بُدورٌ بِدورِ الحان دارت كواكبي

بُدورٌ بِدورِ الحان دارت كواكبي

عليها فقالت شهبها مَن كواكَ بي

عليها فقالت شهبها مَن كواكَ بي

Full moons in the tavern's houses—my stars revolved

The stars revolved in the cycles of melodies

around them; then their shooting stars said, "Who seared you with me?"

Their comets asked “Who are my stars?”

صدورُ صدور الصبّ كان ورودها

صدورُ صدور الصبّ كان ورودها

به بين صلبٍ وُلِّدت والترائب

به بين صلبٍ وُلِّدت والترائب

The issuing forth of the lover's breasts was their arrival

The chests of youths were blossoms

in him; between backbone and breastbones they were born.

In them, between firmness and tenderness, I was born

مراتعُ غزلانٍ جآذر ربربٍ

مراتعُ غزلانٍ جآذر ربربٍ

ربت في روابي ربع سرب الربائب

ربت في روابي ربع سرب الربائب

Pastures for gazelles, wild-cow calves of a herd,

Pastures of grazing gazelles and singing nightingales

they grew on the hills of the abode of a flock of fosterlings.

Were brought up in the meadows of the flock of maidens

فعنّي سل سلمَى وسلسل صبابتي

فعنّي سل سلمَى وسلسل صبابتي

ومنّيَ سل سلماً ومل عن محاربي

ومنّيَ سل سلماً ومل عن محاربي

So ask Salma about me, and chain my longing;

So ask Solomia about my wrists and my bracelets

and ask me for peace, and turn away from those who fight me.

And ask Soliman about my peace and my battles

نشأتُ به نشوان حالٍ فمرّ بي

نشأتُ به نشوان حالٍ فمرّ بي

مرور الصبا في زهر روض الأطايب

مرور الصبا في زهر روض الأطايب

I arose through him, intoxicated with a state; then it passed by me,

I grew up with it, in the joy of a passing state

as the east wind passes through the blossoms of the garden of delights.

The youth passed in the blossom of the garden of pleasures

خلعت هنا نعلي فناءً ولم أقل

خلعت هنا نعلي فناءً ولم أقل

خلعت عذاري بالعذارى الكواعب

خلعت عذاري بالعذارى الكواعب

Here I took off my sandals in self-annihilation, and did not say:

I took off my slippers here out of evanescence

"I cast off my bridle among the full-breasted maidens."

I took off my virginity among the virgin maidens

فمنّي الهوى عذري وعنّي الهوى هوى

فمنّي الهوى عذري وعنّي الهوى هوى

وفيء بفيء الشمسش غيب الغياهب

وفيء بفيء الشمسش غيب الغياهب

Thus love from me is my excuse, and love fell away from me.

Love is my excuse, and love is my passion

And a shadow in the sun's shadow—the unseen realm of deepest darkness.

And the setting of the sun is veiled by the disappearance

فكن عين كوني لا نعم أنا كنتها

فكن عين كوني لا نعم أنا كنتها

ومنّيَ عين الكون زينت بحاجب

ومنّيَ عين الكون زينت بحاجب

So be the very essence of my being—no, yes, I was it.

So be the essence of my existence, yes I was it

And from me the eye of existence was adorned with an eyebrow.

And from me the essence of existence adorned with an eyebrow

وكنت به في ممكن الواجب الّذي اس

وكنت به في ممكن الواجب الّذي اس

تحال محالاً كان في عين واجبي

تحال محالاً كان في عين واجبي

And through him I was in the possible of the Necessary, which be-

And through it I was in the possible Necessary Being

came impossible; it was in the very essence of my necessary being.

Who was impossible in my eye and my Necessary Being

وجودي الفناء الصرف نحو بيانه

وجودي الفناء الصرف نحو بيانه

معاني البقاء المحض في سبك قالبي

معاني البقاء المحض في سبك قالبي

My existence is sheer annihilation; the manner of its expression:

My existence is the pure annihilation toward its exposition

the meanings of pure abiding in the casting of my mold.

The absolute permanence meanings in the molding of my mold

وجدت وجودي عين فقدي وثمّ قد

وجدت وجودي عين فقدي وثمّ قد

وردتُ شهودي عين حضرة غائبي

وردتُ شهودي عين حضرة غائبي

I found my existence to be my very loss; and then, indeed,

I found my existence the essence of my loss, and then the arrival

I arrived at my witnessing, the very presence of my absent one.

Of my witnessing the essence of the absent of my absent

جهلت بعلمي كلّ شيءٍ وإنّما

جهلت بعلمي كلّ شيءٍ وإنّما

علمتُ بجهلي كلّ شيءٍ أراه بي

علمتُ بجهلي كلّ شيءٍ أراه بي

Through my knowledge I was ignorant of everything; and only

I was ignorant of everything through my knowledge, but

through my ignorance did I know everything I see through myself.

I knew everything through my ignorance that I see through me

أرى الكلّ أفياءً كراءٍ لواصلٍ

أرى الكلّ أفياءً كراءٍ لواصلٍ

بمرآةِ عمياء الظنون الكواذب

بمرآةِ عمياء الظنون الكواذب

I see everything as shadows, like a beholder of one who has attained union,

I see everything as imaginary mirages of an arriver

in a blind mirror of false conjectures.

In the mirror of the blind conjectures and the lying

وأمّا الّذي قد كان من كلِّ كائنٍ

وأمّا الّذي قد كان من كلِّ كائنٍ

فمن بين مطلوبي ومن عين طالبي

فمن بين مطلوبي ومن عين طالبي

And as for that which has come to be from every being,

As for what was of everything existent

it is from the midst of what I seek, and from the very essence of the one seeking me.

It is from my sought and from the essence of my seeker