لَولا سَنىً رَبَّةِ الخَدرِ بَدا

لَولا سَنىً رَبَّةِ الخَدرِ بَدا

لَم يَدرِ حادي المُدلَجَينَ الرَشَدا

لَم يَدرِ حادي المُدلَجَينَ الرَشَدا

Had the radiance of the lady of the secluded chamber not appeared,

Had it not been for the beauty of the veil's mistress appearing,

the camel-driver of the night travelers would not have known the right way.

The lost ones would not have found guidance, nor the wanderer the right path.

وَلا اِهتَدى إِلى حِماها حائِرٌ

وَلا اِهتَدى إِلى حِماها حائِرٌ

بِكَشفِها في سَترِها لَولا النَدا

بِكَشفِها في سَترِها لَولا النَدا

Nor would a bewildered one have found her sanctuary,

By her unveiling in her veil, had it not been for her voluptuousness,

through her unveiling within her veil, were it not for the call.

He would not have been guided to her protection.

دَعَت فَلَبّاها السَميعُ وَاِنثَنى

دَعَت فَلَبّاها السَميعُ وَاِنثَنى

عَنها الأَصَمُّ مُستَجيباً لِلصَدى

عَنها الأَصَمُّ مُستَجيباً لِلصَدى

She called; the hearer answered her, while turning away

She called him, so the All-Hearing inclined toward her,

from her was the deaf man, responding to the echo.

While the deaf man responded, obeying the echo.

وَأَوهَمَ الناسَ هُدىً في قَصدِها

وَأَوهَمَ الناسَ هُدىً في قَصدِها

حَتّى أَضَلَّ قَومَهُ وَما هَدى

حَتّى أَضَلَّ قَومَهُ وَما هَدى

And he gave people the illusion of guidance in seeking her,

And she made people think there was guidance in her aim,

until he led his people astray and gave no guidance.

Until he led his people astray, while he himself was not guided.

تِلكَ الَّتي صَيَّرَني الوَجدُ بِها

تِلكَ الَّتي صَيَّرَني الوَجدُ بِها

وَقَفاً عَلى أَيدي الأَسى مُؤَبَّدا

وَقَفاً عَلى أَيدي الأَسى مُؤَبَّدا

She is the one for whom longing made me

She is the one whom passion has stationed me before,

an endowment in sorrow's hands forever.

Standing at the hands of anguish, everlasting.

لا أَملِكُ السُلوانَ عَنها لا وَلا

لا أَملِكُ السُلوانَ عَنها لا وَلا

أَلقى عَلى طولِ جَفاها مُسعِدا

أَلقى عَلى طولِ جَفاها مُسعِدا

I cannot forget her—no, nor

I can neither find solace from her nor

do I find a comforter through her long estrangement.

Cast on the length of her disdain, feeling at ease.

قَد غادَرَت نارَ فُؤادي مُصطَلىً

قَد غادَرَت نارَ فُؤادي مُصطَلىً

لِرَكبِها وَماءَ عَيني مَورِدا

لِرَكبِها وَماءَ عَيني مَورِدا

She has left my heart's fire a warming place

She has abandoned the fire of my heart, leaving it extinguished

for her caravan, and my eye's water a watering place.

For her hill, and the water of my eye as her watering place.

عَلَت فَأَدناها كَمالُ لُطفِها

عَلَت فَأَدناها كَمالُ لُطفِها

مِن صَبِّها حَتّى بَدَت كَما بَدا

مِن صَبِّها حَتّى بَدَت كَما بَدا

She rose high; her perfect grace brought her close

Her perfect grace drew her near

to her ardent lover, until she appeared as he appeared.

From her aloofness until she appeared as she appeared.

تَحَيَّرَ العالَمُ في جَمالِها

تَحَيَّرَ العالَمُ في جَمالِها

وَأَصبَحَ العُشّاقُ فيها قِدَدا

وَأَصبَحَ العُشّاقُ فيها قِدَدا

The world was bewildered by her beauty,

The world was perplexed by her beauty,

and her lovers split into factions over her.

And the lovers in it became devoutly attached to her.

فَواقِفٌ عِندَ مِثالِ ظِلِّها

فَواقِفٌ عِندَ مِثالِ ظِلِّها

وَتائِهٌ أَضحى لِسَلمى مُلحِدا

وَتائِهٌ أَضحى لِسَلمى مُلحِدا

So one halts at the likeness of her shadow,

So I stand before the image of her shadow,

and a bewildered one became a denier of Salma.

And I have become, for her cause, an atheist, gone astray.

