Olden Quarter of Baghdad
Evening, speak with me anow,
On the street I sit with shade;
Shadow mine and I, around
Walls of quarter stray...
It is late, belated evening,
Olden quarter of Baghdad,
Creeping walls around, creeping...
Vision frail and changing, but,
Seems, I see the evening beckons
To me from the sleeping arch...
There I found vessels only
Almond... What do thou hide?
My eyes I close slowly,
In the heart appeared, "Signs and night..."
Echo strange to me did shout,
"To the niche of building go, -
There froze forgotten sounds -
Verses written long ago..."
On the wall in niche I found
Poesy - the living water froze...
أنْعي إليك قلوباً طالما هَطَلَتْ
سحائبُ الوحي فيها أبْحُر الحكم
أنعي إليك لسان الحق مُذ زمن
أودى و تذكاره في الوهم كالعدم
أنعي إليك بيانا تستكين له
أقوال كل فصيحٍ مِقْوَل فهم
أنعي إليك أشارات العقول معاً
لم يبق منهنّ إلا دارس الرمم
Shall tell thee of hearts abundantly rained
By the clouds of revelations, the seas of wisdom in them.
Shall tell thee of tongue of the God, but gone
Time of yore - its memory float as a nought...
Shall tell ye the meanings - in it
All the keys to eloquence and brilliance of wit.
Shall tell you the signs all of those
Of wit, but from them are left only bones...
Al-Hallaj, Poem 6
Half-whispering the echo spake,
"Find us, leave not... A lot
We keep..." The street is twisting into maze,
Astray I gone, forgot
Where entrance and wayout be, maybé
I fell in trap of trance, although
I see in window fire; sounds, "Come in..!"
In chamber taper burning on the round
Table... Reverend Sheikh
I see, "Good evening, may I stay..?"
Sheikh: A seeker lost the way, he deem, -
Because is caught in dream, my dream...
But yes, you may, take seat...
Me: Thank you, but please, could thou...
Sheikh: Why asking How..?
For How and Why are fruits unripe...
Me: It needs some time...
Sheikh:
و الدهر يومان مذموم وممتدح
و الناس اثنان ممنوح ومسلوب
The time is two days: a chidden, and praised;
The men are two: endowed, and deprived.
Al-Hallaj, Poem 2
After the night - a dawn - a lot do say,
But to be born a dawn should be
The night - a few who say...
It was thy question, isn't it?
Me: 'Tis so, but those deprived,
How may they receive?
Sheikh: To turn to Him who gives,
The generosity, sincerity are keys...
Me: Can thou tell me name of yours..?
Sheikh:
قد وسم الحبّ منه قلبي
بميسم الشوق أي وسم
و غاب عنّي شهود ذاتي
بالقرب حتّى نسيتُ اسمي
Has stamped His love my heart
With the mark of longing, ah what a mark...
And disappeared from me my quiddity, oh,
At proximity even my name I forgot...
Al-Hallaj, Poem 7
My name is ocean, for
Since I dipped in it, it did
Wash away my name; forgot
What it was... But His
Unfathomable Name instead I got.
عجبتُ منك ومنّي
يا مُنْيَةَ المُتَمَنِّي
أدنيتَني منك حتّى
ظننتُ أنّك أنّي
وغبتُ في الوجد حتّى
أفنيتنَي بك عنّي
Astonished I be from me and from Thee,
O goal of my longing, You did
Bring me so near, I deem -
That Thou art me...
And I vanished in my passion, Ye
Melted me in Thee from me...
Al-Hallaj, Poem 9
Took away me wave at night,
On the keel inscriptions all -
Erased, and hold is rived...
Do you see a keel afloat?
But the ocean in his heart...
Shout and call this boat, but who
Shall respond: the ocean or
Hull of boat to you..?
Me: But about a prayer say...
Sheikh:
فالمصلى كالمصطلى بالنار، ومن
اصطلى بنار الصلاة وزال بها اعوجاجه
The prayer is like igniting the fire,
and who ignites the fire of prayer, -
shall burn all curves in him thereby.
Umar Suhrawardi
What is prayer - filling with
Mystic light and fire His...
فالمصلى سائر إلى الله تعالى بقلبه
بودّع هواه، ودنياه، وكل شي سواه
The praying is flying to God, exalted is He,
with a heart, leaving His air, and world,
everything, except Him.
Umar Suhrawardi
"How to become a spirit?" Cried
A moth... Responded Flame,
"In ancient words I do abide, -
In My books, and prayers... Say
My Name, - I shall remember thine..."
وقال أبو سليمان الداراني: إن في الجنة
قيعاناً، فإذا أخذ الذاكر في الذكر أخذت
الملائكة في غرس الأشجار فيها، فربما
يقف بعض الملائكة، فيقال له: لم وقفت؟
فيقول: فَستر صاحبي
Abu Sulayman Al-Darani spake:
In Paradise there is a vale,
when someone begins to remember the Name
of God, - the angels begin to plant therein
the trees... And when the angel ceases, they
ask him, "Why?" And he replies,
"Has ceased the prayer friend of mine..."
Related by Al-Qushayri
But hour late at casement yet
Is knocking; almost faded candle, ah!
Midnight tonight is our guest...
Go and open door; the last -
For thee:
فنقول في سرَّائها:
الحمد لله المنعم المتفضل.
ونقول في ضرّائها:
الحمد لله على كل حال
For we say in joy:
To God be the praise who blesses and give!
And we say in sorrow:
To God be the praise for every state!
Ibn 'Arabi
June 2019
Mansur Al-Hallaj, Diwan
ديوان الحلاج
Umar Suhrawardi, The Knowledge of the Spiritually Learned
عوارف المعارف
Al-Qushayri, The Epistle on Sufism
الرسالة القشيرية
Ibn 'Arabi, The Book of Cleaving the Breast
with the Knowledge Arcane
كتاب شق الجيب بعلم الغيب
Translation from Arabic
by Denis Bezmelnitsin
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