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Will and Testament — §34

Persian source with Shoghi Effendi’s authorized English translation. Paragraph 34 of 59.

Source (Persian)

و اشتدّ بذلک السّاق بالسّاق و قاموا علی قصم ظهری و کسر ازری بظلم لا یطاق و نشروا اوراق الشّبهات و افتروا علیّ بکلّ کذب و اعتساف و لم یکتفوا بذلک بل زعیمهم تجاسر یا الهی بتحریف الکتاب و تبدیل فصل الخطاب و تبعیض آثار قلمک الأعلی و تلصیق ما کتبته بحقّ اوّل ظالم ظلمک و انکرک و کفر بآیاتک الکبری بما انزلته بحقّ عبدک المظلوم فی الآفاق حتّی یخدع النّاس و یوسوس فی صدور اهل الاخلاص کما اقرّ و اعترف به زعیمهم الثّانی بخطّه و ختمه و نشره فی الآفاق فهل یا الهی ظلم اعظم من هذا و لم یکتفوا بذلک بل سعوا بکلّ فساد و عناد و کذب و بهتان و افترآء و ازدرآء عند الحکومة بهذا القطر و سائر الجهات و نسبوا الیّ الفساد و ملؤوا الآذان بما یشمئزّ منه الأسماع فخشیت الحکومة و خاف السّلطان و توهّم الأعیان فضاقت الصّدور و تشوّشت الأمور و اضطربت النّفوس و اضطرمت نیران الحسرة و الأحزان فی القلوب و تزلزلت و تفرّقت ارکان الأوراق المقدّسة و سالت اعینهنّ بالعبرات و صعدت من قلوبهنّ الزّفرات و احترقت احشائهنّ بنار الحسرات حزناً علی عبدک المظلوم بأیدی هؤلآء الأقربآء الأعدآء

Shoghi Effendi Translation

Adversities have waxed still more severe as they rose with unbearable cruelty to overpower and crush me, as they scattered far and wide their scrolls of doubt and in utter falsehood hurled their calumnies upon me. Not content with this, their chief, O my God, hath dared to interpolate Thy Book, to fraudulently alter Thy decisive Holy Text and falsify that which hath been revealed by Thy All-Glorious Pen. He did also maliciously insert that which Thou didst reveal for the one that hath wrought the most glaring cruelty upon Thee, disbelieved in Thee and denied Thy wondrous Signs, into what Thou didst reveal for this servant of Thine that hath been wronged in this world. All this he did that he might beguile the souls of men and breathe his evil whisperings into the hearts of Thy devoted ones. Thereunto did their second chief testify, confessing it in his own handwriting, setting thereupon his seal and spreading it throughout all regions. O my God! Could there be a more grievous injustice than this? And still they rested not, but further strove with stubbornness, falsehood and slander, with scorn and calumny to stir up sedition in the midst of the government of this land and elsewhere, causing them to deem me a sower of sedition and filling the minds with things that the ear abhorreth to hear. The government was thus alarmed, fear fell upon the sovereign, and the suspicion of the nobility was aroused. Minds were troubled, affairs were upset, souls were perturbed, the fire of anguish and sorrow was kindled within the breasts, the Holy Leaves (of the Household) were convulsed and shaken, their eyes rained with tears, their sighs and lamentations were raised and their hearts burned within them as they bewailed this wronged servant of Thine, fallen a victim into the hands of these, his kindred, nay, his very enemies!

Translation Notes

قصم

literal: breaking

2 occurrences in corpus

ازری
izrí ʾ-z-r

literal: loins; support

SE rendered قاموا (qámúá)قصم (qṣm)ظهری (ẓhrí)کسر (ksr)ازری (izrí)بظلم (bẓlm)یطاق (yṭáq)نشروا (nshrúá)اوراق (iwráq) as “rose, overpower, revealed, crush, scattered, scrolls of”

2 occurrences in corpus

یطاق
yṭáq ṭ-y-q

literal: bear/endure/grasp; endured

SE rendered قصم (qṣm)ظهری (ẓhrí)کسر (ksr)ازری (izrí)بظلم (bẓlm)یطاق (yṭáq)نشروا (nshrúá)اوراق (iwráq)الشّبهات (ash-shbhát)افتروا (iftrúá) as “overpower, revealed, crush, scattered, scrolls of, doubt, hurled”

