1. يا مَن يَدَّعي بالأسرَارْ

    لاَحْ لكْ شَيْ أمارضهْ

    O you who lay claim to mysteries,

    Has anything dawned on you—perhaps a sign?

  2. أو عُمْرك مضى في الأسفار

    يا بَطَّالْ خَسَارَهْ

    Or has your life passed in travels?

    O idler, what a waste!

  3. لاَ تَبْقَي لِقَصْدِكْ متْلوفْ

    لاَ تَطْلُب لِتَعْلَمْ

    Do not remain lost in your quest.

    Do not seek in order to know.

  4. قد قامَتْ براسك دَعْوَى

    لَسْ هِ لابْنِ أدْهَمْ

    A pretension has already arisen in your head.

    It is not Ibn Adham's.

  5. إِعْرفِ اصْطِلاَحْهُم وافْهم

    وادْرِ بَعدُ اشْ مَأْتَم

    Know their terminology and understand,

    And then learn what is there.

  6. لَسْ تَدْري للحكمهْ مقدار

    لس تَفْهم إِشارهْ

    You do not know wisdom's worth;

    You do not understand an allusion.

  7. وَخام عادْ نَرَكْ يا غدَّار

    تحْتاجُ الْقِصارَهْ

    And I still see you unbleached, O treacherous one;

    You need the fuller's cleansing.

  8. أُتْرك الْحُظوظْ اجَّرَّد

    واذْهَبْ لِلتَّخلِّي

    Abandon personal gratifications; strip yourself bare.

    And turn to self-emptying.

  9. واقْطَعِ الْعَلائِقْ تُكْسي

    حُلَّةَ التَّجلِي

    And sever attachments; you will be clothed

    In the robe of divine self-disclosure.

  10. واقْصِدِ الوُجُود الْمُطْلَقْ

    تَظْفَر بالتَّجَلِي

    And seek absolute Being;

    You will attain divine self-disclosure.

  11. وتُسْقَى حُمَيَّا الأسْرار

    خَمْراً دُونَ عُصاره

    And you will be given the heady wine of mysteries,

    A wine without pressed juice.

  12. وتَظْهَر عليْكَ الأنْوار

    وتصْفُو العِبارَهْ

    And the lights will appear upon you,

    And expression will become clear.

  13. إِعْرِفِ الصَّنايعْ واطْلُع

    بالتَّرْكِيبْ لِبُدَّك

    Know the crafts, and ascend

    Through synthesis, to your idol.

  14. ثُمَّ اهْبِطْ إِليْكَ بالتَّحْلِيل

    وذاكْ هُوْ حَدَّك

    Then descend to yourself through analysis;

    And that is your limit.

  15. وابقَى دُر عليك واتْبصَّر

    كُلُّ الأشْيا عِنْدَكْ

    And keep circling about yourself, and look closely:

    All things are with you.

  16. فجُدَّ وَكُنْ معْ مَن سار

    تَكُنْ بِيكْ خياره

    So strive, and be with those who have journeyed;

    There will be excellence in you.

  17. وتكْتَب في حِزب الأخيار

    فاطْلُبْ ذِيْ التَّجَارَهْ

    And you will be enrolled in the company of the virtuous;

    So seek this trade.

  18. مَنْ لُو وَهْمْ قد يَتَبقَّى

    في طَرِيقَوا ساقَهْ

    Whoever has illusion may remain

    At the rear along his path.

  19. احْذَر يا فُلان لك تَبْقَى

    في المحسُوسْ علاقَهْ

    Beware, O so-and-so, lest there remain for you

    An attachment to what the senses perceive.

  20. واعْمَلْ أن تُخَلَّص نفسَك

    أوِ اسْجُنْها طاقَه

    And work to free your soul,

    Or confine it in a niche.

  21. إِنْ لم ترتضي بالاقْدارْ

    جَرَّعها الْمَرَارَهْ

    If it is not content with the decrees of fate,

    Make it swallow bitterness.

  22. لاَ تَمْشِي سِوَى في إِصْغار

    بِقَدْرِ الدَبارَهْ

    Walk only in humility,

    As prudence dictates.

  23. ازْهَد فيما دُونَ المحْبُوبْ

    وابْقَى مِنْكَ سَالِي

    Renounce all that is other than the Beloved,

    And remain forgetful of yourself.

  24. واجَّوْهَر بِخَمْر التحقيق

    وإِيَّاكْ لاَ تُبالِي

    And become a jewel through the wine of realization;

    And beware: pay no heed

  25. بِقَوْلِ الذي قد أنْشَد

    في خَمْرِ الدوَالِي

    To the words of the one who has recited

    About wine from grapevines:

  26. قُمْ دُلُّونِي دارَ الْخَمَّار

    في دَرْبِ النَّصارَه

    “Rise! Lead me to the wine-seller's house

    In the Christians' lane.

  27. كُوَيْسٌ مَلاَ مِنْ مِسْطار

    نُعْطِي في البِشَارَه

    A little cup full of fresh grape must

    I will give in thanks for the glad tidings.”