Although not a poem in Arabic, this moving account of Divine “pillow talk” or munājāt (intimate discourses) by Ibn ‘Arabi was beautifully translated by Henri Corbin in poetic form (and modified by me to better correspond to the Arabic).
Translation:
Listen, O dearly beloved!
I am the sought essence in the cosmos
I am the centre of the circle and its circumference,
I am the compound and the simple
I am the command descending between Heaven and Earth,
I have only created perceptions for you so that by them, you might perceive Me
So if you perceive Me, you perceive yourself.
But you cannot perceive Me through yourself.
It is through My Eyes that you see Me and yourself,
Through your eyes you cannot see Me.
Dearly beloved!
How often I call you and you don’t hear!
How often I show myself to you and you don’t see!
How often I’ve become fragrance and you don’t smell Me,
And tasty food, a but you don’t taste Me!
What’s with you that you don’t feel me in the things you touch?
Or sense Me in sweet scents?
Why don’t you see Me? Why don’t you hear Me?
Why? Why? Why?
For you My delights surpass all other delights,
And the pleasure I bring you surpasses all other pleasures.
For you I am lovelier to all loveliness
I am Beauty/beautiful, I am Grace/gracious
Dearly beloved!
Love Me, and not other than Me
long for me, concern yourself with me
Don’t worry about anything other than me
Hug me, Kiss me!
Where could you find union like mine?
All that you seek is in it
And I want you for you
but you, you flee from me!
Dearly beloved!
You cannot treat Me fairly,
For if you approach Me,
It is because I have approached you.
I am nearer to you than yourself,
Than your soul, than your breath.
Who among creatures
Would treat you as I do?
I am jealous of you, over you,
I don’t like to see you with others
Not even with yourself.
Be Mine, be with Me
I will be with you
as you are with Me
while you are not even aware
be for Me as you are in Me,
Though you are not even aware of it.
Dearly beloved!
Let us go toward Union.
And if we find the road
That leads to separation,
We will destroy separation.
Come! Let us go hand in hand.
Let us enter the presence of the Real.
Let It be our judge
And imprint Its seal upon our union
For ever.
From: Henri Corbin. Creative Sufism ‘Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi, p. 174-75 (modified based on the Arabic original below)
Original:
!اسمع يا حبيبي
انا العين المقصودة في الكون
انا نقطة الدائرة ومحيطها
انا مركبها وبسيطها
انا الامر المنزل بين السماء والارض و السماء
ما خلفت لك الادراكات الا لتدركني بها
فاذا ادركتني ادركت نفسك
لا تطمع ان تدركني بادراكك نفسك
بعيني تراني ونفسك
لابعين نفسك تراني
!حبيبي
كم اناديك فلا تسمع؟
كم اتراءى لك فلا تبصر ؟
كم اندرج لك فى الروائح فلا تشم ؟
وفي الطعوم فلا تطعم لى ذوقا؟
ما لك لاتلمسني فى الملموسات ؟
ما لك لاتدركني فى المشمومات ؟
ما لك لاتبصرنى؟
ما لك لاتسمعني؟
ما لك مالك مالك ؟
انا الذ لك من كل ملذوذ
أنا اشهي لك من كل مشتهى
انا احسن لك من كل حسن
انا الجميل
انا المليح
! حبيبي
حبني لا تحب غيري
اعشقني هم في
لا تهم في سواي
ضمّني قبّلني
ما تجد وصولا مثلي
كل يريدك له
وانا اريدك لك
وانت تفر مني
يا حبيبي
ما تنصفني
ان تقربت اليّ
تقربت اليك اضعاف ما تقربت به اليّ
انا اقرب اليك من نفسك و نسفك
من يفعل معك ذلك غيري من المخلوقين
حبيبي
اغار عليك منك
لا احب ان اراك عند الغير
اللهم بسطوة جبروت قهرك، وبسرعة إغاثة نصرك، وبغيرتك لانتهاك حرماتك، وحمايتك لمن احتمى بآياتك، Allahumma bisatwati jabarouti qahrika, wa bisorati ighathati nasrika, wa bighayratika li ntihaki horumaika, wa himayatika liman ihtama bi ayatik. O Allah, by the force of the absolute power with which You triumph, and the quickness of Your succour when You aid to victory, and Your jealousy at the violation of things You have made sacrosanct, and by Your protection of him who seeks safety in Your verses:
نسألك يا الله يا سميع يا قريب يا مجيب يا سريع يا منتقم يا شديد البطش يا جبار يا قهار يا من لا يعجزه قهر الجبابرة ولا يعظم عليه هلاك المتمردة من الملوك والأكاسرة أن تجعل كيد من كادنا في نحره ومكر من مكر بنا عائدا عليه، وحفرة من حفر لنا واقعا فيها ومن نصب لنا شبكة الخداع، اجعلها ياسيدي مساقا إليها ومصادا فيها وأسيرا لديها، Nas’aloka ya Allah,ya Samee’o,ya Qareebo, ya Saree’o, ya Montaqimo, ya Shadeeda l-batshi, ya Jabbaro, ya Qahhar, ya man la yo’jizohu qahro l-jababirati mina l-molooki wa l-akasirah, an taj’ala kayda man kadana fi nahrihi, wa makra man mkara bina ‘a’idan ‘alayhi, wa hofrata man hafara lana waqi’an fiha, wa man nasaba lana shabakata l-khida’i j’alho ya sayyidi mosaqan fiha, wa mosadan fiha, wa ‘aseeran ladayha.
