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Gleanings — §685

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 685 of 729.

Source (Arabic)

ای بندگان اگر از بدايع جود و فضلم که در نفس شما وديعه گذارده‌ام مطّلع شويد البتّه از جميع جهات منقطع شده بمعرفت نفس خود که نفس معرفت من است پی بريد و از دون من خود را مستغنی بينيد و طمطام عنايت و قمقام مکرمتم را در خود بچشم ظاهر و باطن چون شمس مُشرقه از اسم ابهئيّه ظاهر و مشهود بينيد اين مقام امنع اقدس را بمشتهيات ظنون و هوی و افکيّات وهم و عمی ضايع مگذاريد مَثَل شما مِثل طيری است که باجنحه منيعه در کمال روح و ريحان در هواهای خوش سبحان با نهايت اطمينان طيران نمايد و بعد بگمان دانه بآب و گل ارض ميل نمايد و بحرص تمام خود را بآب و تراب بيالايد و بعد که اراده صعود نمايد خود را عاجز و مقهور مشاهده نمايد چه که اجنحه آلوده بآب و گل قادر بر طيران نبوده و نخواهد بود در اين وقت آن طاير سماء عاليه خود را ساکن ارض فانيه بيند حال ای عباد پرهای خود را بطين غفلت و ظنون و تراب غلّ و بغضا ميالائيد تا از طيران در آسمانهای قدس عرفان محروم و ممنوع نمانيد

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O My servants! Could ye apprehend with what wonders of My munificence and bounty I have willed to entrust your souls, ye would, of a truth, rid yourselves of attachment to all created things, and would gain a true knowledge of your own selves — a knowledge which is the same as the comprehension of Mine own Being. Ye would find yourselves independent of all else but Me, and would perceive, with your inner and outer eye, and as manifest as the revelation of My effulgent Name, the seas of My loving-kindness and bounty moving within you. Suffer not your idle fancies, your evil passions, your insincerity and blindness of heart to dim the luster, or stain the sanctity, of so lofty a station. Ye are even as the bird which soareth, with the full force of its mighty wings and with complete and joyous confidence, through the immensity of the heavens, until, impelled to satisfy its hunger, it turneth longingly to the water and clay of the earth below it, and, having been entrapped in the mesh of its desire, findeth itself impotent to resume its flight to the realms whence it came. Powerless to shake off the burden weighing on its sullied wings, that bird, hitherto an inmate of the heavens, is now forced to seek a dwelling-place upon the dust. Wherefore, O My servants, defile not your wings with the clay of waywardness and vain desires, and suffer them not to be stained with the dust of envy and hate, that ye may not be hindered from soaring in the heavens of My divine knowledge.

Translation Notes

گذارده‌ام
gdhárdh‌ám gdhárdhám → “have”

literal: place

1 occurrence in corpus

جهات
jhát j-h-t

literal: direction; directions

SE rendered مطّلع (mṭṭlʿ), شويد (shúyd), البتّه (al-btth), از (iz), جميع (jmíʿ), جهات (jhát), منقطع (mnqṭʿ), بمعرفت (bmʿrft), نفس (nfs) as “apprehend, ye, of a truth, all, rid yourselves of attachment, knowledge, selves”

پی
pí pí

literal: pursuit

SE rendered نفس (nfs), نفس (nfs), معرفت (mʿrft), پی (pí), بريد (bríd), از (iz), دون (dún), مستغنی (mstghní) as “knowledge, comprehension, but, independent”

بريد
bríd b-r-d

literal: brother; take; coldness

SE rendered نفس (nfs), معرفت (mʿrft), پی (pí), بريد (bríd), از (iz), دون (dún), مستغنی (mstghní) as “knowledge, comprehension, but, independent”

would 33% inhale 33% felled 33%
دون
dún d-w-n → “but”

literal: without

SE rendered نفس (nfs), معرفت (mʿrft), پی (pí), بريد (bríd), از (iz), دون (dún), مستغنی (mstghní), بينيد (bíníd), طمطام (ṭmṭám) as “knowledge, comprehension, but, independent, perceive, seas”

without 30% except 20% none 10% otherwise 10% else 5% all 5% though 5% unless 5% depart 5% refuse 5%
باطن
báṭn b-ṭ-n

literal: inward; inner; hidden

SE rendered مکرمتم (mkrmtm), بچشم (bchshm), ظاهر (ẓáhr), باطن (báṭn), چون (chún), شمس (shms), مُشرقه (mushrqh), از (iz), اسم (ism) as “moving within, inner and outer eye, manifest, effulgent, Name”

شمس
shms sh-m-s

literal: sun; suns; the sun

SE rendered بچشم (bchshm), ظاهر (ẓáhr), باطن (báṭn), چون (chún), شمس (shms), مُشرقه (mushrqh), از (iz), اسم (ism), ابهئيّه (ibhʾíʾh), ظاهر (ẓáhr) as “inner and outer eye, revelation, effulgent, Name”

ابهئيّه
ibhʾíʾh b-h-ʾ

literal: baha; glory; glory, splendor

SE rendered مُشرقه (mushrqh), از (iz), اسم (ism), ابهئيّه (ibhʾíʾh), ظاهر (ẓáhr), مشهود (mshhúd), بينيد (bíníd), مقام (mqám) as “effulgent, Name, revelation, station”

