إِليَّاto me مِنِّيfrom me هُit is الوُصُولarrival
إِليَّا مِنِّي هُ الوُصُول
فَيَاso, O أنَاI ايْشْwhat خَبَرَكْyour news
فَيَا أنَا ايْشْ خَبَرَكْ
To me, from me, is the arrival.
To me is the arrival
So, O I, what news of you?
So oh I, what is your news
تَجِدْنيyou find me نَجْرِيI run والْجَريُand the running
تَجِدْني نَجْرِي والْجَريُ
لِعِنْدِيtoward me هُوit is أنْto نُبْصِركI behold you
لِعِنْدِي هُو أنْ نُبْصِرك
You find me running, and my running
You will find me flowing and flowing
is toward myself, that I may behold you.
For I am to see you
لَمْnot قَطَّever نَغِبI am absent عنfrom حضرتيmy presence
لَمْ قَطَّ نَغِب عن حضرتي
ولاnor نَرَىI see دُونيbefore me حِجَابa veil
ولا نَرَى دُوني حِجَاب
I have never been absent from my presence,
I never was absent from my presence
nor do I see a veil before me.
Nor do I see any veil below me
عينthe very essence الحضورpresence هذاthis غيبتيmy absence
عين الحضور هذا غيبتي
عسىperhaps تدانيyou draw near والصوابand what is right
عسى تداني والصواب
This absence of mine is presence itself.
The eye of presence, this is my absence
Perhaps you will draw near; as for what is right,
Maybe you come near and right
كَلُّall الصَّوَابwhat is right فيin خُفْيَتيmy concealment
كَلُّ الصَّوَاب في خُفْيَتي
ولوْلاَand were it not for ذَاthis لَسnot كانwould be نُصابI am caught
ولوْلاَ ذَا لَس كان نُصاب
all that is right lies in my concealment.
All right is in my concealment
And were it not for this, I would not be caught.
And if not for that, no resolution would be reached
فلَمso not نَزلI cease لاno نزولdescent
فلَم نَزل لا نزول
ننْصبْI set لِذاتيfor my essence ذاthis الشِّركthe snare
ننْصبْ لِذاتي ذا الشِّرك
So I have never ceased—there is no descent—
So I never descended a descent
to set this snare for my essence.
To set up for myself this partnership
أخَذْتُّنيI caught myself كَذاthus نَرَىI see
أخَذْتُّني كَذا نَرَى
وَحْدِيalone أنَاI فيin الْمُعتَركthe fray
وَحْدِي أنَا في الْمُعتَرك
Thus I have caught myself, I see;
I found myself like this I see
I alone am in the fray.
Only myself in the battlefield
ماnot لِيfor me شَبِيهa likeness ولاَnor نَظِيرْan equal
ما لِي شَبِيه ولاَ نَظِيرْ
نَقُلI say ليto myself ذاthis فيat كلِّevery حِينmoment
نَقُل لي ذا في كلِّ حِين
I have no likeness and no equal.
I have no peer or equal
I say this to myself at every moment.
Tell me this at all times
أناI المُشَارُthe one pointed to مَعَwith المَشِيرthe one pointing
أنا المُشَارُ مَعَ المَشِير
قدindeed صَحَّproved true ذَاthis عِنْديfor me يَقِينcertainty
قد صَحَّ ذَا عِنْدي يَقِين
I am both the one pointed to and the one who points.
I am the indicated with the indicator
This has proved true for me, with certainty.
This is true to me as certain
أنَاI الغَنيthe rich one مَعَwith الْفَقيرْthe poor one
أنَا الغَني مَعَ الْفَقيرْ
حَجَبْنيveiled me عَنِّيfrom myself ثوبُa garment طِينclay
حَجَبْني عَنِّي ثوبُ طِين
I am both the rich one and the poor one.
I am the rich with the poor
A garment of clay has veiled me from myself.
The clay garment veiled me from myself
ظِلالshadows هِthey are ذَيَّاكَthose yonder الطلولthe ruins
ظِلال هِ ذَيَّاكَ الطلول
لَسْnot معيwith me ثَوْبٌa garment مُشْتَرَكshared
لَسْ معي ثَوْبٌ مُشْتَرَك
Those ruins yonder are shadows.
Those shadows, this is your height
I have no shared garment.
I have with me no shared garment
نَخْلَعI strip off وألْيَقand more fitting هُit is الْعُرَىnakedness
نَخْلَع وألْيَق هُ الْعُرَى
ونَلْتَزِمand I commit myself عُقْبَىthe final outcome الدَّرَكْattainment
ونَلْتَزِم عُقْبَى الدَّرَكْ
I cast it off; nakedness is more fitting,
I take off and it is better to be bare
and I embrace attainment's final outcome.
And I take on the consequence of the fate
نَطْلُبْنيI seek myself مِنيَّfrom myself حينwhen نَغِيبْI am absent
نَطْلُبْني مِنيَّ حين نَغِيبْ
عنِيfrom myself وتَفْتِشْand you search بالسُّؤالْby questioning
عنِي وتَفْتِشْ بالسُّؤالْ
I seek myself from myself when I am absent
Seek me from myself when I am absent
from myself, and you search by questioning.
From myself and search with the question
فَقُلthen say بِحَقِّيby my right ياO حبيبْbeloved
فَقُل بِحَقِّي يا حبيبْ
رَأيتنيyou saw me بِلاَwithout خَيَالْan imagined image
رَأيتني بِلاَ خَيَالْ
Then say, by my right, O beloved:
So say in my right, oh beloved
Have you seen me without an image?
