O bird(185) of the Rose-garden of Fidelity!
Be of no cheerless heart; have no wing nor feather broken;sigh not, neither do thou wail, and sit not chilled in a corner.
The little girl lamented is in the divine Rose-garden in the highest happiness, delight, cheerfulness and gratification. Why then art thou grieved, sorrowing with a bleeding heart? This is the day of rejoicing and the hour of ecstasy! This is the season of the dead arising from the graves and gathering together! And this is the promised time for the attainment of plenteous grace.
Be calm, be strong, be grateful, and become a lamp full of light, that the darkness of sorrows be annihilated, and that the sun of everlasting joy arise from the dawning-place of heard and soul, shining brightly.***
Upon thee be the Glory of the Most-Glorious!
"O thou friend!..."
O thou friend!(186)
A fire from the Kingdom hath been kindled in the heart of the world, in the Blessed Tree, whose flame shall ere long set aglow the pillars of the earth and its rays illumine the horizons of the nations. All the signs hath appeared, all the (prophetic) references hath become clear, all that was revealed in the Books and Scriptures hath become fully manifest, and there is no ground for any one to hesitate in regard thereto.
Some people of former times and some sects avoided certain others as strangers, but now the Glorious Beloved One hath ridden upon His swift coursing steed, circling about in the arena of Truth and all that was hidden became manifest.
Let there be no more silence nor reticence, taciturnity nor negligence.
The Candle is lighted-yet the moths continue motionless and melancholy behind the veils.
Now is the time to roar like unto a sea and seek to ascend heavenward! If we desire to reach the apex of the Supreme Kingdom, we must unfurl our wings; if we wish to dive into the depths of the ocean,we must teach our limbs swimming. The time is short and the Divine Courser moves swiftly on; let us keep up and compete with each other and let us light a brilliant candle!
"O ye brilliant realities!..."
O ye(187) brilliant realities!
Blessed are ye, for that ye believed in the Lord of Hosts, advanced unto the Kingdom of G.o.d, with faces rejoicing with the glad-tidings of G.o.d, that ye were awakened by the breezes of G.o.d, revived by the Spirit of G.o.d, and attracted by the fragrances of G.o.d. May it be salutary to ye, the cup overflowing with the wine of the love of G.o.d!
Thank your Lord for making ye signs of guidance and standards of the Supreme Kingdom. Soon shall the earth shake in your name, the angels pray for you. the bells ring in your mentioning, the hearts overflow with your love and tongues speak in your praise; forasmuch as the doors of the Kingdom are being opened before your faces, and the paradise of eternal life is being prepared and decorated for your entrance; therefore enter ye, while believing, a.s.sured, rejoiced, attracted, severed from the world and all therein. And be not sorrowful on account of the affliction of Abdul-Baha, for calamity is a light, whereby his face glistens among the Supreme Concourse; affliction is healing to his breast, joy of his heart, happiness to his soul; nay, rather, the most honored garment upon his temple and best robe upon his body, and the dearest crown upon his head.
This is his utmost desire.
Implore unto G.o.d and supplicate to Him in your prayers at morn and eve, asking G.o.d to destine to Abdul-Baha the draught of the great martyrdom, so that he may welcome it with great desire, and ascend unto the Kingdom of G.o.d with illumined face, with smiling lips, brilliant forehead, eloquent tongue, and great thankfulness among the Supreme Concourse.
"O ye who are attracted! O ye who are remembered!..."
O ye(188) who are attracted! O ye who are remembered! O ye who are directed unto the Kingdom of G.o.d!
Verily I supplicate G.o.d in heart and spirit to make you signs of guidance, standards of sanct.i.ty and fountains of knowledge and understanding, that through you He may guide the seekers unto the Straight path and lead them unto the Mighty Way in this Great Cycle.
O beloved of G.o.d! Know ye that the world is like unto a mirage which the thirsty one thinks to be water; its water is a vapor; its mercy a difficulty; its repose hardship and ordeal; leave it to its people and turn unto the Kingdom of your Lord the Merciful. Thus the lights of mercy and beneficence may shine upon you, the heavenly table descend for you, your Lord may bestow upon you the greatest gifts and favors, whereby your b.r.e.a.s.t.s may become dilated, your hearts gladdened, your souls purified, and your eyes enlightened.
O beloved of G.o.d! Is there any giver save G.o.d? He chooseth for His mercy whomsoever He desireth.
He shall open unto you the doors of His knowledge, fill your hearts with His love, rejoice your spirits by the wafting of His holy fragrances, illumine your faces by the Manifest Light and elevate your names among the people.
Verily your Lord is the most merciful of the merciful! He will aid you through an unseen host, and help you by armies of inspiration from the Supreme Concourse, send you the fragrances of the Supreme Paradise, perfume your nostrils by the breath of purity wafted from the garden of the Supreme Concourse, cause you to enter the Ark of Safety, and reveal to you the Manifest Signs.
Verily this is a great bounty! Verily this is a manifest attainment!
"O thou who art guided by the Light of Guidance!..."
O thou who art guided by the Light of Guidance!
Verily, I am informed of thy confession of the Oneness of G.o.d and thy being attracted to the fragrances of G.o.d. I implore unto G.o.d to make thee a sign of guidance; thy face rejoicing among the maid-servants of the Merciful, and thy heart severed from this world, which weakeneth the hearts and spirits.
"O thou whose breast is dilated by the Fragrances of..."
O thou whose breast is dilated by the Fragrances of G.o.d!
Verily thy letter reached me and I prayed G.o.d to confirm thee in guiding the people to the Manifestation of Lights; satisfying the thirsty ones with the pure and peaceful water; leading the sick to the Glorious Physician; guiding those who are led astray into the Path, imparting the wine to those who are seeking, and feeding the hungry souls with the food which descendeth from the heaven of thy Lord, the Glorious!
"O thou who seekest for the Will of G.o.d!..."
O thou who seekest for the Will of G.o.d!
Give thanks to G.o.d that thou entered the divine Kingdom and knowest the heavenly Lord of Hosts!
The light of truth hath radiated from the Sun of Divinity to the horizons in such a manner that the East and the West are illumined. But, alas! the blind do not see and the deaf do not hear the divine proclamation. The bats do not perceive the light of the sun and the beetles cannot enjoy the fragrances of a rose-garden.
Consider that the horizons of the world were enlightened through the light of the beauty of His Holiness Christ; yet all the people were asleep, blind and sightless, except a few whose eyes were opened and perceived the lights. Now thou shalt thank G.o.d that a beam of the light came to thy sight. I ask G.o.d that thine inner sight may be illumined so that thou mayest discover the hidden mysteries of the Kingdom of G.o.d. If thou become so, thou wilt be an evident light and a divine angel in the celestial dominion; then it dependeth on the divine confirmation, according to thy perseverance.