سَل رَبّة الخال إِذ تَخلو بِها مددا

سَل رَبّة الخال إِذ تَخلو بِها مددا

بسرّها الماء مِن أَعطافِها جَمدا

بسرّها الماء مِن أَعطافِها جَمدا

Ask the lady with the beauty mark for aid when you are alone with her;

Ask the mistress of the moles, when you are alone with her for a while,

through her mystery, water from her sides froze.

To give you water from her soft lips that are frozen from her secret.

أَما تَرى النار فَوقَ الثَلج قَد ظَهَرَت

أَما تَرى النار فَوقَ الثَلج قَد ظَهَرَت

في وَجنَتيها حَواليها حياً وَنَدى

في وَجنَتيها حَواليها حياً وَنَدى

Do you not see the fire that has appeared above the snow

Don't you see that fire has appeared above ice?

on her cheeks, with rain and dew around it?

In her cheeks, around her, there is life and dew.

مِن سرّها إِن دَنَت أَنفاس عاشقها

مِن سرّها إِن دَنَت أَنفاس عاشقها

لَهيبها لَم يذب مِن ثَغرِها بَردا

لَهيبها لَم يذب مِن ثَغرِها بَردا

Part of her mystery: if her lover's breaths draw near,

If the breaths of her lover draw near her secret,

their blaze does not melt the hailstones of her mouth.

The flames from her mouth do not diminish from the cold.

نار تمسّ قُلوب العاشِقين وَمِن

نار تمسّ قُلوب العاشِقين وَمِن

آياتِها لَم تَكُن مَسَّت لَهُم جَسَدا

آياتِها لَم تَكُن مَسَّت لَهُم جَسَدا

A fire that touches lovers' hearts—and among

A fire that touches the hearts of lovers, and from

its signs is that it has never touched their bodies.

Its signs it had not physically touched them before.

نار إِذا ما كَليم الوَجد آنسها

نار إِذا ما كَليم الوَجد آنسها

وَجد قال لِعَلّي قَد وَجَدت هدى

وَجد قال لِعَلّي قَد وَجَدت هدى

A fire: whenever ecstasy's interlocutor glimpses it,

A fire - when the passionate lover sensed it,

he is enraptured and says, "Perhaps I have found guidance."

He found guidance, and said "Perhaps I have found guidance."

كَم حَيّة في حِماها مِن غَدائرها

كَم حَيّة في حِماها مِن غَدائرها

تَسعى فَلَم تَرم يَوماً بِالأَذى أَحَدا

تَسعى فَلَم تَرم يَوماً بِالأَذى أَحَدا

How many a serpent of her tresses, within her sanctuary,

How many snakes in their burrows -

glides, yet has never dealt anyone harm!

They hasten but have never harmed anyone before.

وَحَربة مِن جُفون طالَما ضربَت

وَحَربة مِن جُفون طالَما ضربَت

بِها صُدوراً غَوَت حَتّى حَوَت رشدا

بِها صُدوراً غَوَت حَتّى حَوَت رشدا

And a spear of eyelids: so often she has struck

An eyelash that has often struck

with it breasts that strayed, until they gained right guidance.

Chests, wandering until it lost its sanity.

وَسبحة درّها المَكنون قامَ بِهِ

وَسبحة درّها المَكنون قامَ بِهِ

يسبح الجيد مِنها الواحد الصَمدا

يسبح الجيد مِنها الواحد الصَمدا

And a rosary, whose hidden pearls are taken up

And a rosary whose hidden pearls stand

by her neck to glorify the One, the Eternal Refuge.

To glorify the One, the Eternal.

تِلكَ الكرامات مِن أَجفان منكرها

تِلكَ الكرامات مِن أَجفان منكرها

بِها الكَرى ماتَ لَمّا ساءَ مُعتقدا

بِها الكَرى ماتَ لَمّا ساءَ مُعتقدا

Those miracles: from their denier's eyelids,

Those are the miracles from the eyelids of one who denies them -

sleep died through them when he erred in belief.

Through them traditions died when faith was corrupted.

وَعَقرب فَوقَ ذاكَ الصدغ ما لَدَغَت

وَعَقرب فَوقَ ذاكَ الصدغ ما لَدَغَت

شَيخاً بِها ساحَ مِن عشق وَلا وَلَدا

شَيخاً بِها ساحَ مِن عشق وَلا وَلَدا

And a scorpion above that temple, which has never stung

And a scorpion above that temple that has not stung

an old man who wandered for love of her, nor a boy.

An old man it accompanied in passion, not having given birth.

لَيسَ التَصوّف إِلّا لبس فَروتها

لَيسَ التَصوّف إِلّا لبس فَروتها

وَخَلع فَروة ما في ثَوبِها عهدا

وَخَلع فَروة ما في ثَوبِها عهدا

Sufism is nothing but wearing her pelt,

Sufism is nothing but wearing its gowns

and shedding the pelt of what was known within her garment.

And removing the gowns from what was once a tradition.

لَو كانَ لِلمرد سرّ ما غَدَت خَدَما

لَو كانَ لِلمرد سرّ ما غَدَت خَدَما

فَالسرّ فيمَن غَدَت تَستَخدم المردا

فَالسرّ فيمَن غَدَت تَستَخدم المردا

If beardless youths had a mystery, they would not have become servants;

If the rebel had a secret, it would not have become a servant -

so the mystery lies in her who came to employ the beardless youths.

The secret is in the one it has become accustomed to serve.

هَل تُنكر العُرب قَولي أنَّها أَكَلَت

هَل تُنكر العُرب قَولي أنَّها أَكَلَت

ناراً وَجُلّ رِجال التُرك قَد شَهدا

ناراً وَجُلّ رِجال التُرك قَد شَهدا

Do the Arabs deny my claim that she ate

Do the Arabs deny my words, that it has eaten

fire, while most Turkish men have borne witness?

Fire, and all the Turks have witnessed?

لا رَيب عِندي في هَذا وَكَم دَخَلَت

لا رَيب عِندي في هَذا وَكَم دَخَلَت

فُرن الفُؤاد وَمُذ حَلَّت بِهِ بردا

فُرن الفُؤاد وَمُذ حَلَّت بِهِ بردا

I have no doubt of this—and how often she has entered

I have no doubt in this, and how it has entered

the heart's oven, which cooled once she settled in it!

The furnace of my heart since it settled in it with coldness.