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Will and Testament — §13

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 13 of 59.

Source (Persian)

ای ثابتان بر پیمان این طیر بال و پر شکسته و مظلوم چون آهنگ ملأ اعلی نماید و بجهان پنهان شتابد و جسدش تحت اطباق قرار یابد یا مفقود گردد باید افنان ثابتۀ راسخۀ بر میثاق اللّه که از سدرۀ تقدیس روئیده‌اند با حضرات ایادی امر اللّه علیهم بهآء اللّه و جمیع یاران و دوستان بالاتّفاق بنشر نفحات اللّه و تبلیغ امر اللّه و ترویج دین اللّه بدل و جان قیام نمایند دقیقه‌ئی آرام نگیرند و آنی استراحت نکنند در ممالک و دیار منتشر شوند و آوارۀ هر بلاد و سرگشتۀ هر اقلیم گردند دقیقه‌ئی نیاسایند و آنی آسوده نگردند و نفسی راحت نجویند در هر کشوری نعرۀ یابهآءالأبهی زنند و در هر شهری شهرۀ آفاق شوند و در هر انجمنی چون شمع برافروزند و در هر محفلی نار عشق برافروزند تا در قطب آفاق انوار حقّ اشراق نماید و در شرق و غرب جمّ غفیری در ظلّ کلمة اللّه آید و نفحات قدس بوزد و وجوه نورانی گردد و قلوب ربّانی شود و نفوس رحمانی گردد

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O ye that stand fast in the Covenant! When the hour cometh that this wronged and broken-winged bird will have taken its flight unto the Celestial Concourse, when it will have hastened to the Realm of the Unseen and its mortal frame will have been either lost or hidden neath the dust, it is incumbent upon the Afnán, that are steadfast in the Covenant of God and have branched from the Tree of Holiness; the Hands (pillars) of the Cause of God, the glory of the Lord rest upon them; and all the friends and loved ones, one and all to bestir themselves and arise with heart and soul and in one accord, to diffuse the sweet savours of God, to teach His Cause and to promote His Faith. It behoveth them not to rest for a moment, neither to seek repose. They must disperse themselves in every land, pass by every clime and travel throughout all regions. Bestirred, without rest and steadfast to the end, they must raise in every land the triumphal cry “O Thou the Glory of Glories!” (Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá), must achieve renown in the world wherever they go, must burn brightly even as a candle in every meeting and must kindle the flame of Divine love in every assembly; that the light of truth may rise resplendent in the midmost heart of the world, that throughout the East and throughout the West a vast concourse may gather under the shadow of the Word of God, that the sweet savours of holiness may be diffused, that faces may shine radiantly, hearts be filled with the Divine spirit and souls be made heavenly.

Translation Notes

بال
bál b-ʾ-l

literal: wing

SE rendered ثابتان (thábtán), بر (br), پیمان (pímán), طیر (ṭír), بال (bál), پر (pr), شکسته (shksth), مظلوم (mẓlúm), چون (chún), آهنگ (áhng) as “ye that stand fast, in, the Covenant, bird, broken-winged, wronged, When the hour cometh, taken its flight”

1 occurrence in corpus

پر
pr pr

literal: feather; full; full of

SE rendered ثابتان (thábtán), بر (br), پیمان (pímán), طیر (ṭír), بال (bál), پر (pr), شکسته (shksth), مظلوم (mẓlúm), چون (chún), آهنگ (áhng), ملأ (mlʾ) as “ye that stand fast, in, the Covenant, bird, broken-winged, wronged, When the hour cometh, taken its flight, the Celestial Concourse”

wings 50% filled 25% finely 25%
شکسته
shksth shkstn → “have” Distinctive

literal: break; break, scatter; break, shatter

This form usually rendered as “broken” (1 occurrences)

have 17% scatter 17% shatter 17% bursting 17% burst 17% broken 17%
اعلی
iʿlí ʿ-l-w

literal: highest; exalted; high

SE rendered شکسته (shksth), مظلوم (mẓlúm), چون (chún), آهنگ (áhng), ملأ (mlʾ), اعلی (iʿlí), نماید (nmáyd), بجهان (bjhán), پنهان (pnhán), شتابد (shtábd) as “broken-winged, wronged, When the hour cometh, taken its flight, the Celestial Concourse, will, Realm of the Unseen, hastened”

بجهان
bjhán j-h-n

literal: world

SE rendered چون (chún), آهنگ (áhng), ملأ (mlʾ), اعلی (iʿlí), نماید (nmáyd), بجهان (bjhán), پنهان (pnhán), شتابد (shtábd), جسدش (jsdsh), اطباق (iṭbáq) as “When the hour cometh, taken its flight, the Celestial Concourse, will, Realm of the Unseen, hastened, its mortal frame, the dust”

world 50% realm 50%
یابد
yábd yáftn

literal: find; found; to find

SE rendered شتابد (shtábd), جسدش (jsdsh), اطباق (iṭbáq), قرار (qrár), یابد (yábd), مفقود (mfqúd), گردد (grdd), باید (báyd), افنان (ifnán), ثابتۀ (thábtۀ) as “hastened, its mortal frame, the dust, rest, lost, hidden, it is incumbent upon, the Afnán, that are steadfast”

