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Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §64

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 64 of 268.

Source (Persian)

يا شيخ قسم بافتاب حقيقت که از افق سماء سجن مشرق و لائح اين مظلوم جز اصلاح قصدی نداشته يشهد بذلک کلّ عارف بصير و کلّ عالم خبير * و فی حين البلايا کان متمسّکا بحبل الصّبر و الاصطبار و راضيا بما ورد عليه من الاعداء و هو يقول * يا الهی ترکت ارادتی لارادتک و مشيّتی لظهور مشيّتک * و عزّتک لا اريد نفسی و بقائها الّا للقيام علی خدمة امرک و لا احبّ وجودی الّا للفداء فی سبيلک * ای ربّ تری و تعلم انّ الّذين اردنا منهم العدل و الانصاف قاموا علينا بالظّلم و الاعتساف فی الظّاهر کانوا معی و فی الباطن نصروا اعدائی الّذين قاموا علی هتک حرمتی * الهی الهی اشهد انّک خلقت عبادک لنصرة امرک و اعلاء کلمتک و هم نصروا اعداءک * اسألک بامرک الّذی احاط بالوجود و باسمک الّذی به سخّرت الغيب و الشّهود ان تزيّن اهل الارض بنور عدلک و تنوّر قلوبهم بضياء معرفتک * ای ربّ انا عبدک و ابن عبدک اشهد بوحدانيّتک و فردانيّتک و بتقديس ذاتک و تنزيه کينونتک * ای ربّ تری امناءک بين ايادی الخائنين من خلقک و المفترين من بريّتک و تعلم ما ورد علينا من الّذين انت اعلم بهم منّا * قد ارتکبوا ما انشقّ به ستر المقرّبين من خلقک * اسألک ان تؤيّدهم علی القيام علی ما فات عنهم في ايّام مشرق وحيک و مطلع الهامک انّک انت المقتدر علی ما تشاء و فی قبضتک زمام من فی السّموات و الارضين * قد ارتفع نداء الفطرة و حنينها و تنادی باعلی النّداء و تقول يا قوم تاللّه انّی فزت بمظهری و منزلی * هذا يوم فيه ابتسم الطّور بمکلّمه و کرمل بمنزلها و السّدرة بمعلّمها اتّقوا اللّه و لا تکونوا من المنکرين * لا تحرموا انفسکم عمّا ظهر بالفضل خذوا کوثر البقاء باسم ربّکم مالک الاسماء ثمّ اشربوا منه بذکره العزيز البديع *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O Shaykh! I swear by the Sun of Truth Which hath risen and shineth above the horizon of this Prison! The betterment of the world hath been the sole aim of this Wronged One. Unto this beareth witness every man of judgment, of discernment, of insight and understanding. Whilst afflicted with trials, He held fast unto the cord of patience and fortitude, and was satisfied with the things which have befallen Him at the hands of His enemies, and was crying out: "I have renounced My desire for Thy desire, O my God, and My will for the revelation of Thy Will. By Thy glory! I desire neither Myself nor My life except for the purpose of serving Thy Cause, and I love not My being save that I may sacrifice it in Thy path. Thou seest and knowest, O my Lord, that those whom We asked to be fair and just, have, unjustly and cruelly, risen up against Us. Openly they were with Me, yet secretly they assisted My foes, who have arisen to dishonor Me. O God, my God! I testify that Thou hast created Thy servants to aid Thy Cause and exalt Thy Word, and yet they have helped Thine enemies. I beseech Thee, by Thy Cause that hath encompassed the world of being, and by Thy Name wherewith Thou hast subjected the seen and unseen, to adorn the peoples of the earth with the light of Thy justice, and to illuminate their hearts with the brightness of Thy knowledge. I am, O my Lord, Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. I bear witness unto Thy unity, and Thy oneness, and to the sanctity of Thy self and the purity of Thine Essence. Thou beholdest, O my Lord, Thy trusted ones at the mercy of the treacherous among Thy creatures, and the calumniators amidst Thy people. Thou knowest what hath befallen Us at the hands of them whom Thou knowest better than we know them. They have committed what hath torn the veil from such of Thy creatures as are nigh unto Thee. I beseech Thee to assist them to obtain that which hath escaped them in the days of the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation and the Dayspring of Thine Inspiration. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee, and in Thy grasp are the reins of all that is in heaven and all that is on earth." The voice and the lamentation of the true Faith have been raised. It calleth aloud and saith: "O people! By the righteousness of God! I have attained unto Him Who hath manifested me and sent me down. This is the Day whereon Sinai hath smiled at Him Who conversed upon it, and Carmel at its Revealer, and the Sadrah at Him Who taught it. Fear ye God, and be not of them that have denied Him. Withhold not yourselves from that which hath been revealed through His grace. Seize ye the living waters of immortality in the name of your Lord, the Lord of all names, and drink ye in the remembrance of Him, Who is the Mighty, the Peerless."

