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Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §121

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 121 of 268.

Source (Persian)

يا شيخ اين حزب از خليج اسماء گذشته‌اند و بر شاطی بحر انقطاع خرگاه برافراشته‌اند * ايشان صد هزار جان رايگان نثار نمايند و بما اراده الاعداء تکلّم ننمايند بارادة اللّه متمسّکند و از ما عند القوم فارغ و ازاد سر دادند و کلمه نالائقه نگفتند * تفکّر نمائيد گويا از بحر انقطاع نوشيده‌اند زندگی دنيا ايشانرا از شهادت در سبيل الهی منع ننمود *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O Shaykh! This people have passed beyond the narrow straits of names, and pitched their tents upon the shores of the sea of renunciation. They would willingly lay down a myriad lives, rather than breathe the word desired by their enemies. They have clung to that which pleaseth God, and are wholly detached and freed from the things which pertain unto men. They have preferred to have their heads cut off rather than utter one unseemly word. Ponder this in thine heart. Methinks they have quaffed their fill of the ocean of renunciation. The life of the present world hath failed to withhold them from suffering martyrdom in the path of God.

Translation Notes

خليج
khlíj kh-l-j “straits”

literal: gulf

1 occurrence in corpus

گذشته‌اند
gdhshth‌ánd g-dh-r

literal: pass; place; passed

SE rendered شيخ (shíkh)حزب (ḥzb)از (iz)خليج (khlíj)اسماء (ismáʾ)گذشته‌اند (gdhshth‌ánd)بر (br)شاطی (sháṭí)بحر (bḥr)انقطاع (inqṭáʿ)خرگاه (khrgáh) as “Shaykh, people, have passed beyond, straits, names, upon, shores, sea, renunciation, tents”

خرگاه
khrgáh kh-r-g “tents”

literal: tent

1 occurrence in corpus

ايشان
iyshán ʾ-y-sh “prophets”

literal: they; they, them; they/them

3 occurrences in corpus

صد
ṣd ṣ-d

literal: hundred

SE rendered خرگاه (khrgáh)برافراشته‌اند (bráfráshth‌ánd)ايشان (iyshán)صد (ṣd)هزار (hzár)جان (ján)رايگان (ráygán)نثار (nthár)نمايند (nmáynd) as “tents, pitched, They, myriad, lives, willingly, lay down”

hundred 50% thousand 50%
رايگان
ráygán r-y-g “willingly”

literal: freely; freely, without cost; free/generous

4 occurrences in corpus

ازاد
izád ʾ-z-d “freed”

literal: free

2 occurrences in corpus

نگفتند
ngftnd g-f-t

literal: say; to say; said

SE rendered ازاد (izád)سر (sr)دادند (dádnd)کلمه (klmh)نالائقه (náláʾqh)نگفتند (ngftnd)تفکّر (tfkkr)نمائيد (nmáʾíd)گويا (gúyá)از (iz)بحر (bḥr) as “freed, heads, cut off, word, unseemly, Ponder, Methinks, of, ocean”

say 21% said 18% words 11% have 11% saying 11% spoken 7% hath 7% protested 7% tales 4% stated 4%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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