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Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §149

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 149 of 268.

Source (Persian)

کن فی النّعمة منفقا * و فی فقدها شاکرا * و فی الحقوق امينا * و فی الوجه طلقا * و للفقراء کنزا * و للاغنياء ناصحا * و للمنادی مجيبا * و فی الوعد وفيّا * و فی الامور منصفا * و فی الجمع صامتا * و فی القضاء عادلا * و للانسان خاضعا * و فی الظّلمة سراجا * و للمهموم فرجا * و للظّمان بحرا * و للمکروب ملجأ * و للمظلوم ناصرا و عضدا و ظهرا * و فی الاعمال متّقيا * و للغريب وطنا و للمريض شفاء * و للمستجير حصنا * و للضّرير بصرا * و لمن ضلّ صراطا * و لوجه الصّدق جمالا * و لهيکل الامانة طرازا * و لبيت الاخلاق عرشا * و لجسد العالم روحا * و لجند العدل راية و لافق الخير نورا * و للارض الطّيّبة رذاذا * و لبحر العلم فلکا * و لسماء الکرم شمسا * و لرأس الحکمة اکليلا * و لجبين الدّهر بياضا * و لشجر الخضوع ثمرا * نسأل اللّه ان يحفظک من حرارة الحقد و صبارّة البرد انّه قريب مجيب * کذلک نطق لسانی لاحد اغصانی و ذکرناه لاحبّائی الّذين نبذوا الاوهام و اخذوا ما امروا به فی يوم فيه اشرقت شمس الايقان من افق ارادة اللّه ربّ العالمين * هذا يوم فيه غرّدت طير البيان علی الاغصان باسم ربّها الرّحمن * طوبی لمن طار باجنحة الاشتياق الی اللّه مالک يوم التّلاق *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

"Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility. We pray God to protect thee from the heat of jealousy and the cold of hatred. He verily is nigh, ready to answer." Thus hath My tongue spoken unto one of My Branches (sons), and We have mentioned it unto such of Our loved ones as have cast away their idle fancies, and clung unto that which hath been prescribed unto them in the day whereon the Day-Star of Certitude hath shone forth above the horizon of the will of God, the Lord of the worlds. This is the day on which the Bird of Utterance hath warbled its melody upon the branches, in the name of its Lord, the God of Mercy. Blessed is the man that hath, on the wings of longing, soared towards God, the Lord of the Judgment Day.

Translation Notes

طلقا
ṭlqá ṭ-l-q

literal: application; absolute; cheerful

SE rendered الحقوق (al-ḥqúq), امينا (imíná), الوجه (al-wjh), طلقا (ṭlqá), للفقراء (llfqráʾ), کنزا (knzá), للاغنياء (llághníáʾ) as “the trust, worthy of, a bright and friendly face, the poor, a treasure, the rich”

صامتا
ṣámtá ṣ-m-t

literal: silent; be silent; silence

SE rendered الامور (al-ámúr), منصفا (mnṣfá), الجمع (al-jmʿ), صامتا (ṣámtá), القضاء (al-qḍáʾ), عادلا (ʿádlá), للانسان (llánsán) as “thy judgment, fair, thy speech, all men”

guarded 33% silent 33% held 17% silence 17%
القضاء
al-qḍáʾ q-ḍ-y

literal: decree; decree/judgment; decreed

SE rendered الجمع (al-jmʿ), صامتا (ṣámtá), القضاء (al-qḍáʾ), عادلا (ʿádlá), للانسان (llánsán), خاضعا (kháḍʿá) as “thy speech, all men, meekness to”

عادلا
ʿádlá ʿ-d-l

literal: justice; just

SE rendered الجمع (al-jmʿ), صامتا (ṣámtá), القضاء (al-qḍáʾ), عادلا (ʿádlá), للانسان (llánsán), خاضعا (kháḍʿá) as “thy speech, all men, meekness to”

just 40% equitable 20% who 20% unjust 10% man 10%
ظهرا
ẓhrá ẓ-h-r

literal: manifestation; manifest; appear

SE rendered للمظلوم (llmẓlúm), ناصرا (náṣrá), عضدا (ʿḍdá), ظهرا (ẓhrá), الاعمال (al-áʿmál), متّقيا (mttqíá) as “the victim of oppression, upholder and, defender of, integrity and uprightness”

صراطا
ṣráṭá ṣ-r-ṭ

literal: path; path/way; way

SE rendered للضّرير (llḍḍrír), بصرا (bṣrá), لمن (lmn), ضلّ (ḍll), صراطا (ṣráṭá), لوجه (lújh), الصّدق (aṣ-ṣdq), جمالا (jmálá) as “the blind, eyes to, the feet of the erring, guiding light, the countenance of truth, ornament to”

path 45% way 27% straight 9% guiding 6% into 3% unto 3% verily 3% “sirat 3%
الصّدق
aṣ-ṣdq ṣ-d-q

literal: truth; truthful

SE rendered لمن (lmn), ضلّ (ḍll), صراطا (ṣráṭá), لوجه (lújh), الصّدق (aṣ-ṣdq), جمالا (jmálá), لهيکل (lhíkl), الامانة (al-ámánh), طرازا (ṭrázá) as “the feet of the erring, guiding light, the countenance of truth, ornament to, the temple of righteousness, fidelity, crown to”

