تطهّر بماء الحياة الذي

تطهّر بماء الحياة الذي

لصنعتنا فبه تطهر

لصنعتنا فبه تطهر

Purify yourself with the Water of Life that

Purify yourself with the water of life which

belongs to our craft; by it, become pure.

is for our craft; purify yourself with it.

إذا عرض فر من جوهر

إذا عرض فر من جوهر

خبيث صغا ذلك الجوهرُ

خبيث صغا ذلك الجوهرُ

If an accident flees from a substance

When an accidental property flees from a substance

that has grown impure, that substance inclines.

that is impure, that substance inclines [possibly intended: becomes pure].

فخلوا الظواهر واستنبطوا ال

فخلوا الظواهر واستنبطوا ال

علوم وللحكمة استظهروا

علوم وللحكمة استظهروا

So set outward forms aside, and draw forth the

So leave outward appearances and draw forth the

sciences; take wisdom as your support.

sciences; and arm yourselves for wisdom.

فإنّ بواطن أعمالنا

فإنّ بواطن أعمالنا

خلاف الظواهر لا تنكرُ

خلاف الظواهر لا تنكرُ

For the inner realities of our operations

For the inner aspects of our operations

run counter to outward appearances—do not deny it.

differ from outward appearances—this cannot be denied.

ألم ترَ أسربّنا أسوداً

ألم ترَ أسربّنا أسوداً

وباطنه الذهب الأحمر

وباطنه الذهب الأحمر

Have you not seen our lead as black,

Have you not seen that our lead is black,

while within it lies red gold?

while its inner essence is red gold,

وأن الحديد له باطن

وأن الحديد له باطن

رصاص يصر إذا يسبرُ

رصاص يصر إذا يسبرُ

And that iron has an inner part—

and that iron has an inner essence:

lead that cries out when it is probed?

lead that squeals when assayed?

ولما أريد ظهور الكمون

ولما أريد ظهور الكمون

ليبرز من ذلك ما يسترُ

ليبرز من ذلك ما يسترُ

And when I wished the latent to appear,

And when the manifestation of the hidden was desired,

so that what lay concealed might emerge from it,

so that what is concealed might emerge from it,

أمدّت بواطن أركاننا

أمدّت بواطن أركاننا

بامثالها فغدت تظهرُ

بامثالها فغدت تظهرُ

I reinforced the inner parts of our elements

the inner essences of our elements were supplied

with their likes, and they began to appear.

with their counterparts, and so became manifest.

وذلك قانون أعمالنا

وذلك قانون أعمالنا

به تمّ طلّسمنا الأكبرُ

به تمّ طلّسمنا الأكبرُ

Such is the law of our operations;

And that is the rule of our operations;

through it our greatest talisman was completed.

through it our greatest talisman was completed.

ففكر لتعرف ما قد ذكرت

ففكر لتعرف ما قد ذكرت

ففيه فوائد لا تحصرُ

ففيه فوائد لا تحصرُ

Reflect, then, that you may understand what I have mentioned:

So reflect, that you may understand what I have said;

within it are benefits beyond counting.

for it holds benefits beyond counting.