I ask You, O Allah, O All-near, O All-hearing, O All-answering, O Ever-swift, O Vengeful, O Mighty of Assault: O Compeller, O Invincible, O You who are undeterred by the might of tyrants, and to whom the destruction of rebellious traitors, of kings and caesars, is very easy: make the trap of him who sets one for me cut his own throat; the plot of him who plots against me return against him; and make him who digs a pit for me fall in it himself; And he who spreads a web of treachery for me, make him, My Lord, driven to it and caught in it.
اللهم بحق كهيعص اكفنا هم العدا ولقهم الردا واجعلهم لكل حبيب فدا. وسلط عليهم عاجل النقمة في اليوم والغدا. Allahomma bihaqqi Kaf ha ya ‘ayn sad ikfina hamma l-ida. Wa laqqihimo r-rada. Wa j’alhom likolli habibin fida. Wa sallit ‘alayhim ‘ajila n-naqmati fi l-yawmi wa l-ghada.
O Allah, by the right of Kaf Ha Ya ‘Ayn Sad relieve us of the worry of enemies, let them meet with death, make them the ransom of every beloved, and loose upon them a speedy vengeance, day and night.
اللهم بدد شملهم. اللهم فرق جمعهم. اللهم أقلل عددهم. اللهم فل حدهم. اللهم اجعل الدائرة عليهم. اللهم وأوصل العذاب إليهم. اللهم أخرجهم عن دائرة الحلم. واسلبهم مدد الإمهال. وغل أيديهم وأرجلهم واشدد على قلوبهم ولا تبلغهم الآمال. Allahomma baddid shamlahom. Allahomma farriq jam’ahom. Allahomma aqlil adadahom. Allahomma folla haddahom. Allahomma j’ali d-da’irata ‘alayhim. Allahomma awsili l-athaba ilayhim. Allahomma akhrijhom min da’irati l-hilm. Wa slobhom madada l-imhal. Wa gholla aydeehim wa arjolohom, wa shdod ‘ala qoloobihim, wa la toballighohomo l-a’amal.
O Allah, scatter their company; O Allah shatter their unity; O Allah, lessen their number; O Allah, blunt their edge; O Allah, turn fate against them; O Allah, unleash torment upon them; O Allah, banish them from the circle of clemency, and strip them of the benefit of postponement, and fetter their hands and feet, and blind their hearts, and give them no hope.
اللهم مزقهم كل ممزق مزقته لأعدائك انتصارا لأنبيائك ورسلك وأوليائك Allahomma mazzikhom kolla momazzaqin mazzaqtaho li ‘a’daaika n-tisaran li anbiya’ika wa rosolika wa awliya’k.
O Allah, rend them utterly to pieces, as You have rent Your enemies, to win the day for Your prophets, messengers and You beloved ones.
