رأيتُ الذي لا بدَّ لي منه جَهرة

رأيتُ الذي لا بدَّ لي منه جَهرة

ولم يك إلاّ ما رأيتُ من الكونِ

ولم يك إلاّ ما رأيتُ من الكونِ

I saw openly what I could not do without,

I plainly saw the one I cannot do without,

and it was nothing but what I saw of the cosmos.

and he was nothing but what I saw of the cosmos.

ولكنه منه على ما رأيته

ولكنه منه على ما رأيته

كإنسانِ عينِ الشخصِ فيه من العينِ

كإنسانِ عينِ الشخصِ فيه من العينِ

Yet it was from Him, in keeping with how I came to it,

Yet he is of it, as I saw him,

like the pupil in a person’s eye—within the eye and of it.

like the pupil of a person's eye, within it and of the eye.

ويأتي على ما يأتي للفصلِ والقضا

ويأتي على ما يأتي للفصلِ والقضا

وقد كان قبلَ الخلقِِ في ذلك العينِ

وقد كان قبلَ الخلقِِ في ذلك العينِ

It comes as it comes, for distinction and judgment,

And he comes as he comes, for judgment and decree,

though before creation it was already in that very essence.

and he was already in that essence before creation.

وما جاءني في كلِّ معنى وصورةٍ

وما جاءني في كلِّ معنى وصورةٍ

لأمر سوى ما يتقيه منَ العينِ

لأمر سوى ما يتقيه منَ العينِ

Whatever came to me, in every meaning and proof,

He never came to me in any meaning or form

came for no purpose except to shield it from the evil eye.

for any purpose but to guard against the eye.

إذا المرءُ لم يعرف بسمعٍ ولا بدا

إذا المرءُ لم يعرف بسمعٍ ولا بدا

لعينٍ أتاه إلا مَن بالحفظ والصَّون

لعينٍ أتاه إلا مَن بالحفظ والصَّون

If a man is known neither by report nor by appearing

If a person is not known through hearing, nor appears

to an eye, none comes to him save one bearing guardianship and protection.

to an eye, none comes to him but one who safeguards and protects.

فرضنا له عينَ الكمالِ لأنه

فرضنا له عينَ الكمالِ لأنه

إذا كان في الأحجارِ فيها من العين

إذا كان في الأحجارِ فيها من العين

We posited for him the very essence of perfection, because

We posited perfection itself for him, because

even when it lies among stones, a spring is there within them.

if he is in stones, within them is something of the spring.

إذا شاء أن يروي من الماء مرتوٍ

إذا شاء أن يروي من الماء مرتوٍ

فلا يشربُ إلا ما يكون من العين

فلا يشربُ إلا ما يكون من العين

If one already quenched should wish to take his fill of water,

If one drinking his fill wishes to quench his thirst with water,

he drinks only what comes from the spring.

then he drinks only what comes from the spring.

فذاك له مثلُ الرَّضاعِ لأنه

فذاك له مثلُ الرَّضاعِ لأنه

تولَّد منها عن فصالٍ وعن بين

تولَّد منها عن فصالٍ وعن بين

To him this is like suckling, because

So for him that is like suckling, because

he was born from it after weaning and separation.

he was born from it through weaning and separation.

وما كان قولي إنه عينُ ما يرى

وما كان قولي إنه عينُ ما يرى

من الكونِ إلا قوله لي بلا مين

من الكونِ إلا قوله لي بلا مين

My saying that it is the very essence of what is seen

My saying that he is the very essence of what is seen

in the cosmos was only His telling me so, without falsehood.

of the cosmos was only his word to me, without falsehood.

ولما سألتُ الله عوناً على الذي

ولما سألتُ الله عوناً على الذي

يكلفني من فرضِه كان في عَوني

يكلفني من فرضِه كان في عَوني

And when I asked God for aid in what

When I asked God for help with what

He charged me, by His ordinance, to fulfill, He aided me.

he lays upon me as duty, he came to my aid.

ويا عجباً إن المعين هو الذي

ويا عجباً إن المعين هو الذي

يكون مُعاناً ردُّه شاهد البَينِ

يكون مُعاناً ردُّه شاهد البَينِ

How wondrous: the Helper is the very one who

How wondrous! The helper is the one

becomes helped—though the witness of separation refutes it.

who is helped; his reply bears witness to separation.

ولو لم يكن في الغيب عينٌ لصورةٍ

ولو لم يكن في الغيب عينٌ لصورةٍ

لما كان للعينِ التصوُّر في العين

لما كان للعينِ التصوُّر في العين

Had there been no entity for a form in the unseen,

Had there been no essence for a form in the unseen,

the eye could have conceived no image within the eye.

the eye could have formed no image within the eye.

وما زينةُ الأعيانِ إلاَّ بربِّها

وما زينةُ الأعيانِ إلاَّ بربِّها

وقد ظهرتْ للعينِ في أحسن الزين

وقد ظهرتْ للعينِ في أحسن الزين

Entities are adorned by none but their Lord,

The entities are adorned only through their Lord,

and they have appeared to the eye in the finest adornment.

and have appeared to the eye in the finest adornment.

تباعد عنها الشَّينُ والشينُ كونها

تباعد عنها الشَّينُ والشينُ كونها

فأنت ترى عَيناً وما ثَمَّ من شَيْن

فأنت ترى عَيناً وما ثَمَّ من شَيْن

Defect withdrew far from them, though defect is their very being—

Blemish has receded from them, and their existence is the blemish;

for you see an entity, and there is no defect there.

so you see an essence, with no blemish there.