I saw myself without imagination
فقلتُso I said ليto myself وأناand I مُصِيبright
فقلتُ لي وأنا مُصِيب
نَعَمyes نعمْyes مالِيI have no مِثالْlikeness
نَعَم نعمْ مالِي مِثالْ
So I said to myself, and I was right:
So I said to myself and I am right
Yes, yes—I have no likeness.
Yes, yes I have no example
لقَدْindeed حَصَّلْتُI obtained لِيfor myself حُصولattainment
لقَدْ حَصَّلْتُ لِي حُصول
وقَدand indeed رأيتْI saw مَنْthe one who صَوَّركformed you
وقَد رأيتْ مَنْ صَوَّرك
I have indeed secured attainment for myself,
I have attained for myself attainment
and I have seen the one who formed you.
And I saw who pictured you
تَرْجعْyou return تقُلْyou tell لِيto me نَفْترِيI fabricate
تَرْجعْ تقُلْ لِي نَفْترِي
الْغَيْرُthe other هُit is قدindeed نَمَّرَكmade you fierce
الْغَيْرُ هُ قد نَمَّرَك
You turn back and tell me I am lying;
You return and say to me, I rave
it is the other that has made you fierce.
The other, he passed you
خَمْرَهْa wine رقيقَهْdelicate خَمْرَتِيmy wine
خَمْرَهْ رقيقَهْ خَمْرَتِي
سَكِرْتُI became drunk مِنْهَاfrom it فيin الْقِدَمْbeginningless eternity
سَكِرْتُ مِنْهَا في الْقِدَمْ
My wine is a delicate wine;
A delicate wine is my wine
I became drunk on it in pre-eternity.
I got drunk from it in the past
منfrom طِيبهاits sweetness نَكْسِرْI break خَبْيتيmy wine jar
من طِيبها نَكْسِرْ خَبْيتي
وكسرُهاand its breaking لسnot هُit is عَدَمْnonexistence
وكسرُها لس هُ عَدَمْ
From its sweetness, I break my wine jar,
From its goodness I broke my sealing
and its breaking is not nonexistence.
And its breaking is not nonexistence
كُلُّall العَجَبْthe wonder منfrom قِصَّتِيmy story
كُلُّ العَجَبْ من قِصَّتِي
اللَّوْحُthe Tablet أناI مَعَwith الْقَلَمْthe Pen
اللَّوْحُ أنا مَعَ الْقَلَمْ
All the wonder comes from my story:
All wonder is from my story
I am the Tablet, together with the Pen.
The tablet, I and the pen
فَصَّلْتset out in detail ذاتيmy essence ذاthese الفُصولthe chapters
فَصَّلْت ذاتي ذا الفُصول
فَيَاso, O أناI ماhow أشْعَرَكْperceptive you are
فَيَا أنا ما أشْعَرَكْ
My essence has set out these chapters.
So oh I, what made you senseless
So, O I, how perceptive you are!
To when will you leave the display
إِلىuntil مَتىwhen تَركabandoning المِرَىdisputation
إِلى مَتى تَرك المِرَى
وكُلُand every شَيْthing فيin صُوَرَكْyour forms
وكُلُ شَيْ في صُوَرَكْ
How long before you abandon disputation,
And everything is in your forms
when everything is in your forms?
I sensed myself and the sensing
شَعَرْتُI became aware بيَّاof myself والشُّعُورْand awareness
شَعَرْتُ بيَّا والشُّعُورْ
مِنِّيfrom me إِلَيَّاto me قدindeed ظَهَرْappeared
مِنِّي إِلَيَّا قد ظَهَرْ
I became aware of myself, and awareness
From me to myself appeared
has appeared from me to me.
All the names are shells to me
كُلُّall الأسَاميnames لِيfor me قُشُورhusks
كُلُّ الأسَامي لِي قُشُور
وذَاتِيand my essence هِit is عيْنُthe very substance الْخَبَرْthe news
وذَاتِي هِ عيْنُ الْخَبَرْ
All names are husks to me,
And my essence, it is the eye of the news
and my essence is the news itself.
From what I concealed from appearing
مِمَّاbecause خَفِيتُI was hidden مِنَby الظهورْmanifestation
مِمَّا خَفِيتُ مِنَ الظهورْ
أنشدتُI sang ليلاًat night فيabout القمرْthe moon
أنشدتُ ليلاً في القمرْ
Since I was hidden by manifestation,
I recited to myself in the moon
I sang at night of the moon:
Oh night, be long or not be long
ياO لَيلُnight طُلْgrow long أوْor لاَnot تَطُلْgrow long
يا لَيلُ طُلْ أوْ لاَ تَطُلْ
فرضٌa duty عليّاupon me سهركْkeeping vigil through you
فرضٌ عليّا سهركْ
O night, grow long—or do not grow long;
It is a duty on me your keeping awake
keeping vigil through you is my duty.
If my moon spent the night with me
لوif باتَspent the night عنديwith me قمريmy moon
لو باتَ عندي قمري
مابتُّI would not spend the night أرعىwatch قمركْyour moon
مابتُّ أرعى قمركْ
If my moon spent the night with me,
I would not herd your moon
I would not spend the night watching your moon.
Partial English translation: 53 of 54 Arabic lines translated.