Prayers and Meditations — §516

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 516 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

دُ النُّفُوسُ وَتَثْمُرُ أَشْجارُ الوُجُودِ، أَيْ رَبِّ قَدْ اصْفَرَّ نَباتُ قُلُوبِ أَحِبَّتِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيهِمْ مِنْ سَحَابِ المَعَانِي ما يُنْبِتُ مِنْ صُدُورِهِمْ كَلأُ عِلْمِكَ وَحِكْمَتِكَ، ثُمَّ اسْرُرْهُمْ بِإِظْهارِ أَمْرِكَ وَاسْتِعْلآءِ

Shoghi Effendi Translation

The plants that have sprung forth, O my Lord, in the hearts of Thy loved ones have withered away. Send down upon them, from the clouds of Thy spirit, that which will cause the tender herbs of Thy knowledge and wisdom to grow within their breasts. Rejoice, then, their hearts with the proclamation of Thy Cause and the exaltation of Thy sovereignty.

Translation Notes

النُّفُوسُ

n-f-s

literal: self; soul; psyche; person; essence

وَتَثْمُرُ

th-m-r

literal: fruit; fruits; bore fruit

أَشْجارُ

sh-j-r

literal: tree

الوُجُودِ،

w-j-d

literal: to find; to discover; to obtain

أَيْ

ʾ-y-y → “O my” Distinctive

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

رَبِّ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

قَدْ

q-d → “We have been”

literal: verily; indeed; certainly (particle of emphasis)

اصْفَرَّ

ṣ-f-r → “yellowed” Distinctive

literal: yellow; trumpet; yellowed

نَباتُ

n-b-t → “bringeth forth” Distinctive

literal: prophet

قُلُوبِ

q-l-b → “hearts”

literal: heart; to turn; to overturn

أَحِبَّتِكَ

ḥ-b-b → “Thy loved ones”

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

فَأَمْطِرْ

m-ṭ-r → “rain”

literal: rain; rains; to rain

عَلَيهِمْ

ʿ-l-y → “upon them”

literal: exalted; highest; supreme; most high; upon you; on; over; Ali (name); upon

مِنْ

m-n → “from”

literal: from; out of; than (preposition and particle)

سَحَابِ

s-ḥ-b → “clouds”

literal: cloud; clouds

المَعَانِي

ʿ-n-y → “spirit” Distinctive

literal: to concern; to mean; to turn away from

ما

m-ʾ → “that”

literal: what; which; that which; relative pronoun; interrogative

صُدُورِهِمْ

ṣ-d-r → “their breasts”

literal: to issue, emanate, proceed; issued, emanating

كَلأُ

k-l-ʾ → “tender herbs”

literal: no; not; negation particle

عِلْمِكَ

ʿ-l-m → “Thy knowledge”

literal: world; universe; the worlds

وَحِكْمَتِكَ،

ḥ-k-m → “wisdom”

literal: government; rule; governance; wisdom; firm; solid; strengthened

ثُمَّ

th-m-m → “then”

literal: then; thereafter; next; moreover

اسْرُرْهُمْ

s-r-r → “Rejoice”

literal: secret; secrets; secret, mystery

بِإِظْهارِ

ẓ-h-r → “proclamation” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; appearance; to appear; to manifest; to display; to reveal; ظهور here means ‘backs’ (plural of ظهر), different semantic use than manifestation

أَمْرِكَ

ʾ-m-r → “Cause”

literal: command; cause; matter; affair

وَاسْتِعْلآءِ

ʿ-l-w → “exaltation”

literal: highest; upon; exalted

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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