أيُّها النّاظِرُ فيه في سطح المرى

أيُّها النّاظِرُ فيه في سطح المرى

أترى منْ ذَا الذي فِيه تَرَى

أترى منْ ذَا الذي فِيه تَرَى

O you who gaze into it—into the mirror's surface—

O you who look upon it on the face of the earth

Do you see who it is that you see within it?

Do you see who is in it that you see?

هلْ هُوَ النّاظر فيه غيرُكمْ

هلْ هُوَ النّاظر فيه غيرُكمْ

أمْ خيَالُ مِنْكَ فيه قَدْ سرَى

أمْ خيَالُ مِنْكَ فيه قَدْ سرَى

Is the one gazing into it anyone other than you?

Is it the looker other than you

Or is it an image from you that has slipped into it?

Or is it your imagination that has wandered in it?

أعِدِ النّظْرةَ فِيهَا إِنهَّا

أعِدِ النّظْرةَ فِيهَا إِنهَّا

حِكمةٌ كامِنَةٌ بَينَ الورَىَ

حِكمةٌ كامِنَةٌ بَينَ الورَىَ

Look into it again, for it is

Look at it again, it is

wisdom hidden among humankind.

Hidden wisdom between the creations

فعسىَ عِنْدَ انشقَاقِ فَجْرِها

فعسىَ عِنْدَ انشقَاقِ فَجْرِها

يحمَدُ القوَمُ جمِيعاً السُّرى

يحمَدُ القوَمُ جمِيعاً السُّرى

So perhaps, when its dawn breaks,

Perhaps when its dawn breaks

the people will all praise the night journey.

The people altogether will praise the hidden one

لقد تِهت عُجْباً بالتَجَرُد والفَقْرِ

لقد تِهت عُجْباً بالتَجَرُد والفَقْرِ

فلَم اندرج تحتَ الزمانِ ولا الدَهْرِ

فلَم اندرج تحتَ الزمانِ ولا الدَهْرِ

Indeed, I exulted proudly in detachment and poverty,

I was amazed by detachment and poverty

so I was subject neither to time nor to eternity.

So I did not fall under time or fate

وَجَاءتْ لِقلبي نَفْخةٌ قُدُسِيّةٌ

وَجَاءتْ لِقلبي نَفْخةٌ قُدُسِيّةٌ

فَغِبتُ بها عن عَالم الخَلْقِ والأمرِ

فَغِبتُ بها عن عَالم الخَلْقِ والأمرِ

And a sacred breath came to my heart,

And a holy breath came to my heart

so through it I vanished from the realm of creation and command.

So with it I was absent from the world of creation and command

طَوَيْتُ بسَاطَ الكونِ والطيُّ نشرُه

طَوَيْتُ بسَاطَ الكونِ والطيُّ نشرُه

وما القصْدُ إلا الترْكُ للطَيِّ والنشر

وما القصْدُ إلا الترْكُ للطَيِّ والنشر

I folded up the carpet of existence; its folding is its unfolding.

I folded the carpet of existence though he spread it

And the aim is only to abandon folding and unfolding.

And the intention is only to leave the folding and spreading

غَمَّضتُ عَينَ القلْب غيرَ مطلّق

غَمَّضتُ عَينَ القلْب غيرَ مطلّق

فالفَيتْني ذَاك الملقب بالغير

فالفَيتْني ذَاك الملقب بالغير

I closed the eye of the heart without letting go,

I closed the eye of the heart not letting go

so I found myself that one called 'the other.'

So the Indescribable called me the Stranger

وصلْت لمن لمْ تنفصل عنه لحظة

وصلْت لمن لمْ تنفصل عنه لحظة

ونَزَّهتُ من أعني عن الوصل والهجر

ونَزَّهتُ من أعني عن الوصل والهجر

I reached the one from whom you were never parted, even for an instant,

I arrived at the One I was never separated from for a moment

and I held the one I mean above union and estrangement.

And I transcended the eyes from union and separation

وما الوْصفُ إلاَّ دُونه غيرَ أنني

وما الوْصفُ إلاَّ دُونه غيرَ أنني

أريد به التشْبيبَ عنْ بعض ما أدري

أريد به التشْبيبَ عنْ بعض ما أدري

And description can only fall short of him, though I

Description is beneath Him, however I do it

wish through it to speak in love verses of some of what I know.

To awaken some of what I know

وذلكَ مثلُ الصَوْتِ أيقظ نائما

وذلكَ مثلُ الصَوْتِ أيقظ نائما

فأبصر أمرا جلَّ عن ضابط الحصر

فأبصر أمرا جلَّ عن ضابط الحصر

And that is like a sound that awakened a sleeper,

And that is like a voice awakens a sleeping one

who then beheld something too sublime for the bounds of definition.

Who sees a tremendous matter beyond estimation

فقلت له الأسماء تَبْغي بَيَانه

فقلت له الأسماء تَبْغي بَيَانه

فكانت لَهُ الألْفَاظ سترا على ستر

فكانت لَهُ الألْفَاظ سترا على ستر

So I spoke to him the names that seek to make it clear;

I said to him names seek to describe Him

so for him the words were a veil upon a veil.

So words were a veil over veil for Him