إذا قال لي ما أنت إلا هويتي

إذا قال لي ما أنت إلا هويتي

فأين الذي قال المنازعُ من بوني

فأين الذي قال المنازعُ من بوني

When He says to me, “You are nothing but My identity,”

When he says to me, 'You are nothing but my identity,'

where, then, is the distance alleged by the disputant?

where, then, is the separation the disputant claimed for me?

لقد حِرتُ في أمري وإني لصادقٌ

لقد حِرتُ في أمري وإني لصادقٌ

تقابلُ ألفاظٍ تُترجمُ عن عيني

تقابلُ ألفاظٍ تُترجمُ عن عيني

I am bewildered in my affair—and I speak truly—

I am bewildered about my condition, and I am indeed truthful:

as opposing words give expression to my essence.

conflicting words give expression to my essence.

وما عجبي عن واحدٍ عنه واحدٌ

وما عجبي عن واحدٍ عنه واحدٌ

كما قيل لكنْ مِن وحيدٍ عن اثنين

كما قيل لكنْ مِن وحيدٍ عن اثنين

My wonder is not at one proceeding from His unique One,

I marvel not at one from whom one comes,

but my wonder is at one proceeding from two.

as has been said, but at a single one from two.

فلولاه لم أوجد ولولاي لم يكن

فلولاه لم أوجد ولولاي لم يكن

ولا بدَّ لي في كون ذاتي من اثنين

ولا بدَّ لي في كون ذاتي من اثنين

Without Him I would not exist; without me He would not be,

So without him I would not exist, and without me he would not be;

and for my essence to exist, I cannot do without two.

for my own self to exist, I must have two.

حقيقةُ ذاتي من حقيقةِ ذاته

حقيقةُ ذاتي من حقيقةِ ذاته

ولا بدَّ من ذاتي فلا بدَّ من تَين

ولا بدَّ من ذاتي فلا بدَّ من تَين

The reality of my essence comes from the reality of His Essence,

The reality of my self comes from the reality of his self;

and my essence must be; therefore, there must be two.

my self is indispensable, so these two are indispensable.

وإني من الأضدادِ في كلِّ حالة

وإني من الأضدادِ في كلِّ حالة

كما هو مثل الغرِّ في اللوّنِ والجونِ

كما هو مثل الغرِّ في اللوّنِ والجونِ

I am composed of opposites in every state,

I am among the opposites in every state,

as He is—like white and black among colors.

just as he is, like white and black in color.

إذا كان عيني عينه فمن الذي

إذا كان عيني عينه فمن الذي

تحكم فيه بالنوى حاكم البَينِ

تحكم فيه بالنوى حاكم البَينِ

If my very essence is His essence, then who is it

If my essence is his essence, who, then, is the one

whom the judge of separation rules through estrangement?

over whom the arbiter of separation rules through distance?

ومَن ذا الذي قد قيلَ فيه مُداين

ومَن ذا الذي قد قيلَ فيه مُداين

وهل كان هذا الحكمُ إلاّ من الدّينِ

وهل كان هذا الحكمُ إلاّ من الدّينِ

And who is this of whom it is said that he deals in debt?

And who is the one who has been called a creditor?

Was this judgment anything but from dīn—debt, or religion?

Was this judgment from anything but religion?

لقد حُجبتْ منا قلوبٌ صقيلةٌ

لقد حُجبتْ منا قلوبٌ صقيلةٌ

عن الكشفِ والتحقيقِِ من حُجُبِ الرِّينِ

عن الكشفِ والتحقيقِِ من حُجُبِ الرِّينِ

Polished hearts have indeed been veiled from us,

Polished hearts among us have indeed been veiled

barred from unveiling and verification by veils of rust.

from unveiling and realization by veils of rust.

لقد خالفوا في اللونِ وهو مشاهدٌ

لقد خالفوا في اللونِ وهو مشاهدٌ

وأينَ شهيدُ الكونِ من شاهد اللونِ

وأينَ شهيدُ الكونِ من شاهد اللونِ

They have disputed about color, though it is plainly witnessed;

They have indeed disagreed about color, though it is visible;

how far the witness of existence is from the witness of color!

how does the witness of being compare with the observer of color?

لقد لنتُ للأقوامِ حتى كأنني

لقد لنتُ للأقوامِ حتى كأنني

عجزتُ عن التقييد من شِدَّة اللين

عجزتُ عن التقييد من شِدَّة اللين

I grew so gentle toward the people that it seemed

I have been so gentle with people that I seem

I could impose no bounds, so extreme was my pliancy.

unable to impose limits, from sheer gentleness.

وقد جاء حكمُ الفالِ فيما علمتم

وقد جاء حكمُ الفالِ فيما علمتم

وحاشاه مما تعرفون من الغَين

وحاشاه مما تعرفون من الغَين

The judgment of the omen has come, as you know,

The good omen's ruling has come in what you have learned;

and far be it from the ghayn you know.

and he is free of what you know of clouding.

كما قيلَ حَدّادٌ لحاجبِ بابهم

كما قيلَ حَدّادٌ لحاجبِ بابهم

وقد قيلَ هذا اللفظ في العرفِ للقَين

وقد قيلَ هذا اللفظ في العرفِ للقَين

Thus “smith” was said of the keeper of their door,

As the keeper of their door was called a 'blacksmith,'

though in customary speech that word is used for the smith.

and in common usage this word is applied to the smith.

ولوكان في الداعي إلى الله غلطة

ولوكان في الداعي إلى الله غلطة

لفرُّوا ولكنْ جاء باللين والهينِ

لفرُّوا ولكنْ جاء باللين والهينِ

Had there been any harshness in the one calling to God,

If there were a fault in the one who calls to God,

they would have fled; but he came with gentleness and ease.

they would flee, but he came with gentleness and ease.