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Will and Testament — §3

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 3 of 59.

Source (Persian)

ای احبّای الهی اعظم امور محافظۀ دین اللّه است و صیانت شریعت اللّه و حمایت امر اللّه و خدمت کلمة اللّه در این سبیل هزاران نفس خون مطهّر را سبیل نمودند و جان عزیز را فدا کردند رقص‌کنان بقربانگاه شتافتند و علم دین اللّه افراشتند و بخون خویش آیات توحید نگاشتند سینۀ مبارک حضرت اعلی روحی له الفدآء هدف هزار تیر بلا شد و قدوم مبارک جمال ابهی روحی لأحبّائه الفدآء از ضرب چوب در مازندران زخم و مجروح گردید و گردن مقدّس و پای مبارک در زندان طهران اسیر کند و زنجیر گشت و مدّت پنجاه سال در هر ساعتی بلا و آفتی رسید و ابتلا و مصیبتی رخ داد از جمله بعد از صدمات شدیده از وطن آواره و مبتلای آلام و محن شد و در عراق نیّر آفاق معرض کسوف از اهل نفاق بود و عاقبت سرگون بمدینۀ کبیره گشت و از آن شهر بارض سرّ نفی گردید و از خطّۀ بلغار در نهایت مظلومیّت بسجن اعظم ارسال گشت آن مظلوم آفاق روحی لأحبّائه الفدآء چهار مرتبه از شهری بشهری سرگون گردید تا در این زندان بحبس مؤبّد استقرار یافت و در سجن قاتلان و سارقان و قطّاع طریق مسجون و مظلوم گردید این یک بلا از بلایای واردۀ بر جمال مبارک بود بلایای دیگر را بر این قیاس نمائید

Shoghi Effendi Translation

O ye beloved of the Lord! The greatest of all things is the protection of the True Faith of God, the preservation of His Law, the safeguarding of His Cause and service unto His Word. Ten thousand souls have shed streams of their sacred blood in this path, their precious lives they offered in sacrifice unto Him, hastened wrapt in holy ecstasy unto the glorious field of martyrdom, upraised the Standard of God’s Faith and writ with their life-blood upon the Tablet of the world the verses of His Divine Unity. The sacred breast of His Holiness the Exalted One (may my life be a sacrifice unto Him) was made a target to many a dart of woe, and in Mázindarán, the blessed feet of the Abhá Beauty (may my life be offered up for His loved ones) were so grievously scourged as to bleed and be sore wounded. His neck also was put into captive chains and His feet made fast in the stocks. In every hour, for a period of fifty years, a new trial and calamity befell Him and fresh afflictions and cares beset Him. One of them: After having suffered intense vicissitudes, He was made homeless and a wanderer and fell a victim to still new vexations and troubles. In ‘Iráq, the Day-Star of the world was so exposed to the wiles of the people of malice as to be eclipsed in splendour. Later on He was sent an exile to the Great City (Constantinople) and thence to the Land of Mystery (Adrianople), whence, grievously wronged, He was eventually transferred to the Most Great Prison (‘Akká). He Whom the world hath wronged (may my life be offered up for His loved ones) was four times banished from city to city, till at last, condemned to perpetual confinement, He was incarcerated in this prison, the prison of highway robbers, of brigands and of manslayers. All this is but one of the trials that have afflicted the Blessed Beauty, the rest being even as grievous as this.

Translation Notes

عزیز
ʿzíz ʿ-z-z

literal: mighty; glory; might

SE rendered مطهّر (mṭhhr), سبیل (sbíl), نمودند (nmúdnd), جان (ján), عزیز (ʿzíz), فدا (fdá), کردند (krdnd), رقص‌کنان (rqṣ‌knán), بقربانگاه (bqrbángáh) as “sacred, shed, hath, precious lives, in sacrifice, offered, hastened wrapt in holy ecstasy, unto the glorious field”

رقص‌کنان
rqṣ‌knán r-q-ṣ → “wrapt”

literal: dancing

1 occurrence in corpus

بقربانگاه
bqrbángáh bqrbángáh → “unto”

literal: place-of-sacrifice

1 occurrence in corpus

شتافتند
shtáftnd sh-t-f

literal: hasten; hasten/hurry; hasten/rush

SE rendered فدا (fdá), کردند (krdnd), رقص‌کنان (rqṣ‌knán), بقربانگاه (bqrbángáh), شتافتند (shtáftnd), علم (ʿlm), دین (dín), اللّه (al-lh), افراشتند (ifráshtnd) as “in sacrifice, offered, hastened wrapt in holy ecstasy, unto the glorious field, the Standard, God’s Faith, upraised”

have 50% hastened 50%
افراشتند
ifráshtnd ʾ-f-r → “creator” Distinctive

literal: create; creator; raise

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

creator 33% created 33% upraised 33%
نگاشتند
ngáshtnd ngáshtnd → “writ”

literal: write

1 occurrence in corpus

چوب
chúb chúb

literal: wood

SE rendered روحی (rúḥí), لأحبّائه (lʾaḥbbáʾh), الفدآء (al-fdáʾ), از (iz), ضرب (ḍrb), چوب (chúb), مازندران (mázndrán), زخم (zkhm), مجروح (mjrúḥ), گردید (grdíd) as “my life, His loved ones), offered up, of, scourged, Mázindarán, bleed, sore wounded, were”

