1. هبَّ للذكر وَصفَّ القدما

    ثم وَلّى وَجهه شطر السما

    He rose for remembrance and aligned his feet,

    then turned his face toward heaven.

  2. باتَ في حيرتِه مستسلما

    وَله دمعٌ عَلَى النحرِ يفيضْ

    He spent the night surrendered in his bewilderment,

    with tears streaming down his breast,

  3. لا يغيضْ

    طالما قلَّبَ وجهاً في السماءِ

    never ebbing.

    Long had he turned his face about the sky,

  4. وَسوادُ الليلِ منشورُ اللواءِ

    وَأَجالَ الطرفَ في ذاكَ الفضاءِ

    while night's blackness unfurled its banner,

    and cast his gaze about that expanse,

  5. حائرَ الخطوِ شمالاً وَيمينْ

    ذا أَنينْ

    his steps bewildered, left and right,

    uttering groans.

  6. كلّما الليلُ تمطَّى وَاعتكرْ

    أَدرك الأَسرارَ سِرّاً بعد سرْ

    Whenever night stretched out and grew murky,

    he grasped mysteries, one secret after another.

  7. ليس بدعاً إِنما نورُ البصر

    في سوادٍ وَكذا نور الفؤادْ

    No wonder: the light of sight is only

    in blackness, and likewise the heart's light

  8. في سوادْ

    إيه ما أَبلغَ هدآت الظلامِ

    is in blackness.

    Ah, how eloquent the hushes of darkness!

  9. ربما نابَ سكوتٌ عن كلامِ

    وَلكم أَفصحَ صمتٌ عن مرامِ

    At times silence has stood in for speech,

    and how often silence has expressed a purpose!

  10. فاستمعْ لليلِ يدعو بالسكوتْ

    للقنوتْ

    So listen to the night, calling through silence

    to devotion.

  11. أَيها النائمُ عن ليليَ قمْ

    تَرَ أَنَّ الليلَ كالبحرِ الخضمْ

    O sleeper heedless of my night, arise!

    You will see that night is like the vast sea,

  12. وَسواري السحبِ موجٌ يلتطمْ

    قمْ وَشاهدْ مظهراً من ذي الجلالِ

    and the night-roaming clouds are clashing waves.

    Arise and behold a manifestation of the Lord of Majesty

  13. في الليالي

    فسوادُ الليلِ سرُّ الجبروتِ

    in the nights.

    For night's blackness is the mystery of divine might,

  14. وَاضطرابُ النجمِ سرٌّ كالغيوبِ

    فاستجرْ بالله رب الملكوت

    and the star's trembling a mystery like things unseen.

    So seek refuge in God, Lord of all dominion,

  15. وَتدبرْ آيةَ الليلِ الرهيبْ

    إِذ يهيبْ

    and ponder the sign of the awe-inspiring night

    as it summons.

  16. قرعةُ الناقوسِ مع صوتِ الأَذانِ

    أين من شجوهما صوتُ المثاني

    The toll of the church bell with the call to prayer—

    what is the sound of lute strings beside their plaintive tones?

  17. فلقد والله وَهْناً أَبكياني

    لَحَنَ الأَولُ والثاني جهرْ

    For, by God, late at night they both made me weep:

    the first chimed; the second proclaimed aloud:

  18. الله أَكبرْ

    طأْطأ الصفافُ رأْسَ الخاضعِ

    God is greatest!

    The willow bowed a submissive head,

  19. رَفَعَ الكرمُ أَكفَّ الضارعِ

    أَغمضَ النرجسُ عينَ الخاشعِ

    the vine raised the hands of a supplicant,

    the narcissus closed a reverent eye,

  20. إذ تلا القمْريُّ وِرْدَ السحرِ

    في الشجرِ

    as the turtledove recited the pre-dawn litany

    among the trees.

  21. وفراخٍ عرزمتْ إِذْ سجعا

    كثقاةٍ أَمَّنتْ بعد الدعا

    And nestlings chirped as it cooed,

    like faithful souls saying 'Amen' after prayer.

  22. فاكشفِ اللهم عنها الفزعا

    وَقِها يا ربُّ شرَّ الحابلِ

    So, O God, lift their terror from them,

    and shield them, Lord, from the evil of the snarer

  23. وَالنابلِ

    رَبّ بابُ القولِ دوني مرتجُ

    and the archer.

    Lord, the gate of speech is shut against me;

  24. أَيَّ نهجٍ في صلاتي أَنهج

    فتقبلْ نفساً يختلجُ

    what path shall I follow in my prayer?

    So accept a breath that trembles

  25. بأنينِ صدري ولهاتي

    في صلاتي

    with the groaning of my breast and throat,

    in my prayer.

  26. من ظلام الريبِ ريبُ الملحدينْ

    قدْ تنورت سنا الحقِ المبينْ

    From the darkness of doubt—the doubt of atheists—

    I have beheld the radiance of manifest truth.

