Nothing remains in doubt after
my assay of every enigma,
from what Hermes said at the beginning
to what Heraclius said at the end,
to the riddles couched by Galen
in twisting dodges,
and the primordial traditions
upheld by sacred revelation,
and the encryptions of Jabir, who
practiced what the ancients did.
For all they held back, I vindicate them.
For all they put forth, I have commentary.
From all the materials I have gathered,
I have clarified and broadcast every secret
in my Keys, the book loaded with wisdom
that springs the lock jammed shut,
and its concomitant Lamps
of brilliant flame,
like nothing produced by anyone
before my time or after.
Nothing less than the epitome
of every long-studied science
is what my verses hold.
By Mu’ayyad al-Din al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali al-Tughra’i (meter: mutaqārib)
