Prayers and Meditations — §704

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 704 of 858.

Source (Arabic)

الها معبودا ملكا مقصودا بچه لسان ترا شكر نمايم، غافل بودم آگاهم فرمودی، معرض بودم بر اقبال تأييد نمودی، مرده بودم از آب حيات زندگى بخشيدی، پژمرده بودم از كوثر بيان كه از قلم رحمن جارى شده تازگى عطا

Shoghi Effendi Translation

My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire! What tongue can voice my thanks to Thee? I was heedless, Thou didst awaken me. I had turned back from Thee, Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. I was as one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water of life. I was withered, Thou didst revive me with the heavenly stream of Thine utterance which hath flowed forth from the Pen of the All-Merciful.

Translation Notes

الها

ʾ-l-h → “God”

literal: God; Allah; deity; Divinity; divine nature; godhood

معبودا

ʿ-b-d → “Adored One”

literal: servant; slave; worshipper

ملكا

m-l-k → “King”

literal: kingdom; dominion; realm; sovereignty; possessions; property; ownership

مقصودا

q-ṣ-d → “Desire”

literal: intention; purpose; aim; goal; to seek; to direct oneself

بچه

ch-h → “For”

literal: how; by what means; with what

لسان

l-s-n → “tongue”

literal: tongue; language

ترا

t-r-r → “Thee”

literal: to see; to perceive; to look; to see, to observe, to behold; to view; vision; dream; sight; ل is prefix; verb تری (you see) is from ر-ا-ي

شكر

sh-k-r → “thanks”

literal: thankfulness, gratitude; to give thanks, be grateful; manifest; evident; apparent; clear

نمايم،

n-m-ʾ → “may” Distinctive

literal: do; show; make

غافل

gh-f-l → “heedless”

literal: heedlessness; negligence; inattention

بودم

b-w-d → “was”

literal: to be; to exist; to have been

آگاهم

ʾ-g-h → “awaken”

literal: aware; awareness; knowledge

فرمودی،

f-r-m → “saith” Distinctive

literal: to say; to decree; to ordain; to command

معرض

ʿ-r-ḍ → “turned back” Distinctive

literal: to turn away; to avert; to abstain; heedless

بر

b-r-r → “righteous” Distinctive

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

اقبال

q-b-l → “to turn towards”

literal: group; company; tribe; sort; kind

تأييد

ʾ-y-d → “graciously aid” Distinctive

literal: to support, assist, strengthen, confirm; to support; to assist; to strengthen; to aid; confirmation; support; strengthening

نمودی،

n-m-ود → “hath” Distinctive

literal: to show, display, exhibit; to grow, develop

مرده

m-w-t → “dead”

literal: rebellion; mutiny; revolt

از

ʾ-z → “with” Distinctive

literal: from

آب

m-w-h → “water”

literal: father; ancestry; forefathers

حيات

ḥ-y-y → “life”

literal: greeting; salutation; tribute

زندگى

z-n-d → “life”

literal: prison; jail

بخشيدی،

b-kh-sh

literal: to grant; to give; to forgive; to bestow

پژمرده

p-zh-m → “despondent” Distinctive

literal: withered; wilted; drooping; faded

كوثر

k-w-th-r → “living waters”

literal: abundance; river of paradise; the Kawthar

بيان

b-y-n → “utterance”

literal: to manifest; to make clear; clear, evident

كه

k-h → “which”

literal: that; who; who, that

قلم

q-l-m → “Pen”

literal: pen; writing instrument

رحمن

r-ḥ-m → “All-Merciful”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

جارى

j-r-y → “hath flowed” Distinctive

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

شده

sh-d → “was”

literal: to become; to be

تازگى

t-z-g → “didst revive”

literal: freshness

عطا

ʿ-ṭ-w

literal: bounty; gift; bestowal; grace; bountifulness

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