On Lyrical Love Yearning

Is it from recollection of neighbours in the valley of Dhi Salami
That you mix tears with blood as they flow from your eyes?

Or perhaps sweet breezes blowing from Kadhima�s direction?
Or bolts of lightning that flash in the depths of Mount Iddam?

What�s wrong with your eyes? You say, �stop!�
But that only increases their painful downpour;

Or your heart? You say, �Wake up!�
Bit it wanders even further astray in distraction!

Does someone so fooled with love think it can be hid
Behind such a downpour of tears or a heart�s raging fires?

Without love�s passion you would never have wept so over the traces of your beloved�s camp
Nor spent sleepless nights recalling the fragrance of a willow or the mountain your darling walked in.

Nor would the mere memory of tents and those who dwelt there
Have draped you in mourning clothes, weeping and wasting away.

How can you deny such a love, when true tears
And real heartbreak testify so strongly against you?

The sorrow of love has etched two salty troughs down your face
And branded gaunt marks on it as pallid as yellow and blood-red roses.

How true! In the night a vision of the one I long for came and deprived me of sleep.
But love is famous for impending pleasures with pain!

O you who fault me for this vestal love, accept my excuse
Yet it you judged fairly, you would find me blameless.

May you never have to live like this! I can�t even keep it a secret
From my critics, I am so feverish and lovesick!

You have given me good advice, but I can�t hear it
A lover�s ears are deaf to the outcries of love-critics.

How can I listen? I don�t even trust the counsel of grey hairs,
And everyone knows old age is guileless when it comes to good counsel!

On Warnings About The Caprices Of The Self

This self of mine that drives me to error
Has turned a blind eye to grey hair and approaching old age.

It hasn�t even prepared a banquet of deeds for this unexpected guest
Who has set up permanent camp on my head.

Had I known, I wouldn�t have paid him any respect at all-
I would have camouflaged his secret with black eye.

Who can restrain my bolting soul from its selfish desires,
Like bridles that bring restive steeds under control?

Do not attempt to break its appetite through wanton indulgences-
Notice how food only strengthens a glutton�s craving.

The self is like an infant-if you leave it, it will grow up loving to suckle,
But if you wean it, soon it will lose its desires for the breast.

Divert the self�s desires and avoid empowering it-
Whenever desire takes charge, it either destroys or defiles.

Shepherd over it as it grazes freely in the field of actions,
But should it find the pasturage sweet, restrain its casual roaming.

How often it has found some deadly pleasure delightful,
Not knowing that poison lies hidden in cream!

Be on guard against the traps of hunger and satiety-
An empty stomach can be worse than a full one.

Empty out every last tear from an eye that has gorged
On forbidden deserts, and cling to a diet of remorse.

Contract the infantile self and satan, and disobey them-
If either of them offers you sincere advice, be suspicious.

Submit to neither, whether they come as adversary or arbiter-
By now you should know the intrigues of both adversary and arbiter!

I seek God�s forgiveness for words without deeds � empty talk holds no promise,
Like expecting children to spring from a man who is sterile.

I counsel you to good, but all the while ignore it myself,
I haven�t been upright, so how dare I tell you, �Be upright!�

Nor have I prepared for my death by increasing my devotions,
Neither praying nor fasting beyond what is normally required.

On The Praise of the Prophet

I have neglected the path of the one who brought black nights
To life by praying, until even his feet swelled with distress.

To quell his hunger he tightened his midriff
By strapping stones to his soft sides and strong ribs.

Lofty mountains, to entice him, draped themselves in gold,
But he showed them a towering soul, perfectly content, without desire.

The extremity of his needs only confirmed his freedom from desire-
Need never overshadows Virtue that is firmly rooted.

How could the need of such a man be answered by the world,
When without him this world would never have come into being!

Muhammad, lord of both worlds, lord of both species,
Lord of both assemblages � Arabs and all others.

Our prophet, commander of right, forbidder of wrong �
No soul kept his word more justly, whether �Yes� or �No�.

He is the beloved whose intercession is hoped for
As arms against a host of relentless calamities.

He called on God. Whoever clings to him
Clings to a rope that will neither unravel nor break.

His form and character surpassed even the previous prophets,
And none have approached him in knowledge or nobility.

They all seek from the Messenger of God
Cupfuls from his ocean or sips from his unceasing rain.