5 occurrences in corpus

مشهود
mshhúd sh-h-d

literal: witness; witnessed

SE rendered مُشرقه (mushrqh), از (iz), اسم (ism), ابهئيّه (ibhʾíʾh), ظاهر (ẓáhr), مشهود (mshhúd), بينيد (bíníd), مقام (mqám), امنع (imnʿ), اقدس (iqds) as “effulgent, Name, revelation, station, lofty”

ظنون
ẓnún ẓ-n-n

literal: conjecture; think; suppositions

SE rendered مقام (mqám), امنع (imnʿ), اقدس (iqds), بمشتهيات (bmshthíát), ظنون (ẓnún), هوی (húy), افکيّات (ifkíkát), وهم (whm), عمی (ʿmí) as “station, lofty, fancies, passions, insincerity, blindness of heart”

وهم
whm w-h-m

literal: fancy

SE rendered بمشتهيات (bmshthíát), ظنون (ẓnún), هوی (húy), افکيّات (ifkíkát), وهم (whm), عمی (ʿmí), ضايع (ḍáyʿ), مگذاريد (mgdháríd), مَثَل (mathal) as “fancies, passions, insincerity, blindness of heart, dim the luster, or stain, Suffer not”

vain 43% fancy 29% idle 14% doubt 14%
مگذاريد
mgdháríd mgdháríd → “suffer”

literal: leave

1 occurrence in corpus

هواهای
húáháy h-w-ʾ → “breeze” Distinctive

literal: air; air, atmosphere; air, wind

This form usually rendered as “heavens”, “heaven” (2 occurrences)

heavens 50% heaven 50%
خوش
khúsh khúsh

literal: pleasant; pleasant, sweet

SE rendered کمال (kmál), روح (rúḥ), ريحان (ríḥán), هواهای (húáháy), خوش (khúsh), سبحان (sbḥán), نهايت (nháyt), اطمينان (iṭmínán), طيران (ṭírán) as “full, force, joyous, the realms, divine, complete, confidence, soareth”

sweet 25% delight 13% blissful 13% how 13% wondrous 13% glorious 13% pleasant 13%
بگمان
bgmán bgmán

literal: thought, imagination; to supposition

SE rendered اطمينان (iṭmínán), طيران (ṭírán), نمايد (nmáyd), بگمان (bgmán), دانه (dánh), بآب (báb), گل (gl), ارض (irḍ), ميل (míl), نمايد (nmáyd) as “confidence, soareth, may, water, clay, earth, longingly”

impelled 50% idle 50%
دانه
dánh d-ʾ-n

literal: know; ignorance; knowledge

SE rendered اطمينان (iṭmínán), طيران (ṭírán), نمايد (nmáyd), بگمان (bgmán), دانه (dánh), بآب (báb), گل (gl), ارض (irḍ), ميل (míl), نمايد (nmáyd) as “confidence, soareth, may, water, clay, earth, longingly”

بحرص
bḥrṣ ḥ-r-ṣ

literal: greed; greedy; greed/covetousness

SE rendered بآب (báb), گل (gl), ارض (irḍ), ميل (míl), نمايد (nmáyd), بحرص (bḥrṣ), تمام (tmám), بآب (báb), تراب (tráb) as “water, clay, earth, longingly, all, dust”

قادر
qádr q-d-r

literal: power; powerful

SE rendered اجنحه (ijnḥh), آلوده (álúdh), بآب (báb), گل (gl), قادر (qádr), بر (br), طيران (ṭírán), نبوده (nbúdh) as “wings, sullied, upon, are”

powerless 15% almighty 12% can 12% all-powerful 12% able 12% powerful 12% potent 8% power 8% could 8% bear 4%
نخواهد
nkhúáhd khúástn

literal: will; to want/will

SE rendered گل (gl), قادر (qádr), بر (br), طيران (ṭírán), نبوده (nbúdh), نخواهد (nkhúáhd), وقت (wqt), طاير (ṭáyr), سماء (smáʾ) as “upon, are, bird, heavens”

will 57% can 29% shall 14%
وقت
wqt w-q-t

literal: time; appointed time; appointed-time

SE rendered نبوده (nbúdh), نخواهد (nkhúáhd), وقت (wqt), طاير (ṭáyr), سماء (smáʾ), عاليه (ʿálíh), ساکن (sákn) as “are, bird, heavens, dwelling-place”

time 30% hour 17% thereupon 9% moment 9% days 9% age 9% timely 4% hitherto 4% now 4% day 4%
فانيه
fáníh f-n-y

literal: mortal; perishing

SE rendered سماء (smáʾ), عاليه (ʿálíh), ساکن (sákn), ارض (irḍ), فانيه (fáníh), بيند (bínd), حال (ḥál), عباد (ʿbád), پرهای (prháy) as “heavens, dwelling-place, now, servants, wings”

پرهای
prháy p-r → “wings”

literal: feather

1 occurrence in corpus

نمانيد
nmáníd m-n → “my”

literal: remain

SE rendered عرفان (ʿrfán), محروم (mḥrúm), ممنوع (mmnúʿ), نمانيد (nmáníd) as “knowledge, hindered”

1 occurrence in corpus

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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268 ¶

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50 ¶

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The Book of the Covenant — Bahá’u’lláh’s Will and Testament, written entirely in His own hand and unsealed on the ninth day after His ascension. It designates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor and establishes what Shoghi Effendi called the mightiest Covenant in all religious history.

16 ¶

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291 ¶

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17 ¶

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5 ¶

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57 ¶

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160 ¶

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59 ¶