رآني بمِرْطِ الإنْكِسارِ أَخو الهَوَى

رآني بمِرْطِ الإنْكِسارِ أَخو الهَوَى

فأَهمَلَني من طمسِ طابِعِ طَبْعِهِ

فأَهمَلَني من طمسِ طابِعِ طَبْعِهِ

A brother of passion saw me in the cloak of brokenness,

I saw him in the garb of melancholy, a kindred spirit,

so he ignored me, for his nature's imprint was effaced.

Yet he ignored me, obliterating all trace of his nature,

وقاطَعَني كِبْراً برِقِّ ثِيابِهِ

وقاطَعَني كِبْراً برِقِّ ثِيابِهِ

وما ذاكَ إِلاَّ من عَلامَةِ قَطْعِهِ

وما ذاكَ إِلاَّ من عَلامَةِ قَطْعِهِ

He cut me off in arrogance, enslaved to his clothes;

And haughtily cut me off with the flash of his raiment,

and that was only a sign of his severance.

Though that was but a sign of his disconnection.

فيا عَجَباً من جهلِهِ ظنَّ أنَّه

فيا عَجَباً من جهلِهِ ظنَّ أنَّه

كمالُ الفَتى في حسنِ مَطْوِيِّ دِرْعِهِ

كمالُ الفَتى في حسنِ مَطْوِيِّ دِرْعِهِ

So, what wonder at his ignorance! He thought that

Strange is his ignorance! He thought

a young man's perfection lay in the beauty of his tunic's folds.

The height of glory was the trim of his coat of mail,

ولو كانَ ذا ذوْقٍ له أُذُنٌ وَعَتْ

ولو كانَ ذا ذوْقٍ له أُذُنٌ وَعَتْ

لرَقْرَقَ شيئاً من كَلامي بسَمْعِهِ

لرَقْرَقَ شيئاً من كَلامي بسَمْعِهِ

Had he possessed spiritual taste, with an ear that understood,

Had he but a little taste and an ear to hear

he would have let something of my words ripple through his hearing.

He might have murmured some of my words in his hearing;

ولكنَّه ما فرَّقَ الحظُّ عندَهُ

ولكنَّه ما فرَّقَ الحظُّ عندَهُ

بمَعناهُ بينَ الضُّرِّ منه ونَفْعِهِ

بمَعناهُ بينَ الضُّرِّ منه ونَفْعِهِ

But fortune, in his eyes, made no distinction

But fortune never distinguished for him therein

in its meaning between the harm it brought and its benefit.

Between harm and benefit in their meaning;

وأنِّي امرؤٌ في حضرَةِ القُدْسِ قلبُهُ

وأنِّي امرؤٌ في حضرَةِ القُدْسِ قلبُهُ

وقد رَشَّقَ البُرْدَ المُعَلَّى بدمْعِهِ

وقد رَشَّقَ البُرْدَ المُعَلَّى بدمْعِهِ

And I am a man whose heart is in the Holy Presence,

Yet I am a man whose heart in the holy presence

and who has sprinkled the exalted mantle with his tears.

Is split, and the sublimely lofty is drenched by his tears,

له بحرُ قلبٍ هاشِمِيٍّ نِجارُهُ

له بحرُ قلبٍ هاشِمِيٍّ نِجارُهُ

تَسيلُ بُحورُ الكَوْنِ من أَصلِ نبْعِهِ

تَسيلُ بُحورُ الكَوْنِ من أَصلِ نبْعِهِ

He has an ocean of a heart, its lineage Hashemite;

He has an oceanic heart, a Hashimite carpenter shaped it,

the seas of existence flow from the root of his wellspring.

The oceans of existence flow from the source of its spring,

إِمامٌ لأصْحابِ القُلُوبِ عَظيمُهُمْ

إِمامٌ لأصْحابِ القُلُوبِ عَظيمُهُمْ

وفي فَرقِهِ شيخُ الجَميعِ وجمْعِهِ

وفي فَرقِهِ شيخُ الجَميعِ وجمْعِهِ

An imam for the people of hearts, their great one,

A leader for the folk of hearts, greatest among them,

and in his differentiation and union, the shaykh of all.

