1. ليلُ المُحِبِّ إذا تَطاوَلَ بالسَّهَرْ

    في حُبِّ من يَهوى أُقيمَ به أثرْ

    When the lover's night lengthens with wakefulness,

    for love of the one he adores, a trace is left within it.

  2. أثَرُ المَحَبَّةِ في الأحِبَّةِ ظاهرٌ

    فاليَومُ حَنٌّ والظَّلامُ به سَهَرْ

    Love's mark is evident in lovers:

    so the day is yearning, and darkness holds wakefulness.

  3. ومنَ الرَّقائِقِ في الدُّجا أنْ يَنْجَلي

    في طَيِّهِ بالمَشْهَدِ الأعلى القَمَرْ

    And among the subtleties of darkness is the unveiling

    of the moon within its folds, in the highest vision.

  4. يَطْوي ويَنْشُرُ من أفانينِ الهَوى

    حِكَماً بها خَبَرٌ يُؤَيّدُ للخَبَرْ

    It folds and unfolds, from love's varied arts,

    wisdom in which one report confirms another.

  5. سَهَرُ الأحبَّةِ فيهِ فَرْضُ كِفايَةٍ

    من غابَ منهمْ نابَ عنهُ من حَضَرْ

    The lovers' vigil therein is a collective duty:

    whoever among them is absent has his place taken by whoever is present.

  6. تَجري العَطايا من سَمواتِ الرِّضا

    وتُبَزُّ للأحْبابِ في اللَّيلِ الدُّرَرْ

    Gifts flow from the heavens of favor,

    and pearls are seized for the lovers in the night.

  7. والمُخْلِصونَ أروقَةٌ أجفانُهُمْ

    هَشٍّا لهُ والمُخْلصونَ على خَطَرْ

    And the sincere—their eyelids are porticoes,

    in glad welcome to Him; and the sincere stand in peril.

  8. خَطَرٌ ولكن لو فَهِمْتَ ضَميرَهُ

    خَطَرُ المَسَرِّةِ إذْ يَمُنُّ بها القَدَرْ

    A peril—but if you understood its inward meaning,

    it is the peril of delight, when destiny bestows it.

  9. طُبِعَتْ على جَبَهاتِهمْ مَكْتوبَةٌ

    آثارُها ولِتلكَ في المَعنى غُرَرْ

    Stamped upon their brows, inscribed there,

    are its traces; these bear radiant marks in their meaning.

  10. هُزَّتْ جُذوعُ قُلوبهِمْ بِغَرامهِمْ

    ليلاً تَساقَطَ بَعدَها لهُمُ الثَّمَرْ

    The trunks of their hearts were shaken by their passion;

    at night, afterward, the fruit fell for them.

  11. فاسْهَرْ بُنَيَّ واقْطعْ نِصْفَهُ

    أبَداً فَمَنْ نامَ الدُّجا حبًّا غَدَرْ

    So keep vigil, my son, and spend half of it awake

    always—for whoever sleeps through darkness betrays love.

  12. سارَ الأُلى والجوعُ أخْمَصَ بَطْنَهُمْ

    والعَيْنُ أرَّقَها الغَرامُ من الذَّعَرْ

    They journeyed on, while hunger hollowed their bellies,

    and passion kept their eyes awake with dread.

  13. وصَلوا فَنالوا قَصْدَهُمْ وتَجبحوا

    وبِذا عن المَأمونِ قد صَحَّ الخَبَرْ

    They arrived, attained their aim, and exulted (uncertain reading).

    And the report of this from al-Ma'mun has been confirmed.

  14. اسْهَرْ على شوقٍ فَغَلْغَلَةُ الدُّجاَ

    فيها لِساهرِها من المولى نَظَرْ

    Keep vigil in longing, for the deep heart of darkness

    holds a glance from the Master for its wakeful watcher.

  15. وإذا قَطَعتَ اللَّيلَ بالسَّهَرِ انْتَبه

    لله شأنُ قَريرِ عينٍ قد ذَكَرْ

    And when you pass the night in wakefulness, be attentive:

    to God belongs the state of one whose eyes are content and who remembers Him.

  16. واسألْ إلهكَ بالنَّبيِّ المُصْطَفى

    سِرِّ الوُجودِ المُجْتَبى روحِ البَشَرْ

    And ask your God through the Chosen Prophet,

    the secret of existence, the Elect, the spirit of humankind.

  17. لم يسألِ الرَّحمَن بالهادي امْرُؤٌ

    في ذَنْبِه يَرْجو الرِّضا إِلاَّ غَفَرْ

    No one has asked the All-Merciful through the Guide,

    in his sin, hoping for favor, without His forgiving him.

  18. واسْألهُ بالسَّاداتِ من أبْنائِهِ

    وبِصَحبهِ الأُسْدُ المَيامينَ الغُرَرْ

    And ask Him through the lords among his sons,

    and through his companions, the auspicious, radiant lions.

  19. وبِكُلِّ قُطْبٍ عارفٍ أفرِدْ بهمْ

    شَيخَ العُرَيْجا القُطْبَ مَمْدوحَ السِّيَرْ

    and through every gnostic Pole; single out among them

    the Shaykh of al-'Urayja, the Pole whose conduct is praised.