اللهم انتصر لنا انتصارك لأحبابك على أعدائك (3) Allahomma n-tassir lana n-tisaraka li ahbabika ‘ala a’daa’ik. (3)
O Allah, give us the victory You give to those You love over Your enemies. (3)
(اللهم لا تمكن الأعداء فينا ولا تسلطهم علينا بذنوبنا (3 Allahomma la tomakkini l-a’daa’a fina, wa la tosallithom ‘alayna bi-thonoobina (3)
O Allah, do not let Your enemies defeat us, nor give them power over us because of our sins. (3)
حم، حم، حم، حم، حم، حم، حم Ha Mim, Ha Mim, Ha Mim, Ha Mim, Ha Mim, Ha Mim, Ha Mim,
Ha Mim, Ha Mim, Ha Mim, Ha Mim, Ha Mim, Ha Mim, Ha Mim,
حم الأمر وجاء النصر فعلينا لا ينصرون Homma l-amro wa ja’a n-nasro fa ‘alayna la yonsaroon.
The matter be done; the victory come; against us they shall not be helped.
حمعسق حمايتنا مما نخاف. Hamim ‘Ayn Sin Qaf himayatona mimma nakhaf.
Ha Mim ‘Ayn Sin Qaf is our protection from what we fear.
اللهم قنا شر الأسواء ولاتجعلنا محلا للبلواء. اللهم أعطنا أمل الرجاء وفوق الأمل. Allahomma qina sharra l-aswa’i, wa la taj’alna mahallan lil balwa. Allahomma a’tina amala r-raja’i wa fawqa l-amal.
O Allah, shield us from the evil of iniquities, and make us not a place of tribulation. O Allah, give us cause to hope, and more than hope.
يا هو يا هو يا هو Ya hoo. Ya hoo. Ya hoo
O You, O You, O You,
يا من بفضله لفضله نسألك العجل العجل. إلهي، الإجابة الإجابة. Ya man bifadhlihi lifadhlihi, nas’aloka l-‘ajala l-‘ajal. Ilahi l-‘ijabata l-ijabah.
O You from whose favor we ask of His favor that it be fast, fast, fast. O my God, An answer, An answer.
يا من أجاب نوحا في قومه، يا من نصر إبراهيم على أعدائه، يا من رد يوسف على يعقوب. يا من كشف ضر أيوب. يا من أجاب دعوة زكريا. يا من قبل تسبيح يونس بن متى. Ya man ajaba Nouhan fi qawmih, ya man nasara Ibrahim ‘ala a’daa’ih, ya man radda Yousofa ‘ala Ya’qoob, ya man kashafa dhorra Ayyoub, ya man ajaba da’wata Zakariyya, ya man qabila tasbeeha Younosa bni Matta.
O You who answered Noah about his people. O You who made Abraham triumphant over his foes. O You who reunited Joseph with Jacob. O You who lifted the affliction of Job. O You who answered the prayer of Zachariah. O You who accepted the praises of Jonah son of Amittai.
نسألك بأسرار هذه الدعوات أن تقبل ما به دعوناك، وأن تعطينا ما سألناك. أنجز لنا وعدك الذي وعدته لعبادك المؤمنين. Nas’aloka bi-asrari hathihi d-da’awat an taqbala ma bihi da’awnak, wa an to’tiyana ma sa’alnak Anjiz lana wa’daka l-athi wa’adtaho li ‘ibadika l-mo’mineen.
O Allah, by the secrets of those supplications, beseech You to accept our supplications, and give us what we have asked, and keep Your promise You have given Your believing servants.
لا إله إلا أنت سبحانك إني كنت من الظالمين. La ilaha illa anta, sobhanaka, inni konto mina dhalimeen.
“There is no god but You. Exalted is Your perfection; verily I was of the wrongdoers”
انقطعت آمالنا وعزتك إلا منك، وخاب رجاؤنا وحقل إلا فيك. Inqata’at aamalona, wa izzatoka, illa mink. Wa khaba raja’ona, wa haqqoka, illa feek.
Our wishes come to nothing- I swear by Your might- except from You; and our hopes are dashed- I swear by Your right- except in You.
إن أبطأت غارة الأرحام وابتعدت، فأقرب الشيء منا غارة الله. In abta’at gharato l-arahami wa bta’adat, fa aqrabo sh-shay’i minna gharato l-Lah.
If the rescue raid of kinsmen be slow and far off, the nearest thing to us is the rescue raid of Allah.
يا غارة الله جدي السير مسرعة في حل عقدتنا. Ya gharata l-Lahi, jiddi s-sayra mosri’atan li halli ‘oqadatina.
