1. هَبّ النّسيمُ معَطَّرَ الأراجِ

    فشَفَى لَواعِجَ قَلْبي المُهْتاجِ

    The breeze blew, perfumed with fragrance,

    and soothed the burning pangs of my troubled heart.

  2. وافَى يُحدِّثُ عن أحِبّتيَ الأَلى

    أصْبَحتُ أكْني عنْهُمُ وأُحاجي

    It came, speaking of my loved ones, whom

    I now mention by allusion and in riddles.

  3. فاشْرَبْ علَى ذِكْرِ الحَبيبِ وسَقِّني

    صَهْباءَ تُشْرِقُ في الظّلامِ الدّاجِي

    So drink in remembrance of the beloved, and give me

    tawny wine that shines in the pitch-dark gloom,

  4. مِنْ خَمرَةِ السِّرّ المُقدّسَةِ التي

    كَلِفَتْ بِطاسَتِها يَدُ الحلاّجِ

    from the sacred wine of the mystery, whose

    cup held al-Hallaj's hand enthralled.

  5. وأرَت لهُ الأشياءَ شيئاً واحداً

    فَغَدا يُخاطِبُ نَفْسَهُ ويُناجِي

    And it showed him all things as one single thing,

    so he began addressing himself and communing in secret.

  6. ورأى ابْنُ أدْهَمَ لَمْحةً منْ نورِها

    تَلْتاحُ بينَ مَخارِمٍ وفَجاجِ

    And Ibn Adham saw a glimpse of its light

    gleaming among mountain clefts and passes.

  7. فَغَدا ومِنْ صوفِ الصّفاءِ شِعارُهُ

    واعْتاضَهُ مِنْ لِبْسَةِ الدِّيباجِ

    So his inner garment came to be of the wool of purity,

    and he adopted it in place of brocade attire.

  8. رَفَعُوا لَها قَبَساً بجانِبِ طُورِهِمْ

    فعَشَوْتُ نحْوَ سِراجِهِ الوهّاجِ

    They raised a firebrand for it beside their mount,

    so I groped toward its blazing lamp.

  9. وبَحَثْتُ عَنْها خَمْرَةً لمّا تَزَلْ

    سَبَبَ النّجاةِ لِطالِب أوْراجِي

    And I sought it, a wine that has never ceased

    to be the means of salvation for a seeker or one who hopes.

  10. لمّا عَلِمْتُ مَكانَها وزَمانَها

    أعْمَلْتُ في لَيْلِ السُّرَى إدْلاجي

    When I learned its place and its time,

    I pressed on with my night journey through the darkness.

  11. وأتَيْتُ رَبَّ الدّيْرِ في مِحْرابِه

    فبَثَثْتُ إفْلاسي إليْهِ وَحاجِي

    And I came to the monastery's master in his sanctuary,

    and confided to him my destitution and my needs.

  12. نادَيْتُهُ مُترَحِّماً واللّيلُ قدْ

    رَجَعَتْ كتائِبُهُ علَى الأدْراجِ

    I called to him, begging mercy, while the night's

    battalions had retraced their steps.

  13. ما لي سِواكَ فَلا تُخَيّبْ مَقْصَدي

    ما خابَ فيكَ رَجاءُ عَبْدٍ راجِي

    I have none but you; do not thwart my aim.

    No hopeful servant's hope in you has failed.

  14. وافَيْتُ منْ أرْضٍ بَعيدٍ خَطْوُها

    مِنْ بَعْدِ طولِ تخَبُّطٍ ولَجاجِ

    I have come from a land a long journey away,

    after much stumbling and stubborn persistence.

  15. مهْما ضَحَيْتُ فظِلُّ حُبِّكَ ملْجإي

    ومتَى مَرِضْتُ فَفي يَدَيْكَ عِلاجي

    Whenever I am exposed to the sun, your love's shade is my refuge,

    and whenever I fall ill, my cure lies in your hands.

  16. ومَدَدْتُ كفَّ الفَقْرِ أسْألُهُ فَيا

    عِزَّ الغَنيِّ وذِلّةَ المُحْتاجِ

    And I stretched out poverty's palm, beseeching him—oh,

    the might of the rich and the abasement of the needy!

  17. فرأَى افتِقارِي في يديْهِ فَجادَ لي

    منْ جُودِهِ بالوابِلِ الثّجّاجِ

    Then he saw my need in his hands and gave me,

    from his bounty, a torrential downpour.

  18. وأحَلّني منْ دَيْرِهِ في هَضْبَةٍ

    تنْحَطُّ عَنْها الشُّهْبُ في الأبْراجِ

    And he lodged me upon a height in his monastery,

    below which the bright stars in the constellations sink.

  19. وجَلا عَلَيّ الرّاح في أكْواسِها

    فشَرِبْتُها صِرْفاً بغَيْرِ مِزاجِ

    And he unveiled the wine before me in its cups,

    so I drank it pure, without admixture.

  20. تَخْفَى عن الإدْراكِ إلاّ أنّها

    يَهْدي سَناها راحَةَ المُزّاجِ

    It eludes perception, yet

    its radiance guides the wine-mixers' palms.

  21. فتَرى زُجاجَتَها بغَيْرِ مُدامَةٍ

    وتَرى مُدامَتَها بغيْرِ زُجاجِ

    Thus you see its glass without wine,

    and you see its wine without glass.

