Prayers and Meditations — §789
Arabic source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 789 of 858.
Source (Arabic)
فَوَعِزَّتِكَ يا مَحْبُوبِي لَمْ أَجِدْ لِنَفْسِيْ وُجُودًا تِلْقآءَ مَدْيَنِ عِزِّكَ وَكُلَّما أُرِيْدُ أَنْ أُثْنِيَ نَفْسَكَ بِثَنآءٍ يَمْنَعُنِي فُؤادِيْ لأَنَّ دُونَكَ لَمْ يَقْدِرْ أَنْ يَطِيرَ فِي هَوآءِ مَلَكُوتِ قُرْبِكَ أَوْ أَنْ يَصْعَدَ إِلى سَمآءِ جَبَرُوْتِ لِقائِكَ،
Shoghi Effendi Translation
I swear by Thy glory, O Thou Who art the one alone Beloved! I find myself to be only nothing before the habitation of Thy great glory. Every time I attempt to extol any one of Thy virtues, my heart restraineth me, for naught but Thee is able to soar into the atmosphere of the kingdom of Thy nearness, or reach up to the heaven of Thy presence.
Translation Notes
SE expanded to “swear by Thy glory”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §12: the MightygleaningsGWB §640: of all temporal honor and worldly elevationkitab-i-iqanKIQ §227: He is the Mightyprayers-and-meditationsP&M §234: sublimetablet-of-ahmadAhmad §4: Incomparablethe-hidden-wordsHW §107: cherishwill-and-testamentW&T §3: preciousepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §64: By Thy glory
SE rendered فَوَعِزَّتِكَ (fawaʿizzatik), مَحْبُوبِي (maḥbúbí), أَجِدْ (ʾajid), لِنَفْسِيْ (linafsí) as “swear by Thy glory, find myself to be only, nothing before the habitation”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §150: love of Theefire-tabletFire §7: of Thy lovegleaningsGWB §225: followerskitab-i-iqanKIQ §15: the lustprayers-and-meditationsP&M §481: Object of my heart’s adorationtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §40: the Beloved Onethe-hidden-wordsHW §55: thine heart be setwill-and-testamentW&T §5: “My foolish loved ones
SE expanded to “find myself to be only”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §7: I can findfire-tabletFire §49: thou canst breathegleaningsGWB §555: his beingkitab-i-iqanKIQ §273: move and have their beingprayers-and-meditationsP&M §274: learning that I had beentablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §40: they may findthe-hidden-wordsHW §11: that thou mayest find Mewill-and-testamentW&T §22: existent
This form usually rendered as “myself”, “one”, “soul” (224 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §230: theygleaningsGWB §459: I never attemptedkitab-i-iqanKIQ §79: waysprayers-and-meditationsP&M §235: within himselftablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §37: within thyselfthe-hidden-wordsHW §28: Breathewill-and-testamentW&T §44: of the insincereepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §105: it
SE expanded to “of Thy presence”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §171: Presencefire-tabletFire §33: to the Divine PresencegleaningsGWB §109: proclamationkitab-i-iqanKIQ §182: attainment unto the presenceprayers-and-meditationsP&M §140: set forth beforetablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §20: of His Presencethe-hidden-wordsHW §4: have engraved on theewill-and-testamentW&T §5: in
SE rendered لِنَفْسِيْ (linafsí), وُجُودًا (wujúdan), تِلْقآءَ (tilqáʾ), مَدْيَنِ (madyan), عِزِّكَ (ʿizzik), وَكُلَّما (wakullamá), أُرِيْدُ (ʾuríd) as “nothing before the habitation, Thy great glory, Every time, I attempt”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §260: a citygleaningsGWB §230: native citykitab-i-iqanKIQ §219: In these citiesprayers-and-meditationsP&M §371: the habitationtablet-of-carmelCarmel §4: of its citieswill-and-testamentW&T §3: to the Great Cityepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §129: citiesgleaningsGWB §555: from the City
This form usually rendered as “wish”, “have”, “what” (19 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §110: Dost Thou desiregleaningsGWB §298: I tokitab-i-iqanKIQ §22: seekprayers-and-meditationsP&M §468: Thou dost desirethe-hidden-wordsHW §8: seekestepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §217: If it be Thy wishgleaningsGWB §636: He hath refused to reservekitab-i-iqanKIQ §75: given
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §208: SecondlygleaningsGWB §321: createdkitab-i-iqanKIQ §74: Thereuponprayers-and-meditationsP&M §385: and from magnifying Thy namewill-and-testamentW&T §39: anotherepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §143: SecondarilygleaningsGWB §205: that magnify His Namekitab-i-iqanKIQ §54: In the midst of