In his party the Shaykh of all and their multitude,

تَسامَى مَقاماً بُحْبوحَةِ العُلى

تَسامَى مَقاماً بُحْبوحَةِ العُلى

رِفاعِيُّ أَهلِ اللهِ قامَ برَفْعِهِ

رِفاعِيُّ أَهلِ اللهِ قامَ برَفْعِهِ

He rose in station to the spacious heart of sublimity;

He rose loftily in station through the amplitude of the Most High,

the Rifa‘i of God's people undertook his exaltation.

Highest of God's folk, he rose by his ascendance,

أَفاضَ عليه نورَهُ المُصْطَفى وقدْ

أَفاضَ عليه نورَهُ المُصْطَفى وقدْ

أَسالَ له من بُرجِهِ لَمْعِهِ

أَسالَ له من بُرجِهِ لَمْعِهِ

Al-Mustafa poured his light upon him, and

Upon him the Chosen One shed his light when

made his radiance flow to him from his tower.

He let shine for him the gleam from his tower,

تجَلَّى الضُّحى في بُرجِ ناسوتِ قلبِهِ

تجَلَّى الضُّحى في بُرجِ ناسوتِ قلبِهِ

فأَعرَضَ عن جَذْوِ الجَهولِ وشَمْعِهِ

فأَعرَضَ عن جَذْوِ الجَهولِ وشَمْعِهِ

Morning radiance manifested itself in the tower of his heart's human nature,

Daybreak was revealed in the tower of his heart’s humanity

so he turned from the ignorant man's fire-glow and candles.

So he turned from the foolish and their flambeaux;

وأَعْطاهُ مولاهُ المُرَجَّى وفَوقَهُ

وأَعْطاهُ مولاهُ المُرَجَّى وفَوقَهُ

فمالَ عن المُعْطى الفَقيرِ ومَنْعِهِ

فمالَ عن المُعْطى الفَقيرِ ومَنْعِهِ

His Lord gave him what was hoped for, and more,

And his Master, the Desired One, gave him that which was above him

so he turned from the needy recipient and his withholding.

So he inclined from the poor gift and its withholding,

وأَزهَرَ من كلِّ النَّواحي رَبيعُهُ

وأَزهَرَ من كلِّ النَّواحي رَبيعُهُ

وفاضَتْ عُيونُ الخارِقاتِ برَبْعِهِ

وفاضَتْ عُيونُ الخارِقاتِ برَبْعِهِ

His spring blossomed on every side,

And his spring bloomed on every side,

and springs of miracles overflowed in his dwelling.

The fountains of wonders overflowed through his turf,

كما اتَّصلَتْ كلُّ المَعالي بأَصلِهِ

كما اتَّصلَتْ كلُّ المَعالي بأَصلِهِ

قد التَحَقَتْ تلكَ المَعاني بفَرْعِهِ

قد التَحَقَتْ تلكَ المَعاني بفَرْعِهِ

Just as all lofty excellences were joined to his root,

Just as all the high virtues connected to his origin—

those meanings have indeed joined his branch.

Those meanings attached themselves to his branch—

تَواتَرَ بُرهانُ التَّدلِّي بوِتْرِهِ

تَواتَرَ بُرهانُ التَّدلِّي بوِتْرِهِ

وشُوفِعَ سُلطانُ التَّجلِّي بشَفْعِهِ

وشُوفِعَ سُلطانُ التَّجلِّي بشَفْعِهِ

The proof of descent came successively through his singleness,

The proof of induction flowed in rhythmic beat,

and the sovereignty of manifestation was paired through his duality.

The authority of revelation pleaded through his intercession—

بأَجْرَعِهِ من لَعْلَعِ الحَيِّ لوعَةٌ

بأَجْرَعِهِ من لَعْلَعِ الحَيِّ لوعَةٌ

أَقامَتْ على الكاساتِ قائِمَ جَرْعِهِ

أَقامَتْ على الكاساتِ قائِمَ جَرْعِهِ

On his sandy knoll in the tribe's La‘la‘, a burning yearning

By his deep draft of the living wine such anguish

stationed the attendant of his drinking over the cups.

Established itself over the goblets, erect by his draught,

عَريقٌ بحُبِّ الحِبِّ ضَعضَعَهُ النَّوى

عَريقٌ بحُبِّ الحِبِّ ضَعضَعَهُ النَّوى

فذاقَ حَليبَ القُرْبِ من عينِ ضَرْعِهِ

فذاقَ حَليبَ القُرْبِ من عينِ ضَرْعِهِ

Deep-rooted in love for the Beloved, separation shook him,

Long rooted in yearning love—the bending of the boughs intoxicated him—

so he tasted the milk of nearness from its very udder.