Translation Notes

بافتاب
báftáb sh-m-s → “by”

literal: sun; suns; the sun

SE rendered شيخ (shíkh), قسم (qsm), بافتاب (báftáb), حقيقت (ḥqíqt), از (iz), افق (ifq), سماء (smáʾ), سجن (sjn), مشرق (mshrq) as “Shaykh, swear, by, the Sun of Truth, above the horizon, of, Prison, risen and shineth”

لائح
láʾḥ l-w-ḥ

literal: tablet; tablets; allusion

SE rendered از (iz), افق (ifq), سماء (smáʾ), سجن (sjn), مشرق (mshrq), لائح (láʾḥ), مظلوم (mẓlúm), جز (jz), اصلاح (iṣláḥ), قصدی (qṣdí), نداشته (ndáshth) as “above the horizon, of, Prison, risen and shineth, this Wronged One, betterment, aim of, hath been”

manifest 29% resplendent 18% sure 12% shone 6% shineth 6% flasheth 6% hath 6% shed 6% clear 6% attested 6%
حين
ḥín ḥ-y-n

literal: time; time/moment; moment

SE rendered بصير (bṣír), عالم (ʿálm), خبير (khbír), حين (ḥín), البلايا (al-bláyá), متمسّکا (mtmsská), بحبل (bḥbl), الصّبر (aṣ-ṣbr) as “insight, world, discernment, held fast, unto the cord, patience”

moment 45% time 11% hour 11% when 8% day 5% every 5% until 5% instantly 5% times 5% present 3%
البلايا
al-bláyá b-l-w

literal: tribulation; affliction; trial

SE rendered عالم (ʿálm), خبير (khbír), حين (ḥín), البلايا (al-bláyá), متمسّکا (mtmsská), بحبل (bḥbl), الصّبر (aṣ-ṣbr) as “world, discernment, held fast, unto the cord, patience”

بقائها
bqáʾhá b-q-y

literal: remaining; permanence; eternity

SE rendered عزّتک (ʿzztk), اريد (iríd), نفسی (nfsí), بقائها (bqáʾhá), للقيام (llqíám), خدمة (khdmh), امرک (imrk) as “By Thy glory, desire, neither Myself nor My life, for the purpose of serving, Thy Cause”

خدمة
khdmh kh-d-m

literal: service; servant; serve

SE rendered نفسی (nfsí), بقائها (bqáʾhá), للقيام (llqíám), خدمة (khdmh), امرک (imrk), احبّ (iḥbb), وجودی (wjúdí) as “neither Myself nor My life, for the purpose of serving, Thy Cause, love not, My being”

serve 77% serving 8% promote 8% honor 8%
اردنا
irdná r-w-d → “to”

literal: will; want; desire

SE rendered ربّ (rbb), تری (trí), تعلم (tʿlm), الّذين (adh-dhín), اردنا (irdná), منهم (mnhm), العدل (al-ʿdl), الانصاف (an-nṣáf), قاموا (qámúá) as “Thou seest, that, We asked, to, fair, risen up against Us”

sought 33% asked 33% wish 33%
الانصاف
an-nṣáf n-ṣ-f

literal: fairness; equity; be fair

SE rendered الّذين (adh-dhín), اردنا (irdná), منهم (mnhm), العدل (al-ʿdl), الانصاف (an-nṣáf), قاموا (qámúá), علينا (ʿlíná), بالظّلم (bálẓẓlm) as “We asked, to, fair, risen up against Us, upon, unjustly and cruelly”

الاعتساف
al-áʿtsáf ʿ-s-f

literal: tyranny; oppression; injustice

SE rendered قاموا (qámúá), علينا (ʿlíná), بالظّلم (bálẓẓlm), الاعتساف (al-áʿtsáf), الظّاهر (aẓ-ẓáhr), کانوا (kánúá) as “risen up against Us, upon, unjustly and cruelly, Openly, were with Me”

هتک
htk h-t-k

literal: rending

SE rendered نصروا (nṣrúá), اعدائی (iʿdáʾí), الّذين (adh-dhín), قاموا (qámúá), هتک (htk), حرمتی (ḥrmtí), الهی (al-hí), الهی (al-hí), اشهد (ishhd) as “helped, My foes, who, have arisen to dishonor Me, O God, my God, testify”

dishonor 40% hath 20% rent 20% rend 20%
ابن
ibn b-n-y

literal: son; sons

SE rendered معرفتک (mʿrftk), ربّ (rbb), عبدک (ʿbdk), ابن (ibn), عبدک (ʿbdk), اشهد (ishhd), بوحدانيّتک (búḥdáníntk), فردانيّتک (frdáníntk) as “understanding, O my Lord, of Thy servant, bear witness, unto Thy unity, oneness”

son 93% scion 3% descendant 2% sons 1% daughter 1%
ارتکبوا
irtkbúá r-k-b

literal: commit; commit, perpetrate; to commit

SE rendered الّذين (adh-dhín), اعلم (iʿlm), بهم (bhm), منّا (mnná), ارتکبوا (irtkbúá), انشقّ (inshqq), ستر (str), المقرّبين (al-mqrrbín) as “them, Thou knowest, all, hath torn, the veil, are nigh unto”

ارتفع
irtfʿ r-f-ʿ

literal: raise; raised

SE rendered السّموات (as-smúát), الارضين (ar-rḍín), ارتفع (irtfʿ), نداء (ndáʾ), الفطرة (al-fṭrh), حنينها (ḥnínhá), تنادی (tnádí) as “heaven, on earth, The voice, true Faith, lamentation, calleth aloud”

raised 37% hath 22% lifted 15% have 4% planted 4% hast 4% loud 4% calleth 4% cometh 4% calling 4%

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

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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57 ¶

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59 ¶