This form usually rendered as “may”, “am”, “find” (13 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §169: to be deprivedgleaningsGWB §663: would have the power to deter theekitab-i-iqanKIQ §268: detachmentprayers-and-meditationsP&M §16: have withheldtablet-of-ahmadAhmad §9: arise against theethe-hidden-wordsHW §67: shall be hinderedwill-and-testamentW&T §56: hindranceepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §6: hath deterred me
SE rendered نَفْسَكَ (nafsak), بِثَنآءٍ (bithanáʾin), يَمْنَعُنِي (yamnaʿuní), فُؤادِيْ (fuʾádí), دُونَكَ (dúnak), يَقْدِرْ (yaqdir) as “any one of Thy virtues, heart restraineth me, naught but Thee, is able”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §159: the heartsgleaningsGWB §176: men’skitab-i-iqanKIQ §178: of the human mindprayers-and-meditationsP&M §135: into the heartsthe-hidden-wordsHW §60: Thy heartwill-and-testamentW&T §48: They haveepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §73: of the heartsgleaningsGWB §1: the human heart
This form usually rendered as “all”, “except”, “any” (65 occurrences)
SE expanded to “naught but Thee”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §7: except TheegleaningsGWB §702: Without itkitab-i-iqanKIQ §143: the likeprayers-and-meditationsP&M §158: Aught else except Theethe-hidden-wordsHW §14: from anyone beside Mewill-and-testamentW&T §38: All othersepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §75: any one but TheegleaningsGWB §535: all else but Me
This form usually rendered as “can”, “hath”, “have” (33 occurrences)
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §157: soar yefire-tabletFire §46: flygleaningsGWB §685: that birdkitab-i-iqanKIQ §161: Birds ofprayers-and-meditationsP&M §441: hath soaredtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §23: have never attainedepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §191: to soargleaningsGWB §496: flown
atmosphere 48% heights 16% immensity 6% heavens 6% heaven 6% desire 3% firmament 3% limitless 3% precincts 3% sublimities 3%
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §9: mere impulsefire-tabletFire §21: passiongleaningsGWB §278: of their evil desireskitab-i-iqanKIQ §101: of divine mightprayers-and-meditationsP&M §171: in the atmospheretablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §23: spherethe-hidden-wordsHW §128: resplendentwill-and-testamentW&T §15: self
SE expanded to “of the kingdom”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §158: the landgleaningsGWB §595: the Ancient Kingkitab-i-iqanKIQ §113: mortalsprayers-and-meditationsP&M §841: and the transcendenttablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §15: the worldsthe-hidden-wordsHW §2: Possesswill-and-testamentW&T §15: farepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §94: the world
SE expanded to “of Thy nearness”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §148: draw him nighfire-tabletFire §2: Those who are near unto TheegleaningsGWB §624: establishedkitab-i-ahdAhd §13: Kindredkitab-i-iqanKIQ §110: well-favouredprayers-and-meditationsP&M §156: suffer me to enjoy near access to Theetablet-of-ahmadAhmad §2: the Presencetablet-of-carmelCarmel §4: the favoured of God
SE rendered مَلَكُوتِ (malakút), قُرْبِكَ (qurbik), يَصْعَدَ (yaṣʿad), سَمآءِ (samáʾ) as “of the kingdom, of Thy nearness, the heaven”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §187: are raisedgleaningsGWB §312: attainethprayers-and-meditationsP&M §744: soartablet-of-carmelCarmel §3: shedtablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §32: ascend unto thethe-hidden-wordsHW §23: Rise thenwill-and-testamentW&T §58: Day of Ascensionepistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §210: “Get thee up
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §254: which he hath entitledfire-tabletFire §36: heavenlygleaningsGWB §628: from the heavenkitab-i-iqanKIQ §20: a separate designationprayers-and-meditationsP&M §220: through Thy most resplendent Nametablet-of-ahmadAhmad §11: My saketablet-of-carmelCarmel §4: Names.’tablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §12: divine attributes
SE rendered يَصْعَدَ (yaṣʿad), سَمآءِ (samáʾ), جَبَرُوْتِ (jabarút), لِقائِكَ، (liqáʾika،) as “the heaven, of Thy presence”
epistle-to-the-son-of-the-wolfESW §79: the heavenfire-tabletFire §37: the eternal realmgleaningsGWB §694: from the heaven ofkitab-i-iqanKIQ §98: tyrannyprayers-and-meditationsP&M §776: unseentablet-of-the-holy-marinerMariner §32: highest heaventhe-hidden-wordsHW §104: My everlasting dominionwill-and-testamentW&T §8: exhorted
