بينَ النُّجومِ وبينَ مِسْبارِ الضُّحى

بينَ النُّجومِ وبينَ مِسْبارِ الضُّحى

ليلٌ سَجى عتمٌ دَجا قلبٌ ذَهِلْ

ليلٌ سَجى عتمٌ دَجا قلبٌ ذَهِلْ

Between the stars and morning's probe,

Between the stars and dawn's probe

a night lay still, darkness deepened, a heart was dazed.

A night of darkness fell, a confused heart trembled

وبرَفْرَفِ البرقَيْنِ من سِينا الهَوَى

وبرَفْرَفِ البرقَيْنِ من سِينا الهَوَى

نجمٌ هوَى لُبٌّ زَوى بدرٌ أَفَلْ

نجمٌ هوَى لُبٌّ زَوى بدرٌ أَفَلْ

And in the flutter of twin lightning flashes from passion's Sinai,

And with the flickering of the two lightnings from Mount Sinai of love

a star fell, a heart's core shrank, a full moon set.

A star fell, a heart inclined, a full moon set

موسَى الغَرامِ رَقى بطَوْرِ هُيامِهِ

موسَى الغَرامِ رَقى بطَوْرِ هُيامِهِ

ليَرى الحَبيبَ فخَرَّ مَغْشِيًّا وهَلْ

ليَرى الحَبيبَ فخَرَّ مَغْشِيًّا وهَلْ

Love's Moses ascended the Mount of his rapture,

Moses of passion ascended the Mount of Horeb

to see the Beloved; he fell unconscious, terrified.

To see his beloved, so he fell unconscious

لمَعَتْ له نارُ الشُؤُنِ فغابَ عن

لمَعَتْ له نارُ الشُؤُنِ فغابَ عن

أَجْزائِهِ حالاً وبالغَشْيِ اشْتَغَلْ

أَجْزائِهِ حالاً وبالغَشْيِ اشْتَغَلْ

The fire of divine workings flashed before him, and he lost awareness of

The fire of glory shone upon him and he lost

his own parts at once, and became absorbed in the swoon.

Awareness of himself for a while, preoccupied with unconsciousness

وقَرا رَقائقَ لن تَراني قبلَها

وقَرا رَقائقَ لن تَراني قبلَها

ودَعا الحَبيبَ وقالَ عَزْمي لم يُفَلْ

ودَعا الحَبيبَ وقالَ عَزْمي لم يُفَلْ

And beforehand he had read the subtleties of 'You will not see Me,'

And he recited gentle verses: you won't see me before them

and called upon the Beloved, saying, 'My resolve has not been blunted.'

And called upon his beloved and said: my resolve did not weaken

الشَّوقُ جرَّأهُ على مَحْبوبِهِ

الشَّوقُ جرَّأهُ على مَحْبوبِهِ

لكنَ هَوى لمَّا تجلَّى للجبَلْ

لكنَ هَوى لمَّا تجلَّى للجبَلْ

Longing emboldened him before his Beloved,

Longing emboldened him towards his loved one

but he fell when He manifested Himself to the mountain.

But when love was revealed to the mountain

وأُسامَةٌ جارَى بوعْدِ وَليدَةٍ

وأُسامَةٌ جارَى بوعْدِ وَليدَةٍ

شهراً فقالَ الحِبُّ يا طولَ الأمَلْ

شهراً فقالَ الحِبُّ يا طولَ الأمَلْ

And Usama went along with a pledge concerning a slave-girl,

And Usama persisted for a month in the promise of a beloved

for a month; the Beloved said, 'How long the hope!'

So love said: O the prolonged hope!

رمَقَتْهُ أَسرارُ الشُؤُنِ بعينِها

رمَقَتْهُ أَسرارُ الشُؤُنِ بعينِها

فمَضى عَليلاً والغَرامُ له عِلَلْ

فمَضى عَليلاً والغَرامُ له عِلَلْ

The mysteries of divine workings gazed at him with their eye,

The secrets of glory glanced at him with her eyes

so he went on ailing, and love had maladies for him.

