I was near the abode of Laylâ (Danawtu min hayyi Laylâ), qasida by Ahmad al-'Alâwî
Qasida ‘I was near the abode of Laylâ’ (Danawtu min hayyi Laylâ), by the Sufi master Ahmad al-’Alâwî: video, transliterated text and English translation.
Transliteration
Danawtu min hayyi Laylâ
lammâ sami‘tu nidâhâ
Yâ lahu min sawtin yahlû
-awaddu lâ yatanâhâ
Radat ‘annî jadhabatnî
-adkhalatnî li himâhâ
-Ânasatnî khâtabatnî
-ajlasatnî bihidhâhâ
-Ad_hachatnî tayyahatnî
hayyaratnî fî bahâhâ
-Akhadhatnî malakatnî
ghayyabatnî fî ma‘nâhâ
Hattâ dhanantuhâ
‘annî wa kânat rûhî fidâhâ
Baddalatnî tawwaratnî
wa sammatnî bisimâhâ
Jama‘atnî farradatnî
laqqabatnî bikunâhâ
Qatalatnî mazzaqatnî
khaddabatnî bidimâh
Ba‘da qatlî ba‘athatnî
dâ-a najmî fî samâhâ
-Ayna rûhî ‘ayna badnî
-ayna nafsî wa hawâhâ
Qad badâ minhâ lijafnî
mâ qad madâ min khafâhâ
Ta Llâhi mâ ra-at ‘aynî
wa lâ chahidat siwâhâ
Jumi‘at fîhâl ma‘ânî
subhâna lladhî ‘anchâhâ
Yâ wâsifal husni ‘annî
hâka chay-an min sanâhâ
English translation
I was near the abode of Laylâ
When I heard her call;
O what a delectable voice,
Would that it never ceased!
She favoured me, she drew me towards her,
She brought me into her sanctuary,
She kept me company, she spoke to me,
And seated me at her side.
She drew her very selfhood close to me,
Then she lifted her veil;
She overcame me,
She left me bewildered and rapt away in her beauty.
She took me, she led me astray,
I faded into her meaning,
Until I took myself for her
And offered her my soul.
She transformed me, she made me grow,
She called me by her name;
She gathered me, she made me solitary,
She named me with her epithets.
She slew me, she rent me apart,
She stained me with her blood;
After my death she raised me up,
And my star shone in her heaven.
What of my spirit? What of my body?
What of my soul and its passion?
From her to my gaze
Her deepest mystery was unveiled.
By God, my eye has never seen
Nor borne witness to other than her;
All meanings are gathered in her,
Glory to Him who created her!
The other songs are on the Qasaid and sama’ page.
