Prayers and Meditations — §312
Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 312 of 858.
Source (Arabic)
أَيْ رَبِّ أَنَا الفَقِيرُ قَدْ تَشَبَّثْتُ بِذَيْلِ غَنائِكَ وَهَرَبْتُ عَنِ الظُّلْمَةِ وَالغَفْلَةِ إِلى بَوارِقِ أَنْوارِ وَجْهِكَ، فَوَعِزَّتِكَ لَوْ أَشْكُرُكَ بِدَوامِ مَلَكُوتِكَ وَجَبَرُوتِكَ لَيَكُونُ قَليلاً عِنْدَ عَطَاياكَ،
Shoghi Effendi Translation
I am but a poor creature, O my Lord! Behold me clinging to the hem of Thy riches. I have fled from darkness and from waywardness unto the brightness of the light of Thy countenance. Were I—and to this Thy glory beareth me witness—to render thanksgiving unto Thee, through the whole continuance of Thy kingdom and the duration of the heaven of Thine omnipotence, I would still have failed to repay Thy manifold bestowals.
Translation Notes
SE expanded to “O my Lord”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §229: educatedgleaningsGWB §301: servantkitab-i-iqanKIQ §129: eternal holinessprayers-and-meditationsP&M §237: Thytablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §23: be my Lordthe-hidden-wordsHW §25: of thy Godwill-and-testamentW&T §10: O Lord my Godepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §110: my Lord
SE rendered رَبِّ (rabb), الفَقِيرُ (al-faqír), تَشَبَّثْتُ (tashabbatht), بِذَيْلِ (bidhayl) as “O my Lord, Behold me clinging, to the hem of”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §23: passagesgleaningsGWB §594: to the poorkitab-i-iqanKIQ §141: povertyprayers-and-meditationsP&M §857: this poor and desolate soulthe-hidden-wordsHW §14: why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty?epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §263: poorgleaningsGWB §408: those poorkitab-i-iqanKIQ §22: one of these instances
تَشَبَّثْتُ
literal: cling; clinging; clinging/holding fast
SE expanded to “Behold me clinging”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §5: clinging togleaningsGWB §645: holdeth fastkitab-i-ahdAhd §3: firmly adherekitab-i-iqanKIQ §146: upheldprayers-and-meditationsP&M §598: that hath clungwill-and-testamentW&T §17: seize uponepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §142: clung untogleaningsGWB §511: resolve
SE expanded to “to the hem of”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §4: All-PossessinggleaningsGWB §275: Self-Sufficientkitab-i-iqanKIQ §212: melodiesprayers-and-meditationsP&M §243: by Thy wealthtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §2: singethtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §37: the eternal wealththe-hidden-wordsHW §128: all-possessing,”will-and-testamentW&T §27: independent of
SE expanded to “I have fled”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §7: any refugegleaningsGWB §83: will flyprayers-and-meditationsP&M §535: and the sincere have fledgleaningsGWB §195: fleeprayers-and-meditationsP&M §508: no refugegleaningsGWB §411: place to fleeprayers-and-meditationsP&M §359: forsakegleaningsGWB §534: place of refuge
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §240: the oppressorsfire-tabletFire §33: through the tyrannygleaningsGWB §452: injusticeskitab-i-iqanKIQ §130: abjectprayers-and-meditationsP&M §62: their oppressorsthe-hidden-wordsHW §144: gloomwill-and-testamentW&T §34: wrought the most glaring crueltyepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §149: the victim of oppression
waywardness 27% wayward 13% forgetfulness 13% would 7% strayed 7% careless 7% error 7% stray 7% trespasses 7% turneth 7%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §193: They that have gone astraygleaningsGWB §35: perversitykitab-i-ahdAhd §5: remained heedlesskitab-i-iqanKIQ §214: every wayward thoughtprayers-and-meditationsP&M §834: and my heedlessnessthe-hidden-wordsHW §142: negligentepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §205: wholly unawaregleaningsGWB §130: erred
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §26: flashgleaningsGWB §552: the swiftness of lightningkitab-i-iqanKIQ §90: swift as lightningprayers-and-meditationsP&M §218: splendorsthe-hidden-wordsHW §121: Even as the swiftness of lightningepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §111: telegraphgleaningsGWB §675: lightningkitab-i-iqanKIQ §214: swiftness of lightning
SE expanded to “of the light”
