people: you have read doctrines,

  13. ولم تُدْرَ يا قومي رموزُ مذاهِبْنا

    فوائدكم أضحت قيودَ رهينِنا

    yet, my people, the symbols of our doctrines were not understood.

    Your benefits have become the fetters of our captive;

  14. وعنكم لقد أُخْفِي مقامُ أمينِنا

    ويا علماء الرسم هل من معينِنا

    and the station of our trusted one has indeed been hidden from you.

    And O scholars of outward form, are they from our wellspring—

  15. مذاهبكم نرفو بها بعضَ ديننا

    ومذهبنا عُمِّي عليكم وما قلنا

    your doctrines? With them we patch part of our religion.

    But our doctrine and what we have said have been obscured to you.