وَعارِفٌ يُبِتُ مِن ذواتِها

وَعارِفٌ يُبِتُ مِن ذواتِها

بِمَحوِهِ ما لِلعَيانِ أُشهِدا

بِمَحوِهِ ما لِلعَيانِ أُشهِدا

And a knower severs from her essences,

While the mystic passes the night annihilating

through his effacement, what was shown to sight.

From his essence whatever is evident to the eyes.

واحِدَةَ الحُسنِ الَّتي أَمسَيتُ مِن

واحِدَةَ الحُسنِ الَّتي أَمسَيتُ مِن

وَجدي بِها بَينَ البَرايا أَوحَدا

وَجدي بِها بَينَ البَرايا أَوحَدا

O peerless one in beauty, for whom I have become, through

The peerless beauty whom I, because of my passion for her,

my longing for her, unique among all creatures.

Have become solitary among mankind.

وَصِرتُ فيها أُمَّةً يَأتَمُّ بي

وَصِرتُ فيها أُمَّةً يَأتَمُّ بي

كُلُّ مُحِبٍّ راحَ فيها وَغَدا

كُلُّ مُحِبٍّ راحَ فيها وَغَدا

And in her I became a community, followed by

And through her I have become a community,

every lover journeying in her love at dusk and dawn.

To which every lover comes for guidance.

صَبا إِلَيَّ الصابِئونَ إِذ رَأَوا

صَبا إِلَيَّ الصابِئونَ إِذ رَأَوا

طِرفي لِنَجمِ الحُسنِ فيها رَصَدا

طِرفي لِنَجمِ الحُسنِ فيها رَصَدا

The Sabians inclined toward me when they saw

The Sabians have turned to me when they saw

my gaze keeping watch for beauty's star within her.

My gaze fixed upon the star of beauty in her.

وَاِتَّخَذَ المَجوسُ قَلبي قِبلَةً

وَاِتَّخَذَ المَجوسُ قَلبي قِبلَةً

لِما رَأَوا لِلنارِ فيهِ مَوقِدا

لِما رَأَوا لِلنارِ فيهِ مَوقِدا

And the Magians took my heart as their direction of prayer,

And the Magi have taken my heart as their qibla,

because they saw in it a place for kindling fire.

When they saw in it a fire kindled for her.

وَلَم أَزَل مُتَسِّعاً مُسَبِّعاً

وَلَم أَزَل مُتَسِّعاً مُسَبِّعاً

مُخَمِّساً مُثَلِّثاً مُوَحِّدا

مُخَمِّساً مُثَلِّثاً مُوَحِّدا

And I have ever professed nine and seven,

I have not ceased being an expansionist, annexationist,

five, three, and oneness.

Pentagonist, trinitarianist, unitarianist.

وَبي اِقتَدى في الحُبِّ مِن ثَنِيَّ وَمَن

وَبي اِقتَدى في الحُبِّ مِن ثَنِيَّ وَمَن

ثَلَّثَ أَو أَسلَمَ أَو تَهَوَّدا

ثَلَّثَ أَو أَسلَمَ أَو تَهَوَّدا

And in love I was followed by whoever professed duality, and whoever

And by me is guided, in love, whoever

professed a trinity, embraced Islam, or became Jewish.

Has dualized, triplicated, submitted, or Judaized.

وَشيعَةُ الحَقِّ اِرتَضوا بِسُنَّتي

وَشيعَةُ الحَقِّ اِرتَضوا بِسُنَّتي

وَاِتَّخذوني في الغَرامِ مَشهَدا

وَاِتَّخذوني في الغَرامِ مَشهَدا

And Truth's partisans approved my way,

The Shia of Truth have accepted my ways

and took me as a shrine in passionate love.

And have taken me, in passion, as their place of pilgrimage.

وَالحُنَفاءُ تابَعوني إِذ رَأَو

وَالحُنَفاءُ تابَعوني إِذ رَأَو

ني في اِتِّباعِ رِسلِها مُجتَهِدا

ني في اِتِّباعِ رِسلِها مُجتَهِدا

And the Hanifs followed me when they saw

The Hanifs have followed me when they saw

me striving to follow her messengers.

Me striving to follow her messengers.

وَالمُلحِدونَ حَمَدوا طَريقَتي

وَالمُلحِدونَ حَمَدوا طَريقَتي

حينَ رَأَوني لِهَواها مُلحِدا

حينَ رَأَوني لِهَواها مُلحِدا

And the heretics praised my way,

The atheists have praised my path

when they saw me a heretic for love of her.

When they saw me an atheist for her sake.

