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Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §51

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 51 of 268.

Source (Persian)

کلمه اولی که در ورق اوّل فردوس از قلم ابهی مذکور و مسطور اين است * براستی ميگويم حفظ مبين و حصن متين از برای عموم اهل عالم خشية اللّه بوده اوست سبب اکبر از برای حفظ بشر و علّت کبری از برای صيانت وری * بلی در وجود ايتی موجود و ان انسانرا از انچه شايسته و لايق نيست منع مينمايد و حراست ميفرمايد و نام انرا حيا گذارده‌اند و لکن اين فقره محدود است بمعدودی کلّ دارای اين مقام نبوده و نيستند * بايد سلاطين ايّام و علمای انام به دين تمسّک نمايند چه که اوست علّت ظهور خشية اللّه فيما سواه *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The first word which the Abhá Pen hath revealed and inscribed on the first leaf of Paradise is this: "Verily I say: The fear of God hath ever been a sure defence and a safe stronghold for all the peoples of the world. It is the chief cause of the protection of mankind, and the supreme instrument for its preservation. Indeed, there existeth in man a faculty which deterreth him from, and guardeth him against, whatever is unworthy and unseemly, and which is known as his sense of shame. This, however, is confined to but a few; all have not possessed, and do not possess, it. It is incumbent upon the kings and the spiritual leaders of the world to lay fast hold on religion, inasmuch as through it the fear of God is instilled in all else but Him."

Translation Notes

علّت
ʿllt ʿ-l-l

literal: cause; reason

SE rendered سبب (sbb), اکبر (ikbr), از (iz), برای (bráy), حفظ (ḥfẓ), بشر (bshr), علّت (ʿllt), کبری (kbrí), از (iz), برای (bráy), صيانت (ṣíánt), وری (wrí), بلی (blí) as “chief cause, of, for, protection, mankind, supreme, preservation, Indeed”

cause 23% motive 14% source 14% caused 9% instrument 9% reason 9% cannot 9% acted 5% what 5% causeth 5%
وری
wrí w-r-y

literal: mankind; beyond; behind

SE rendered بشر (bshr), علّت (ʿllt), کبری (kbrí), از (iz), برای (bráy), صيانت (ṣíánt), وری (wrí), بلی (blí), وجود (wjúd), ايتی (iytí), موجود (mújúd) as “mankind, supreme, of, preservation, Indeed, existeth, a faculty”

all 38% mankind 19% men 12% beyond 8% world 8% lives 4% whole 4% behind 4% beneath 4%
نام
nám nám

literal: name

SE rendered منع (mnʿ), مينمايد (mínmáyd), حراست (ḥrást), ميفرمايد (mífrmáyd), نام (nám), انرا (inrá), حيا (ḥíá), گذارده‌اند (gdhárdh‌ánd), لکن (lkn) as “deterreth, guardeth, shame, however”

name 43% known 14% honor?… 14% named 14% honour 14%
انرا
inrá n-w-r

literal: light; lights; luminous

SE rendered منع (mnʿ), مينمايد (mínmáyd), حراست (ḥrást), ميفرمايد (mífrmáyd), نام (nám), انرا (inrá), حيا (ḥíá), گذارده‌اند (gdhárdh‌ánd), لکن (lkn) as “deterreth, guardeth, shame, however”

گذارده‌اند
gdhárdh‌ánd gdhárdhánd

literal: place

SE rendered حراست (ḥrást), ميفرمايد (mífrmáyd), نام (nám), انرا (inrá), حيا (ḥíá), گذارده‌اند (gdhárdh‌ánd), لکن (lkn), فقره (fqrh), محدود (mḥdúd) as “guardeth, shame, however, confined”

1 occurrence in corpus

فقره
fqrh f-q-r

literal: poor; poverty; matter

SE rendered حيا (ḥíá), گذارده‌اند (gdhárdh‌ánd), لکن (lkn), فقره (fqrh), محدود (mḥdúd), بمعدودی (bmʿdúdí), دارای (dáráy) as “shame, however, confined, few, possessed”

مقام
mqám q-w-m

literal: station; place

SE rendered بمعدودی (bmʿdúdí), دارای (dáráy), مقام (mqám), نبوده (nbúdh), نيستند (nístnd), بايد (báyd), سلاطين (sláṭín) as “few, possessed, not, incumbent, kings”

station 58% connection 10% such 7% place 5% seat 5% spot 4% passage 3% heights 3% position 2% respect 2%
نبوده
nbúdh búdn

literal: be; to be

SE rendered بمعدودی (bmʿdúdí), دارای (dáráy), مقام (mqám), نبوده (nbúdh), نيستند (nístnd), بايد (báyd), سلاطين (sláṭín) as “few, possessed, not, incumbent, kings”

hath 30% have 22% had 15% can 7% could 7% remained 4% never 4% accounted 4% evident 4% neither 4%
ايّام
iyyám y-w-m

literal: day; days; today

SE rendered نبوده (nbúdh), نيستند (nístnd), بايد (báyd), سلاطين (sláṭín), ايّام (iyyám), علمای (ʿlmáy), انام (inám), دين (dín), تمسّک (tmssk) as “not, incumbent, kings, spiritual leaders, religion, lay fast hold”

days 60% day 21% daytime 5% time 5% many 2% day-time 2% all 2% life 2% past 2% long 1%
انام
inám ʾ-n-m

literal: mankind, people; mankind/people

SE rendered بايد (báyd), سلاطين (sláṭín), ايّام (iyyám), علمای (ʿlmáy), انام (inám), دين (dín), تمسّک (tmssk), نمايند (nmáynd), چه (chh) as “incumbent, kings, spiritual leaders, religion, lay fast hold, hath”

all 31% men 23% people 15% world 8% rest 8% peoples 8% amongst 8%

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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