O raid of Allah, fly with haste to end our plight.
يا غارة الله عدت العادون وجاروا ورجون الله مجيرا. Ya gharata l-Lahi, ‘adati l-‘adoon wa jarou, wa rajawna l-Laha mojeera.
O raid of Allah, wrongdoers have assailed us and transgressed; and Allah we seek as protector.
وكفى بالله وليا وكفى بالله نصيرا. Wa kafa bi l-Lahi waliyan wa kafa bi l-Lahi naseera.
And Allah suffices as friend; and Allah suffices as helper.
وحسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل Wa hasbona l-Laho wa ni’ma l-wakeel.
“Allah suffices us and is best to rely on”
ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله العلي العظيم Wa la hawla wa la qowata illa bi l-Lahi l-Aliyyi l-Adheem.
“There is no power or strength except through Allah, the High, the All-great”
سلام على نوح في العالمين Salamon ‘ala Nouhin fi l-‘alameen.
Peace be with Noah among people.
استجب لنا آمين. Istajib lana, ameen.
Answer us. Ameen.
فقطع دابر القوم الذين ظلموا والحمد لله رب العالمين Fa qoti’a dabiro l-qawmi l-latheen dhalamoo, wa l-hamdo li-Lahi rabbi l-‘alameen.
“the wrongdoing folk were extirpated, and praise be to Allah Lord of the Worlds”
وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم. Wa salla l-Laho ‘ala sayyidina Mohammadin wa ‘ala aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.
Allah bless our liegelord Mohammad, and his folk and Companions, and truly give them peace.
The disciple of Ibn ‘Arabi, ‘Afīf al-din Tilimsānī (d. 1291), and his son (known as al-Shab al-Ẓarīf, “The Elegant Youth”) are known and loved for their poetry, some of which is still sung today. Here I present one poem from the father, and a more famous poem by the son with special thanks to K.M. for help with the translations.
‘Afīf al-Dīn al-Tilimsānī
Translation:
Don’t be fooled by the fineness of her cheek
For the sword slays by the fineness of its blade
Leave the eyelids, for their drowsiness has become
a point in the straightened spear of her stature
My sleep, like a gazelle, is constantly fleeing from me
For he unites his opposite with his exile
Frailty flowed into my body from her coldness
And I loved it because it is from her
The enviers were amazed, having seen my drunkenness without limit
while my heart endured the punishment of her limits*
Be easy, for doesn’t the flapping of her sash
resemble my heart or the flame of her cheek?
This is a connection, that were my heart to attain it, ablaze
I would forgive her in its burning
My thanks to my patience with her, for when she betrayed me
I saw betrayal as faithfulness to her promise
My weeping from distance and being crushed
Is a pearl in my hands, not in her necklace
Who can be fair to me in nearness?
for my near one has spurned me, so who then can rescue me from her distance?
O ban tree of the valley, and O its leaves, weep for your branch
since I weep for her loss
you are sad and sad am I—both of us
Today, one who has been pardoned laments his love
My state is like yours, and the neighbor, with his hand on the water
Good news to you, my friends! News of nearness and drawing near!
You are gathered in security As long as you are in the party of Allah.
Good news to you, my masters! Good news to you, my lovers!
Good news about what is coming —You are in the mercy of Allah.
Your gathering is the source of mercy, Your gathering has a wisdom in it
Whoever loves you, rises — yours is the pleasure of Allah
Pleased with Divine Pleasure And Mercy as well as Forgiveness.
You are the party of the Merciful, You are the friends of Allah.
Your path will not pass away, Your lover will not lose out.
By Allah! You are manifest, In all the creation of Allah
You stood at His door, You were annihilated in His remembrance
Good news to you of His nearness! You are in the Presence of Allah!
Among you is the seeker and the attracted, among you is the lover and beloved —
The veils have departed from you —among you is he who unifies Allah.
Among you are The Suns of the Path, among you are The Men of realization
The annihilated and the lover are among you, among you is he who Knows Allah
Among you are the foremost Men, among you are the lords of presence are among you —
one from whom the veil has lifted, sees nothing but Allah.
Good news for him, he has obtained his desire! Good news for him, He has the meaning!
By Allah! He was accepted in the knowledge of Allah!
The full moon of full moons gave me good news, of victory with manifestation —
Our lover in happiness, surrounded by the kindness of Allah.