They all stand before him according to their limits,
As if dots on his knowledge or diacritical marks on his wisdom.

He is the one whose meaning and form were perfected,
And then the Originator of souls chose him as the beloved.

Incomparable, his beauty has no peer �
The essence of beauty itself is in his nature.

Leave aside what the Christians have claimed for their prophet �
Then praise him as you like, but do so wisely.

Ascribe to his essence what you wish of honour,
Attribute to his exalted status what you will of greatness!

Truly, the Messenger of God�s bounty
Cannot be overstated by two lips and a tongue.

If a miracle could equal his stature in magnitude,
The mere mention of his name would revive decaying bones.

Concerned for our welfare, he did not confuse us with maters
We could not fathom, so we neither wandered nor wavered.

Human beings cannot grasp his meaning �
Even those at his side could not keep up with him.

He is like the sun, small to the eye when seen from afar,
But when glimpsed close up, it dazzles and overwhelms.

How can slumberous souls in this world grasp his reality
Distracted as they are by the strength of their dreams?

The extent of what we know of him is this: He is a man,
And yet, without exception, he is the best of God�s creation.

All of the signs brought by the noble prophets before him
Came to them through his light alone.

He is the bounteous sun and they her orbiting planets �
She reveals their lights for humanity in the darkness of night �

Until finally his light dawned on the horizon,
And his radiant guidance suffused the world and brought life to countless civilisation.

What excellence lies in the birth of a prophet adorned with such character!
Beauty itself shines forth from his smiling face!

Exquisite as a lily, illustrious as a full moon,
Magnanimous as the ocean, persistent as time.

Due to his majesty, even when alone,
He seemed surrounded by military might and cohorts of courtiers.

It is as if precious pearls, locked in their shells,
Poured from the treasury of his sweet mouth and smile.

As if, face to face with the sun,
Minds were forced to blink at the mere sight of him.

No perfume is as sweet as the ground that holds his bones �
What Paradise awaits the one who breathes its scent or brushes lips against its soil!

On His Birth

His birth revealed the purity of his elemental nature �
O pure from first to last!

That day the Persians perceived in truth that they had
Been forewarned of impending difficulties and disasters.

That evening the emperor�s throne room cracked into pieces,
Like the solidarity of his retinue, beyond repair.

The Magian�s fire expired out of sorrow.
The Euphrates River forgot its course out of grief.

The shocked village of Sawa watched its lake dry up;
Anyone searching for water came back mad with thirst.

As if fire were as wet as water from sorrow,
And water took on fire�s inflammable nature.

Jinn cried out from afar, and the flare of his birth lit up the darkened land.
The Truth became plain as day in word and meaning.

Yet they were blinded and deafened by denial, so the good news
Went unheard and the warning flashes unseen.

And all this after even their own diviners declared
Their creed could no longer stand up on its own-

And even after they witnessed comets crashing on the skyline,
Falling to earth as their idols fell on their faces.

Until demons, diverted from revelation�s path,
Followed the footsteps of other devils who fled in defeat,

Feeling like the wretched combatants of Abraha,
Like the army routed by pebbles hurled from his hand,

Cast from his palms after they finished praising God,
The way prayerful Jonah was cast from the belly of the whale.

On His Miracle

At his call, trees came bowing in prostration-
Footless tree trunks trudging toward him!

Penning a perfect inscription with their branches!
A wondrous sign along the way,

Like the cape of clouds that trailed after him
To shield him from the sky�s noon fire, hotter than an over.

I swear by the Lord of the moon split in two,
So deeply involved with his heart, and this oath is true!

And by the Lord of the cave in which he hid
Where a posse of blind skeptics failed to find him.

The Truth and his friend the Truthful kept quiet in the cave,
While outside the search party grumbled, �It�s just an empty cave!�

They were wrong to think a spider couldn�t weave a curtain
Or a dove hover lovingly over creation�s Crown.

God�s protection was all he needed: no excess armor,
Strategic lookout towers, or powerful fortresses!

If ever the people of my time intended to mistreat me,
I simply took refuge in his harbour, and no harm came.

By seeking the wealth of this world and the next from his hand,
I received my lot straight from the generous donor.

Beware of rejecting the Prophet�s nocturnal revelations-
Though his eyes may sleep, his heart never slumbers!

They came to him at the outset of his prophetic mission-
So these dream-visions of his cannot be denied.

