ألا إنه الفرقانُ عينُ وجودي

ألا إنه الفرقانُ عينُ وجودي

وإن كان قرآناً فذاك شهودي

وإن كان قرآناً فذاك شهودي

Lo, the Criterion is the very essence of my existence.

Behold, the Criterion is indeed the very essence of my existence.

And if it is a Qur’an, that is my witnessing.

And if it is a Qur’an, that is my witnessing.

زَبورٌ وتوراةٌ وإنجيلُ مهتدٍ

زَبورٌ وتوراةٌ وإنجيلُ مهتدٍ

مسيحٌ وقرآنٌ صريحٌ وجودي

مسيحٌ وقرآنٌ صريحٌ وجودي

A Psalter, a Torah, and a Gospel of one guided aright;

Psalms, Torah, and the Gospel of one rightly guided,

A Messiah and a clear Qur’an—such is my existence.

Messiah and a clear Qur’an—such is my existence.

تعاليتَ أنت الله في كل صورةٍ

تعاليتَ أنت الله في كل صورةٍ

تجلَّت بلا ستر لعينِ مريد

تجلَّت بلا ستر لعينِ مريد

Exalted are You: You are God in every form

Exalted are You; You are God in every form

That has disclosed itself, unveiled, to a seeker’s eye.

that manifested unveiled to the eye of a seeker.

وقد شهدت عندي بذاك مسامعي

وقد شهدت عندي بذاك مسامعي

من ألفاظِ معصوم بجبل وريد

من ألفاظِ معصوم بجبل وريد

My own powers of hearing have testified to that before me,

And my ears have indeed borne witness before me to that,

From the words of one guarded from error, at a mountain and a jugular vein.

from an infallible one's words, 'by a mountain of a jugular vein' [unclear as written].

فما العالم المنعوتُ بالنقصِ كائنٌ

فما العالم المنعوتُ بالنقصِ كائنٌ

ولكنه نقصٌ بغير مزيد

ولكنه نقصٌ بغير مزيد

The world described as deficient is no true existent;

So the world described as deficient does not exist,

It is deficiency itself, with nothing added.

but it is deficiency without increase.

فما نظرت عيني مليكاً مسوَّداً

فما نظرت عيني مليكاً مسوَّداً

تجلى لمملوك بنعتِ مسود

تجلى لمملوك بنعتِ مسود

Never has my eye beheld a king enthroned as lord,

So my eye has seen no king made sovereign

Manifesting to a subject in the guise of one obeyed,

who manifested to a slave with the attribute of one made sovereign,

سواه ولكن فيه للقلب نظرة

سواه ولكن فيه للقلب نظرة

إذا هو ملاه بنعت عبيد

إذا هو ملاه بنعت عبيد

As other than Him; yet in Him the heart has an insight

other than Him; yet the heart has a vision within Him,

When He has filled it with the attribute of servants.

when He fills it with the character of slaves.

فأخبرت عن قرب بما أنا شاهد

فأخبرت عن قرب بما أنا شاهد

وإن كنتُ فيما قلته ببعيد

وإن كنتُ فيما قلته ببعيد

Thus I report, from nearness, what I myself witness,

So I spoke of nearness through what I witness,

Though in what I said I was far away.

though I was distant in what I said.

فبعدي به قربٌ إليه وقربنا

فبعدي به قربٌ إليه وقربنا

هو البعد إذ كان الوجودُ شهيدي

هو البعد إذ كان الوجودُ شهيدي

My distance through Him is nearness to me; and our nearness

So my distance through Him is nearness to Him, and our nearness

Is distance, since existence itself is my witness.

is distance, since existence is my witness.

وما أنا معصوم ولست بعاصمٍ

وما أنا معصوم ولست بعاصمٍ

إذا طلعت شمسي بنجم سعودي

إذا طلعت شمسي بنجم سعودي

I am neither guarded from error nor a guardian

And I am not infallible, nor am I a protector,

When my sun rises with the star of my good fortune.

when my sun rises with the star of my good fortune.

ولو كنتُ معصوماً لما كنت عارفاً

ولو كنتُ معصوماً لما كنت عارفاً

وإني لعلاَّم به وبجودي

وإني لعلاَّم به وبجودي

Were I guarded from error, I would not be a knower;

Had I been infallible, I would not have been a knower,

Yet through Him and through my bounty I am deeply knowing—

and I am indeed all-knowing concerning Him and my own generosity.

كما جاءنا نصُّ الكتابِ مخبراً

كما جاءنا نصُّ الكتابِ مخبراً

بغفرانِ ذنبِ المصطفى بقيودِ

بغفرانِ ذنبِ المصطفى بقيودِ

Just as the Book’s text came to us announcing

As the text of the Book came to us, telling

Forgiveness of the Chosen One’s sin, within bounds.

of the forgiveness of the Chosen One's sin, with qualifications.