By Allah, he spoke the most eloquent word
We helped you in the Assembly, You are in the security of Allah.
The spirit of the Master gave me good news, Al-Buzidi, the source of assistance
When he spoke to me with discernment, after swearing by Allah.
Your lover is secure, your murid is safeguarded.
You are the springs of the Merciful, in your hands is the secret of Allah.
in your hands is the proclamation, yours is the lifting of the veils
You are the lords of presence, You are the friends of Allah.
Mine is the permission of disposal through that secret most subtle
Oh what an excellent obligation, for the pleased, may he be rewarded by Allah His secret is in our gathering, His wine is in our cup His knowledge is in our speech. By Allah! We are not other than him. Our overflowing is from his overflowing, our secret is from his secret. Our branch is from his root, Oh you who does not understand his meaning.
Secretly and openly, I addressed the people of the journey.
Whoever in my age, Comes to us, finds his desire.
I have counseled all the servants, especially the people of the cities.
Whoever seeks with discernment, he is desiring Allah.
He comes, even if just to test it, and he has a portion from us.
This is a near road, which has come to us from the bounty of Allah.
We give him counsel in the Path, and he makes me a companion in it
We show him the meaning of realization, purely for the face of Allah.
He confirms me in a matter of days days, we do not seek years from him.
If he obtains the desire, He will be a servant of Allah.
I have a cure for creation, I have what effaces otherness
We do not wish to rob with it, for we are rich from the bounty of Allah
I am rich with the goal, what do I or denial have?
We do not see in existence, anyone manifest save Allah.
Sometimes we are annihilated in Him, and we have that meaning.
Sometimes we are rich in Him, free from all creation of Allah.
Sometimes He appears from me, He distances me from my being.
Who am I and where am I, in the resplendence of the essence of Allah?
If not for the witnessed Messenger, if not for the Worshipped’s lover,
We would have transgressed the limits, and divulged the secret of Allah.
May the Lord bless him, and with good pleasure manifest
upon all the Companions, and his family and whoever follows him.
بشراكمُ خلاني بالقرب والتداني
جمعكم في أمان ما دمتم في حزب الله
بشراكمُ ساداتي بشراكم أحبتي
بشرتكم بالآتي أنتم في رحمة الله
جمعكم عين الرحمة جمعكم فيه حكمة
ومَن حبكم سمى عليكم رضوان الله
الرضى مع الرضوان والرحمة كذا الغفران
أنتمُ حزب الرحمن أنتم أولياء الله
طريقكم لا تغور محبكم لا يبور
تالله لكم ظهور في جميع خلق الله
وقفتم في بابه فنيتم في ذكره
بشراكم بقربه أنتم في حضرة الله
منكم سالك ومجذوب منكم حبيب ومحبوب
عنكم زالت الحجب فيكم من وحد الله
فيكم شموس الطريق فيكم رجال التحقيق
منكم فاني وعاشق فيكم من عرف الله
فيكم رجال الصدور فيكم أرباب الحضور
من زالت عنه الستور لا يرى ما سوى الله
بُشراه نال المنى بشراه حاز المعنى
والله لقد كانا مقبولا في علم الله
بشرني بدر البدور بالنصر مع الظهور
محبنا في سرور محفوظا بلطف الله
والله لقد قالا بأفصح المقالا
نصرناك في الملا أنت في أمان الله
بشرني روح الأستاذ البوزيدي ذو المدد
إذ قال لي باجتهاد بعد أن قسمْ بالله
محبكم في أمان مريدكم في ضمان
أنتم عيون الرحمن بيدكم سر الله
بيدكمُ المنشور لكم ترفع الستور
أنتم أرباب الحضور أنتم أولياء الله
أذن لكم بالتصريف في ذاك السر اللطيف
فيا حبذا التكليف بالرضى جزاه الله
سره في جمعنا خمره في كأسنا
علمه في نطقنا تالله لسنا سواه فيضنا من فيضه سرنا من سره فرعنا من أصله يا من لا يفهم معناه
في السر وفي الجهر خاطبتُ أهل السير
فمن كان في عصري يأتنا يجد مناه
نصحت كل العباد خصوصا أهل البلاد
