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The Hidden Words — §98

Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 98 of 160.

Source (Arabic)

(٢٣) ﴿ ای اهل ديار عشقشمع باقی را ارياح فانی احاطه نموده و جمال غلام روحانی در غبار تيره ظلمانی مستور مانده * سلطان سلاطين عشق در دست رعايای ظلم مظلوم و حمامه قدسی در دست جغدان گرفتار * جميع اهل سرادق ابهی و ملأ اعلی نوحه و ندبه مينمايند و شما در کمال راحت در ارض غفلت اقامت نموده‌ايد و خود را هم از دوستان خالص محسوب داشته‌ايد * فباطل ما أنتم تظنّون *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

(23) O DWELLERS IN THE CITY OF LOVE! Mortal blasts have beset the everlasting candle, and the beauty of the celestial Youth is veiled in the darkness of dust. The chief of the monarchs of love is wronged by the people of tyranny and the dove of holiness lies prisoned in the talons of owls. The dwellers in the pavilion of glory and the celestial concourse bewail and lament, while ye repose in the realm of negligence, and esteem yourselves as of the true friends. How vain are your imaginings!

Translation Notes

شمع

literal: candle

6 occurrences in corpus

نموده
nmúdh n-m-ود

literal: do; to do; do/make

SE rendered شمع (shmʿ)باقی (báqí)ارياح (iríáḥ)فانی (fání)احاطه (iḥáṭh)نموده (nmúdh)جمال (jmál)غلام (ghlám)روحانی (rúḥání)غبار (ghbár) as “candle, everlasting, blasts, Mortal, beset, beauty, Youth, celestial, dust”

مانده
mándh m-ʾ-n

literal: remain; remained; to remain

SE rendered غبار (ghbár)تيره (tírh)ظلمانی (ẓlmání)مستور (mstúr)مانده (mándh)سلطان (slṭán)سلاطين (sláṭín)عشق (ʿshq)دست (dst) as “dust, darkness, veiled, chief, monarchs, love, talons”

postponed 17% left 17% strayed 17% endure 17% have 17% knowledge 17%
جغدان
jghdán j-gh-d “owls”

literal: owls

1 occurrence in corpus

جميع
jmíʿ j-m-ʿ “the”

literal: all; all, entire

SE rendered قدسی (qdsí)دست (dst)جغدان (jghdán)گرفتار (grftár)جميع (jmíʿ)اهل (ihl)سرادق (srádq)ابهی (ibhí)ملأ (mlʾ)اعلی (iʿlí) as “holiness, owls, prisoned, The, dwellers, pavilion, glory, concourse, celestial”

all 81% every 8% whole 3% each 2% whatsoever 1% one 1% concourse 1% under 1% divers 1% any 1%
کمال
kmál k-m-l

literal: perfection; complete; with perfection

SE rendered نوحه (núḥh)ندبه (ndbh)مينمايند (mínmáynd)کمال (kmál)راحت (ráḥt)ارض (irḍ)غفلت (ghflt)اقامت (iqámt) as “bewail, lament, , while, realm, negligence, repose”

از
iz ʾ-z “of”

literal: from

SE rendered اقامت (iqámt)نموده‌ايد (nmúdh‌áyd)از (iz)دوستان (dústán)خالص (khálṣ)محسوب (mḥsúb) as “repose, OF, friends, true, esteem”

23 occurrences in corpus

داشته‌ايد
dáshth‌áyd d-ʾ-sh-t

literal: have; had; to have

SE rendered از (iz)دوستان (dústán)خالص (khálṣ)محسوب (mḥsúb)داشته‌ايد (dáshth‌áyd)فباطل (fbáṭl)تظنّون (tẓnnún) as “OF, friends, true, esteem, vain, imaginings”

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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59 ¶