  27. من لظى الشكِ إلى برد اليقين

    رحلةٌ نلتُ بها حلو المنى

    From doubt's blaze to certainty's coolness:

    a journey through which I gained the sweetness of my hopes,

  28. بعد العنا

    هبْ ليَ اللّهم في كل أُموري

    after hardship.

    Grant me, O God, in all my affairs,

  29. ثقةً بالنفسي من غيرِ غرور

    وتكفلْ صدقَ حدْسي وشعوري

    confidence in myself, without conceit;

    and ensure the truth of my intuition and feeling.

  30. واجعلِ اللّهم للحقِ جناني

    وَلساني

    And devote, O God, my heart to truth,

    and my tongue.

  31. أشعرِ اللّهم نفسي أنْ تعفْ

    وَفؤادي بغرامي أنْ يرفّْ

    Inspire my soul, O God, to be chaste,

    and my heart to flutter with my love.

  32. وإذا ما ناءَ يوما فوقفْ

    فلتكنْ نفسيَ مثلافاً لحبي

    And if one day it grows burdened and stops,

    let my soul be lavish with my love [reading uncertain],

  33. عند ربي

    رحمةُ الرحمنِ للمستضعفِ

    before my Lord.

    May the All-Merciful's mercy be upon the oppressed,

  34. فهو للأرزاءِ مثل الهدفِ

    سامه الأقوى ولم يستعففِ

    for he is a target for calamities.

    The stronger, without restraint, inflicted upon him

  35. غارة الليثِ وغدر الأطلسِ

    في الغلس

    the lion's onslaught and the gray wolf's treachery

    in the pre-dawn gloom.

  36. أَدمعُ العطفِ ولهفاتُ الحنانِ

    ودواعي الرفقِ في كل جنانِ

    Tears of compassion and tenderness's yearnings,

    and the promptings of gentleness in every heart,

  37. نِعَمٌ أكبرُ من شكرِ اللسانِ

    رب أوزعنيَ أنْ أشكرَ لكْ

    are blessings beyond the tongue's thanksgiving.

    Lord, inspire me to thank You

  38. نِعمَكْ

    كلُّ شيءٍ في السماوات العُلى

    for Your blessings.

    Everything in the lofty heavens,

  39. وَعَلى الأرض وما بينهما

    جلَّ أَو دقَّ وما تحت الثرى

    and on earth, and all between them,

    great or small, and whatever lies beneath the soil,

  40. شاهد الله باللطف الجلي

    وَالخفي

    bears witness to God through grace both manifest

    and hidden.

  41. كل ما في الكونِ من حسنِ الأَثرْ

    هو من قوةِ خلاّقِ البشرْ

    Every beautiful work in the universe

    comes from the power of humankind's Creator.

  42. قدرةُ الله لخيرٍ لا لِشر

    وإذا ما قدَّرَ المرءُ ظلمْ

    God's power is for good, not evil;

    but when man decrees, he acts unjustly

  43. وَاحتكمْ

    هزَّه الشوقُ وهاجَ الشجنا

    and imposes his will.

    Longing shook him and stirred his sorrow,

  44. مثلما هزَّتْ رياحٌ فننا

    فدعا من بعد سِرٍّ علنا

    as winds shake a bough.

    So he called aloud after praying in secret,

  45. ثم ناجى ربه عزّ وجلّْ

    وَابتهلْ

    then communed with his Lord, mighty and exalted,

    and prayed fervently.

  46. قال رب أرني أنظرْ إليكْ

    حنّتِ النفسُ إلى الزلفى لديكْ

    He said, "Lord, show Yourself to me, that I may look upon You.

    My soul yearns for nearness to You,

  47. وهواها لم يزلْ وقفاً عليكْ

    مذ تجلّيتَ عليها من علِ

    and its love has ever been reserved for You,

    since You revealed Yourself to it from on high,

  48. في الأَزلِ

    فعلا من حضرةِ القدس النداءْ

    in eternity."

    Then from the Holy Presence rose the call,

  49. في سكونِ الليل أنْ حانَ الوفاءْ

    حينما لاح له نورُ اللقاءْ

    in night's stillness: "The time of fulfillment has come."

    When the light of meeting shone upon him,

  50. خشع الناظرُ والجلدُ اقشعرْ

    ثم خرّْ

    the beholder was humbled, and his skin shuddered,

    then he fell.

  51. خرّ مغشياً عليه للجبينْ

    مثل شِلْوِ الطير أصماه الكمينْ

    He fell unconscious upon his brow,

    like the carcass of a bird killed outright by an ambusher.

  52. صار والجسم سوى دمعٍ سخين

    هادثاً إِلاّ فؤاداً يضطربْ

    He and his body became—save for hot tears—

    still [reading uncertain], except for a heart that throbbed

  53. وَيشبّْ

    and blazed.