تَحِيَّةٌ مَعْناهَا

تَحِيَّةٌ مَعْناهَا

رُوحٌ لَهَا

رُوحٌ لَهَا

A greeting—its meaning:

My greeting has meaning,

a spirit belonging to it;

It has a soul,

هُوِيَّةٌ ذَاتٌ

هُوِيَّةٌ ذَاتٌ

لَهَا ولَهَا

لَهَا ولَهَا

an identity, an essence,

An identity, an essence,

belonging to it, and to it.

All its own, all its own,

لَيْسَ لَها شَبِيهْ

لَيْسَ لَها شَبِيهْ

بَكُنْ مِثْلُها

بَكُنْ مِثْلُها

It has no likeness;

It has no equal,

by 'Be!'—its like.

Be like it,

فَهِيَ أنَا عنْ حقيقْ بِلاَ خَليلْ

فَهِيَ أنَا عنْ حقيقْ بِلاَ خَليلْ

أوْ رَفيقْ فافْهَم كلاماً رَقيقْ

أوْ رَفيقْ فافْهَم كلاماً رَقيقْ

For it is I, in truth, without an intimate friend,

It is truly me, without a companion

or companion; so understand delicate speech.

Or friend, so understand gentle words

يا ناظِرِي مِنْ خارِجِي

يا ناظِرِي مِنْ خارِجِي

إِلَيَّا جِي وانْدَرِجِي

إِلَيَّا جِي وانْدَرِجِي

O you who behold me from outside me,

My viewer from outside me

come to me and merge within.

Come to me and blend in

ما لِي رَفِيقْ

ما لِي رَفِيقْ

ولاَ شَبيهْ يُرَى

ولاَ شَبيهْ يُرَى

I have no companion,

I have no friend

nor is any likeness seen.

Or equal to be seen

كِبْرِيتِ اكْسِيرِي

كِبْرِيتِ اكْسِيرِي

يُرَى أحْمَرَا

يُرَى أحْمَرَا

The sulfur of my elixir

Like the philosopher's stone

is seen to be red.

Appearing red

أفْنَى وُجُودِي

أفْنَى وُجُودِي

ثُمَّ مَحَا السُّرَى

ثُمَّ مَحَا السُّرَى

It annihilated my existence,

It finished my existence

then erased the night journey.

Then erased the secret

هَوايَ لِي بالهوَى يَبُثُّ شَكْلَ

هَوايَ لِي بالهوَى يَبُثُّ شَكْلَ

النَّوَى وافْنَى الْهوَى والسِّوَى

النَّوَى وافْنَى الْهوَى والسِّوَى

My passion, through passion, spreads for me the form

My passion gives my love the form

of separation, and annihilated passion and all else.

Of purpose and finished passion and equality

فالصُّبْحُ لِي مُنْبَلِجي

فالصُّبْحُ لِي مُنْبَلِجي

عن جُنْحِ لَيْلِ الدُجَى

عن جُنْحِ لَيْلِ الدُجَى

So dawn is mine—my dawning,

So the morning is bright for me

from the darkness of the pitch-dark night.

From the wing of night's darkness

حُبُّ الْهَوَى فِيه

حُبُّ الْهَوَى فِيه

صارَ جِسْمِي رَمِيم

صارَ جِسْمِي رَمِيم

In the love of passion,

Love of passion in it

my body became crumbling remains.

Made my body frail

مُلْتَزِماً عنْ سِرّي

مُلْتَزِماً عنْ سِرّي

وَحْدِي سَلِيمْ

وَحْدِي سَلِيمْ

Steadfast regarding my secret,

Committed to my secret

alone, I am unharmed.

And my solitude intact

ولاَ لُو عَقْلٌ

ولاَ لُو عَقْلٌ

يَقالُ لَهُ عليمْ

يَقالُ لَهُ عليمْ

Nor does it have an intellect

And no mind called

that is called learned.

Knowing

فَكِيف هُو غَيرُ كَيْف لازِمةُ أمْرُ

فَكِيف هُو غَيرُ كَيْف لازِمةُ أمْرُ

سَيْف مَعْنا فَدْع نُكْرَ حَيَف

سَيْف مَعْنا فَدْع نُكْرَ حَيَف

So how is it? Beyond 'how'—a necessary matter:

So how can it be other than how necessity matters

a sword of meaning; so abandon the abomination of injustice.

The sword's meaning so leave the shame of ignorance

ولِلْدارِ مُنْعَرِجِي

ولِلْدارِ مُنْعَرِجِي

ولِلسّوَى مَنْتَهجِي

ولِلسّوَى مَنْتَهجِي

And toward the dwelling is my winding way,

And for the house, my path

and toward all else is my chosen path.

And for equality, my course

حَطّتْ لِثامَ الْجَمالِ

حَطّتْ لِثامَ الْجَمالِ

لَيْلَى لَنَا

لَيْلَى لَنَا

She lowered the veil of beauty—

The veil of beauty dropped

Layla, for us.

For us one night

بَدَا لَنَا

بَدَا لَنَا

سِرّ حُسْنِهَا حُسْنَا

سِرّ حُسْنِهَا حُسْنَا

There appeared to us

It appeared to us

the secret of her beauty, as beauty.

The secret of her beauty beautifully

نَفَنَى فَغَنَّى

نَفَنَى فَغَنَّى

وجُدّ الْمَسِيرُ لَنا

وجُدّ الْمَسِيرُ لَنا

We cease to be; then he sang,

It perished and sang

and the journey quickened for us [uncertain reading].

And the journey became real for us

الْحُبّ نارٌ تفُور فلَكْنا فيه

الْحُبّ نارٌ تفُور فلَكْنا فيه

يَدووْ وكنْزُنَا في الْجُدورْ

يَدووْ وكنْزُنَا في الْجُدورْ

Love is a fire that seethes; our sphere within it

Love is a blazing fire so we were in it

revolves [uncertain reading], and our treasure is in the walls.

It smolders while our treasure is in caves

ومَذْهَبي مُنْتَهَجي

ومَذْهَبي مُنْتَهَجي

لِطَيِّ مُنْعَرِجي

لِطَيِّ مُنْعَرِجي

And my way is my chosen path,

And my course is my path

to fold up my winding way.

To the plain of my winding route

إِفْنَى بِنا

إِفْنَى بِنا

عَنْ حُبِ عَيْرٍ يَلُوح

عَنْ حُبِ عَيْرٍ يَلُوح

Be effaced through us

It finished with us

from love of an ass that comes into view.

About the love of roaming eyes

لِجِسْمِك اتُرُك

لِجِسْمِك اتُرُك

ولْتَدَعْهُ ورُوحْ

ولْتَدَعْهُ ورُوحْ

As for your body, leave it,

Leave your body

and let it go, and depart

And let it go and depart

لِرَبْعِ تَقْدِيسِي

لِرَبْعِ تَقْدِيسِي

فَفيهِ شيءٌ يَفُوح

فَفيهِ شيءٌ يَفُوح

to the dwelling of my sanctification,

To my consecrated place

for within it something gives off fragrance:

For in it there is something that smells sweet

مَحْبَّةٌ هِيَ الْبَقَا ومبْدَأٌ

مَحْبَّةٌ هِيَ الْبَقَا ومبْدَأٌ

ومُلْتَقَى مِنْها لِهالَيْهَا المرتَقَى

ومُلْتَقَى مِنْها لِهالَيْهَا المرتَقَى

love—it is permanence, and a beginning,

Love is permanence and origin

and a meeting place; from it comes the ascent for its people [uncertain reading].

And the meeting point from which its horizons are ascended