light 48% splendors 23% lights 13% brightness 4% effulgence 3% resplendent 2% glory 2% luminaries 2% all 1% effulgent 1%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §189: radiantfire-tabletFire §26: LightgivergleaningsGWB §66: the Source of eternal light!”kitab-i-iqanKIQ §205: Their shiningprayers-and-meditationsP&M §649: of thetablet-of-carmelCarmel §4: splendourthe-hidden-wordsHW §104: gleamingwill-and-testamentW&T §13: radiantly
SE expanded to “of Thy countenance”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §189: Advancefire-tabletFire §30: This FacegleaningsGWB §266: set her hopes onkitab-i-ahdAhd §4: set his facekitab-i-iqanKIQ §187: their countenanceprayers-and-meditationsP&M §246: Theetablet-of-carmelCarmel §2: hast directed towards me Thy stepsthe-hidden-wordsHW §16: unto Mine
SE rendered بَوارِقِ (bawáriq), أَنْوارِ (ʾanwár), وَجْهِكَ، (wajhika،), فَوَعِزَّتِكَ (fawaʿizzatik), لَوْ (law), أَشْكُرُكَ (ʾashkuruk), بِدَوامِ (bidawám) as “the brightness, of the light, of Thy countenance, Were, render thanksgiving unto Thee, through the whole continuance”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §223: mightgleaningsGWB §116: existencekitab-i-iqanKIQ §28: magnificenceprayers-and-meditationsP&M §716: He is truly exaltedtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §4: Incomparablethe-hidden-wordsHW §107: cherishwill-and-testamentW&T §4: endearedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §102: Almighty
SE expanded to “render thanksgiving unto Thee”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §129: thankfulfire-tabletFire §49: thankgleaningsGWB §489: We render thankskitab-i-iqanKIQ §22: thanks.”prayers-and-meditationsP&M §480: yield Thee thankstablet-of-ahmadAhmad §15: those who are gratefultablet-of-carmelCarmel §3: give thanks unto Himthe-hidden-wordsHW §108: honeyed
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §2: EverlastinggleaningsGWB §189: throughout the eternitykitab-i-iqanKIQ §23: for everprayers-and-meditationsP&M §238: so long asthe-hidden-wordsHW §16: perisheth notwill-and-testamentW&T §22: continuallyepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §86: enduregleaningsGWB §311: as long as
SE expanded to “of Thy kingdom”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §159: or themselvesgleaningsGWB §244: a company of His angelskitab-i-iqanKIQ §173: this material universeprayers-and-meditationsP&M §542: such of their subjectstablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §15: the worldsthe-hidden-wordsHW §120: in the eternal kingdomwill-and-testamentW&T §15: farepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §159: the King
SE rendered بِدَوامِ (bidawám), مَلَكُوتِكَ (malakútik), وَجَبَرُوتِكَ (wajabarútik), لَيَكُونُ (layakún), قَليلاً (qalíláan) as “through the whole continuance, of Thy kingdom, I would still have failed, to repay”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §79: the heavenfire-tabletFire §37: the eternal realmgleaningsGWB §694: from the heaven ofkitab-i-iqanKIQ §13: oppressionprayers-and-meditationsP&M §1: and the compelling power of Thy mighttablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §32: highest heaventhe-hidden-wordsHW §104: My everlasting dominionwill-and-testamentW&T §38: of necessity prompteth
This form usually rendered as “will”, “future”, “may” (77 occurrences)
SE expanded to “I would still have failed”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §85: thou beengleaningsGWB §210: had made theekitab-i-iqanKIQ §230: of allprayers-and-meditationsP&M §315: Thou hast ever beentablet-of-ahmadAhmad §15: withhold not thyselftablet-of-carmelCarmel §4: lest thoutablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §31: whose heart haththe-hidden-wordsHW §4: My essence
This form usually rendered as “few”, “little”, “how” (21 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §126: exceedethfire-tabletFire §42: independencegleaningsGWB §509: though it be forkitab-i-iqanKIQ §92: extremely limited numberprayers-and-meditationsP&M §245: and powerthe-hidden-wordsHW §130: but for a fewepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §107: onefire-tabletFire §47: fewness
SE expanded to “Thy manifold bestowals”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §5: Thy generosityfire-tabletFire §4: generositygleaningsGWB §631: munificencekitab-i-iqanKIQ §24: givingprayers-and-meditationsP&M §30: and bountifully favoredthe-hidden-wordsHW §66: is My gift to theewill-and-testamentW&T §10: Thy bountiful Graceepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §178: bestow
