أنا ظلٌ تجلى في خيالِ

أنا ظلٌ تجلى في خيالِ

وسر قد تكاثف في سؤالِ

وسر قد تكاثف في سؤالِ

I am a child who manifested in your imagination,

I am a shadow made manifest in imagination,

And a secret condensed within your question.

and a secret that has condensed within a question.

فبعضي من أساطير توالتْ

فبعضي من أساطير توالتْ

وبعضي من تواشيح الكمالِ

وبعضي من تواشيح الكمالِ

Part of me comes from myths that followed one another,

For part of me comes from myths that followed one another,

And part from the adornment of perfection.

and part of me from hymns of perfection.

سؤالٌ رحلتي وأنا سؤالٌ

سؤالٌ رحلتي وأنا سؤالٌ

تناثر مثل حبات الرمالِ

تناثر مثل حبات الرمالِ

My question is my journey, and I am my question,

My journey is a question, and I am a question

Scattered like grains of sand.

scattered like grains of sand.

أرى بدئي تجمع في انتهائي

أرى بدئي تجمع في انتهائي

ومعرفتي تناسخُ من ضلالي

ومعرفتي تناسخُ من ضلالي

I see my beginning gathered into my end,

I see my beginning gathered in my ending,

And my knowledge—a rebirth from my wandering.

and my knowledge is a reincarnation of my error.

أسافر للمدى فأراه يأتي

أسافر للمدى فأراه يأتي

وأتركه يناديني تعالي

وأتركه يناديني تعالي

I journey toward the horizon and see it approaching,

I journey toward the expanse, then see it coming,

Then leave it calling out to me: “Come.”

and leave it calling to me: “Come!”

كأني في احتمالاتي فراغٌ

كأني في احتمالاتي فراغٌ

تلامح في مسافات الزوالِ

تلامح في مسافات الزوالِ

As though, among my possibilities, I were a void

As though, within my possibilities, I were a void

That glimmered across the distances of vanishing.

that flickered into view in the distances of vanishing.

أنا لغز الوجود أرى وجودي

أنا لغز الوجود أرى وجودي

سؤالا قد توالى في سؤالِ

سؤالا قد توالى في سؤالِ

I am the riddle of existence; I see my existence

I am the riddle of existence; I see my existence

As a question recurring within a question.

as a question that has recurred within a question.

إذا ما البرد أورثني يقينا

إذا ما البرد أورثني يقينا

تجلت حيرتي في بعض حالي

تجلت حيرتي في بعض حالي

When the full moon bequeaths me certainty,

When the cold bequeaths me certainty,

My bewilderment reveals itself in some state of mine.

my bewilderment is revealed in some aspect of my state.

أغيب فأنجلي عني وأصحو

أغيب فأنجلي عني وأصحو

فأدرك ما تجلى في جلالي

فأدرك ما تجلى في جلالي

I vanish, then emerge from myself, and wake;

I vanish, then emerge from myself and awaken,

Then I perceive what manifested in my splendor.

so I perceive what has been revealed in my majesty.

وأدرك أنني نور تسامى

وأدرك أنني نور تسامى

وعتم قبل ميلاد الليالي

وعتم قبل ميلاد الليالي

And I perceive that I am light risen sublime,

And I perceive that I am light that has risen high,

And darkness before the birth of nights.

and darkness before the birth of nights.

أنا رؤياي حين أرى أراني

أنا رؤياي حين أرى أراني

ولست بغير ما أهوى أبالي

ولست بغير ما أهوى أبالي

I am my vision when I see myself,

I am my vision; when I see, I see myself,

And I care for nothing but what I love.

and I care for nothing but what I love.