  22. والَى عليَّ بِها وقالَ هيَ التي

    فِيها سَمَحْتَ بخَيْرِها النّسّاجِ

    He plied me with it and said: It is the wine

    in which you bestowed its goodness upon al-Nassaj.

  23. فاشْرَبْ وبُحْ باسْمي جِهاراً لا تَخَفْ

    في الدّيْرِ منْ نَصَبٍ ولا إحْراجِ

    So drink, and declare my name openly; do not fear

    hardship or constraint in the monastery.

  24. يا صاحِبَيَّ وما أرَى لي صاحِباً

    غيْري أُعاطِيهِ الهَوى وأناجِي

    O my two companions—yet I see no companion for myself

    but myself, with whom I share love and commune.

  25. عُوجا علَى طَلَلِ الوُجودِ وبلِّغا

    عنّي السّلامَ فلاتَ حينَ مَعاجِ

    Turn aside, you two, to the ruins of existence, and convey

    my greeting, for it is no time to turn back.

  26. للّهِ إخْوانُ الصّفاءِ فإنّهُمْ

    سَلَكوا الطّريقَ الواضِحَ المِنْهاجِ

    To God belong the brethren of purity, for they

    have followed the path whose course is clear,

  27. منْ كلِّ ذي طِمْرَينِ أشْعَثَ أغْبَرٍ

    عبِثَت بشَمْلَتِهِ يَدُ الإنْهاجِ

    each one clad in two rags, disheveled and dust-covered,

    whose cloak the hand of wear and tear has ravaged.

  28. وقَفوا بأبْوابِ اليَقينِ وفتّحوا

    ما كانَ منْها قبْلُ ذا إرْتاجِ

    They stood at the gates of certainty and opened

    those that had formerly been shut fast.

  29. حتّى إذا كادَت سِماتُ طَريقِهِمْ

    تَخْفَى بكُلِّ مُمَوِّهٍ ومُداجِي

    Until, when the signs of their path had almost

    been obscured by every falsifier and dissembler,

  30. نادَتْ هَلُمّوا جَدِّدوا عهْدَ الرِّضى

    أيّامَ مَولانا أبي الحَجّاجِ

    they called out: Come, renew the covenant of contentment

    in the days of our lord Abu al-Hajjaj.

  31. فاسْتَقْبَلوا داعِي المَقام كأنّما

    أتتِ المَقامَ رَكائِبُ الحُجّاجِ

    So they welcomed the caller of the station, as though

    the pilgrims' mounts had arrived at the station.

  32. أحْيَى الإلاهُ بهِ رُسومَ طَريقِهمْ

    وحَماهُمُ منْ مُلْكِهِ بسِياجِ

    Through him God revived the traces of their path,

    and protected them with a fence of his dominion.

  33. ملِكٌ يَحُثُّ الصّالِحينَ ويَقْتَدي

    في الدِّينِ منْ أنْوارِهِم بسِراجِ

    A king who encourages the righteous and takes guidance

    in religion from a lamp drawn from their lights.

  34. ويُواصِلُ اللّيْلَ التّمامَ مُسَهَّداً

    للّهِ بيْنَ مُراقِبٍ ومُناجِي

    And he passes the whole night sleepless,

    for God, between watchful contemplation and intimate prayer.

  35. أبْدَى رُسومَ العِلْمِ بعْدَ عَفائِها

    وأعادَ وَجْهَ الحَقِّ ذا إبْهاجِ

    He made learning's landmarks visible after their effacement,

    and restored the face of truth to gladness.

  36. وغَدا الزّمانُ بسَيْفِهِ وبِسَيْبِه

    يَوْمَينِ يوْمَ نَدىً ويومَ هِياجِ

    Through his sword and his bounty, time became

    two days: a day of generosity and a day of battle-fury.

  37. وأحَقُّ مَنْ مَلَكَ الخِلافَةَ ناصِرٌ

    يَنْمِيهِ صاحِبُ صاحِبِ المِعْراجِ

    The worthiest to hold the caliphate is a champion

    whose lineage springs from a companion of the master of the Ascension.

  38. كُلُّ الفَضائِلِ لمْ تُحَلَّ بحَمْدِهِ

    لَبّاتُها فتَمامُها بخِداجِ

    All virtues, unless his praise has adorned

    their throats, are incomplete even in their perfection.

  39. خُذْها أميرَ الُسْلِمينَ قَوافِياً

    ثارَت عَجاجَتُها على العَجّاجِ

    Accept them, O Commander of the Muslims, as rhymes

    whose dust-cloud has risen over al-'Ajjaj.

  40. أنا جَوهَريُّ اللّفظِ لا عَجَبٌ إذا

    جَمْعي مُنَظِّمُها بهَذا التّاجِ

    I am a jeweler of words; no wonder if

    my collection strings them together in this crown.

  41. أبْقَيْتُ بالذِّكْرِ الجَميلِ مَدائِحاً

    لكَ في فَمِ الرّاوي وقَلْبِ الرّاجي

    Through fair remembrance I have preserved praises

    for you in the reciter's mouth and the hopeful one's heart.

  42. واخْلُدْ ونَصْرُ الله جلّ جلالُه

    يأْتيكَ أفْواجاً علَى أفْواجِ

    And live forever, while God's aid—exalted be His majesty—

    comes to you in hosts upon hosts.