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Kitáb-i-Íqán — §141

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 141 of 291.

Source (Persian)

اين است که عيسی بن مريم روزی بر کرسيّ جالس شدند و به نغمات روح القدس بياناتی فرمودند که مضمون آن اين است: ای مردم، غذای من از گياه ارض است که به آن سدّ جوع می نمايم و فراش من سطح زمين است و سراج من در شب ها روشنی ماه است و مرکوب من پاهای منست و کيست از من غنی تر بر روی زمين ؟ قسم به خدا که صد هزار غنا طائف حول اين فقر است و صد هزار ملکوت عزّت طالب اين ذلّت. اگر به رشحی از بحر اين معانی فائز شوی از عالم ملک و هستی در گذری و چون طير نار در حول سراج بهّاج جان بازی.

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Thus Jesus, Son of Mary, whilst seated one day and speaking in the strain of the Holy Spirit, uttered words such as these: “O people! My food is the grass of the field, wherewith I satisfy my hunger. My bed is the dust, my lamp in the night the light of the moon, and my steed my own feet. Behold, who on earth is richer than I?” By the righteousness of God! Thousands of treasures circle round this poverty, and a myriad kingdoms of glory yearn for such abasement! Shouldst thou attain to a drop of the ocean of the inner meaning of these words, thou wouldst surely forsake the world and all that is therein, and, as the Phoenix wouldst consume thyself in the flames of the undying Fire.

Translation Notes

کرسيّ
krsís k-r-s

literal: seat; throne, seat; throne/seat

SE rendered عيسی (ʿísí)بن (bn)مريم (mrím)روزی (rúzí)بر (br)کرسيّ (krsís)جالس (jáls)شدند (shdnd)نغمات (nghmát)روح (rúḥ) as “Jesus, Son, Mary, one day, seated, uttered, strain, Spirit”

seat 50% throne 40% before 10%
فرمودند
frmúdnd f-r-m

literal: say; command; says

SE rendered نغمات (nghmát)روح (rúḥ)القدس (al-qds)بياناتی (bíánátí)فرمودند (frmúdnd)مضمون (mḍmún) as “strain, Spirit, Holy, words”

جوع
júʿ j-w-ʿ “hunger”

literal: hunger

3 occurrences in corpus

می
m-y-y

literal: present continuous marker; continuous-marker

SE rendered گياه (gíáh)ارض (irḍ)سدّ (sdd)جوع (júʿ)می (mí)نمايم (nmáym)فراش (frásh)سطح (sṭḥ)زمين (zmín) as “grass, field, satisfy my, hunger, bed, dust, the”

3 occurrences in corpus

نمايم
nmáym n-m-ʾ

literal: do; show; make

SE rendered ارض (irḍ)سدّ (sdd)جوع (júʿ)می (mí)نمايم (nmáym)فراش (frásh)سطح (sṭḥ)زمين (zmín) as “field, satisfy my, hunger, bed, dust, the”

recount 33% will 33% relate 33%
سطح
sṭḥ s-ṭ-ḥ “dust”

literal: surface

1 occurrence in corpus

زمين
zmín z-m-n “the”

literal: earth

SE rendered جوع (júʿ)می (mí)نمايم (nmáym)فراش (frásh)سطح (sṭḥ)زمين (zmín)سراج (sráj)شب (shb)ها (há)روشنی (rúshní) as “hunger, bed, dust, the, lamp, night, light”

earth 71% world 14% underground 14%
ها
w-j-h

literal: face; attention; turning

SE rendered سطح (sṭḥ)زمين (zmín)سراج (sráj)شب (shb)ها (há)روشنی (rúshní)ماه (máh)مرکوب (mrkúb)پاهای (páháy) as “dust, the, lamp, night, light, moon, steed, feet”

face 35% faces 12% countenance 10% set 10% sake 9% turn 8% turning 7% turned 4% setting 3% have 2%
پاهای
páháy p-y-y “feet”

literal: foot

1 occurrence in corpus

کيست

literal: decrease/decline

1 occurrence in corpus

تر
tr t-r-r

literal: more (comparative suffix)

SE rendered پاهای (páháy)منست (mnst)کيست (kíst)از (iz)غنی (ghní)تر (tr)بر (br)روی (rúy)زمين (zmín)قسم (qsm)خدا (khdá) as “feet, my, Behold, who, than, richer, on earth, is, righteousness, God”

2 occurrences in corpus

روی
rúy r-w-y

literal: face; grow; tradition

SE rendered منست (mnst)کيست (kíst)از (iz)غنی (ghní)تر (tr)بر (br)روی (rúy)زمين (zmín)قسم (qsm)خدا (khdá)صد (ṣd)هزار (hzár) as “my, Behold, who, than, richer, on earth, is, righteousness, God, a, Thousands”

scornfully 50% over 50%
خدا
khdá kh-d-ʾ “god”

literal: God

3 occurrences in corpus

صد
ṣd ṣ-d “a”

literal: hundred

SE rendered بر (br)روی (rúy)زمين (zmín)قسم (qsm)خدا (khdá)صد (ṣd)هزار (hzár)غنا (ghná)طائف (ṭáʾf)حول (ḥúl)فقر (fqr) as “on earth, is, righteousness, God, a, Thousands, treasures, circle, round, poverty”

hundred 50% thousand 50%
شوی
shúy sh-d-n

literal: become; to become; became

SE rendered رشحی (rshḥí)از (iz)بحر (bḥr)معانی (mʿání)فائز (fáʾz)شوی (shúy)از (iz)عالم (ʿálm)ملک (mlk)هستی (hstí)گذری (gdhrí) as “drop, ocean, inner meaning, attain, world, all that is therein, forsake”

soar 33% wilt 33% thou 33%
چون
chún ch-w-n “as”

literal: when; as

SE rendered عالم (ʿálm)ملک (mlk)هستی (hstí)گذری (gdhrí)چون (chún)طير (ṭír)نار (nár)حول (ḥúl)سراج (sráj)بهّاج (bhháj)جان (ján) as “world, all that is therein, forsake, as, Phoenix, flames, Fire, undying, thyself”

“when 20% inasmuch 20% soon 20% “inasmuch 20% even 20%

Source: Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Íqán

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