So he left ill, and love had made him sick

وشُعَيْبُ مَدْبَنَ مذْ أَقامَ لضيفِهِ

وشُعَيْبُ مَدْبَنَ مذْ أَقامَ لضيفِهِ

تلك الحِكايَةَ وهي من ضربِ المَثَلْ

تلك الحِكايَةَ وهي من ضربِ المَثَلْ

And Shuʿayb of Madban, when he presented to his guest

And Shu'ayb left Mudabann since he stayed over for his guest

that tale, itself a parable—

That story which is of the nature of parables

ضَرَبَتْ سُرْداقِها عَلَيْهِ فقامَ من

ضَرَبَتْ سُرْداقِها عَلَيْهِ فقامَ من

معنى رَقيقَتِهِ له ذاكَ الثِّقَلْ

معنى رَقيقَتِهِ له ذاكَ الثِّقَلْ

it pitched its pavilion over him, and there arose from

Its porch covered him, so he got up from

the meaning of his subtle essence that burden upon him.

The meaning of his gentle one, which weighed on him

واذْكُرْ أَخا عادٍ ففي آياتِهِ

واذْكُرْ أَخا عادٍ ففي آياتِهِ

تلكَ التَّفاصيلُ التي طَوَتِ الجُمَلْ

تلكَ التَّفاصيلُ التي طَوَتِ الجُمَلْ

And remember the brother of ʿAd, for in his signs lie

And remember, brother of Aad, for in his signs

those details which enfolded the summaries.

Are those details which the sentences comprised

ولابنِ مَتَّى نُكتَةٌ طَمْسِيَّةٌ

ولابنِ مَتَّى نُكتَةٌ طَمْسِيَّةٌ

الحُوتُ معناها المُطَلْسَمَ ما عَقَلْ

الحُوتُ معناها المُطَلْسَمَ ما عَقَلْ

And the son of Matta has a subtle mystery of effacement;

And for the son of Matthew, there is a subtle point:

the whale did not grasp its talismanic meaning.

The whale, its meaning - the sealed, the mindless one

وغَيابَةُ الجُبِّ التي في طيِّها

وغَيابَةُ الجُبِّ التي في طيِّها

من سِرِّ يوسُفَ قامَ للعَليا زَجَلْ

من سِرِّ يوسُفَ قامَ للعَليا زَجَلْ

And the dark recess of the well, within whose folds

And the well of the pit in whose folds

a ringing cry from Joseph's secret rose to the heights;

Lay the secret of Joseph, it stood tall for the supreme

والرِّقُّ والسِّجْنُ اللَّذانِ وَراهُما

والرِّقُّ والسِّجْنُ اللَّذانِ وَراهُما

طَوْرانِ قد حَفِلا بعبدٍ مُحْتَفَلْ

طَوْرانِ قد حَفِلا بعبدٍ مُحْتَفَلْ

and bondage and prison, behind both of which

And the slavery and prison behind both of which

are two stages that have celebrated an honored servant.

Were two phases, abundantly occupied with a preoccupied servant

وبذَبْحِ إسماعيلَ معنًى آخرٌ

وبذَبْحِ إسماعيلَ معنًى آخرٌ

جلَّى لسِكِّينِ الخَليلِ المُحْتَمَلْ

جلَّى لسِكِّينِ الخَليلِ المُحْتَمَلْ

And in Ishmael's slaughter lies another meaning,

And in the slaughter of Ismail, there is another meaning

which revealed to the Intimate Friend's knife what was possible.

Revealed to the blade of the Khalil (Abraham), the probable

والبابُ حيثُ العَنْكَبوتُ ببابِهِ

والبابُ حيثُ العَنْكَبوتُ ببابِهِ

والحِبُّ والصَّديقُ فيهِ في وَجَلْ

والحِبُّ والصَّديقُ فيهِ في وَجَلْ

And the doorway, where the spider was at its entrance,

And the door where the spider at its door

and the Beloved and the friend were inside it, afraid,

And love and the friend in it - in anguish

إذْ قالَ لا تحزَنْ وهَيْمَنَ قلبَهُ

إذْ قالَ لا تحزَنْ وهَيْمَنَ قلبَهُ

بيدٍ بها مطوِيَّةٌ كلُّ الدُّوَلْ

بيدٍ بها مطوِيَّةٌ كلُّ الدُّوَلْ

when he said, 'Do not grieve,' and guarded his heart

When He said: "Do not grieve" and he dominated his heart

with a hand in which all dominions lay folded.