وَالحُكَماءُ العارِفونَ صَبّوا

وَالحُكَماءُ العارِفونَ صَبّوا

رَأَيي بِرَفعِ الوَصفِ عَنها وَالبَدا

رَأَيي بِرَفعِ الوَصفِ عَنها وَالبَدا

And the knowing sages cherished

The wise gnostics have poured

my view that she is beyond description and change.

My doctrine by removing descriptions of her and transcendence.

وَظَنّي مُجَسِّداً في نَعتِها

وَظَنّي مُجَسِّداً في نَعتِها

بِصورَةٍ غِرٌّ غَدا مُجَسِّدا

بِصورَةٍ غِرٌّ غَدا مُجَسِّدا

And I was deemed a corporealist in describing her

And imagined me embodied in describing her

in a form, by a naïf who himself became a corporealist.

In a form, so the embodied became embodied.

وَما دَرى بِأَنَّني لِذاتِها

وَما دَرى بِأَنَّني لِذاتِها

أَمسَيتُ عَن صِفاتِها مُجَرَّدا

أَمسَيتُ عَن صِفاتِها مُجَرَّدا

And he did not know that, for her essence,

Yet they did not know that for her essence

I had become detached from her attributes.

I have become stripped of her attributes.

وَفي سُجودي لِمِثالِ حُسنِها

وَفي سُجودي لِمِثالِ حُسنِها

قَد غادَرَت لي في الضَميرِ مَسجِدا

قَد غادَرَت لي في الضَميرِ مَسجِدا

And in my prostration before the image of her beauty,

And in my prostration to the ideal of her beauty

she has left me a mosque in my innermost heart.

She has left in my conscience a mosque for me.

فَلا أَرى في الكَونِ شَخصاً واحِداً

فَلا أَرى في الكَونِ شَخصاً واحِداً

يَهوى هَوى إِلّا وَبي فيهِ اِقتَدى

يَهوى هَوى إِلّا وَبي فيهِ اِقتَدى

So I see not a single person in existence

So I do not see in the universe a single one

who feels any passion without following my lead in it.

Who loves except that in it he follows me.

كَلّا وَلا أُمَّ حِمىً مُجَدَّداً

كَلّا وَلا أُمَّ حِمىً مُجَدَّداً

إِلّا أَراهُ في حِمايَ مَعهَدا

إِلّا أَراهُ في حِمايَ مَعهَدا

No indeed; nor is any new sanctuary sought

Never does a protector renew his protection

without my seeing it as a familiar abode in my sanctuary.

Unless I see his protection linked to mine.

لِأَنَّ داري لَم تَزَل دائِرَةً

لِأَنَّ داري لَم تَزَل دائِرَةً

تَجمَعُ مَن ضَلَّ السَبيلَ وَاِهتَدى

تَجمَعُ مَن ضَلَّ السَبيلَ وَاِهتَدى

For my home has always been a circle

For my abode has never ceased being a circle

gathering those who stray from the path and those who find it.

That gathers those who have strayed from the path and those guided aright,

وَكُلُّ شَيءٍ خارِجٌ عَنها إِذا اِع

وَكُلُّ شَيءٍ خارِجٌ عَنها إِذا اِع

تَبَرتَهُ وَجدَتَهُ مِنها بَدا

تَبَرتَهُ وَجدَتَهُ مِنها بَدا

And everything outside it, if you consider

And everything outside of it, if you examine it,

it, you find it arose from it.

You will find it derived from it.

ما وَرَدَ الصادي زُلالَ مَورِدي

ما وَرَدَ الصادي زُلالَ مَورِدي

مِن عَينَيهِ إِلّا اِنتَفى عَنهُ الصَدى

مِن عَينَيهِ إِلّا اِنتَفى عَنهُ الصَدى

No thirsty one comes to my watering place's clear water

No thirsty one comes to my spring

from his two eyes without thirst leaving him.

Except the echo fades from him.

وَلا اِقتَدى بي في هَواها حائِرٌ

وَلا اِقتَدى بي في هَواها حائِرٌ

إِلّا وَأَضحى هادِياً إِلى الهُدى

إِلّا وَأَضحى هادِياً إِلى الهُدى

Nor does a bewildered one follow me in love of her

Nor does a wanderer in his love for her follow me

without becoming a guide to the right way.

Except he becomes a guide to the right path.

وَإِن أَكُن عَبدَ هَواها فيهِ

وَإِن أَكُن عَبدَ هَواها فيهِ

رُحتُ لِأَربابِ الغَرامِ سَيِّدا

رُحتُ لِأَربابِ الغَرامِ سَيِّدا

And though I be a slave to love of her, in it

And if I am a slave to her love therein,

I have become master over the lords of passion.

I have attained, for the lovers, mastery.