Epistle to the Son of the Wolf — §24

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 24 of 268.

Source (Persian)

\[ ای بی وفايان ] چرا در ظاهر دعوی شبانی کنيد و در باطن ذئب اغنام من شده‌ايد * مثل شما مثل ستاره قبل از صبح است که در ظاهر درّی و روشن است و در باطن سبب اضلال و هلاکت کاروانهای مدينه و ديار منست *

Shoghi Effendi Translation

"O ye that are foolish, yet have a name to be wise! Wherefore do ye wear the guise of the shepherd, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon My flock? Ye are even as the star, which riseth ere the dawn, and which, though it seem radiant and luminous, leadeth the wayfarers of My city astray into the paths of perdition."

Translation Notes

بی

bí b-y → “absurdity”

literal: without; is

absurdity 50% unveiled 50%

gleaningsGWB §40: absurdity kitab-i-iqanKIQ §190: unveiled

وفايان

wfáyán w-f-y → “faithfulness” Distinctive

literal: faithfulness

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

faithfulness 39% fidelity 28% will 6% irrefutable 6% hast 6% faithful 6% preserver 3% foolish 3% trust 3% loyalty 3%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §24: foolish fire-tabletFire §18: of Thy faithfulness gleaningsGWB §489: He will, certainly, repay kitab-i-ahdAhd §2: Fleeting kitab-i-iqanKIQ §14: full measure prayers-and-meditationsP&M §818: fulfilled the-hidden-wordsHW §1: that they may stand faithful will-and-testamentW&T §10: with faithfulness

چرا

chrá chrá → “why”

literal: why

4 occurrences in corpus

kitab-i-iqanKIQ §159: why kitab-i-iqanKIQ §157: Why should

ظاهر

ẓáhr ẓ-h-r → “guise” Distinctive

literal: manifestation; manifest; appear

This form usually rendered as “manifest”, “revealed”, “made” (461 occurrences)

manifest 19% revealed 15% made 13% outward 11% appeared 10% appear 8% outwardly 6% visible 6% earthly 6% manifested 5%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §30: of Thy revelation fire-tabletFire §38: prevail gleaningsGWB §366: infuseth kitab-i-ahdAhd §3: streamed forth kitab-i-iqanKIQ §279: say prayers-and-meditationsP&M §652: O Thou Who art the most manifest tablet-of-ahmadAhmad §8: to assist the-hidden-wordsHW §157: give forth

دعوی

dʿúy d-ʿ-w → “summon” Distinctive

literal: claim

This form usually rendered as “wear”, “claim”, “claims” (6 occurrences)

wear 40% claim 40% claims 20%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §165: supplications gleaningsGWB §363: to claim for himself kitab-i-ahdAhd §6: Pray kitab-i-iqanKIQ §272: shall summon prayers-and-meditationsP&M §518: and have been calling on them tablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §53: was called the-hidden-wordsHW §34: I summon will-and-testamentW&T §36: call upon Thee

شبانی

shbání sh-b-n → “shepherdless”

literal: shepherd; shepherds

shepherd 50% shepherds 50%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §24: the shepherd gleaningsGWB §550: shepherdless prayers-and-meditationsP&M §646: A dewdrop the-hidden-wordsHW §99: shepherds the-hidden-wordsHW §138: dewdrop

کنيد

kníd krdn → “do ye wear”

literal: do; to do; do/make

SE expanded to “do ye wear”

do 18% ye 18% taste 9% impart 9% know 9% thou 9% would 9% yourselves 9% cast 9%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §109: nor associated with Him gleaningsGWB §361: Doth not kitab-i-ahdAhd §6: ye kitab-i-iqanKIQ §236: know prayers-and-meditationsP&M §664: exaltest the-hidden-wordsHW §156: thou mayest will-and-testamentW&T §43: cast epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §118: is

باطن

báṭn b-ṭ-n → “inwardly”

literal: inward; inner; hidden

inner 27% inwardly 27% invisible 23% spiritual 8% inward 8% secretly 4% hidden 4%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §2: hidden gleaningsGWB §285: is hidden kitab-i-iqanKIQ §75: Concealment,”prayers-and-meditationsP&M §652: the most hidden the-hidden-wordsHW §104: womb epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §235: Concealment gleaningsGWB §362: inner life kitab-i-iqanKIQ §130: and inner

ذئب

dhʾb dh-ʾ-b → “wolves”

literal: wolf; wolves

wolves 75% wolf 25%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §157: wolves gleaningsGWB §475: wolf prayers-and-meditationsP&M §113: of the wolves

اغنام

ighnám gh-n-m → “my flock”

literal: sheep; booty; treasure

flock 71% flocks 14% fold 14%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §54: flocks gleaningsGWB §432: Haste ye to win the-hidden-wordsHW §116: Seize will-and-testamentW&T §52: profiting epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §90: the fold gleaningsGWB §417: the chance epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §24: My flock gleaningsGWB §705: a flock of sheep

شده‌ايد

shdh‌áyd sh-w-d → “have become”

literal: become; to become

hath 17% have 17% made 8% thou 8% suffer 8% meddle 8% befalleth 8% viewed 8% swear 8% enter 8%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §171: thou mayest achieve gleaningsGWB §697: have been kitab-i-iqanKIQ §46: I swear the-hidden-wordsHW §85: empty epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §240: Suffer not thyself to become gleaningsGWB §377: viewed the-hidden-wordsHW §85: stop epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §240: Be not

مثل

mthl m-th-l → “even as”

literal: like; likeness; example

instance 18% like 14% even 12% consider 12% such 10% same 10% equal 8% what 8% one 6% peerless 2%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §140: such as gleaningsGWB §485: better than kitab-i-ahdAhd §14: like unto kitab-i-iqanKIQ §110: and the like prayers-and-meditationsP&M §287: similitudes the-hidden-wordsHW §4: Mine image will-and-testamentW&T §15: in their footsteps epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §230: even as

ستاره

stárh stárh → “star”

literal: star

star 67% stars 33%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §24: the star kitab-i-iqanKIQ §24: stars kitab-i-iqanKIQ §35: star

صبح

ṣbḥ ṣ-b-ḥ → “dawn”

literal: morning; dawn

morn 59% dawn 13% morning 9% dayspring 6% until 3% dawning 3% through 3% resplendent 3%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §63: the dawn fire-tabletFire §27: lamps gleaningsGWB §210: at dawn kitab-i-iqanKIQ §52: the morning light prayers-and-meditationsP&M §378: every lamp the-hidden-wordsHW §12: My light epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §212: dawn fire-tabletFire §22: Light

درّی

drrí d-r-r → “radiant”

literal: radiant; pearl-like/radiant

radiant 40% irradiant 20% luminous 20% burning 20%

epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §29: requite gleaningsGWB §620: irradiant kitab-i-iqanKIQ §184: luminous tablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §20: burning epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §24: radiant

روشن

rúshn rúshn

literal: bright, illuminated

SE rendered صبح (ṣbḥ), ظاهر (ẓáhr), درّی (drrí), روشن (rúshn), باطن (báṭn), سبب (sbb), اضلال (iḍlál) as “dawn, seem radiant, luminous, leadeth, astray”