With a folded hand, rolling all nations

أَسرارُ أَحكامِ تُفيدُ بأَنَّ مَنْ

أَسرارُ أَحكامِ تُفيدُ بأَنَّ مَنْ

يُعليهِ مولاهُ يُصانُ من الفَشَلْ

يُعليهِ مولاهُ يُصانُ من الفَشَلْ

Mysteries of decrees show that whoever

The secrets of the rulings indicate that whoever

is exalted by his Lord is protected from failure.

His Master elevates him, he is protected from failure

هذا نِظامٌ سَلْسَلَتْهُ يدُ العَمى

هذا نِظامٌ سَلْسَلَتْهُ يدُ العَمى

وبذا الكِتابُ على ابنِ آمنةٍ نَزَلْ

وبذا الكِتابُ على ابنِ آمنةٍ نَزَلْ

This is an order strung together by the hand of blindness,

This is a system, chained by the hand of destiny

and with this the Book descended upon the son of Amina.

And with this Book, upon the son of Amina it descended

يستَقْفِلُ الباغِي طَريقَ مُحَسَّدٍ

يستَقْفِلُ الباغِي طَريقَ مُحَسَّدٍ

واللهُ يفتَحُ كلَّما الباغي قَفَلْ

واللهُ يفتَحُ كلَّما الباغي قَفَلْ

The oppressor tries to lock the path of one much envied,

It locks the path of the wrongdoer, the path of the envied one

and God opens it whenever the oppressor locks it.

And Allah opens whenever the wrongdoer locks

يُجليهِ حَبلُ الغيبِ من أبراجِهِ

يُجليهِ حَبلُ الغيبِ من أبراجِهِ

والبَغْيُ يفعَلُهُ الجَهولُ أَخو الحِيَلْ

والبَغْيُ يفعَلُهُ الجَهولُ أَخو الحِيَلْ

The cord of the unseen brings him forth from its towers,

He reveals it with the rope of the unseen from its constellations

and oppression is wrought by the ignorant fool, brother to schemes.

And wrongdoing is done by the ignorant one, brother of tricks

فانْظُرْ شُؤُنَ اللهِ في أَكوانِهِ

فانْظُرْ شُؤُنَ اللهِ في أَكوانِهِ

وارْكُنْ لسِرِّ اللهِ يا هذا البَطَلْ

وارْكُنْ لسِرِّ اللهِ يا هذا البَطَلْ

So behold God's workings in His worlds,

So observe the affairs of Allah in His creations

and lean upon God's secret, O hero.

And devote yourself to the secret of Allah, O you hero

وارْبُضْ ببابِ الأَمرِ واهْجُرْ غيرَهُ

وارْبُضْ ببابِ الأَمرِ واهْجُرْ غيرَهُ

مُتَجَرِّداً من كلِّ علمٍ أَو عَمَلْ

مُتَجَرِّداً من كلِّ علمٍ أَو عَمَلْ

And crouch at the gate of the Command, and forsake all else,

And keep to the door of the command and shun anything else

stripped of all knowledge or action.

Detached from any knowledge or deed

وإذا الأَمورُ تغَلَّقَتْ أَبوابُها

وإذا الأَمورُ تغَلَّقَتْ أَبوابُها

فاذْكُرْ محمَّدَ والمُؤمَّلُ قد حَصَلْ

فاذْكُرْ محمَّدَ والمُؤمَّلُ قد حَصَلْ

And when the doors of affairs are shut tight,

And when matters close their doors

then remember Muhammad, and what is hoped for has been attained.

Then remember Muhammad and the hopeful has succeeded