جَلا الحقُّ قلْبيَ حتّى أنارا

جَلا الحقُّ قلْبيَ حتّى أنارا

فآنَسْتُ منْ جانِبِ الطّوْرِ نارا

فآنَسْتُ منْ جانِبِ الطّوْرِ نارا

The Truth polished my heart until it shone,

The truth illuminated my heart until it shone

So I perceived a fire from the side of the Mount.

So I felt a fire on the side of the mountain

ودُرْتُ على مرْكَزي دوْرَةً

ودُرْتُ على مرْكَزي دوْرَةً

يُحَقِّرُ مَنْ دارَها مُلْكَ دَارا

يُحَقِّرُ مَنْ دارَها مُلْكَ دَارا

And I made a circuit around my center;

And I turned on my axis in a cycle

Whoever makes it holds Dara's kingdom in contempt.

That makes the owner of its home scorn a palace

وحقّقْتُ إنِّيتِي وهْيَ كَنْزٌ

وحقّقْتُ إنِّيتِي وهْيَ كَنْزٌ

فأخْرَجْتُهُ إذ هدَمْتُ الجِدارا

فأخْرَجْتُهُ إذ هدَمْتُ الجِدارا

And I realized my being, which is a treasure,

And I realized my essence which is a treasure

So I brought it forth when I demolished the wall.

So I brought it out when I demolished the wall

وأبْصَرْتُ رسْمي رَسْماً مَحيلا

وأبْصَرْتُ رسْمي رَسْماً مَحيلا

وأبْصرْتُ وصْفيَ وصْفاً مُعارا

وأبْصرْتُ وصْفيَ وصْفاً مُعارا

And I saw my outward form as a faded trace,

And I saw my image, an amazing image

And I saw my attribute as a borrowed attribute.

And I saw my description, a wondrous description

فمَنْ كانَ مثْليَ نالَ الغِنى

فمَنْ كانَ مثْليَ نالَ الغِنى

وباهَى وجرّ الذّيولَ افْتِخارا

وباهَى وجرّ الذّيولَ افْتِخارا

So whoever is like me attains wealth,

So whoever is like me attained wealth

And glories, trailing his robes in pride.

And reveled and dragged his train boasting

رمَى للوجودِ بأوْهامِهِ

رمَى للوجودِ بأوْهامِهِ

وحَلَّ القُيودَ وفكَّ الإسارا

وحَلَّ القُيودَ وفكَّ الإسارا

He hurls his illusions at existence,

He threw the shackles of existence with his illusions

And loosens the fetters and releases the bonds.

And freed the shackles and undid the bonds

ولمْ يرْضَ منْ بعْدُ بالأهْلِ أهْلاً

ولمْ يرْضَ منْ بعْدُ بالأهْلِ أهْلاً

ولمْ يرْضَ منْ بعْدُ بالدّارِ دارا

ولمْ يرْضَ منْ بعْدُ بالدّارِ دارا

And afterward no longer accepts his kin as kin,

And after that he was no longer pleased with people as people

And afterward no longer accepts his home as home.

And after that he was no longer pleased with a home as a home

فمَهْما نطَقْتُ نطقْتُ ادِّكارا

فمَهْما نطَقْتُ نطقْتُ ادِّكارا

ومهْما صمَتُّ صمتُّ اعْتِبارا

ومهْما صمَتُّ صمتُّ اعْتِبارا

So whenever I spoke, I spoke in remembrance,

So whatever I say, I say as a reminder

And whenever I was silent, I was silent in reflection.

And whatever I am silent, I am silent as a lesson

وديْرٍ قطَعْتُ إليْهِ الفَلا

وديْرٍ قطَعْتُ إليْهِ الفَلا

وجُبْتُ الدُّجى وركِبْتُ البِحارا

وجُبْتُ الدُّجى وركِبْتُ البِحارا

And a monastery I crossed the wilderness to reach,

And a monastery I made my way to

And traversed the darkness and rode the seas.

And I crossed the darkness and rode the seas

ونادَمْتُ منْ أجْلِهِ فِتْيَةً

ونادَمْتُ منْ أجْلِهِ فِتْيَةً

تَراهُمْ سُكارى وما هُمْ سُكارى

تَراهُمْ سُكارى وما هُمْ سُكارى

And for its sake I drank with young men,

And for its sake I reproached youths

You see them drunk, though they are not drunk.

You see them drunk yet they are not drunk

كلِفْنا بهِ في سِياقِ الحَديثِ

كلِفْنا بهِ في سِياقِ الحَديثِ

فقُمْنا نُعاقِرُ فيهِ العُقارا

فقُمْنا نُعاقِرُ فيهِ العُقارا

We fell in love with it in the course of our talk,

We were tasked with it in the course of talk

So we rose to quaff the wine within it.

So we stood drinking its potions

ولمّا حلَلْنا بأكْنافِهِ

ولمّا حلَلْنا بأكْنافِهِ

حلَلْنا الحُبا ونبَذْنا الوَقارا

حلَلْنا الحُبا ونبَذْنا الوَقارا

And when we alighted in its precincts,

And when we reached its bosom

We loosened our knee-bands and cast dignity aside.

We reached love and cast off dignity

وطِرْنا الى الرّاحِ فيهِ ارْتِياحا

وطِرْنا الى الرّاحِ فيهِ ارْتِياحا

ومَنْ هزّهُ الوجْدُ والشّوْقُ طارَا

ومَنْ هزّهُ الوجْدُ والشّوْقُ طارَا

And there we flew to the wine in delight,

And we flew in it relieved

And whoever is stirred by ecstasy and longing takes flight.

