Prayers and Meditations — §439

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 439 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

أَجِدُ نَفْسِيْ مُسْتَطِيعًا عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَثَنَائِكَ، وَلَوْ أَصِفُكَ بِوَصْفٍ وَأَذْكُرُكَ بِذِكْرٍ أَجِدُ نَفْسِي خَجِلاً عَمَّا تَحَرَّكَ بِهِ لِسَانِي وَجَرَى عَلَيْهِ قَلَمِي، أَيْ رَبِّ كَيْنُونَةُ العِرْفانِ تَشْهَدُ بِعَجْزِها عَنْ عِرْفانِكَ، وَإِنِّيَّةُ الحَيْرَةِ تَشْهَدُ بِحَيْرَتِها لِظُهُورَاتِ سَلْطَنَتِكَ وَكَيْنُونَةُ الذِّ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Thy glory beareth me witness! How can I, aware as I am of this truth, hope to befittingly make mention of Thee and celebrate Thy praise? Howsoever I describe Thee, whichever of Thy virtues I recount, I cannot but blush and feel ashamed of what my tongue hath uttered or my pen written.

Translation Notes

أَجِدُ

w-j-d → “being” Distinctive

literal: creation; bringing into existence

نَفْسِيْ

n-f-s → “me” Distinctive

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

مُسْتَطِيعًا

ṭ-y-ʿ → “hope”

literal: capable

عَلَى

ʿ-l-w → “exalted”

literal: highest; most high; supreme

ذِكْرِكَ

dh-k-r → “make mention” Distinctive

literal: remembrance; mention; memory

وَثَنَائِكَ،

th-n-y → “praise”

literal: praise; commendation; eulogy

وَلَوْ

l-w → “If”

literal: were it not for; if not for; save for

أَصِفُكَ

w-ṣ-f → “describe”

literal: to describe, characterize; description

خَجِلاً

kh-j-l → “blush and feel ashamed”

literal: shame; embarrassment; disgrace

عَمَّا

ʿ-n → “from”

literal: with them; in their company

تَحَرَّكَ

ḥ-r-k → “move”

literal: movement; motion; trembling; activity; حراک is unusual; possible typo or dialectal. Standard Arabic would be حرك or اهتزاز for ‘trembling’

بِهِ

b-h

literal: by it; by him; with it

لِسَانِي

l-s-n → “tongue”

literal: tongue; language

وَجَرَى

j-r-y → “flow” Distinctive

literal: trade; commerce; business; to flow; to run; to be in effect; flowing

عَلَيْهِ

ʿ-l-y

literal: upon; on; exalted

قَلَمِي،

q-l-m → “pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y

literal: O; vocative particle; oh (vocative particle)

رَبِّ

r-b-b

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

كَيْنُونَةُ

k-w-n → “be” Distinctive

literal: be; was; to be

العِرْفانِ

ʿ-r-f → “knowledge”

literal: to confess; to acknowledge; to recognize

تَشْهَدُ

sh-h-d → “beareth” Distinctive

literal: witnessed; observed; seen; evident; manifest

بِعَجْزِها

ʿ-j-z

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence; أعجاز (roots of trees/extremities) is Pattern II plural, distinct from ‘inability’ forms

وَإِنِّيَّةُ

ʾ-n-n → “Thee”

literal: I, verily; behold I

الحَيْرَةِ

ḥ-y-r

literal: bewildered; perplexed; confused; astounded; amazed; bewilderment; perplexity; wonder; amazement

لِظُهُورَاتِ

ẓ-h-r

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest

سَلْطَنَتِكَ

s-l-ṭ

literal: dominion; authority; power; sovereignty; control

الذِّ

l-dh-dh

literal: who; which; that which; the one who

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