سأصرفُ عن آياتٍ كلَّ محققٍ

سأصرفُ عن آياتٍ كلَّ محققٍ

رجالاً أبوا إلا التبجج بالهزلِ

رجالاً أبوا إلا التبجج بالهزلِ

I shall turn every knower of truth away from signs—

I will turn away from the signs of every critic

Men who refused anything but boasting in jest.

Men who insist on frivolity and jest

ولم أر في الآيات مثلَ كلامه

ولم أر في الآيات مثلَ كلامه

يلازمه قلبي ملازمةَ الظل

يلازمه قلبي ملازمةَ الظل

And among the signs I have seen nothing like his speech;

And I have not seen in the signs anything like his words

My heart clings to it as closely as a shadow.

My heart clings to them like a shadow clings

ولم أشهدِ الأقوام لكن رأيتُهم

ولم أشهدِ الأقوام لكن رأيتُهم

سكارى حيارى يطلبون على مثلي

سكارى حيارى يطلبون على مثلي

And I did not witness the people, yet I saw them

And though I have not witnessed the people, I saw them

Drunk and bewildered, making demands upon one like me.

Drunk and confused, seeking one like me

فلما رأوني لم يروا ما تخيَّلوا

فلما رأوني لم يروا ما تخيَّلوا

لأنّ شهودَ العينِ ستر على إلّي

لأنّ شهودَ العينِ ستر على إلّي

So when they saw me, they did not see what they had imagined,

So when they saw me they did not see what they imagined

For the eye's witnessing is a veil over my God.

For witnesses of the eye veil what is divine in me

ولما رأوني لم يروا ما تحققوا

ولما رأوني لم يروا ما تحققوا

لأنهمُ في النشىء ليسوا على شكلي

لأنهمُ في النشىء ليسوا على شكلي

And when they saw me, they did not see what they had realized,

And when they saw me they did not see what they verified

For in their formation they do not share my form.

For they are not in character like me in nature

مزاجهمُ غير الذي قد مزجته

مزاجهمُ غير الذي قد مزجته

وإنّ مزاجي لم يكن فيه من قبلي

وإنّ مزاجي لم يكن فيه من قبلي

Their constitution differs from the one I have blended,

Their temperament is other than what I have tempered

And no one before me ever had my constitution.

And my temperament has not existed before me

فإني وحيدُ العصر شهم مقيد

فإني وحيدُ العصر شهم مقيد

بشرع وتحقيق وذا غاية الفضل

بشرع وتحقيق وذا غاية الفضل

For I am unique in this age, noble-hearted and bound

For I am unique to the age, valiant and restrained

By sacred law and realization—and this is the height of excellence.

By law, verification, and utmost merit

سألت اجتماعاً بين عيني وشاهدي

سألت اجتماعاً بين عيني وشاهدي

ومن لي بهذا الجمع من لي به مّنْ لي

ومن لي بهذا الجمع من لي به مّنْ لي

I asked for union between my eye and my witness,

I asked for a meeting between my eye and my witness

And who can secure this union for me? Who can secure it for me? Who is there for me?

But who can bring about this gathering? Who can grant me this?

لقد جدت يوماً بالقرونة مثلما

لقد جدت يوماً بالقرونة مثلما

تجودُ به الأمطار في الزمنِ المحلِ

تجودُ به الأمطار في الزمنِ المحلِ

Indeed, I once gave my soul freely, just as

One day in Al-Qarawiyin I found the likes of

The rains give freely in a season of drought.

What rains bestow in the blessed time

أقول بعين الجمع في عين مفرد

أقول بعين الجمع في عين مفرد

تعجبتُ من جزء له حكمةُ الكل

تعجبتُ من جزء له حكمةُ الكل

I speak through the essence of union within a single entity;

I say with the eye of multitude in the eye of one

I marveled at a part possessing the wisdom of the whole.

I marveled at the part which holds the wisdom of the whole

كآدم لما أنْ علمتُ بذاته

كآدم لما أنْ علمتُ بذاته

وقد جاء في الأخرى على صورةِ الإل

وقد جاء في الأخرى على صورةِ الإل

Like Adam, when I came to know his essence,

As with Adam when I learned of his essence

And in the other, he appeared in the image of God,

And he came in another form, in the image of God

وصورةُ ما في الكونِ من عالم علا

وصورةُ ما في الكونِ من عالم علا

ومن أنزل فيه إلى غايةِ السفلِ

ومن أنزل فيه إلى غايةِ السفلِ

And in the image of all in the cosmos, of a world on high,

And the image of what is in the universe of exalted realms

And of whatever was brought down within it to the lowest depths.