And whoever ecstasy and longing shook flew

ولاحَتْ لهُمْ خَطَفاتُ البُروقِ

ولاحَتْ لهُمْ خَطَفاتُ البُروقِ

تلوحُ مِراراً وتخْفى مِرارا

تلوحُ مِراراً وتخْفى مِرارا

And fleeting flashes of lightning appeared to them,

And glimpses of lightning flashed for them

They gleam again and again, and vanish again and again.

Appearing again and again and hiding again and again

يُعارضُ فيها الجَلالُ الجَمالَ

يُعارضُ فيها الجَلالُ الجَمالَ

فهُمْ بيْنَ قبْضٍ وبسْطٍ حَيارَى

فهُمْ بيْنَ قبْضٍ وبسْطٍ حَيارَى

Within them, Majesty contends with Beauty,

Wherein majesty contends with beauty

So they are bewildered between contraction and expansion.

And they are between grasping and expanding, confused

زَعَقْنا براهِبِهِ زعْقَةً

زَعَقْنا براهِبِهِ زعْقَةً

وقُلْنا مدَدْنا الأكُفَّ افْتِقارا

وقُلْنا مدَدْنا الأكُفَّ افْتِقارا

We raised a cry to its monk,

We clamored to its monk clamorously

And said, 'We have stretched out our palms in need;

And we said we extended our palms needfully

ومنْ أجْلِ خمْرِكَ جُبْنا الفَلا

ومنْ أجْلِ خمْرِكَ جُبْنا الفَلا

وخُضْنا الدُّجى وقطَعْنا القِفارا

وخُضْنا الدُّجى وقطَعْنا القِفارا

And for your wine we have crossed the wilderness,

And for the sake of your wine we crossed the desert

And waded through the darkness and crossed the barren wastes.'

And braved the darkness and traversed the wastelands

فقال وما مهْرُها عندَكُمْ

فقال وما مهْرُها عندَكُمْ

فقُلْنا أمَتْنا النّفوسَ الغيارى

فقُلْنا أمَتْنا النّفوسَ الغيارى

So he said, 'And what dowry have you for her?'

So he said what is its bride-price with you

So we said, 'We have put the jealous souls to death.'

And we said we sacrificed the passionate souls

فكُلُّ حَكيمٍ وذِكْرُ حَكيمٍ

فكُلُّ حَكيمٍ وذِكْرُ حَكيمٍ

عليْها حَنا وإليْها أشارا

عليْها حَنا وإليْها أشارا

For every sage, and a sage's remembrance,

So every wise one and mention of a wise one

Bent over her and pointed toward her:

Toward it we inclined and to it we gestured

مقدّسَةً عنْ مَكانٍ يُرى

مقدّسَةً عنْ مَكانٍ يُرى

منزّهَةً عنْ شُعاعٍ تَوارَى

منزّهَةً عنْ شُعاعٍ تَوارَى

Hallowed beyond any place that can be seen,

Sacrosanct from a place seen

Exalted beyond any ray hidden from sight,

Transcendent from a ray which faded

معتّقَةً جسّمَتْها اليَهودُ

معتّقَةً جسّمَتْها اليَهودُ

ومنْ بعْدِها ثلّثَتْها النّصارى

ومنْ بعْدِها ثلّثَتْها النّصارى

An aged wine to which the Jews gave bodily form,

Liberated, the Jews embodied it

And after that the Christians made her threefold.

And after them the Christians made it a trinity

وقال البَراهِمُ والفُرْسُ فيها

وقال البَراهِمُ والفُرْسُ فيها

وقد جهِلوا الحقَّ نوراً ونارا

وقد جهِلوا الحقَّ نوراً ونارا

And the Brahmins and Persians said of her:

And the Brahmins and Persians said about it

'Light' and 'fire'—though they did not know the Truth.

Having ignored the truth, light and fire

وغِبْنا فلَمْ ندْرِ منْ أمْرِنا

وغِبْنا فلَمْ ندْرِ منْ أمْرِنا

سوى أنّنا قدْ غُلِبْنا اضْطِرارا

سوى أنّنا قدْ غُلِبْنا اضْطِرارا

And we lost awareness, so we knew nothing of our state,

And we were absent so we did not know our affair

Except that we had been overcome against our will.

Except that we were overcome perforce

إلَيْكَ سَميَّ نَبيِّ الهُدى

إلَيْكَ سَميَّ نَبيِّ الهُدى

مَقالاً يُطابِقُ منْكَ اخْتِيارا

مَقالاً يُطابِقُ منْكَ اخْتِيارا

To you, O namesake of the Prophet of guidance,

To you O prophet of guidance

A discourse that accords with your choice.

I direct speech befitting your choice

دعَتْني لِما لسْتُ أهْلاً لهُ

دعَتْني لِما لسْتُ أهْلاً لهُ

عُلاكَ فجئْتُ بجَهْدي ائْتِمارا

عُلاكَ فجئْتُ بجَهْدي ائْتِمارا

I was summoned to what I am unworthy of

It called me to what I am not worthy of

By your exalted rank; so I came with my best effort, in obedience.

Your sublimity so I came trying my utmost

فغَطِّ على نقْصِهِ بالكَمالِ

فغَطِّ على نقْصِهِ بالكَمالِ

وأوِّل قُبولَكَ منّي اعْتِذارا

وأوِّل قُبولَكَ منّي اعْتِذارا

So cover its imperfection with perfection,

So cover over its deficiency with perfection

And take what you accept from me as an apology.

And consider your acceptance from me an apology