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Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §11

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 11 of 268.

Source (Persian)

الها معبودا مقصودا کريما رحيما * جانها از تو و اقتدارها در قبضه قدرت تو * هر که را بلند کنی از ملک بگذرد و بمقام و رفعناه مقاما عليّا رسد و هر که را بيندازی از خاک پست‌تر بلکه هيچ از او بهتر * پروردگارا با تباه‌کاری و گناه‌کاری و عدم پرهيزکاری مقعد صدق ميطلبيم و لقاء اوليائت را ميجوئيم امر امر تو و حکم ان تو و عالم قدرت زير فرمان تو هر چه کنی عدل صرف است بل فضل محض * يک تجلّی از تجلّيات اسم رحمانت رسم عصيان را از جهان براندازد و محو نمايد و يک نسيم از نسائم يوم ظهورت عالم را بخلعت تازه مزيّن نمايد * ای توانا ناتوانانرا توانائی بخش و مردگانرا زندگی عطا فرما شايد تو را بيابند و بدريای اگاهيت راه يابند و بر امرت مستقيم مانند * اگر از لغات مختلفه عالم عرف ثنای تو متضوّع شود همه محبوب جان و مقصود روان چه تازی چه پارسی اگر از ان محروم ماند قابل ذکر نه چه الفاظ چه معانی * ای پروردگار از تو ميطلبم کلّ را راه نمائی و هدايت فرمائی توئی قادر و توانا و عالم و بينا *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

"My God, the Object of my adoration, the Goal of my desire, the All-Bountiful, the Most Compassionate! All life is of Thee, and all power lieth within the grasp of Thine omnipotence. Whosoever Thou exaltest is raised above the angels, and attaineth the station: ‘Verily, We uplifted him to a place on high!'; and whosoever Thou dost abase is made lower than dust, nay, less than nothing. O Divine Providence! Though wicked, sinful, and intemperate, we still seek from Thee a ‘seat of truth,' and long to behold the countenance of the Omnipotent King. It is Thine to command, and all sovereignty belongeth to Thee, and the realm of might boweth before Thy behest. Everything Thou doest is pure justice, nay, the very essence of grace. One gleam from the splendors of Thy Name, the All-Merciful, sufficeth to banish and blot out every trace of sinfulness from the world, and a single breath from the breezes of the Day of Thy Revelation is enough to adorn all mankind with a fresh attire. Vouchsafe Thy strength, O Almighty One, unto Thy weak creatures, and quicken them who are as dead, that haply they may find Thee, and may be led unto the ocean of Thy guidance, and may remain steadfast in Thy Cause. Should the fragrance of Thy praise be shed abroad by any of the divers tongues of the world, out of the East or out of the West, it would, verily, be prized and greatly cherished. If such tongues, however, be deprived of that fragrance, they assuredly would be unworthy of any mention, in word or yet in thought. We beg of Thee, O Providence, to show Thy way unto all men, and to guide them aright. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All-Seeing."

Translation Notes

قبضه
qbḍh q-b-ḍ

literal: grasp; grasp/grip; grasped

SE rendered جانها (jánhá), از (iz), تو (tú), اقتدارها (iqtdárhá), قبضه (qbḍh), قدرت (qdrt), تو (tú), هر (hr), بلند (blnd) as “All life, all power, omnipotence, Whosoever, exaltest”

grasp 47% within 11% affliction 5% yield 5% hold 5% extinguish 5% hollow 5% turned 5% sway 5% days 5%
پست‌تر
pst‌tr psttr → “lower”

literal: low

2 occurrences in corpus

هيچ
hích hích

literal: any, none; any

SE rendered بيندازی (bíndází), از (iz), خاک (khák), پست‌تر (pst‌tr), بلکه (blkh), هيچ (hích), از (iz), بهتر (bhtr), پروردگارا (prúrdgárá), تباه‌کاری (tbáh‌kárí) as “dost, dust, made lower, nay, less than nothing, Divine Providence, wicked”

any 67% ever 33%
بهتر

literal: better

SE expanded to “less than nothing”

1 occurrence in corpus

پروردگارا

literal: lord

3 occurrences in corpus

تباه‌کاری
tbáh‌kárí t-b-ʾ-h → “wicked”

literal: wicked

1 occurrence in corpus

گناه‌کاری
gnáh‌kárí gnáhkárí → “sinful”

literal: sin

2 occurrences in corpus

عدم
ʿdm ʿ-d-m

literal: non-existence; non-existent; nonexistent

SE rendered تباه‌کاری (tbáh‌kárí), گناه‌کاری (gnáh‌kárí), عدم (ʿdm), پرهيزکاری (prhízkárí), مقعد (mqʿd), صدق (ṣdq), ميطلبيم (míṭlbím) as “wicked, sinful, intemperate, ‘seat, truth, still seek”

