Prayers and Meditations — §440
Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 440 of 858.
Source (Arabic)
أَيْ رَبِّ كَيْنُونَةُ العِرْفانِ تَشْهَدُ بِعَجْزِها عَنْ عِرْفانِكَ، وَإِنِّيَّةُ الحَيْرَةِ تَشْهَدُ بِحَيْرَتِها لِظُهُورَاتِ سَلْطَنَتِكَ وَكَيْنُونَةُ الذِّكْرِ تَشْهَدُ بِنِسْيَانِهَا وَمَحْوِهَا عِنْدَ ظُهُوراتِ آيَاتِكَ وَبُرُوزَاتِ ذِكْرِكَ، فَلَمَّا كانَ الأَمْرُ كَذلِكَ ما يَفْعَلُ هذا الفَقِيرُ وَبِأَيِّ حَبْلٍ يَتَمَسَّكُ هذا المِسْكينُ؟
Shoghi Effendi Translation
The quintessence of knowledge, O my Lord, proclaimeth its powerlessness to know Thee, and perplexity, in its very soul, confesseth its bewilderment in the face of the revelations of Thy sovereign might, and remembrance, in its inmost spirit, acknowledgeth its forgetfulness and effacement before the manifestations of Thy signs and the evidences of Thy praise. What, then, can this poor creature hope to achieve, and to what cord must this wretched soul cling?
Translation Notes
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §229: I have nurturedgleaningsGWB §123: the Sovereign Lord of allkitab-i-iqanKIQ §133: the Sourceprayers-and-meditationsP&M §727: springtimetablet-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 §159: His Lord
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §5: All created thingsgleaningsGWB §255: and whokitab-i-iqanKIQ §102: holdeth, for all timeprayers-and-meditationsP&M §799: is to be ascribedtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §15: withhold not thyselftablet-of-carmelCarmel §4: lest thoutablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §31: whose heart haththe-hidden-wordsHW §43: thyself
knowledge 32% understanding 23% recognize 8% recognition 7% comprehension 7% know 6% divine 5% recognizing 4% wisdom 3% insight 3%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §119: godly mangleaningsGWB §200: that comprehend this truthkitab-i-ahdAhd §13: perform praiseworthy deedskitab-i-iqanKIQ §42: teachingsprayers-and-meditationsP&M §811: to know Theetablet-of-ahmadAhmad §12: to seethe-hidden-wordsHW §3: shalt knowepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §237: acknowledgment
This form usually rendered as “thou”, “bearest”, “testify” (18 occurrences)
thou 19% bearest 19% testify 13% proclaim 13% beholdest 6% witnessed 6% witness 6% testifiest 6% proclaimeth 6% confesseth 6%
powerlessness 33% can 15% powerless 11% helplessness 9% impotence 9% impotent 7% failed 4% incapable 4% none 4% fail 4%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §244: incapablegleaningsGWB §449: can thwartkitab-i-iqanKIQ §157: the miracleprayers-and-meditationsP&M §145: its impotencewill-and-testamentW&T §49: overwhelmed meepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §82: none can producegleaningsGWB §112: their helplessnesskitab-i-iqanKIQ §145: the sick
وَإِنِّيَّةُ
literal: groaning/sighing; essence; groaning, moaning
This form usually rendered as “soul” (1 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §165: astonishedgleaningsGWB §322: is perplexedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §230: strangeprayers-and-meditationsP&M §744: hath been so bewilderedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §193: astoundedgleaningsGWB §362: marvelethkitab-i-iqanKIQ §283: How strangeprayers-and-meditationsP&M §137: bewilderingly mysterious
SE expanded to “face of the revelations”
revelations 32% manifestations 14% revelation 13% evidences 11% manifold 8% tokens 8% all 7% manifestation 4% signs 1% testimonies 1%
This form usually rendered as “sovereignty”, “through”, “power” (53 occurrences)
SE expanded to “Thy sovereign might”
sovereignty 74% through 8% power 6% transcendent 2% kingship 2% own 2% rejected 2% sovereign 2% whose 2%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §145: the powergleaningsGWB §174: The highest essence and most perfect expressionkitab-i-iqanKIQ §131: rulethprayers-and-meditationsP&M §156: through the power of Thy sovereigntytablet-of-ahmadAhmad §1: is the Kingthe-hidden-wordsHW §103: celestialwill-and-testamentW&T §54: the Crownepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §2: His sovereignty
