بينَ طيِّ الحَبيبِ والنَّشْرِ معْنَى

بينَ طيِّ الحَبيبِ والنَّشْرِ معْنَى

قابَ قوسَيْنِ للوُصولِ وأَدْنَى

قابَ قوسَيْنِ للوُصولِ وأَدْنَى

Between the Beloved's folding and unfolding lies a meaning:

Between the folds of the beloved and dissemination is meaning

Two bow-lengths to union, and nearer still.

Two bow lengths away for reaching, even less

وعلى بُرْقُعِ الجَمالِ نُقوشٌ

وعلى بُرْقُعِ الجَمالِ نُقوشٌ

كَتَبَتْ بالفُنونِ للقلبِ معْنَى

كَتَبَتْ بالفُنونِ للقلبِ معْنَى

And on beauty's face-veil are designs

And on the parchment of beauty are inscriptions

That have inscribed, through the arts, a meaning for the heart.

Written by the arts for the heart meaning

وعلى بابِ مَنْ نُحِبُّ سُتورٌ

وعلى بابِ مَنْ نُحِبُّ سُتورٌ

نسْجَها نحنُ إنْ أَرَدْنا كَشَفْنَا

نسْجَها نحنُ إنْ أَرَدْنا كَشَفْنَا

And at the door of the one we love are curtains;

And on the door of whom we love are coverings

Their weave we ourselves unveil, if we wish.

We wove them, if we wanted to uncover we did

وعلى البابِ قامَ أَقفالُ سِرٍّ

وعلى البابِ قامَ أَقفالُ سِرٍّ

فوقَها بالرُّموزِ إنَّا فَتَحْنَا

فوقَها بالرُّموزِ إنَّا فَتَحْنَا

And at the door stood locks of a secret;

And on the door stood locks of mystery

Above them, in symbols: 'Indeed, we have opened.'

With symbols over them, we opened them

نحنُ قومٌ مِتْنا عن الكونِ طُرًّا

نحنُ قومٌ مِتْنا عن الكونِ طُرًّا

وطَرَحْنَا أَرْواحَنا واسْتَرَحْنَا

وطَرَحْنَا أَرْواحَنا واسْتَرَحْنَا

We are a people who have died to the cosmos entirely,

We are a people who died from the universe aloof

And cast aside our souls and found rest.

And cast off our souls and relaxed

أَخَذَتْنا من الحَبيبِ شُؤُنٌ

أَخَذَتْنا من الحَبيبِ شُؤُنٌ

قلَّبَتْنَا بالوجدِ فنًّا ففَنَّا

قلَّبَتْنَا بالوجدِ فنًّا ففَنَّا

Affairs from the Beloved took hold of us,

From the beloved conditions took us

Transforming us through ecstasy, form after form.

Turning us with passion into art and artists

فانقَلَبْنَا عن الوُجوداتِ طَوْراً

فانقَلَبْنَا عن الوُجوداتِ طَوْراً

وعَرَفْناهُ والجميعُ جَهِلْنَا

وعَرَفْناهُ والجميعُ جَهِلْنَا

So we turned away from the forms of existence for a time,

So we turned from existences for a spell

And we knew him, while everyone failed to know us.

And knew Him while all others were ignorant

بينَ بَيْتَيْ نعيمِهِ ولَظاهُ

بينَ بَيْتَيْ نعيمِهِ ولَظاهُ

أَيُّ بيتٍ أَرادَ فيه دَخَلْنَا

أَيُّ بيتٍ أَرادَ فيه دَخَلْنَا

Between the two abodes of his bliss and his blaze,

Between the houses of His bliss and shade

Whichever abode he willed, we entered it.

Whichever house He wished to enter we entered

قد رَضينا بكلِّ ما هو يَرْضى

قد رَضينا بكلِّ ما هو يَرْضى

وقطعْنَا كلَّ العَلائِقِ عَنَّا

وقطعْنَا كلَّ العَلائِقِ عَنَّا

We have been content with all that he approves,

We were pleased with all that gives Him pleasure

And severed all attachments from ourselves.

And cut off all attachments from us

وأَخذْنا كلَّ المَشاهِدِ منهُ

وأَخذْنا كلَّ المَشاهِدِ منهُ

أَلفُ حاشَا نقولُ منهُ ومِنَّا

أَلفُ حاشَا نقولُ منهُ ومِنَّا

And received all visions from him;

And took all witnessings from Him

A thousand times, far be it that we say 'from him' and 'from us.'

Absurd to say from Him or from us

قد رأَيْنا القُلُوبَ مِنَّا حَديداً

قد رأَيْنا القُلُوبَ مِنَّا حَديداً

فتَلا سِرُّهُ لها وأَلَنَّا

فتَلا سِرُّهُ لها وأَلَنَّا

We have seen our hearts as iron;

We saw hearts among us as iron

Then his secret recited to them: 'And we made soft.'

His secret recited to them and softened them

فسمِعْنا مَتْلُوُّهُ وأَطعْنا

فسمِعْنا مَتْلُوُّهُ وأَطعْنا

وقرأنا مكتوبُهُ وفَهِمْنَا

وقرأنا مكتوبُهُ وفَهِمْنَا

So we heard what he recited, and obeyed,

So we heard His recitations and obeyed

And read his writing, and understood.

And read His writings and understood

ووُجِدْنا وبالخُشوعِ فُقِدْنا

ووُجِدْنا وبالخُشوعِ فُقِدْنا

وقَرُبْنا وبالقُيودِ بَعُدْنَا

وقَرُبْنا وبالقُيودِ بَعُدْنَا

And we were found, and through reverence were lost,

And were found and in humility lost

And we drew near, and through fetters grew distant.