فمن كان في اجتهاد طالبا يريد الله
يأتي ولو بالتجريب فله منا نصيب
هذا مسلكٌ قريب أتانا من فضل الله
ننصحْ له في الطريق يجعلني له رفيق
نريه معنى التحقيق خالصا لوجه الله
يوافقني في أيام لا نطلب منه أعوام
فإن حصّل المرام يكون عبدا لله
عندي للخلق الدوا عندي لمحو السوى
لا نرجو به سطوة غنيٌّ بفضل الله
أنا غني بالمقصود ما لي وما للجحود
فلا نرى في الوجود متجلّي سوى الله
تارةً فيه نفنى وبذا المعنى كنا
تارةً به نغنى عن جميع خلق الله
تارة يظهرْ عنّي يغيبني عن كوني
من أنا ومن أيني؟ في تجلي ذات الله
لولا الرسول المشهود لولا الحبيب المعبود
لتهنا عن الحدود وبحنا بسر الله
عليه المولى صلى وبالرضى تجلى
على الصحابةْ جملة والآل ومن والاه
This poem by the Algerian Shaykh Aḥmad al-‘Alāwī (d.1934) is commonly sung after recitations of the Qur’an in the Maghreb, France, and other areas to which his Tariqah has spread:
Translation:
Oh Lord, by your kindness, O my hope
be kind to us, and grant us deliverance
We ask You, O Lord, by the Qur’an
and what is in it, and by the seven oft-recited (the Fatihah)
And by him who brought it, and who shared it
and exalted its verses/signs and its love
And led us to our love of the Qur’an
and made it sweeter to us than all else
You revealed it and ordered its compilation
preserve it, O Master, as you have said
For some others have tried to eliminate/leave it
will you allow this, O Lord? by its act
You will never be pleased to allow us to leave the Qur’an
because it is Religion with Faith
And its worth for us surpasses
all existence and all that is contained therein
For the Qur’an is the essence of reality
and the sacred law and the firm handhold
You know our love of the Qur’an
and how it dwells in our hearts and on our tongues
It is intermingled with our blood and our flesh
and our veins and bones and all that is in us
O Lord, by its right, do not afflict us
in our religion, O Lord, do not try us
O Lord, make your religion for us a joy
for one knocking at your door, full of hope
Or the stranger, O Lord, far from his family
who is suffering from separation from his loved ones
Save him o Lord, before his death
and prolong his life for us
Make our homes homes of safety
and preserve us from every deception and distress
And help us, O Lord, by your Spirit
and allow us, O our Lord, to fulfill your command
And have mercy on us, great and small
and safeguard those whom you see are bewildered
And make right for us our worldly and spiritual affairs
and remove the pain of afflictions and poverty
And forgive, O Lord, one who supplicates with our supplication
and be for us and for all our intimates
Raise us to the witnessing of beauty
and from it to the secrets of perfection
And bless, O Lord, with a blessing worthy
of the Chosen One, and upon his family
And his companions, and the Helpers and Those who followed
then all praise to God, Lord of the Worlds
Original:
يا ربّ بلطفك يا مرتجى
ألطف بينا وهيئ لنا فرجا
سألناك يا ربّ بالقرآن
وما فيه وبسبع المثاني
وبالّذي أتى به وبثّه
وبجّل آياته وحبّه.
وأمر بحبّنا القرآن
فكان أطيب لنا ممّا كان.
نزّلته وبجمعه أمرتا
فلتحفظه يا مولانا كما قلت.
فقد حاول الغير على تركه
وهل تسمح يا مولانا بفعله.
فلا نرضى بتركنا القرآن
لأنّه الّدين مع الإيمان.
فقدره عندنا لا يساويه
كل الوجود وما احتو ى عليه.
فالقرآن هو عين الحقيقة
و الشّريعة والعروة الوثيقة.
أنت تعلم بحبّنا القرآن
وكيف حلّ القلب واللّسان.
فامتزج بدمنا ولحمنا
و العروق و العظام وما فينا.
أ يا ربّ بحقّه لا تفجأنا
في ديننا يا مولانا لا تفتنا.
يا ربّ اجعل لدينك فرجا
إنّه واقف ببابك يرتجى.
آو الغريب يا ربّ لأهله
قد ألّم الفراق في أحبابه.
أدركه يا ربّ قبل وفاته
و زد لنا يا ربّ في حياته.
واجعل ديارنا ديار آمنة
و حفظنا من كلّ مكر ومحنة.