لبيت
lbít b-y-t

literal: house; house/home; houses

SE rendered لهيکل (lhíkl), الامانة (al-ámánh), طرازا (ṭrázá), لبيت (lbít), الاخلاق (al-ákhláq), عرشا (ʿrshá), لجسد (ljsd) as “the temple of righteousness, fidelity, crown to, pillar of, the body of mankind”

house 50% home 17% same 6% frequented 6% fane 6% habitation 6% universal 6% which 6%
الاخلاق
al-ákhláq kh-l-q

literal: creation; create; created

SE rendered لهيکل (lhíkl), الامانة (al-ámánh), طرازا (ṭrázá), لبيت (lbít), الاخلاق (al-ákhláq), عرشا (ʿrshá), لجسد (ljsd), العالم (al-ʿálm), روحا (rúḥá) as “the temple of righteousness, fidelity, crown to, pillar of, the body of mankind, breath of life”

الخير
al-khír kh-y-r

literal: good; better; choice

SE rendered لجند (ljnd), العدل (al-ʿdl), راية (ráyh), لافق (láfq), الخير (al-khír), نورا (núrá), للارض (llárḍ), الطّيّبة (aṭ-ṭíṭbh), رذاذا (rdhádhá) as “the hosts of justice, ensign of, the horizon of virtue, luminary above, soil of the human heart, dew to”

good 50% better 20% best 11% chosen 7% righteous 4% virtue 3% what 3% preferred 1% blessing 1% goodly 1%
للارض
llárḍ ʾ-r-ḍ

literal: earth; land; earth, land

SE rendered راية (ráyh), لافق (láfq), الخير (al-khír), نورا (núrá), للارض (llárḍ), الطّيّبة (aṭ-ṭíṭbh), رذاذا (rdhádhá), لبحر (lbḥr) as “ensign of, the horizon of virtue, luminary above, soil of the human heart, dew to, the ocean of knowledge”

earth 65% land 13% world 9% all 4% soil 2% whole 2% amongst 2% mankind 1% realm 1% city 1%
رذاذا
rdhádhá r-dh-dh → “dew to”

literal: drizzle

2 occurrences in corpus

الکرم
al-krm k-r-m

literal: generous; generosity; bounty

SE rendered لبحر (lbḥr), العلم (al-ʿlm), فلکا (flká), لسماء (lsmáʾ), الکرم (al-krm), شمسا (shmsá), لرأس (lrʾas), الحکمة (al-ḥkmh), اکليلا (iklílá) as “the ocean of knowledge, ark on, the heaven of bounty, sun in, the diadem of wisdom, gem on”

الحکمة
al-ḥkmh ḥ-k-m

literal: wisdom; judgment

SE rendered لسماء (lsmáʾ), الکرم (al-krm), شمسا (shmsá), لرأس (lrʾas), الحکمة (al-ḥkmh), اکليلا (iklílá), لجبين (ljbín), الدّهر (ad-dhr), بياضا (bíáḍá) as “the heaven of bounty, sun in, the diadem of wisdom, gem on, the firmament of thy generation, shining light”

الدّهر
ad-dhr d-h-r

literal: age; time

SE rendered لرأس (lrʾas), الحکمة (al-ḥkmh), اکليلا (iklílá), لجبين (ljbín), الدّهر (ad-dhr), بياضا (bíáḍá), لشجر (lshjr), الخضوع (al-khḍúʿ), ثمرا (thmrá) as “the diadem of wisdom, gem on, the firmament of thy generation, shining light, the tree of humility, fruit upon”

2 occurrences in corpus

صبارّة
ṣbárrh ṣ-b-r-r → “cold”

literal: intensity-of-cold

1 occurrence in corpus

لسانی
lsání l-s-n

literal: tongue; tongue, language; tongues

SE rendered قريب (qríb), مجيب (mjíb), کذلک (kdhlk), نطق (nṭq), لسانی (lsání), لاحد (láḥd), اغصانی (ighṣání), ذکرناه (dhkrnáh), لاحبّائی (láḥbbáʾí) as “nigh, ready, to answer, Thus, hath My tongue spoken, unto one, My Branches, have mentioned, Our loved ones”

tongue 54% language 15% words 8% bodily 8% word 8% speech 8%
التّلاق
at-tláq l-q-y

literal: meeting; cast; meeting, encounter

SE rendered الاشتياق (ash-shtíáq), اللّه (al-lh), مالک (málk), يوم (yúm), التّلاق (at-tláq) as “longing, God, the Lord, the Judgment Day”

presence 38% before 13% have 8% attain 7% reunion 6% when 6% attainment 6% divine 6% behold 5% meet 5%

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

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