حضرات
ḥḍrát ḥ-ḍ-r

literal: presence; present; presence/holiness

SE rendered از (iz), سدرۀ (sdrۀ), تقدیس (tqdís), روئیده‌اند (rúʾídh‌ánd), حضرات (ḥḍrát), ایادی (iyádí), امر (imr), اللّه (al-lh), علیهم (ʿlíhm) as “from, the Tree, Holiness, branched, Hands, Cause, God, the glory of the”

بهآء
bháʾ b-h-w

literal: glory

SE rendered ایادی (iyádí), امر (imr), اللّه (al-lh), علیهم (ʿlíhm), بهآء (bháʾ), اللّه (al-lh), جمیع (jmíʿ), یاران (yárán), دوستان (dústán) as “Hands, Cause, Lord, the glory of the, all the, friends, loved ones”

glory 61% bahá 17% splendor 11% excellence 6% thou 6%
نگیرند
ngírnd grftn

literal: take; to take; taken

SE rendered جان (ján), قیام (qíám), نمایند (nmáynd), دقیقه‌ئی (dqíqh‌ʾí), آرام (árám), نگیرند (ngírnd), آنی (ání), استراحت (istráḥt), نکنند (nknnd), ممالک (mmálk) as “soul, arise, will, for a moment, rest, repose, every land”

have 29% hath 14% encompassed 7% attached 7% ye 7% obscured 7% will 7% envelopeth 7% sought 7% shall 7%
نکنند
nknnd krdn

literal: do; to do; do/make

SE rendered آرام (árám), نگیرند (ngírnd), آنی (ání), استراحت (istráḥt), نکنند (nknnd), ممالک (mmálk), دیار (díár), منتشر (mntshr) as “rest, repose, every land, disperse”

renounce 50% neither 50%
دیار
díár díár

literal: land; lands

SE rendered استراحت (istráḥt), نکنند (nknnd), ممالک (mmálk), دیار (díár), منتشر (mntshr), شوند (shúnd), آوارۀ (áwárۀ), هر (hr) as “repose, every land, disperse, pass by, every”

land 40% country 10% paths 10% would 10% habitation 10% city 10% far 10%
شوند
shúnd shdn

literal: become; to become

SE rendered ممالک (mmálk), دیار (díár), منتشر (mntshr), شوند (shúnd), آوارۀ (áwárۀ), هر (hr), بلاد (blád), سرگشتۀ (srgshtۀ), هر (hr) as “every land, disperse, pass by, all, travel throughout”

may 25% will 15% would 10% should 10% made 10% must 10% mayest 5% might 5% again 5% commissioned 5%
آوارۀ
áwárۀ ʾ-w-ʾ-r → “travel”

literal: wanderer

1 occurrence in corpus

بلاد
blád b-l-d

literal: lands; land

SE rendered دیار (díár), منتشر (mntshr), شوند (shúnd), آوارۀ (áwárۀ), هر (hr), بلاد (blád), سرگشتۀ (srgshtۀ), هر (hr), اقلیم (iqlím) as “disperse, pass by, all, travel throughout, clime”

cities 14% world 14% all 14% countries 14% one 7% kingdoms 7% nations 7% earth 7% land 7% regions 7%
سرگشتۀ
srgshtۀ srgshtۀ → “pass”

literal: bewildered

1 occurrence in corpus

گردند
grdnd gshtn

literal: become; to become

SE rendered هر (hr), بلاد (blád), سرگشتۀ (srgshtۀ), هر (hr), اقلیم (iqlím), گردند (grdnd), دقیقه‌ئی (dqíqh‌ʾí), نیاسایند (níásáynd) as “all, travel throughout, clime, rest”

become 38% may 25% wouldst 13% will 13% themselves 13%
نیاسایند
níásáynd ʾ-s-ʾ → “without”

literal: rest

1 occurrence in corpus

آسوده
ásúdh ʾ-s-w-d

literal: tranquil

SE rendered نیاسایند (níásáynd), آنی (ání), آسوده (ásúdh), نگردند (ngrdnd), نفسی (nfsí), راحت (ráḥt), نجویند (njúynd) as “rest, spirit, have”

1 occurrence in corpus

کشوری
kshúrí k-sh-r → “every”

literal: country

1 occurrence in corpus

نعرۀ

literal: cry

1 occurrence in corpus

شمع

literal: candle

6 occurrences in corpus

برافروزند
bráfrúznd f-r-z → “heights” Distinctive

literal: kindle; height/top

This form usually rendered as “burn”, “kindle” (2 occurrences)

burn 50% kindle 50%
محفلی
mḥflí ḥ-f-l → “assembly” Distinctive

literal: assembly

This form usually rendered as “every”, “meeting” (3 occurrences)

every 50% meeting 50%
جمّ
jmm j-m-m → “garment” Distinctive

literal: garment

This form usually rendered as “concourse” (1 occurrences)

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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