وأيّدنا يا مولانا بروحك
و وفّقنا يا ربّنا لأمرك.
وارحم منّا الكبار والصّغار
و أمّنهم فتراهم حياّرى.
وأصلح لنا دنيانا مع الدّين
وافج كرب المكروب والمسكين.
واغفر ربّ لمن دعا بدعوانا
وكن لنا ولجميع خلاّنا.
وانهض بنا لشهود الجمال
ومن له بأسرار الكمال.
وصلّ ياربّ صلاة تليق
بالمصطفى وعلى الآل تصدق.
وصحبه وأنصاره والتّابعين
ثمّ الحمد لله ربّ العالمين.
these poems by John Keats pair nicely with the following poems by Ibn al-Farid and Hafez
John Keats
“Fill for me a brimming bowl”
What wondrous beauty! From this moment I efface from my mind all women.
Terrence, Eunuch, II.3.296
Fill for me a brimming bowl
And in it let me drown my soul:
But put therein some drug, designed
To Banish Women from my mind:
For I want not the stream inspiring
That fills the mind with–fond desiring,
But I want as deep a draught
As e’er from Lethe’s wave was quaff’d;
From my despairing heart to charm
The Image of the fairest form
That e’er my reveling eyes beheld,
That e’er my wandering fancy spell’d.
In vain! away I cannot chace
The melting softness of that face,
The beaminess of those bright eyes,
That breast–earth’s only Paradise.
My sight will never more be blest;
For all I see has lost its zest:
Nor with delight can I explore,
The Classic page, or Muse’s lore.
Had she but known how beat my heart,
And with one smile reliev’d its smart
I should have felt a sweet relief,
I should have felt “the joy of grief.”
Yet as the Tuscan mid the snow
Of Lapland dreams on sweet Arno,
Even so for ever shall she be
The Halo of my Memory.
Ibn al-Farid
Translation:
Pass round the remembrance the one I love, even in reproach
for tales about the beloved are my wine
Let my hearing witness the one I love, though she be far
through specters of reproach, not those of dreams!
Her remembrance delights me in every form
even when my reproachers mingle it with strife
It is as if my reproacher brought me news of union
when I had not even hoped for a response to a greeting
My soul is hers, for whose Iove I destroyed my soul
death came to me before the day of my death
For her sake I relish my disgrace and wallow
in rejection and shame when once my rank was high
After my piety, because of her, dissolution
casting off restraint and committing sins are sweet to me
I pray, singing when I recite remembrance of her
and I am enraptured in the mihrab, for she is my Imam
On hajj, when I don the pilgrim’s robes I call her name
and when I break my fast, it is from her that I refrain
My tear ducts flow due to my state and gush
because of what has passed, and my laments convey my inner fire
At night my heart is driven mad with longing,
at dawn my eyes are pouring in their grief
my heart and eyes are stricken, one afflicted by the meaning
of her beauty, the other tempted by her tender poise
My sleep is lost, my morning too—may you be spared!—
ever present is my wakefulness and still my longing grows
My bond and my covenant have never been undone or changed
my love remains my love and passion is my passion
So wasted is my body that its secrets are made plain
and meaning is disclosed therein through my withered bones
Felled by love’s pain, with wounded heart
and wounded eyelids ever bleeding,
Yet true to love, I have become ethereal like air
with breaths of dawn breeze my only company
Sound I am, yet sick; seek me then from the morning breeze
for my withering has decreed that it is my home
So wasted I am that I have vanished from wasting itself
and from cure to my sickness and coolness for my burning thirst
Love has left nothing of me save grief
sorrow, torment and grave illness
No one I know knows my place save love
nor the concealment of my secrets nor my bond’s custody
And of passion, patience and solace
it has left nothing for me but the names
Whoever is free of my love, may he be saved with his soul
in one piece; O soul of mine, go in peace
“Forget her!” my blamer said to me, fanatically
blaming me. I said, “forget your blaming of me!”
If I sought consolation, who would be there to be my guide
when in love, every leader follows my lead?
In my every limb is every yearning for her
and every longing tugs at my reins
As she bends, I imagine every hip she moves
to be a branch in a sand dune topped by the full moon
Mine is every limb filled with every inner core
wherein, when she glances, is embedded every arrow
And if she dissolved my body she would find every atom
every heart inhabited by every human love
In union with her, a year to me is but an instant,
an hour’s separation like a year.