يقولون أنت الحقُّ بل أنا خلقه

يقولون أنت الحقُّ بل أنا خلقه

ولو كنتَ حقاً لم يكن ببعيدِ

ولو كنتَ حقاً لم يكن ببعيدِ

They say, “You are the Real.” No—I am His creation;

They say, 'You are the Real.' Rather, I am His creation.

Yet if you were the Real, it would not be far-fetched.

And were you the Real, that would not be far-fetched.

فإني مشهودٌ وحكمي قاصرٌ

فإني مشهودٌ وحكمي قاصرٌ

وإن كان عينُ الحقِّ عينَ وجودي

وإن كان عينُ الحقِّ عينَ وجودي

I am what is witnessed, and my judgment is limited,

For I am witnessed, and my judgment is limited,

Though the very essence of the Real is the essence of my existence.

though the essence of the Real is the very essence of my existence.

وحكمي عليه نافذٌ غير قاصر

وحكمي عليه نافذٌ غير قاصر

وعينُ الحقِّ عينُ شهودي

وعينُ الحقِّ عينُ شهودي

My judgment upon Him takes effect, unlimited,

And my judgment upon Him is binding, not limited,

And the essence of the Real is the essence of my witnessing.

and the essence of the Real is the very essence of my witnessing.

ولستُ بخلاقٍ ولستُ بفاجرٍ

ولستُ بخلاقٍ ولستُ بفاجرٍ

إذا كان لي كن واستمر قصودي

إذا كان لي كن واستمر قصودي

I am neither a creator nor a profligate

And I am not a creator, nor am I an evildoer,

If the command “Be” is mine and my purpose persists.

when 'Be!' is mine and my aims persist.

ومهما يفو سمعي فإني سامعٌ

ومهما يفو سمعي فإني سامعٌ

لما أورده فالورودُ ورودي

لما أورده فالورودُ ورودي

Whatever eludes my hearing, still I hear

And whatever escapes my hearing, I still hear

Whatever I cause to arrive—for the arrival is my arrival.

what I bring forth; for the arrival is my arrival.

وما أنا علاَّمٌ ولستُ بجاهلٍ

وما أنا علاَّمٌ ولستُ بجاهلٍ

إذا كان مشهودي بحيث شهودي

إذا كان مشهودي بحيث شهودي

I am not all-knowing, nor am I ignorant,

And I am not all-knowing, nor am I ignorant,

If what I witness is wherever my witnessing is.

when what I witness is where my witnessing is.

وما أنا حيّ لا و لا أنا ميِّتٌ

وما أنا حيّ لا و لا أنا ميِّتٌ

وإنْ ألحقوني عندهم بلحودي

وإنْ ألحقوني عندهم بلحودي

I am not alive—no—nor am I dead,

And I am not alive—no—nor am I dead,

Even if, in their view, they have laid me in my grave.

even if, in their view, they consign me to my burial niches.

ولستُ بأعمى لا و لا أنا مبصرٌ

ولستُ بأعمى لا و لا أنا مبصرٌ

إذا كان قربي منه قرب وريدي

إذا كان قربي منه قرب وريدي

I am not blind—no—nor am I one who sees,

And I am not blind—no—nor am I sighted,

If my nearness to Him is the nearness of my jugular vein.

when my nearness to Him is the nearness of my jugular vein.

ولستُ بذي نطقٍ وإن كنتُ مفصحاً

ولستُ بذي نطقٍ وإن كنتُ مفصحاً

بأخبار ما عاينتُ دونَ مزيدِ

بأخبار ما عاينتُ دونَ مزيدِ

I possess no speech, though I speak plainly

And I am not possessed of speech, though I speak clearly

With tidings of what I beheld, adding nothing.

through accounts of what I saw firsthand, without addition.

فذاتي ذاتُ الحقِ إذ هي عينُنا

فذاتي ذاتُ الحقِ إذ هي عينُنا

كما جاء في الشَّرعِ المبينِ فعودي

كما جاء في الشَّرعِ المبينِ فعودي

My essence is the essence of the Real, for It is our very essence,

For my essence is the essence of the Real, since it is our very essence,

As the clear Revealed Law has declared. So return

as stated in the clear Law; so return

إلى الحقِّ يا نفسي ولا تجزعي لما

إلى الحقِّ يا نفسي ولا تجزعي لما

أتيت بما أودعتهُ بقصيدي

أتيت بما أودعتهُ بقصيدي

To the Real, O my soul, and do not be dismayed by what

to the Real, O my soul, and do not be distressed because

I have brought forth—what I lodged within my ode.

I have come with what I placed in my poem.