1. عدِّ عن الْوَهَم والْخَيالِ

    واسْتَعْمِلِ الْفِكْرِ والنَّظَر

    Turn away from delusion and imagination,

    and put thought and contemplation to use.

  2. ما النَّاسَ إِلاَّ كما الْخَيَالِ

    فانْظُر إِلى ماسِكِ الصِّوَر

    People are only like shadow figures;

    so look to the one who holds the forms.

  3. مَنْ يَعْتَبِر يَجد اعْتِبَارُه

    ويَشْهَدِ الْحَقَّ في الشُهُود

    Whoever reflects finds his insight,

    and witnesses the Truth in witnessing.

  4. مَثَّل هُدِيْتَ الوجود ستاره

    وانْظُر لِمَن أطْلعَ الوُجُودْ

    Picture existence—may you be guided—as his screen,

    and look to the one who brought existence forth.

  5. يَدَا لهُ قَبْلَ أنْ أدَارَهْ

    وَأَوَّلُ السَّعْدِ في الصُّعُودْ

    It appeared to him before he set it turning,

    and the beginning of bliss lies in ascent.

  6. مَنْ يَرْقَى مِن سافِلٍ لعَالِي

    يُعايِنُ العَيْن في الأثَر

    Whoever rises from low to high

    beholds the essence within the trace.

  7. ما النّاسُ إِلاَّ كما الْخَيالِ

    فانْظُر إِلى ماسِكِ الصُّوَر

    People are only like shadow figures;

    so look to the one who holds the forms.

  8. أوَّلُ ما يُبْصرُ الضَّعيفُ

    كالطِّفْلِ شَكْلاً مُمَثَّلاَ

    The first thing the weak one sees,

    like a child, is a represented form:

  9. كَثايفا أصْلُهَا كَنِيفُ

    لكِنَّها تَقْبَلُ الْجِلاَ

    dense things whose source is a privy,

    yet they can be polished.

  10. لِذَاتِها فِعْلُها يُضيفُ

    والْقَولُ مَهْما تأمَّلاَ

    He attributes their action to their own selves,

    and speech, however much he reflects,

  11. إِذَا التماثِيلُ لِلْمِثالِ

    يَظْهرنَ في عالَمِ الْبَصَر

    when the likenesses of the exemplar

    appear in the world of sight.

  12. ما النَّاسُ إلاَّ كما الْخَيَالَ

    فانْظُر إلى ماسِكِ الصُّورَ

    People are only like shadow figures;

    so look to the one who holds the forms.

  13. حَتَّى إذا أشْرَقَ النَّهارُ

    واكْتَهَلَ الطَّفْلُ واهْتَدَى

    Until, when daylight shone

    and the child matured and found guidance,

  14. رَأى الدَّوَات التي تُدَارُ

    تَبْدُوا مَوَاتَا وجَلْمَدَا

    he saw the entities that are set in motion,

    appearing lifeless and solid as rock.

  15. بِها لِمُنْ صاغَها اسْتتارُ

    خَفَى بِها إذْ بِها بَدَا

    In them lies concealment for the one who fashioned them;

    he was hidden through them as through them he appeared.

  16. شُرَابُها لاَحَ كالزُّلاَل

    قد فاتَه الرَّيُّ وانْحَصر

    Their drink gleamed like pure water;

    the quenching of thirst had eluded him, and he was hemmed in.

  17. ما النَّاسُ إلاَّ كما الْخَيَالِ

    فانْظُر إلى ماسِكِ الصُّوَر

    People are only like shadow figures;

    so look to the one who holds the forms.

  18. عجبْت إذْ سرَّهُ عجيب

    لِحُكْمِهِ كَيْفَ يَنْفَدُ

    I marveled, for his secret is wondrous,

    at his decree, and how it takes effect:

  19. هذا كما شاءَ قرِيبُ

    وذَا مِنْ الْوَصْلِ مُبْعَدُ

    this one is near, as he willed,

    and that one is kept far from union;

  20. وذَا بَرِيءٌ وذَا مُرِيبُ

    كذَاكَ شاءَ الْمُشَعْوَدُ

    and this one is innocent, and that one suspect—

    thus the conjurer willed.