And what descends in it to the lowest level

علمتُ بحالي إن تحققتْ نشأتي

علمتُ بحالي إن تحققتْ نشأتي

إذا كان مرآتي بأني من الأهل

إذا كان مرآتي بأني من الأهل

I knew through my state—if my formation was realized—

I learned of my state when I verified my creation

That I was of the household, when he was my mirror.

If my mirror is that I am of the worthy people

فقال لي المطلوب أنت حقيقتي

فقال لي المطلوب أنت حقيقتي

فأنتَ من إلى لستَ والله من أهلي

فأنتَ من إلى لستَ والله من أهلي

Then the one sought said to me: You are my reality;

So the sought said "You are my reality

So you are “from—to” [wording unclear]; by God, you are not of my household.

For you are not, by God, of my people"

فقلتُ له قل لي الذي قد علمته

فقلتُ له قل لي الذي قد علمته

من أحوالِ قلبيفي جنابكمُ قل لي

من أحوالِ قلبيفي جنابكمُ قل لي

So I said to him: Tell me what you have learned

So I said to him "Tell me what you have known

Of my heart's states in your presence—tell me.

Of the states of my heart, in your presence tell me"

فقد كان طيفورُ يقولُ هوى لكم

فقد كان طيفورُ يقولُ هوى لكم

وأتبعه فيه أبو بكر الشبلي

وأتبعه فيه أبو بكر الشبلي

For Tayfur used to profess love for you,

For the phantom used to say, desiring you

And Abu Bakr al-Shibli followed him in that.

And Abu Bakr ash-Shibli followed him in it

خلعت عليه من صفاتي ملابساً

خلعت عليه من صفاتي ملابساً

ليخلفني فارتاع من ذلك الفضل

ليخلفني فارتاع من ذلك الفضل

I bestowed upon him garments of my attributes,

I bestowed upon him from my attributes some clothes

So that he might act in my stead; then he was alarmed at that favor.

To take my place, so he shrank from that merit

ونادى بترجيعٍ وقولٍ مفصلٍ

ونادى بترجيعٍ وقولٍ مفصلٍ

إلهي ماذا بعد أنْ جدتَ بالوصلِ

إلهي ماذا بعد أنْ جدتَ بالوصلِ

And he cried out in repeated tones and clearly articulated words:

And called out with apology and detailed words

My God, what comes after you have generously granted union?

"My God, what after having found connection?"

يكلفني مالا أطيق احتماله

يكلفني مالا أطيق احتماله

ولم يدر أني في الأطايبِ والثقل

ولم يدر أني في الأطايبِ والثقل

He burdens me with what I lack the strength to bear,

You burden me with what I cannot bear

And he did not know that I am in delights and burdens.

And he did not know that I am in perfumes and heaviness

وإني من أعطى الوجودَ كماله

وإني من أعطى الوجودَ كماله

كما أنه أعطى الكثير من القل

كما أنه أعطى الكثير من القل

And I am the one who gave existence its perfection,

And that I am the one who gave existence its perfection

Just as he gave abundance out of scarcity.

Just as He gave abundant from the little

وجاد على قومٍ بريّا ممسكٍ

وجاد على قومٍ بريّا ممسكٍ

وجادَ على قومٍ برائحةِ الزبل

وجادَ على قومٍ برائحةِ الزبل

And he bestowed a musk-scented fragrance on some people,

And He gave freely upon a pious, generous people

And on some people he bestowed the smell of dung.

And gave freely upon a people the stench of rot

وكلٌّ له فيه نعيمٌ ورغبةٌ

وكلٌّ له فيه نعيمٌ ورغبةٌ

فما في عطاءِ الله شيءٌ من البخلِ

فما في عطاءِ الله شيءٌ من البخلِ

And each finds in it bliss and desire;

And each has in it delight and desire

So there is no trace of stinginess in God's giving.

So in God's giving there is nothing of stinginess