Blessed in God! Revelation doesn�t come through effort,
Nor should we doubt a prophet when he speaks of the unseen.

How many sick were healed by the lightness of his touch!
How many in need were freed from mental affliction!

His prayer revived the land in a year of drought,
Like a bright ivory inlay in the midst of ebony seasons.

With clouds breaking open so generously
Valleys seemed filled with sea waves or floods from burst dams.

When the valley complained of sky�s withholding rain,
He said, atop hills and mountains, �Pour down, and return to nature�s way!�

The earth fulfilled her sacred trust again with nourishment
For men and beast by permission of her Creator.

She put on a green dress of silky grasses,
Winding turbans around the heads of hilltops and palm trees.

The palm trees stood up straight to show off their necklaces
Which lit up the eye like gorgeous red and yellow poppies.

The drought�s disease departed so completely,
Even despairing folk were filled with renewed virtues.

If you faithfully follow the clear signs of the Prophet,
You will simply be adding one sparkling splendor to another.

So say to anyone trying to outdo my praise of him,
�These are effortless gifts- I saddled no camels to obtain them.�

Don�t say, �How could you possibly fashion such excellent verses?�
For no one even asks of God�s bounty, �How much exactly?�

Without God�s providence it would never have come about,
For in essence the mute and the mellifluous are equals.

On The Exalted Stature and Miraculous Merits of the Quran

Let me describe the signs that appeared to him like bonfires
On mountain peaks lit for night travellers by some thoughtful host.

Though a pearl�s beauty may multiply if strung with many others,
Its value is not diminished when displayed on its own.

How can a praising poet hope to plumb the depths
Of its noble virtues and majestic traits?

These signs from God of what is real radiate into the present-
Eternal gems from the jewel �box of the Infinite, the Merciful.

Though not in time, they tell us of time, of what awaits us at the Resurrection,
As well as what befell past people, such as Aad and Iram.

Because they have endured into our time, they surpass the miracles
Of prior prophets, which came but did not last.

They are full of clear wisdom without double meanings
For anyone torn by dissension, and this proof needs no judge,

Whenever these words were attacked, even the worst of their enemies
Were forced to retreat, pleading on their knees for peace.

Their eloquence deflects any opponent, just as an honourable man
Prevents a villain from violating his home.

They contain meanings as continual as ocean waves,
Yet exceed the ocean�s treasures in both worth and beauty.

Their marvels are uncountable and uncontainable-
Even with repetition, this book never seems tedious.

The reciter�s eyes were soothed by it, so I said to him,
�You have grasped the rope of God- now hold on tight.�

If you recite it when the Fire�s flames overwhelm you,
Its cool springs of flowing water will put them out.

As if it were the pool of Paradise, by which char-black faces
Of the disobedient are cleansed and brightened.

It is like the straight path and the scales set up in equity.
Justice from any other source won�t benefit its people.

Don�t be surprised if a resentful soul denounces or denies it
Feigning ignorance, despite a subtle understanding.

For often an infected eye cannot bear soothing sunlight,
Just s a sick tongue finds no comfort in sweet water.

On the Ascension of the Prophet

O best of those whose courtyards are sought by seekers of solace,
Hurrying on swift feet or riding on the backs of trailblazing camels!

O you who are the greatest sign for the discerning,
The most blessed gift of those desiring gain!

You soared by night from the near sanctuary to the Furthest,
The way a bright moon moves across a sky enveloped in darkness.

You spent the night ascending until you reached the station of �two bows lengths or nearer,�
A point of intimacy never before realised nor even dreamed of.

All the previous prophets and messengers gave precedence to you,
The way a generous host defers to a guest of honour.

Then you started out, penetrating the Seven Heavens
With them in procession behind you, and you their standard bearer,

Until you left no space of Divine presence for others to attain,
Nor any summit for seekers of heights to aspire to.

You achieved every station by rightful possession
Addressed by God with exaltation, a unique subject in heavenly syntax.

In this way you attain the Station of Arrival,
Veiled from the gaze of onlookers, a secret sealed in silence.

Thus you gathered every honour without peer,
And traversed every station in solitude.

What pre-eminence you have been entrusted with!
Past counting are all the blessings granted you!

Glad tidings for us, the people of Islam!
We have a pillar of providence, utterly imperishable.

You called us to God�s obedience. When He named you
�The most eminent of emissaries,� we became the noblest of nations!