When we met at nightfall, as the twin straight paths
between her dwelling and my tents brought us together,
We moved away a little from the tribe,
avoiding spies and slanderers with their deceitful talk
I spread my cheek upon the ground for her to walk upon
and she said, “Good news, now you may kiss my veil.”
But this my soul did not permit me, jealously
shielding her from me, for higher is my purpose
We passed the night in hope as my wish decreed
and I saw the world my kingdom and time itself my slave.
Translation modified from Stefan Sperl’s in Stefan Sperl, C. Shackle, Qasida Poetry in Islamic Asia and Africa, Brill 1996, p. 106-111
John Keats
“The day is gone, and all its sweets are gone!”
The day is gone, and all its sweets are gone!
Sweet voice, sweet lips, soft hand, and softer breast,
Warm breath, light whisper, tender semi-tone,
Bright eyes, accomplish’d shape, and lang’rous waist!
Faded the flower and all its budded charms,
Faded the sight of beauty from my eyes,
Faded the shape of beauty from my arms,
Faded the voice, warmth, whiteness, paradise –
Vanish’d unseasonably at shut of eve,
When the dusk holiday – or holinight
Of fragrant-curtain’d love begins to weave
The woof of darkness thick, for hid delight,
But, as I’ve read love’s missal through to-day,
He’ll let me sleep, seeing I fast and pray.
Hafez
Translation:
The breath of the zephyr will become musk-diffusing
and the old world will grow young again
The Judas-tree will give a cornelian cup to the lily,
and the eye of the narcissus will me anxious for the anemone.
The nightingale after all that pain of separation,
will roaringly dash all the way to the pavilion of the rose
If I went from mosque to tavern, do not carp
the preaching was too long, and time was passing
O heart if you postpone today’s pleasure until tomorrow,
who will guarantee a lasting life for you?
In the month of Sha’ban do not neglect the cup of wine
this sun will be out of sight until the ‘Eid of Ramadan
The rose is precious, appreciate its company
It came into the garden this way, and will go out through that
O minstrel, this is the intimates’ assembly, sing a song
How long should you say: “Passed like this, and like that will pass?”
Hafez came into the realm of existence for your sake
take a step for his farewell, for he will soon pass.
translation from Reza Saberi, The Divan of Hafez, p. 196
Original:
نفس باد صبا مشک فشان خواهد شد
عالم پیر دگرباره جوان خواهد شد
ارغوان جام عقیقی به سمن خواهد داد
چشم نرگس به شقایق نگران خواهد شد
این تطاول که کشید از غم هجران بلبل
تا سراپرده گل نعره زنان خواهد شد
گر ز مسجد به خرابات شدم خرده مگیر
مجلس وعظ دراز است و زمان خواهد شد
ای دل ار عشرت امروز به فردا فکنی
مایه نقد بقا را که ضمان خواهد شد
ماه شعبان منه از دست قدح کاین خورشید
از نظر تا شب عید رمضان خواهد شد
گل عزیز است غنیمت شمریدش صحبت
که به باغ آمد از این راه و از آن خواهد شد
مطربا مجلس انس است غزل خوان و سرود
چند گویی که چنین رفت و چنان خواهد شد
حافظ از بهر تو آمد سوی اقلیم وجود
قدمی نه به وداعش که روان خواهد شد
Translation:
I don’t see any companionship. What happened to the companions?
when did friendships end? What happened to the friends?
the water of life darkened. Where is the auspicious Khezr?
The rose lost colour. What happened to the spring wind?
None says that a friend has the right of friendship.
what happened to the grateful ones and the companions?
This was the city of friends and the site of kind people
when did kindness end? What happened to the city of friends?
Years past and no ruby came out of the mine of generosity
what happened to the work of rain, the sun, and the wind?
The polo-ball of success and liberality is cast into the field.
None enters the arena. What happened to the horsemen?
A hundred thousand roses blossomed, but no bird sang.
what happened to the nightingales and the starlings?
Venus plays no more happy tunes. Did its lute burn?
no one yearns for drunkenness. What happened to the drinkers?
Silence, Hafez! Divine mysteries are not known to anyone.
whom do you ask, “what happened to the cycle of days?”
translation modified from Reza Saberi’s in The Divan of Hafez p. 203