  21. تَرَاهُ يُبْدِي ولاَ يُبَالِي

    في كلّ طَوْر لَهُ وَطَرْ

    You see him reveal without a care;

    at every stage he has a desire.

  22. ما النَّاس إِلاَّ كما الْخَيالِ

    فانْظُر إِلى ماسِك الصُّور

    People are only like shadow figures;

    so look to the one who holds the forms.

  23. يُلْبِسُها لُبْسَهُ المُنوطْ

    واللَّبس في كُلِّ لابِسْ

    He clothes them in his suspended garb,

    and confusion lies in every wearer.

  24. نِيطَت بأطْرافِها خُيُوط

    تَخْفَى على الإنْسِ إِذْ نَسِي

    Threads are fastened to their extremities,

    hidden from man, since he has forgotten.

  25. تذكارُها دونَهُ شُرُوطُ

    أوَّلُهُ تَرك الأنفس

    Remembering them has conditions to be met;

    the first is abandoning the selves.

  26. فَذِكْرُهَا أوَّلُ الْكَمالِ

    حَيْيُ اغتدى آخِرِ النَّظر

    So remembering them is the beginning of perfection,

    where it has become the end of contemplation.

  27. ما النَّاسُ إِلاَّ كما الْخَيالَ

    فانْظُر إِلى ماسكِ الصُّوَر

    People are only like shadow figures;

    so look to the one who holds the forms.

  28. جِزْ ظاهِرَ الْكائِنات يَظهَر

    ما باطِنِ الأمْرِ ما خَفَى

    Pass beyond the outward face of beings; there will appear

    what lay hidden within the matter's inner reality.

  29. تِلك سُتُورٌ بها تَسَتَّر

    عرِفُوا إِذ كُنَّ أحْرُفا

    Those are veils through which he concealed himself.

    They knew, for these were letters.

  30. جُلِيَتْ الْعَيْنِ مَنْ تَبُصَّر

    بها فَقد فاقَ مَنْ غَفا

    The essence was unveiled; whoever saw with insight

    through them has surpassed whoever slept.

  31. حُذْ صاحِ عنْ حالةِ الْمَحالِ

    فالصَّحْو أوْلى بمنْ سَكر

    Turn aside, friend, from the state of absurdity,

    for sobriety better befits one who has been drunk.

  32. ما النَّاسُ إِلاَّ كما الْخيال

    فانْظُر إلى ماسِك الصُّورَ

    People are only like shadow figures;

    so look to the one who holds the forms.

  33. القلْبُ غيْبٌ والرَّبُ غَيْبُ

    والْغيْبُ لِلْغَيْب يُنْسَبُ

    The heart is unseen, and the Lord is unseen,

    and the unseen is related to the unseen.

  34. مه يا أخَا الْقِشْرِ ثَمَّ لُبُّ

    فاطْلُبْهُ فاللُّبُّ يُطْلب

    Enough, O brother of the husk: there is a kernel.

    So seek it, for the kernel is to be sought.

  35. ودونَه للسُّقاةِ شِرْبُ

    يَشْدُو الذي مِنْهُ يَشْرَبُ

    And before it is a share of drink for the cupbearers;

    whoever drinks from it sings.

  36. دَعْ ما يُقَالُ مِنْ الْمَحَالِ

    مِمَّا خَفَى أو مِمَّا ظَهَرْ

    Leave aside the absurd things that are said,

    of what is hidden or what has appeared.

  37. ما النَّاسُ إِلاَّ كما الْخَيَالِ

    فانْظُرْ إِلى ماسِكِ الصُّوَرْ

    People are only like shadow figures;

    so look to the one who holds the forms.