پرهيزکاری

literal: abstinence

2 occurrences in corpus

ميجوئيم
míjúʾím j-s-t

literal: seek; to seek

SE rendered صدق (ṣdq), ميطلبيم (míṭlbím), لقاء (lqáʾ), اوليائت (iwlíáʾt), ميجوئيم (míjúʾím), امر (imr), امر (imr), تو (tú), حکم (ḥkm), تو (tú), عالم (ʿálm) as “truth, still seek, long to behold, the countenance, command, sovereignty belongeth to Thee, the realm of”

long 50% seek 50%
حکم
ḥkm ḥ-k-m

literal: wisdom; judgment

SE rendered اوليائت (iwlíáʾt), ميجوئيم (míjúʾím), امر (imr), امر (imr), تو (tú), حکم (ḥkm), تو (tú), عالم (ʿálm), قدرت (qdrt), زير (zír), فرمان (frmán) as “the countenance, command, sovereignty belongeth to Thee, the realm of, might boweth before Thy, behest”

زير
zír z-y-r

literal: under

SE rendered تو (tú), عالم (ʿálm), قدرت (qdrt), زير (zír), فرمان (frmán), تو (tú), هر (hr), چه (chh), کنی (kní), عدل (ʿdl) as “sovereignty belongeth to Thee, the realm of, might boweth before Thy, behest, Everything, doest, pure justice”

beneath 50% under 50%
صرف
ṣrf ṣ-r-f

literal: pure

SE rendered فرمان (frmán), تو (tú), هر (hr), چه (chh), کنی (kní), عدل (ʿdl), صرف (ṣrf), فضل (fḍl), محض (mḥḍ), يک (yk), تجلّی (tjllí) as “behest, Everything, doest, pure justice, very essence, One, gleam”

utter 31% pure 15% absolute 12% utterly 8% sheer 8% out 8% essence 8% spent 4% supreme 4% nothing 4%
فضل
fḍl f-ḍ-l

literal: grace; grace/favor; grace, favor

SE rendered هر (hr), چه (chh), کنی (kní), عدل (ʿdl), صرف (ṣrf), فضل (fḍl), محض (mḥḍ), يک (yk), تجلّی (tjllí), از (iz), تجلّيات (tjllíát), اسم (ism) as “Everything, doest, pure justice, very essence, One, gleam, splendors, Name”

تازه
tázh tázh

literal: fresh; fresh, new; fresh/new

SE rendered نسائم (nsáʾm), يوم (yúm), ظهورت (ẓhúrt), عالم (ʿálm), بخلعت (bkhlʿt), تازه (tázh), مزيّن (mzízn), نمايد (nmáyd), توانا (túáná), ناتوانانرا (nátúánánrá) as “breezes, Day, Revelation, all, with a fresh attire, adorn, is enough to, Almighty, Thy weak”

new 30% refresh 20% fresh 10% renew 10% life 10% anew 10% deeper 10%
مردگانرا
mrdgánrá mrdgánrá

literal: die

SE rendered ناتوانانرا (nátúánánrá), توانائی (túánáʾí), بخش (bkhsh), مردگانرا (mrdgánrá), زندگی (zndgí), عطا (ʿṭá), فرما (frmá), شايد (sháyd) as “Thy weak, strength, Vouchsafe, quicken, haply”

1 occurrence in corpus

مختلفه
mkhtlfh kh-l-f

literal: different; difference

SE rendered مستقيم (mstqím), مانند (mánnd), از (iz), لغات (lghát), مختلفه (mkhtlfh), عالم (ʿálm), عرف (ʿrf), ثنای (thnáy), تو (tú), متضوّع (mtḍúḍʿ) as “remain steadfast, divers tongues, the world, fragrance, praise, be shed abroad”

محبوب
mḥbúb ḥ-b-b

literal: love; beloved; beloved ones

SE rendered عرف (ʿrf), ثنای (thnáy), تو (tú), متضوّع (mtḍúḍʿ), همه (hmh), محبوب (mḥbúb), جان (ján), مقصود (mqṣúd), روان (rúán), چه (chh), تازی (tází) as “fragrance, praise, be shed abroad, any, East”

جان
ján ján

literal: soul; life; soul, life

SE rendered ثنای (thnáy), تو (tú), متضوّع (mtḍúḍʿ), همه (hmh), محبوب (mḥbúb), جان (ján), مقصود (mqṣúd), روان (rúán), چه (chh), تازی (tází), چه (chh), پارسی (pársí) as “praise, be shed abroad, any, East, West”

lives 40% life 23% soul 16% spirit 5% heart 5% souls 4% dearly 2% own 2% inner 2% lifeless 2%
روان
rúán rúán

literal: soul

SE rendered همه (hmh), محبوب (mḥbúb), جان (ján), مقصود (mqṣúd), روان (rúán), چه (chh), تازی (tází), چه (chh), پارسی (pársí) as “any, East, West”

7 occurrences in corpus

ماند
mánd mándn

literal: remain; remained; to remain

SE rendered تازی (tází), چه (chh), پارسی (pársí), از (iz), محروم (mḥrúm), ماند (mánd), قابل (qábl), ذکر (dhkr), نه (nh), چه (chh), الفاظ (al-fáẓ), چه (chh), معانی (mʿání) as “East, West, deprived, unworthy, any mention, word, thought”

have 18% left 9% leaving 9% strayed 9% endureth 9% still 9% would 9% may 9% knowledge 9% shall 9%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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