Translation:
Are You Seeking Layla?
Are you seeking Layla while she is manifest in you?
And you suppose she is someone else, but she’s not other than you.
In the sect of love, this dullness is apparent,
So be sharp, for [seeing her as] other is the source of estrangement.
Do you not see that she cast her beauty upon you,
And if she did not support your essence, it would vanish.
You say to her “draw near,” while she is all of you, and then
If she loves you, with union, she makes you imagine she is flirting
Meeting her is precious rare, and no one attains union with her
Save one who sees meaning without identity.
I fell so in love with her that I was annihilated in her love,
And if she swore that I was her, she would have been honest.
I deceived the people with illusions after
I perceived her truly within my cloak.
I veiled her from myself with the robe of my worlds
And from my enviers because of my intense jealousy.
Exquisitely beautiful, if the light of her face were to shine
Upon a blind man, he would begin to see every atom.
She adorned herself with every kind of beauty,
So the people of love are enraptured by her wherever she alights
She has untied the knots of my patience with longing,
So I am no longer content even with the best of bonds [between us]
And who among the lovers has reached in love
My goal in loving her or strived for my rank?
In me is such a love for her, that if thrown in a blaze,
That blaze would melt from even just the weakest of my sighs.
And if cast in the sea, the sea itself would dry,
The mountains crushed to dust, and the clouds would all dry up.
I was so stunned by her, I forgot myself, so I saw nothing but her,
And I fell in love with her, ecstatically, from the first glance.
And I continued to seek the sun of her face,
Until she showed herself from the horizons of my form
So all of me vanished in the subtlety of her beauty,
For I was enamored with her even before my existence.
So quit blaming me for loving her, for indeed,
My torment in her is sweet, and my fire is my paradise.
And if you wish, blame me for loving her, but I will not listen,
For I am so stricken that I would not turn towards you
And how can I listen to blame for she
who has in reality buttoned herself up my heart?
I was trying to win her over, seeing her as my beloved,
When, by God, she is the essence of my reality.
In the way of love, the eye levels accusations
So I tore up my traces in order to confirm the proof of my evidence
I became the beloved, having been the lover,
Because my manifestation became my greatest lapse.
Through her, my ears heard, and my sight saw,
So I saw her directly as she showed herself to herself.
And in her state, her cups circled around me,
So through her I became elevated above every peak.
My eyes have never seen a cup for the wine
For its cup is part of it, and it is the source of my wisdom.
Everything sparkles from it, so I see nothing
But its blazing light in every direction.
It allowed me to lift the covering from it generously
And its harvest became my drink, my religion, and my sect.
If I wish for it pure, I drink it, and if I wish,
I mix it, for all is in my grasp.
And if I wish, I enfold the cosmos, and if I wish,
I unfold all beings with my glance.
I drank purity in purity, and whoever seeks
a drink among the people finds nothing but my leftovers.
