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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §111

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 111 of 291.

Source (Persian)

بلی، اين عباد چون از عيون صافيه منيره علوم الهيّه تفاسير کلمات قدسيّه را اخذ ننمودهاند لهذا تشنه و افسرده در وادی ظنون و غفلت سائرند و از بحر عذب فرات مُعرِض شده در حول ملح اُجاج طائف اند. چنانچه در وصف ايشان ورقاء هويّه بيان فرموده: "وَ إن يَرَوا سَبِيلَ الرُّشدِ لا يَتَّخِذُوه سَبيلاً وَ إن يَرَوا سَبيلَ الغَيِّ يَتَّخِذُوه سَبيلاً، ذلِکَ بَانَّهُم کَذَّبُوا بآياتنَا وَ کانُوا عَنها غَافِلِينَ." که ترجمه آن اين است: اگر ببينند راه صلاح ورستگاری را، آن را اخذ نمی نمايند و به آن اقبال نمی کنند و امّا اگر راه باطل و طغيان و ضلالت را مشاهده کنند آن را برای خود راه وصول به حقّ قرار دهند. و اين اقبال به باطل و اعراض از حقّ ظاهر نشد، يعنی به اين ضلالت و گمراهی مبتلا نشدند، مگر به جزای آنکه تکذيب کردند آيات ما را و بودند از نزول آيات ما و ظهورات آن غفلت کنندگان.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Yea, inasmuch as the peoples of the world have failed to seek from the luminous and crystal Springs of divine knowledge the inner meaning of God’s holy words, they therefore have languished, stricken and sore athirst, in the vale of idle fancy and waywardness. They have strayed far from the fresh and thirst-subduing waters, and gathered round the salt that burneth bitterly. Concerning them, the Dove of Eternity hath spoken: “And if they see the path of righteousness, they will not take it for their path; but if they see the path of error, for their path will they take it. This, because they treated Our signs as lies, and were heedless of them.”

Translation Notes

افسرده
ifsrdh f-s-r-d

literal: extinguish; extinguished

SE rendered اخذ (ikhdh), ننمودهاند (nnmúdhánd), لهذا (lhdhá), تشنه (tshnh), افسرده (ifsrdh), وادی (wádí), ظنون (ẓnún), غفلت (ghflt), سائرند (sáʾrnd) as “seek, failed to, therefore, languished, stricken and sore athirst, vale, fancy, waywardness”

سائرند
sáʾrnd s-y-r

literal: other; conduct; journey

SE rendered وادی (wádí), ظنون (ẓnún), غفلت (ghflt), سائرند (sáʾrnd), از (iz), بحر (bḥr), عذب (ʿdhb), فرات (frát), مُعرِض (muʿriḍ) as “vale, fancy, waywardness, from, waters, fresh, thirst-subduing, strayed”

ملح
mlḥ m-l-ḥ → “sweet” Distinctive

literal: salt; salt, bitter

This form usually rendered as “bitter”, “salt” (4 occurrences)

bitter 67% salt 33%
اند
ind b-w-d → “were”

literal: be; are; is

SE rendered حول (ḥúl), ملح (mlḥ), اُجاج (ujáj), طائف (ṭáʾf), اند (ind), چنانچه (chnánchh), وصف (wṣf), ايشان (iyshán), ورقاء (wrqáʾ) as “round, salt, burneth bitterly, gathered, Concerning them, them, Dove of”

have 25% thereto 25% accounted 25% essence 25%
وصف
wṣf w-ṣ-f

literal: attributes; description; attribute

SE rendered اُجاج (ujáj), طائف (ṭáʾf), اند (ind), چنانچه (chnánchh), وصف (wṣf), ايشان (iyshán), ورقاء (wrqáʾ), هويّه (húyyh), بيان (bíán), فرموده (frmúdh) as “burneth bitterly, gathered, Concerning them, them, Dove of, Eternity, spoken”

بيان
bíán b-y-n

literal: utterance

SE rendered چنانچه (chnánchh), وصف (wṣf), ايشان (iyshán), ورقاء (wrqáʾ), هويّه (húyyh), بيان (bíán), فرموده (frmúdh), يَرَوا (yarawá), سَبِيلَ (sabíl) as “Concerning them, them, Dove of, Eternity, spoken, see, path”

کانُوا
kánúá k-w-n

literal: be; was; to be

SE rendered کَذَّبُوا (kadhdhabúá), بآياتنَا (báyátná), کانُوا (kánúá), عَنها (ʿanhá), غَافِلِينَ (gháfilín) as “treated, signs, heedless”

have 32% who 26% stand 5% though 5% continue 5% joined 5% occupy 5% represented 5% truly 5% still 5%
ترجمه
trjmh t-r-j-m

literal: translation

SE rendered غَافِلِينَ (gháfilín), ترجمه (trjmh) as “heedless”

ورستگاری
wrstgárí wrstgárí

literal: salvation

SE rendered ورستگاری (wrstgárí), اخذ (ikhdh), نمی (nmí), نمايند (nmáynd) as “take, will”

1 occurrence in corpus

ضلالت
ḍlált ḍ-l-l

literal: error; error, misguidance; error/misguidance

SE rendered امّا (immá), راه (ráh), باطل (báṭl), طغيان (ṭghíán), ضلالت (ḍlált), مشاهده (msháhdh), کنند (knnd), برای (bráy) as “for”

گمراهی
gmráhí gmráhí

literal: error/going astray; going astray, error

SE rendered ضلالت (ḍlált), گمراهی (gmráhí), مبتلا (mbtlá), نشدند، (nshdnd،), مگر (mgr), جزای (jzáy), آنکه (ánkh) as “because”

2 occurrences in corpus

مبتلا
mbtlá b-l-w

literal: affliction

SE rendered ضلالت (ḍlált), گمراهی (gmráhí), مبتلا (mbtlá), نشدند، (nshdnd،), مگر (mgr), جزای (jzáy), آنکه (ánkh), تکذيب (tkdhíb) as “because, as lies”

کنندگان
knndgán knndgán

literal: doer, one who does; doers

SE rendered ظهورات (ẓhúrát), غفلت (ghflt), کنندگان (knndgán) as “”

2 occurrences in corpus

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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