  20. قُلْ رَبَّنا يا رَبَّنا يا ربَّنا

    يا من إذا المَكْسورُ ناجاهُ جَبَرْ

    Say: Our Lord, O our Lord, O our Lord,

    O You who restore the broken one when he confides in You:

  21. بِجَنابِ عَبدِكَ ذي الجَنابِ المُصْطَفى

    الصَّادِقِ الوَعْدِ التِّهامِيِّ الأبَرْ

    By the honor of Your servant, the Chosen One of noble rank,

    true to his promise, the most righteous one of Tihama;

  22. بالسَّيِّدِ الصِدِّيقِ سَهَّارِ الدُّجى

    والضَّيْغَمِ الفاروقِ سَيِّدنا عُمَرْ

    by the master al-Siddiq, who keeps long vigils in the dark,

    and the lion al-Faruq, our master 'Umar;

  23. والحَبْرِ عُثْمانَ الإمامِ المُنْتَقى

    والمُرْتَضى بَطَلِ العَريكاتِ الأكَرْ

    and the learned 'Uthman, the chosen imam,

    and al-Murtada, the battle-hero fiercest in the charge;

  24. والسَّابقينَ الزُّهْرِ من أولادِهِ

    وبِكُلِّ عبدٍ فيكَ أوْداهُ السَّهَرْ

    and the radiant forerunners among his children,

    and by every servant whom wakefulness for You has laid low:

  25. اغْفرْ بِفَضْلِكَ يا عليمُ شُؤُنَنا

    يا خيرَ من فَضلاً على العاصي سَتَرْ

    forgive our deeds by Your grace, O All-Knowing One,

    O best of those who graciously shield the sinner.

  26. والطُفْ بنا في كلِّ أمْرٍ نازلٍ

    بوِقايةٍ يا رَبِّ إنْ صَدَمَ القَدَرْ

    And be gentle with us in every matter that befalls us,

    with protection, O my Lord, if destiny strikes.

  27. وانْظُرْ لنا بِعنايةٍ أبَديَّةٍ

    فالكُلُّ منَّا للنَّوالِ قد افْتَقَرْ

    And look upon us with everlasting care,

    for all of us are indeed in need of bounty.

  28. وارْحَمْ بِجودكَ ذُلَّنا وقُصورَنا

    يا رَبِّ إنْ نَحنُ تَوَسَّدْنا الحُفَرْ

    And in Your generosity, have mercy on our abasement and shortcomings,

    O my Lord, if we take the grave-pits as our pillows.

  29. واسْتُرْ عُبَيْداً فيكَ مَظهرُهُ الخَفا

    والطُفْ بأسرارِ الغُيوبِ بِمن ظَهَرْ

    And veil a lowly servant whose manifestation in You is hiddenness,

    and, through the secrets of unseen realms, be gentle with whoever has appeared.

  30. إنِّي غَريبٌ في مُرَقَّعِ خِرْقَتي

    الشَّيْبُ ناجاني وقد مَسَّ الكِبَرْ

    I am a stranger in the patchwork of my cloak;

    gray hair has whispered to me, and old age has touched me.

  31. بِحَنينِ أسرارٍ إليكَ تَوَلَّهَتْ

    وبِكُلِّ عَبدٍ حَجَّ طَوْراً واعْتَمَرْ

    By the yearning of inner secrets enraptured with You,

    and by every servant who once made the Hajj and performed 'umra,

  32. يا عالِمَ الأسرارِ يا رَبَّ العُلى

    القَلْبُ في نارٍ ومَدْمَعُنا مَطَرْ

    O Knower of secrets, O Lord of the heights,

    the heart is in fire, and our tears are rain.

  33. شَبَّتْ بنا الآلامُ فاطفئْ نارَها

    وتَولَّ بالإحسانِ غَلْغَلَةَ الغِيَرْ

    Pains have blazed within us, so quench their fire,

    and with kindness take charge of the turmoil of vicissitudes.

  34. واخْتُمْ دُعاءً قد جَلَتْهُ قُلوبُنا

    لكَ من طُوى سِرٍّ غَرامَكَ قد أسَرّ

    And seal a prayer that our hearts have brought to light

    for You, from the Tuwa of a secret that has concealed love for You,

  35. بِصلاةِ كُلِّ العالَمينَ على الَّذي

    صَيَّرْتَهُ في الغَيْبِ نِبْراسَ الصُّوَرْ

    with the blessings of all the worlds upon the one

    whom You made, in the unseen, the beacon of forms:

  36. المُصْطَفى من لُبِّ عُنْصُرِ هاشمٍ

    من جاءَ بالقرآنِ مُنْتَظمَ السُّوَرْ

    the Chosen One, from the essence of Hashim's stock,

    who came with the Qur'an, its suras arrayed,

  37. ما قامَ قائِمُ خُلَّصٍ في عُصْبَةٍ

    بالذِّكرِ مَلْهوفاً وعن صِدْقٍ شَكَرْ

    as long as one of the sincere stands in a company,

    in remembrance, filled with yearning, and gives thanks in sincerity.