Original:
أَتَطلُبُ لَيلى وَهيَ فيكَ تَجَلَّت وَتَحسَبُها غَيراً وَغَيرُكَ لَيسَتِ
فَذابلُهُ في مِلَّةِ الحُبِّ ظاهِرٌ فَكُن فَطِناً فَالغيرُ عَينُ القَطيعَةِ
أَلَم تَرَها أَلقَت عَلَيكَ جَمالَها وَلَو لَم تَقُم بِالذاتِ مِنكَ اِضمَحَلَّتِ
تَقولُ لَها اُدنُ وَهيَ كُلَّك ثُمَّ إِن حَبَتكَ بِوَصلٍ أَوهَمَتكَ تَدَلَّتِ
عَزيزٌ لِقاها لا يَنالُ وِصالَها سِوى مَن يَرى مَعنىً بِغَيرِ هَوِيَّةِ
كَلِفت بِها حَتّى فَنِيتُ بِحُبِّها فَلَو أَقسَمَت أَنّيَ إِيّاها لَبَرَّتِ
وَغالَطتُ فيها الناسَ بِالوَهمِ بَعدَما تَبَيَّنتها حَقّاً بِداخِلِ بُردَتي
وَغَطَّيتُها عَنّي بِثَوبِ عَوالِمي وَعَن حاسِدي فيها لِشِدَّةِ غيرَتي
بَديعَة حُسنٍ لو بَدا نورُ وَجهِها إِلى أَكمَهٍ أَضحى يَرى كُلَّ ذَرَّةِ
تحلّت بأنواع الجمال بأسرها فهام بها أهل الهوى حيثُ حلّت
وَحَلَّت عُرى صَبري عَلَيها صَبابَة فَأَصبَحتُ لا أَرضى بِصَفوَةِ عُروَةِ
وَمَن ذا مِنَ العُشّاقِ يَبلُغُ في الهَوى مَرامِيَ فيها أَو يُحاوِلُ رُتبَتي
وَبي مِن هَواها ما لَو أُلقيَ في لَظى لَذابَت لَظى مِنهُ بِأَضعَفِ زَفرَتي
وَبِالبَحرِ لَو يُلقى لَأَصبَحَ يابِساً وَبِالشَمِّ دَكَّت وَالسَحاب لَجَفَّتِ
ذَهَلت بِها عَنّي فَلَم أَرَ غَيرَها وَهِمتُ بِها وَجداً بِأَوَّلِ نَظرَةِ
وَلَمّا أَزَل مُستَطلِعاً شَمسَ وَجهِها إِلى أَن تَراءَت مِن مَطالِعِ صورَتي
فَغابَ جَميعي في لَطافَةِ حُسنِها لأَن كُنتُ مَشغوفاً بِها قَبلَ نَشأَتي
فَدَع عاذِلي فيها المَلامَ فَإِنَّما عَذابي بِها عَذبٌ وَناري جَنَّتي
وَإِن شِئتَ لُم فيها فَلَستُ بِسامِعٍ دُهيتُ فَلَم يَكُن إِلَيكَ تَلفُّتي
وَكَيفَ أُصيخُ لِلمَلامَةِ في الَّتي عَلَيها جُيوبي في الحَقيقَةِ زُرَّتِ
وَكُنتُ بِها مُغرىً أراها حَبيبَةً إِذا أَنَّها وَاللَه عَينُ حَقيقَتي
وَفيها اِدّعيت العَين في مَذهَبِ الهَوى وَقَطَّعتُ رَسمي كَي أُصحِّحَ حُجَّتي
وَأَصبَحتُ مَعشوقاً وَقَد كُنتُ عاشِقاً لِأَن ظُهوري صارَ أَعظَم زَلَّتي
بِها سَمِعَت أُذني وَأَبصَرَ ناظِري فَعايَنتُها مِنها إِلَيها تَبَدَّتِ
وَفي حالِها دارَت عَليّ كُؤوسها فَصِرتُ بِها أَسمو عَلى كُلِّ ذَروَةِ
وَما أَبصَرَت عَينايَ لِلخَمرِ جامَها لِأَن جامَها مِنها لَها عَينُ حِكمَتي
تَلَألَأَ مِنها كُلُّ شَيءٍ فَما أَرى سِوى نورِها الوَقّادِ في كُلِّ وُجهَتي
أَباحَ ليَ الخِمارَ مِنهُ تَفَضُّلاً جَناها فَصارَ الشُربُ ديني وَمِلَّتي
فَإِن شِئتُها صِرفاً شَرِبتُ وَأَن أَشأ مَزَجتُ لِأَنَّ الكُلَّ في طَيِّ قَبضَتي
وَإِن شِئتُ أَطوي الكَونَ طَيّاً وَإِن أَشأ نَشَرتُ جَميعَ الكائِناتِ
بِنَظرَتي شَرِبتُ صَفاءً في صَفاءٍ وَمَن يَرِد مِنَ القَومِ شرباً لَم يَجِد غَيرَ فَضلَتي