mention 23% remembrance 18% mentioned 16% praise 14% recorded 6% words 6% recount 5% referred 5% make 4% references 4%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §61: repliedgleaningsGWB §203: commemoratekitab-i-ahdAhd §4: reckonedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §236: unto which We have referredprayers-and-meditationsP&M §315: sing Thy praisetablet-of-ahmadAhmad §6: utter His calltablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §15: all mentionthe-hidden-wordsHW §5: name thy name
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §188: Have ye forgottengleaningsGWB §85: If ye have been careless ofkitab-i-iqanKIQ §286: ignoredprayers-and-meditationsP&M §122: have forgottenthe-hidden-wordsHW §21: it cannot be forgottengleaningsGWB §492: Be not forgetfulkitab-i-iqanKIQ §107: caused to forgetprayers-and-meditationsP&M §445: hath forgotten
This form usually rendered as “effacement” (1 occurrences)
blot 30% effaced 23% destroy 10% blotted 10% completely 7% vanish 7% dissipate 3% abolish 3% obliterated 3% annulment 3%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §167: dissipategleaningsGWB §697: be blotted outkitab-i-ahdAhd §7: annulmentkitab-i-iqanKIQ §155: Thus, “What He pleaseth will God abrogateprayers-and-meditationsP&M §234: that no trace may be leftwill-and-testamentW&T §5: destroyedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §11: blot outgleaningsGWB §350: effaced
signs 55% utterances 18% verses 8% most 6% utterance 3% words 3% sweetness 3% repudiated 2% through 2% truth 2%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §36: Our versesfire-tabletFire §26: utterancegleaningsGWB §376: signs of thekitab-i-iqanKIQ §242: those which descendedprayers-and-meditationsP&M §435: the sweetness of Thine utterancestablet-of-ahmadAhmad §7: by whatthe-hidden-wordsHW §89: comethwill-and-testamentW&T §5: the Holy Text
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §193: disclosedgleaningsGWB §204: as proofkitab-i-iqanKIQ §62: come to passprayers-and-meditationsP&M §440: the evidencestablet-of-carmelCarmel §3: thy gloryepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §151: the revelation of My glorygleaningsGWB §112: the effulgencekitab-i-iqanKIQ §151: manifestation
SE rendered ذِكْرِكَ، (dhikrika،), فَلَمَّا (falammá), الأَمْرُ (al-ʾamr), كَذلِكَ (kadhlik), يَفْعَلُ (yafʿal) as “praise, achieve”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §11: It is Thine to commandfire-tabletFire §17: CommandgleaningsGWB §41: His Dispensationkitab-i-ahdAhd §11: decreedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §57: daysprayers-and-meditationsP&M §807: had been prescribedtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §4: to Whose commandsthe-hidden-wordsHW §30: My command
SE rendered كَذلِكَ (kadhlik), يَفْعَلُ (yafʿal), الفَقِيرُ (al-faqír) as “achieve, poor creature”
This form usually rendered as “doeth”, “doth”, “doings.”” (18 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §111: doethgleaningsGWB §455: committedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §164: mannersprayers-and-meditationsP&M §162: Do with me thenthe-hidden-wordsHW §30: thou doest notepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §159: hath dealtgleaningsGWB §254: ye have donekitab-i-iqanKIQ §164: behaviour
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §64: unto the cordgleaningsGWB §680: tenaciously toprayers-and-meditationsP&M §824: to Thy cordepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §117: the firm cordgleaningsGWB §719: by the Cordprayers-and-meditationsP&M §598: on Thy strong cordepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §157: the cordgleaningsGWB §684: life-vein
This form usually rendered as “cleave”, “hold”, “must” (3 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §39: cleaveth fast untogleaningsGWB §655: the fragrancekitab-i-iqanKIQ §99: bear witnessprayers-and-meditationsP&M §217: were not kept backtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §2: Launchepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §117: seizedgleaningsGWB §7: strict observancekitab-i-iqanKIQ §243: those that have clung to
