لَم أَبكِ في مَجلِسِ مَنصورِ

لَم أَبكِ في مَجلِسِ مَنصورِ

شَوقاً إِلى الجَنَّةِ وَالحورِ

شَوقاً إِلى الجَنَّةِ وَالحورِ

I did not weep at Mansur's gathering

I did not weep in Mansur's assembly

I did not weep within Mansur's assembly

out of longing for Paradise and the houris.

Yearning for Paradise and the maidens

From longing for the Garden or its Houris,

لَكِن بُكائي لِبُكا شادِنٍ

لَكِن بُكائي لِبُكا شادِنٍ

تَقيهِ نَفسي كُلَّ مَحذورِ

تَقيهِ نَفسي كُلَّ مَحذورِ

But my tears were for the weeping of a fawn,

Rather, my tears were for shedding tears

But I wept for the weeping of a fawn,

whom my soul shields from every danger.

To protect my soul from every danger

Whom my soul shelters from all dreaded harm.

تَنتَسِبُ الأَلسُنُ مِن وَصفِهِ

تَنتَسِبُ الأَلسُنُ مِن وَصفِهِ

إِلى مَدى عَجزٍ وَتَقصيرِ

إِلى مَدى عَجزٍ وَتَقصيرِ

Tongues, in describing him, find themselves

Tongues strain in describing him

Tongues, in the face of his description, plead

at the limits of helplessness and inadequacy.

To the point of incapacity and falling short

Their utter incapacity and failure.

فاتَ لِسانَ الوَصفِ لَكِنَّ ذا

فاتَ لِسانَ الوَصفِ لَكِنَّ ذا

تَفديهِ نَفسي جُهدُ مَعذورِ

تَفديهِ نَفسي جُهدُ مَعذورِ

He has surpassed the tongue of description, yet this—

The tongue falls short in description, but this

He lies beyond description's reach, yet this—

may my soul ransom him—is the effort of one to be excused.

My soul ransoms with its best effort

—my soul be his ransom—is a humble effort.

أَحسَنُ مِن مَجلِسِ مَنصورِ

أَحسَنُ مِن مَجلِسِ مَنصورِ

ضَربٌ بِعودٍ وَبِطَنبورِ

ضَربٌ بِعودٍ وَبِطَنبورِ

Better than Mansur's gathering

Better than Mansur's assembly

Far better than the assembly of Mansur

is playing on an oud and a tanbur.

With sticks and tambourines

Is the strumming of the oud and the tanbur,

نَتيجُ أَنوارٍ سَماوِيَّةٍ

نَتيجُ أَنوارٍ سَماوِيَّةٍ

قَرينُ تَقديسٍ وَتَطهيرِ

قَرينُ تَقديسٍ وَتَطهيرِ

He is the offspring of heavenly lights,

The yield of heavenly lights

The offspring of the lights of heaven above,

a companion to sanctification and purification.

Paired with sanctity and purification

Aligned with sanctity and purity.

جَوهَرُهُ روحٌ وَأَعراضُهُ

جَوهَرُهُ روحٌ وَأَعراضُهُ

قَد أُلِّفَت مِن مارِجِ النورِ

قَد أُلِّفَت مِن مارِجِ النورِ

His substance is spirit, and his attributes

Its essence is spirit, and its states

Its substance is the spirit, and its traits

have been composed from a pure flame of light.

Are compiled from the exudings of light

Are gathered from the smokeless flame of light.