Will and Testament — §49

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 49 of 59.

Source (Persian)

ربّ قد طفح علیّ کأس البلآء و اشتدّت اللّطمات علیّ من جمیع الجهات و تتابعت سهام الرّزیّة و توالت اسنّة المصیبة فعجزت من الشّدائد و وهنت منّی القوی من هجوم الشّارد و الوارد من الأعدآء و انا فرید و وحید فی هذه الموارد ربّ ارحمنی و ارفعنی الیک و اسقنی کأس الفدآء فقد ضاقت علیّ الأرض برحبها

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Lord! My cup of woe runneth over, and from all sides blows are fiercely raging upon me. The darts of affliction have compassed me round and the arrows of distress have rained upon me. Thus tribulation overwhelmed me, and my strength, because of the onslaught of the foemen, became weakness within me, while I stood alone and forsaken in the midst of my woes. Lord! Have mercy upon me, lift me up unto Thyself and make me to drink from the Chalice of Martyrdom, for the wide world with all its vastness can no longer contain me.

Translation Notes

ربّ

r-b-b → “Lord”

literal: by, with, through (preposition)

قد

q-d

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

طفح

ṭ-f-ḥ → “brimmeth over” Distinctive

literal: overflowing; brimming; full to the brim

علیّ

ʿ-l-w → “upon” Distinctive

literal: highest; most high; supreme

کأس

k-ʾ-s → “cup”

literal: cup; chalice; goblet

البلآء

b-l-w → “woe” Distinctive

literal: affliction; trial; calamity

اشتدّت

sh-d-d → “tribulations” Distinctive

literal: strong; severe; intense; violent

اللّطمات

l-ṭ-m → “blow”

literal: surging; dashing; tumultuous

من

m-n → “from”

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

جمیع

j-m-ʿ → “all”

literal: to gather; to assemble; group; number

الجهات

j-h-h → “sides”

literal: direction; aspect; side; regard

تتابعت

t-b-ʿ → “follow” Distinctive

literal: to repent; to turn back; to return

سهام

s-h-m → “darts”

literal: arrow; dart; shaft; portion; share

الرّزیّة

r-z-y → “the trials” Distinctive

literal: calamity; calamities; calamity, misfortune

توالت

w-l-y → “Lord” Distinctive

literal: guardian; protector; friend; ally; lord; helper; first; primary; original

اسنّة

s-n-n → “years” Distinctive

literal: arrow; pointed weapon; spear-point; edge

المصیبة

ṣ-w-b → “trials”

literal: calamity; misfortune; disaster; affliction

فعجزت

ʿ-j-z → “powerlessness” Distinctive

literal: to be unable; to fail; to be exhausted; impotence

وهنت

w-h-n → “humiliation” Distinctive

literal: to weaken; to become weak; weakness; feebleness

القوی

q-w-y → “strength”

literal: strength; power; might; piety; fear of God; godliness

هجوم

h-j-m → “onslaught”

literal: to attack; assault; rush; onslaught

الشّارد

literal: fleeing; fugitive; wandering; straying

الوارد

w-r-d → “hath befallen” Distinctive

literal: to enter, to come, to befall, to arrive

الأعدآء

literal: when; if; whenever; at that time

انا

ʾ-n → “I” Distinctive

literal: that; those; he; she; it

فرید

f-r-d → “Thy oneness” Distinctive

literal: unique; singular; incomparable

وحید

w-ḥ-d → “one”

literal: Divine unity; monotheism; belief in the oneness of God

فی

f-y → “in”

literal: in; in-it; in it

هذه

h-dh-ʾ → “the” Distinctive

literal: this; this (masculine); this (feminine)

ارحمنی

r-ḥ-m → “Have mercy”

literal: merciful, compassionate; pertaining to divine mercy

ارفعنی

r-f-ʿ → “lift me up”

literal: raise; raised; elevation

الیک

ʾ-l-y → “towards” Distinctive

literal: one; a single

اسقنی

s-q-y → “partake” Distinctive

literal: to give drink; to water, irrigate; to water

الفدآء

f-d-y → “sacrifice”

literal: to sacrifice; to ransom; to redeem

فقد

literal: then-indeed; already; indeed

ضاقت

ḍ-y-q → ““oppression”” Distinctive

literal: constricting; narrowing; tightening

الأرض

ʾ-r-ḍ → “world” Distinctive

literal: earth; land; ground; country

برحبها

r-ḥ-b → “with all its vastness”

literal: wide, spacious; width, vastness

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