1 occurrence in corpus

مقدّس
mqdds q-d-s

literal: holiness; holy; sanctified

SE rendered زخم (zkhm), مجروح (mjrúḥ), گردید (grdíd), گردن (grdn), مقدّس (mqdds), پای (páy), مبارک (mbárk), زندان (zndán) as “bleed, sore wounded, were, His neck, His feet, the stocks”

زنجیر
znjír z-n-j-y-r

literal: chain

SE rendered زندان (zndán), طهران (ṭhrán), اسیر (isír), کند (knd), زنجیر (znjír), گشت (gsht), مدّت (mddt), پنجاه (pnjáh), سال (sál), هر (hr) as “the stocks, captive chains, made fast, was put, a period, fifty, years, every”

1 occurrence in corpus

پنجاه
pnjáh pnjáh → “fifty”

literal: fifty

2 occurrences in corpus

رخ
rkh rkh

literal: face

SE rendered آفتی (áftí), رسید (rsíd), ابتلا (ibtlá), مصیبتی (mṣíbtí), رخ (rkh), داد (dád), از (iz), جمله (jmlh), از (iz), صدمات (ṣdmát), شدیده (shdídh) as “calamity, befell, afflictions, cares, beset, having suffered, One of them, intense”

2 occurrences in corpus

صدمات
ṣdmát ṣ-d-m → “injuries” Distinctive

literal: affliction

This form usually rendered as “vicissitudes”, “afflictions” (2 occurrences)

وطن
wṭn w-ṭ-n → “and”

literal: homeland; homeland, home

SE rendered از (iz), جمله (jmlh), از (iz), صدمات (ṣdmát), شدیده (shdídh), از (iz), وطن (wṭn), آواره (áwárh), مبتلای (mbtláy), آلام (álám), محن (mḥn) as “of, One of them, intense, and, homeless, a victim, vexations, troubles”

home 36% land 18% own 9% native 9% country 9% most 9% shelter 9%
آواره
áwárh w-r-h → “wanderer”

literal: wanderer

1 occurrence in corpus

بمدینۀ
bmdínۀ m-d-n

literal: city; cities; civilization

SE rendered از (iz), اهل (ihl), نفاق (nfáq), عاقبت (ʿáqbt), سرگون (srgún), بمدینۀ (bmdínۀ), کبیره (kbírh), گشت (gsht), از (iz), شهر (shhr), بارض (bárḍ) as “of, the people, malice, Later on, sent, the Great City, was, Land”

شهر
shhr shhr

literal: city; month

SE rendered سرگون (srgún), بمدینۀ (bmdínۀ), کبیره (kbírh), گشت (gsht), از (iz), شهر (shhr), بارض (bárḍ), سرّ (srr), نفی (nfí), گردید (grdíd), از (iz) as “sent, the Great City, was, of, Land, Mystery, exile”

city 38% months 25% four 13% month 13% therein 13%
خطّۀ
khṭṭۀ kh-ṭ-ṭ

literal: handwriting; line; script

SE rendered بارض (bárḍ), سرّ (srr), نفی (nfí), گردید (grdíd), از (iz), خطّۀ (khṭṭۀ), بلغار (blghár), نهایت (nháyt), مظلومیّت (mẓlúmímt), بسجن (bsjn) as “Land, Mystery, exile, was, of, Adrianople, grievously, wronged, the Most Great Prison”

بلغار

literal: adrianople

1 occurrence in corpus

چهار
chhár chhár → “four”

literal: four

1 occurrence in corpus

استقرار
istqrár q-r-r

literal: established

SE rendered زندان (zndán), بحبس (bḥbs), مؤبّد (mʾbbd), استقرار (istqrár), یافت (yáft), سجن (sjn), قاتلان (qátlán), سارقان (sárqán) as “prison, confinement, perpetual, last, manslayers, robbers”

قطّاع
qṭṭáʿ q-ṭ-ʿ

literal: detachment; detached; severed

SE rendered سجن (sjn), قاتلان (qátlán), سارقان (sárqán), قطّاع (qṭṭáʿ), طریق (ṭríq), مسجون (msjún), مظلوم (mẓlúm), گردید (grdíd) as “prison, manslayers, robbers, highway, incarcerated, wronged, was”

rid 19% detached 17% detachment 16% have 14% renunciation 10% cease 6% detach 5% wholly 5% absolute 4% may 4%
دیگر
dígr dígr

literal: other; other, another; other/another

SE rendered واردۀ (wárdۀ), بر (br), جمال (jmál), مبارک (mbárk), بلایای (bláyáy), دیگر (dígr), بر (br), قیاس (qíás), نمائید (nmáʾíd) as “afflicted, upon, Blessed Beauty, rest, as grievous as this, may”

another 31% other 15% moreover 15% different 13% yet 6% furthermore 6% again 4% else 4% now 4% following 2%
قیاس
qíás q-y-s → “sought” Distinctive

literal: comparison; measure; measured

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

sought 33% measure 33% even 33%

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