فلوso if only أرآنيI see myself إذاwhen أتانيhe came to me
فلو أرآني إذا أتاني
سرَّاًsecretly وجهراًand openly أناI بذاتيin my own essence
سرَّاً وجهراً أنا بذاتي
If only I could see myself when he came to me,
If he saw me when he came to me
in secret and openly—I, in my own essence.
Secretly and openly, I am myself
وقلتand you said أنعمyes فقلتُso I said طوعاًwillingly
وقلت أنعم فقلتُ طوعاً
وكانand was منيfrom me ليtoward me التفاتيmy turning
وكان مني لي التفاتي
And you said, 'Yes'; so I said, 'Willingly.'
And I said "It is good," so I obediently said
And my turning toward myself came from myself.
And I was attentive to myself
فنيتI vanished عنيfrom myself بعينthrough the very essence of أنيthat I am
فنيت عني بعين أني
وعنand from عداتيmy enemies وعنand from ثقاتيmy trusted companions
وعن عداتي وعن ثقاتي
I vanished from myself through the very essence of my 'I am',
So I forgot about me with an oblivious eye
and from my enemies and my trusted companions,
And about my friends and my confidants
وعنand from وعيديmy threat وعنand from مزيديmy increase
وعن وعيدي وعن مزيدي
وعنand from نعيميmy bliss وعنand from عِداتيmy promises
وعن نعيمي وعن عِداتي
and from my threat and my increase,
And about my threats and my excess
and from my bliss and my promises,
And about my bliss and my companions
وعنand from شهيديmy witness وعنand from شهوديmy witnessing
وعن شهيدي وعن شهودي
وكنتَand you were ليfor me بيthrough me نِعمَexcellent is المواتيthe accommodating helper
وكنتَ لي بي نِعمَ المواتي
and from my witness and my witnessing.
And about my martyr and my witnesses
And you were for me, through me, an excellent helper.
And you were for me, with me, the best companions
فياso O أناI ردّنيrestore me بعينيthrough my own essence
فيا أنا ردّني بعيني
إليَّto me حتىuntil أرىI see ثباتيmy steadfastness
إليَّ حتى أرى ثباتي
So, O I, restore me through my own essence,
So oh me, return me to my eye
to myself, until I see my steadfastness.
To myself so that I see my steadfastness
فردّنيso he restored me بيthrough me إليَّto me منيfrom me
فردّني بي إليَّ مني
فلمso did not يقمsubsist بيin me سوىexcept صفاتيmy attributes
فلم يقم بي سوى صفاتي
So he restored me, through me, to myself, from myself;
So return me to myself from me
then nothing subsisted in me but my attributes.
For nothing remained in me but my traits
فصالso assailed كفيmy palm علىagainst عصايmy staff
فصال كفي على عصاي
وصالَand assailed عُوديmy rod علىagainst صفاتيmy attributes
وصالَ عُودي على صفاتي
Then my palm assailed my staff,
So my palm held my staff
and my rod assailed my attributes.
And my harmony held to my traits
فسالso flowed نهرُthe river of البروجِthe constellations منهاfrom them
فسال نهرُ البروجِ منها
عَشرten أوor ثنتينtwo مُعلماتِmarked out
عَشر أو ثنتين مُعلماتِ
Then the river of the constellations flowed from them,
So the river of stars flowed from it
ten or two, marked out.
Ten or twelve landmarks
فقلتso I said ليto me ياO أناI وزِدنيand increase me
فقلت لي يا أنا وزِدني
منيfrom me ثَباتاًsteadfastness علىupon ثباتيmy steadfastness
مني ثَباتاً على ثباتي
So I said to myself, 'O I, increase me
So I said to myself oh me and give me
from myself, in steadfastness upon my steadfastness.'
More steadfastness upon my steadfastness
هذيthese علومsciences الحياةِof life لاحتْshone forth
هذي علوم الحياةِ لاحتْ
علىupon وجوديmy being منfrom النباتِthe plants
على وجودي من النباتِ
These sciences of life shone forth
This is the knowledge of life that shone
upon my being, from the plants.
Upon my existence from growth
فأينso where سرِّيmy secret اللطيفِthe subtle منيfrom me
فأين سرِّي اللطيفِ مني
ماwhat أودعdeposited اللهGod فيin الذواتthe essences
ما أودع الله في الذوات
Where, then, is my subtle secret in relation to me—
So where is my subtle secret from me
that which God has deposited in essences?
That God deposited in beings
فزدتنيso you increased me ماwhat طلبتI asked for منيfrom me
فزدتني ما طلبت مني
فدامso endured شوقيmy longing إلىuntil مماتيmy death
فدام شوقي إلى مماتي
So you increased me by what I asked of myself,
So you gave me what I asked of myself
and my longing endured until my death.
So my longing for my death persisted
فصرتso I began أشكوto complain of الغرامpassion منيfrom me
فصرت أشكو الغرام مني
إليَّto me كيماso that تبدوmight appear سماتيmy features
إليَّ كيما تبدو سماتي
So I began to complain of passion, from myself
So I started complaining of love from me
to myself, so that my features might appear
To myself so that my traits would appear
إلىto جُفونيmy eyelids منfrom عينthe eye of كونيmy being
إلى جُفوني من عين كوني
فزادso exceeded جمعيmy union علىbeyond شتاتيmy dispersion
فزاد جمعي على شتاتي
to my eyelids, from the eye of my being.
To my eyelids from the eye of my existence
So my union surpassed my dispersion.
So my collection increased over my dispersion
وصلتI united ذاتيmy essence وحداalone بذاتيwith my essence
وصلت ذاتي وحدا بذاتي
منfor أجلthe sake of ذاتيmy essence مدىthroughout حياتيmy life
من أجل ذاتي مدى حياتي
I united my essence, alone, with my essence,
I connected my essence alone with my essence
for my essence's sake, throughout my life.
For the sake of myself for the extent of my life
ولمand did not أعرِّجI dwell علىon جفائيmy coldness
ولم أعرِّج على جفائي
وطولand the length of هجريmy forsaking وسيئاتيand my misdeeds
وطول هجري وسيئاتي
And I did not dwell on my coldness,
And I did not detour to my aloofness
nor my long forsaking, nor my misdeeds.
And the length of my abandonment and my wrongdoings
أناI حبيبيmy beloved أناI محبيmy lover
أنا حبيبي أنا محبي
أناI فتايmy young man أناI فتاتيmy young woman
أنا فتاي أنا فتاتي
I am my beloved; I am my lover.
I am my beloved, I am my lover
I am my young man; I am my young woman.
I am my youth, I am my companion