أنحن بهذا الموت أم غيرنا يعنا

وهل نحن في شك فواعجبا منا

Are we meant by this death, or is it someone else?

Are we in doubt? How astonishing we are!

نرى بعضنا يتلو به الموت بعضنا

ونحن نيام ما ارعوينا ولا بتنا

We see death follow some of us with others,

while we sleep, neither taking heed nor repenting.

وما هذه الأيام إلا مراحل

إلى الموت فالأقصى بها يلحق الأدنا

These days are nothing but stages

toward death; through them the farthest catches the nearest.

يحب الفتى منا البقاء وما درى

بأن الذي يهوى البقا بالبقا يفنا

The young man among us loves to live on, yet does not know

that whoever loves to live on perishes by living on.

تغالطنا الأيام تدعو بغيرنا

ونحن بما ندعوه أول مانعنا

The days beguile us, summoning others instead of us,

and through what we invoke, we are our own first hindrance.

ألا إنها صماء لا تقبل الرقا

أصابت فعمت بالأسى الأنس والجنا

Indeed, they are deaf and accept no healing charms.

They struck, engulfing humankind and jinn alike in sorrow.

لقد مات قطب العارفين محمد

فما الناس إلا مثل لفظ بلا معنا

Muhammad, the spiritual pole of those who know God, has died;

people are now like a word without meaning.

خلا الغاب من ذاك الهزبر وما خلت

قلوب ملاها يوم غيبته حزناً

The forest is empty of that lion, yet not empty are

the hearts his day of absence filled with grief.

فمن شاء بعد اليوم فليحيى أو يمت

فما غيشة ترضى ولا ميتة تشنا

Whoever wishes, after today, may live or die:

no life is pleasing, nor any death hateful.

لقد كان بطن الأرض يحسد ظهرها

عليه فهذا ظهرها يحسد البطنا

The earth's belly once envied its back

because of him; now its back envies its belly.

أميلوا أميلوا أوجه العزم والسرى

إلى الفياض واستمطروا المزنا

Turn, turn the faces of resolve and night travel

toward the bountiful one, and summon rain from the clouds.

وارخوا شابيب الدموع وكاثروا

بها الوبل حتى يسكب الحسب الجفنا

Release the showers of tears, and rival

with them the downpour, until honor pours out the eyelid.

بكرهي قد أوفيتك الحق باكيا

أعض عليك الكف أو أقرع السنا

Against my will, I have paid you your due, weeping,

biting my hand in grief for you, or striking my teeth.

فما كنت إلا جاه من قل جاهه

وما كنت إلا حسن من لم يجد حصنا

You were nothing but the standing of those whose standing was slight,

and nothing but a stronghold for whoever found no fortress.

وما خص أرض دون أرضك وحشة

فراقك بل عم البلاد وما استثنا

No land to the exclusion of yours was singled out by the desolation

of your parting; it swept all lands and spared none.

وكان لآمالي بسوحك منهل

ومرعى خصيب لم تزل ثمره تجنا

My hopes had a watering-place in your courtyards,

and a fertile pasture whose fruit was ever gathered.

نعاك لي الناعي فلا در دره

لقد طبق الدنيا وصيرها سجنا

The bearer brought me news of your death—may his milk never flow!

He overshadowed the world and turned it into a prison.

ولو أن أفراط البكاء تهاتكا

إذا لبرينا الدمع والخد والجفنا

Even if excessive weeping were shameless abandon,

we would wear away tears, cheeks, and eyelids.

ومامات حي روحه عند ربه

ينقل من معنى كريم إِلى معنا

He has not died: he lives, his soul with his Lord,

passing from one noble state of being into another.

ومامات من أنشى له العمر ثانياً

خلافته المثلى وأفعاله الحسنى

Nor has he died whose life was brought forth a second time

by his exemplary legacy and his good deeds.

أيا صاحبي هل من سبيل إِلى اللقا

مناما فما أحلى لقاك وما أهنا

O my friend, is there any way to meet

in a dream? How sweet it is to meet you, how blissful!

سلام على ذاك المحيا ورحمة

من الله تغشى ذلك المنظر الأسنا

Peace upon that face, and mercy

from God, enveloping that most radiant sight.

لعل أخي يوماً يرد تحيتي

وما هو إلا فاعل فاسح أذنا

Perhaps my brother will one day return my greeting;

he is sure to do so, so open your ear.

أغرك أن الترب قد حال دونه

إلا أنه تحت الثرى حاضر معنا

Has it deceived you that dust has come between you and him?

Yet beneath the soil he is present with us.

لقد سرني منه حديث سمعته

قبيل التنائي صار خوفي به أمناً

I was gladdened by a saying of his that I heard

shortly before our separation; through it my fear became security.

بمحضر قطب الأوليا ابن محمد

أبي بكر المشهور فضلا فما يكنا

In the presence of the saints' spiritual pole, Muhammad's son,

Abu Bakr, renowned for excellence, not referred to obliquely,

وقد أخذته حالة وهو بيننا

عراه بها أمر فغيبه عنا

a spiritual state seized him while he was among us.

Something came upon him in it, making him oblivious to us.

وقال اسمعوا قد قيل لي أن أحمداً

لمنكم وأنتم منه فليحسن الظنا

He said, “Listen! I was told that Ahmad

is surely one of you, and you are of him; let him be hopeful.”

وبشرني بالحفظ حياً وميتاً

فقلت اشهدوا قال أشهدوا أنه منا

He brought me glad tidings of protection in life and death.

I said, “Bear witness!” He said, “Have it witnessed that he is one of us.”

وحسبك ما أكسيتنيه مبشراً

بخير وقلت البس رضى الله والأمنا

And what you clothed me in suffices, as you brought glad tidings

of good and said, “Wear God's favor and safety.”

وأعطيتني من كف يمناك سبحة

مشيراً إليها قد أتت ذمة ضمنا

You gave me prayer beads from the palm of your right hand,

pointing to them: they bore an implicit pledge of protection.

وقد مسها تلك الأكف فديتها

أكفا فما أحلى مكارمها تجنا

Those palms had touched them—may I be their ransom—

palms whose generous gifts are so sweet to reap!

أكف الكرام السادة الغر إنها

شفاء السقيم الجاسم والناحل المضنى

The palms of the noble, radiant masters: they are

healing for the stout-bodied sick and the wasted, worn-out.

عيانا نرى البشرى من الراحة اليسرى

ويلتمس اليمنى من الراحة اليمنى

With our own eyes we see glad tidings from the left palm,

and good fortune is sought from the right palm.

فها أنا ذا بالله والوعد منكم

ومنجز شكري لفضلكم فنا

So here I am, trusting in God and the promise from you,

and rendering my thanks for your generosity as an art.

وها أناذا مستنجز الوعد وأثق

بأني في الدارين قد فزت بالجنا

Here I am, seeking fulfillment of the promise, trusting

that in both worlds I have gained the harvest.

عليه من الله السلام مكرراً

ألوفا ألوفا لا فرادى ولا مثنا

Upon him be peace from God, repeated

thousands upon thousands—not singly, nor in pairs.