English
Number 9
My liver is full of pain, my heart full of blood, my soul reckless and drunk;
my night is dark, my mount is lame, and my head is spinning with mad longing.
I do not know my own cure; I am lost in this thought.
Come, eternal cupbearer, bring that deep red wine.
Like a candle before your face, if you set me alight in your presence,
I will burn bright before you, standing firm like a candle on its feet.
If you are sober and guarded, you stay far from the heart of this secret;
you remain blind among the travelers, blind to the nearness of 'the length of two bows.'
If from this endless ocean you bring up a pearl,
keep it hidden inside your soul; tell no one on purpose.
Come, my spiritual friend, speak the human names,
for I know that you know the path of 'the knowledge of the names.'
Speak of law and tradition to the sober who see only the surface;
tell the tale of eternal love to the reckless madmen.
You say to me: give me a sign from the world of meaning.
You ask news of the ignorant one, a trace from the traceless realm.
O love with the face of a king, you are both the whole and the detail;
you are wisdom, you are power, you are lovelier than beauty itself.
Take Muhammad as your guest, seat him at the table of grace,
pour him wine from the cup of the Glorious One, for 'Glory to Him who took him by night.'
Show your blessed face, let your wine dark curls loose,
for in their scent I catch the breeze of the garden of refuge.
If from the name of the All Subduing something is revealed,
look, if you are a man of confession, at the sign of the Great Catastrophe.
First know the Essence, then the divine attributes,
for these divine attributes are the sum drawn from that source.
Then comes the world of traces and deeds, forever bound to it.
What wisdom, what power! Exalted is our Lord, the Most High.
What a wonder in the beauty of oneness, what a wonder in balance and grace,
what a heart ravishing king! How rare, the one without equal!
From the sun of His beauty, whatever attribute I name,
all the atoms cry: 'We witnessed' after 'We believed.'
Every moment bears witness to the oneness of His Essence,
whether it is the sun or a mote, whether the highest or the wise.
Wherever I turned, I knew You and I saw You.
What a benefactor, what a kindness, what a world adorning moon!
The world is drunk with Your love, how wondrous the tales of Your love;
all are lost in Your love, whether the ruler or the exalted.
One must go and sleep, and keep the tale of love hidden.
How can one put into words attributes that cannot be counted?
Before you the mightiest emperor becomes level with the dust of the road,
if you draw up a single shining pearl from this ocean.
Come, my soul with sweet longing, behold the light of the revelation;
to that gracious address, say: 'Here I am, to what You reveal.'
Do not say 'Show me'; fear the refusal of 'You shall not' in the world of meaning,
for in this valley the heart of Moses drowned in the sea of bewilderment.
There are many who chant litanies and prayers in the world,
but the prayer with the exalted breath holds another secret.
The heavy souls died at 'No' in the shadows of the dark;
the light spirits carried this road through, with the 'except.'
But hear from me a piece of advice, so you may break free of your chains:
if you know anything of meaning, do not stay stuck at 'no' and 'except.'
You have stayed in the darkness of the body, and you are pleased and happy with it.
If you have any faith or heart, would you not speak of the fire of mourning?
How strangely bound to the body you are; you are not the named, only a name.
Since you follow only habit and custom, what can I say to you, wise one?
In form, Adam and Eve are perfectly clear, yet
in meaning, know that Adam and Eve are none other than the Universal Intellect and Soul.
If you are sober and awake, look at the power of the Creator:
thousands of Adams and Eves have appeared out of the unseen.
O Ahmad the Messenger, lamp of mosque and pulpit,
you are the master, you are the leader, you are the goal of all seeking.
Through you the sacred law grew bright, the mystic paths were proven,
the truths were made clear. How radiant, O Ya Sin, O Ta Ha!
You are the believer, you are the faith, you are the spring of the water of life;
you are the everlasting king, you are the destination, you are the utmost.
You hold the farthest goal, you hold the nearness of 'so he drew near';
all are turbid and you are pure, all are pure and you are the purest.
From every perfect one who comes forward, your perfections rise higher;
the perfect ones beside you are like a gnat beside the Phoenix.
Come, Qasim, what are you saying, what are you chasing, what are you seeking?
If today you are with Him, do not speak of tomorrow's tale.