The Theophany of Perfection

Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi

Shortenend version, put together by Aaron Cass for Vast Earth Album; transl. Avi Abadi:

Hark, O My beloved:
You are the very purpose of the World,
the sphere’s centre and its circumference,
its complexity and simplicity;
you are the affair drawn between heaven and earth.
I have only fashioned cognitions in you
in order that you detect Me in them,
but when you perceive Me,
you perceive your self.

Do not attempt, then, to perceive Me through your self’s cognitions,
[for, although] you can see Me and your self through My eye,
you cannot see Me through your self’s eye.

Beloved, how many times have I called you and you did not hear,
presented Myself to you and you did not notice,
and wrapped Myself in scents you did not smell,
and flavours of which you did not savour a taste for My sake.

What is amiss with you that you do not feel Me in all that can be touched,
that you do not smell Me in all that can be smelled,
that you do see Me, that you do not hear Me.
What is amiss with you…

And here is the full text, transl. Avi Abadi;

The Theophany of Perfection

Hear, My beloved!
You are the reality intended by Becoming
The centre of the circle and its circumference
Its intricacy and simplicity
You are the order brought down between heaven and earth
I have not created realisations for you except that you realise Me in them,
So when you realise Me you realise your self
Do not hope to realise Me in seeing your self:
By my eye you will see Me and your self,
But you will not see Me by the eye of your self.

Beloved!
How often I call you and you do not hear
Show Myself to you and you do not see
Clothe Myself in fragrances which you do not inhale,
And flavours in which you do not savour a taste for My sake.
What is the matter with you that you do not sense Me when you touch
That you do not smell Me in the fragrance of musk
That you do not see Me
That you do not hear Me
What is the matter with you
For you, I am rapture beyond any delight
My longing for you is deeper than any desire
And I am more profitable for you than any benefit,
Because I am the Beautiful
I am the Graceful
Love Me, love Me alone.
Desire Me, ardently.
Pine for Me, not for another.
Embrace Me, accept Me, you won’t find an intimate like Me
Everything wants you for itself, but I want you for your sake
And you, you avoid me.

Beloved!
In drawing close you cannot meet Me halfway
For My drawing close outweighs a hundredfold the means by which you draw close
I am closer to you than your self
Yes your self, where all this is enacted for you, which unlike Me, is created.

Beloved!
I am jealous of you from you
I cannot bear to see you with other or with yourself
Be with Me in Me, and with yourself just as you are with Me
Then, My beloved, you will not even feel the Union,
The Union.
Were we to find a path towards separation,
We would let separation savour separation

Beloved!
Come, hand in hand,
Stand before the Truth
that It may judge between us with the judgement of eternity.

Beloved opponent,
The headiest pleasure is not found in [silent] opposition of lovers
Pleasure occurs in converse [that gives their dispute expression]
As the poet said:
I craved her death for loving her,
So she’d be my opponent on the Last Day
Say: do you “understand the Higher Assembly when they oppose”.
If standing before the Judge
had not been an outcome of opposition,
no pleasure would have been derived
from halting to contemplate a beloved.
O heart! O heart!