So he tasted the milk of intimacy from the spring of its udder,

أَقامَتْهُ في رَكْبِ المُحِبِّينَ طينَةٌ

أَقامَتْهُ في رَكْبِ المُحِبِّينَ طينَةٌ

نعم كلُّ جُزءٍ مالُهُ حالُ نَوْعِهِ

نعم كلُّ جُزءٍ مالُهُ حالُ نَوْعِهِ

Native clay placed him in the caravan of lovers;

The clay of which he was constituted set him among the ranks of lovers—

yes, every part's wealth is the state of its kind.

Behold, each part conforms to the state of its kind—

فلازِمْ حِمى هذا المُحِبِّ وقفْ به

فلازِمْ حِمى هذا المُحِبِّ وقفْ به

على البابِ واسْتَجْلِ الشُؤُنَ بقَرْعِهِ

على البابِ واسْتَجْلِ الشُؤُنَ بقَرْعِهِ

So cleave to this lover's sanctuary, and stand there

So frequent the sanctuary of this lover, stand by his door,

at the door, and seek to unveil the matters by knocking on it.

Implore the thresholds by your knocking,

وخلِّ حَسوداً ضاعَ بالغَيِّ عُمْرُهُ

وخلِّ حَسوداً ضاعَ بالغَيِّ عُمْرُهُ

وأُفرِغَ نحسٌ مستَمِرٌ برَوْعِهِ

وأُفرِغَ نحسٌ مستَمِرٌ برَوْعِهِ

And leave aside an envier whose life was wasted in error,

And leave the envious one whose life strayed into error,

and into whose dread unceasing ill fortune was poured.

From whom misfortune flows in ceaseless torrent;

إذا الخِرْقُ أَعطتْهُ يدُ القطعِ خِرقَةً

إذا الخِرْقُ أَعطتْهُ يدُ القطعِ خِرقَةً

فلا تحتَفِلْ بين الأَنامِ برَقْعِهِ

فلا تحتَفِلْ بين الأَنامِ برَقْعِهِ

If the generous man is given a rag by the hand of severance,

When a patch gave the rent a patch

then do not concern yourself among mankind with patching him up.

Do not busy yourself before all with its mending;

فرُبَّ جَريحٍ مسَّهُ النَّبْلُ ما دَرَى

فرُبَّ جَريحٍ مسَّهُ النَّبْلُ ما دَرَى

تسلُّطَهُ فيه لخفَّةِ وَقْعِهِ

تسلُّطَهُ فيه لخفَّةِ وَقْعِهِ

For many a wounded man whom arrows touched did not know

Many a wounded man unaware was struck by the arrow

their hold within him, because their impact was light.

Overpowered by its light blow against him;

وفي حوْمَةِ الهَيْجاءِ يا رُبَّ فارِسٍ

وفي حوْمَةِ الهَيْجاءِ يا رُبَّ فارِسٍ

قد اغْتيلَ لو يوقِنْ بنكْبَةِ صرْعِهِ

قد اغْتيلَ لو يوقِنْ بنكْبَةِ صرْعِهِ

And in the thick of battle, oh, how many a horseman

And in the furious fray—oh how many a horseman

has been slain unawares—if only he knew the calamity of his fall.

Would be assassinated, did he but know the shock of his fall;

وكم من لَديغٍ مسَّهُ السَّمُّ طَيِّباً

وكم من لَديغٍ مسَّهُ السَّمُّ طَيِّباً

فطابَ له جهلاً بمُحْرِقِ لَسْعِهِ

فطابَ له جهلاً بمُحْرِقِ لَسْعِهِ

And how many a stung man was touched pleasantly by venom,

And how often the poisonously bitten one thought it sweet,

so it pleased him, ignorant of the searing fire of its sting.

So in his ignorance it was pleasant to burn from its sting!

فغِبْ عن سِوى اللهِ الكَريمِ وثقْ به

فغِبْ عن سِوى اللهِ الكَريمِ وثقْ به

وناجيهِ واستوثِقْ بفَعَّالِ سَمْعِهِ

وناجيهِ واستوثِقْ بفَعَّالِ سَمْعِهِ

So be absent from all but God the Generous, and trust in Him,

Turn away from all but God the Generous, trust in Him,

and commune with Him, and be assured of His hearing's efficacy.

Confide in Him, rely on the effectiveness of His hearing,