And drew near while bound far

وقَرَعْنَا بابَ العِنايَةِ ذُلاًّ

وقَرَعْنَا بابَ العِنايَةِ ذُلاًّ

ونجحْنَا وبالقَبولِ سَعِدْنَا

ونجحْنَا وبالقَبولِ سَعِدْنَا

And we knocked humbly at the door of providence,

And knocked the door of Providence in lowliness

And succeeded, and through acceptance found joy.

And succeeded while in acceptance blessed

والمُحَيِّي بأَلطفِ البِشْرِ حَيَّى

والمُحَيِّي بأَلطفِ البِشْرِ حَيَّى

والمُغَنِّي بنغمَةِ البِرِّ غَنَّى

والمُغَنِّي بنغمَةِ البِرِّ غَنَّى

And the greeter greeted with the gentlest cheer,

And the Reviver with gentlest tidings revived

And the singer sang with a melody of kindness.

And the Fulfiller with the melody of righteousness fulfilled

فانْطَوَيْنا عنَّا وعن كلِّ شيءٍ

فانْطَوَيْنا عنَّا وعن كلِّ شيءٍ

ونُشِرْنا والسِّرَّ بعدُ نَشَرْنَا

ونُشِرْنا والسِّرَّ بعدُ نَشَرْنَا

So we folded away from ourselves and from everything,

So we withdrew from ourselves and everything

And we were unfolded, and afterward unfolded the secret.

And were disseminated, the secret afterwards disseminated

وغَريبٌ ظُهورُنا في خَفاءٍ

وغَريبٌ ظُهورُنا في خَفاءٍ

قدْ خَفينا وبالخَفاءِ ظَهَرْنَا

قدْ خَفينا وبالخَفاءِ ظَهَرْنَا

And strange is our appearing in concealment:

Wondrous is our appearance in concealment

We became concealed, and through concealment appeared.

We hid and through hiding appeared

نحنُ تُجَّارُهُ رَجَعْنَا برِبْحٍ

نحنُ تُجَّارُهُ رَجَعْنَا برِبْحٍ

ولهذا عن العُيونِ اسْتَتَرْنَا

ولهذا عن العُيونِ اسْتَتَرْنَا

We are his merchants; we returned with profit,

We are His traders, returning with profit

And for this reason we hid ourselves from eyes.

And thus from eyes we veiled

ما رَجَعْنا عزماً ولكن بُروزاً

ما رَجَعْنا عزماً ولكن بُروزاً

ما رَجَعْنَا إِلاَّ بعزمٍ قَدِمْنَا

ما رَجَعْنَا إِلاَّ بعزمٍ قَدِمْنَا

We returned not in resolve, but in manifestation;

Not intentionally we returned, but unconsciously

We returned only with the resolve with which we had come.

We only returned with determination we came

أُتْرِعَ الكأسُ بالقَبولِ إلينا

أُتْرِعَ الكأسُ بالقَبولِ إلينا

فأَخذْناهُ صافِياً وشَرِبْنَا

فأَخذْناهُ صافِياً وشَرِبْنَا

The cup was filled to the brim with acceptance for us;

The cup of acceptance was offered to us

So we took it, pure, and drank.

So we took it pure and drank

وعَظُمْنا طوراً وحالاً وسِرًّا

وعَظُمْنا طوراً وحالاً وسِرًّا

ومُحِقْنا وجداً وبالشَّوقِ ذُبْنَا

ومُحِقْنا وجداً وبالشَّوقِ ذُبْنَا

And we grew great in stage, state, and secret,

And were honored for a time, state, and mystery

And were effaced by ecstasy, and through longing melted.

And erased, and in longing melted

ما أُحَيْلى وقتاً تجلَّى علينا

ما أُحَيْلى وقتاً تجلَّى علينا

ضِمنَهُ والخِطابُ منه سَمِعْنَا

ضِمنَهُ والخِطابُ منه سَمِعْنَا

How very sweet the time when he revealed himself to us!

No time manifested upon us

Within it, we also heard the address from him.

Containing it, and speech from Him we heard

فشَبَبْنَا إلى السِّماكِ غَراماً

فشَبَبْنَا إلى السِّماكِ غَراماً

وقَعَدْنَا مع الهُيامِ وقُمْنَا

وقَعَدْنَا مع الهُيامِ وقُمْنَا

So we blazed up to al-Simak in passion,

So we grew enamored with the slender waisted

And with love's frenzy we sat and rose.

And sat with the swaying and stood

فخُذِ الرَّمزَ عارِفاً وافْتَحْ الكَنْ

فخُذِ الرَّمزَ عارِفاً وافْتَحْ الكَنْ

زَ ونَلْ بالقَبولِ ما تَتَمَنَّى

زَ ونَلْ بالقَبولِ ما تَتَمَنَّى

So take the symbol with understanding, and open the trea-

So take the symbol knowingly and unlock the treasure

sure, and through acceptance attain what you desire.

And attain with acceptance what you wish

وارْوِ عنَّا أَسْرارَنا وافْنَ فينا

وارْوِ عنَّا أَسْرارَنا وافْنَ فينا

وتَهَنَّا بإرْثِنا أنتَ مِنَّا

وتَهَنَّا بإرْثِنا أنتَ مِنَّا

And recount our secrets on our authority, and vanish in us,

Relate from us our secrets and perish through us

And rejoice in our inheritance; you are one of us.

And congratulate yourself on our inheritance, you are from us