2 occurrences in corpus

تبعیض
tbʿíḍ b-ʿ-ḍ

literal: some; part; some, part

SE rendered الکتاب (al-ktáb)تبدیل (tbdíl)فصل (fṣl)الخطاب (al-khṭáb)تبعیض (tbʿíḍ)آثار (áthár)قلمک (qlmk)الأعلی (al-ʾaʿlí)تلصیق (tlṣíq) as “Book, fraudulently alter, decisive Holy Text, He, Pen, All-Glorious, insert”

some 40% certain 23% others 12% few 9% part 3% number 3% many 2% who 2% one 2% another 2%
آثار
áthár ʾ-th-r

literal: traces; trace; signs

SE rendered تبدیل (tbdíl)فصل (fṣl)الخطاب (al-khṭáb)تبعیض (tbʿíḍ)آثار (áthár)قلمک (qlmk)الأعلی (al-ʾaʿlí)تلصیق (tlṣíq)کتبته (ktbth) as “fraudulently alter, decisive Holy Text, He, Pen, All-Glorious, insert, Thou didst reveal”

تلصیق
tlṣíq l-ṣ-q “insert”

literal: attaching

1 occurrence in corpus

بحقّ
bḥqq ḥ-q-q “for”

literal: truth; true; right

SE rendered قلمک (qlmk)الأعلی (al-ʾaʿlí)تلصیق (tlṣíq)کتبته (ktbth)بحقّ (bḥqq)اوّل (iwwl)ظالم (ẓálm)ظلمک (ẓlmk)انکرک (inkrk)کفر (kfr) as “Pen, All-Glorious, insert, Thou didst reveal, for, the one, wrought the most glaring cruelty, disbelieved in Thee, denied Thy wondrous Signs”

truth 50% god 14% true 10% one 9% eternal 7% through 3% right 2% righteousness 2% unto 1% who 1%
بآیاتک
báyátk ʾ-y-y

literal: sign; signs; verse

SE rendered اوّل (iwwl)ظالم (ẓálm)ظلمک (ẓlmk)انکرک (inkrk)کفر (kfr)بآیاتک (báyátk)الکبری (al-kbrí)انزلته (inzlth)بحقّ (bḥqq)عبدک (ʿbdk) as “the one, wrought the most glaring cruelty, disbelieved in Thee, denied Thy wondrous Signs, Thou didst reveal, for, servant”

الکبری
al-kbrí k-b-r

literal: greatest; greater; grandeur

SE rendered ظالم (ẓálm)ظلمک (ẓlmk)انکرک (inkrk)کفر (kfr)بآیاتک (báyátk)الکبری (al-kbrí)انزلته (inzlth)بحقّ (bḥqq)عبدک (ʿbdk)المظلوم (al-mẓlúm) as “wrought the most glaring cruelty, disbelieved in Thee, denied Thy wondrous Signs, Thou didst reveal, for, servant, wronged”

یخدع

literal: deceive

1 occurrence in corpus

الاخلاص
al-ákhláṣ kh-l-ṣ

literal: sincere; pure; sincere ones

SE rendered النّاس (an-nás)یوسوس (yúsús)صدور (ṣdúr)اهل (ihl)الاخلاص (al-ákhláṣ)کما (kmá)اقرّ (iqrr)اعترف (iʿtrf)زعیمهم (zʿímhm) as “the souls of men, breathe, the hearts, devoted, as, testify, confessing, chief”

wholly 32% sincere 19% devoted 10% deliver 9% pure 6% who 6% essence 6% faithful 6% true 4% set 3%
کما
kmá k-m “loss”

literal: decrease; less; as

3 occurrences in corpus

فهل
fhl h-l “people” Distinctive

literal: people

This form usually rendered as “"hath”, “know”, “think” (3 occurrences)

“hath 33% know 33% think 33%
ازدرآء
izdráʾ z-r-y “scorn”

literal: scorn

1 occurrence in corpus

القطر
al-qṭr q-ṭ-r

literal: drop

SE rendered ازدرآء (izdráʾ)الحکومة (al-ḥkúmh)بهذا (bhdhá)القطر (al-qṭr)سائر (sáʾr)الجهات (al-jhát)نسبوا (nsbúá) as “scorn and, government, of this land, elsewhere”

drop 69% dewdrop 13% one 6% single 6% every 6%
الجهات
al-jhát j-h-h

literal: direction; direction, side; direction/side

SE rendered الحکومة (al-ḥkúmh)بهذا (bhdhá)القطر (al-qṭr)سائر (sáʾr)الجهات (al-jhát)نسبوا (nsbúá)الفساد (al-fsád)ملؤوا (mlʾúá) as “government, of this land, elsewhere, sower of sedition, filling”

side 25% direction 25% directions 13% attachment 13% every 13% sides 13%
نسبوا
nsbúá n-s-b

literal: attribution; relation; attributed

SE rendered بهذا (bhdhá)القطر (al-qṭr)سائر (sáʾr)الجهات (al-jhát)نسبوا (nsbúá)الفساد (al-fsád)ملؤوا (mlʾúá)الآذان (adh-dhán) as “of this land, elsewhere, sower of sedition, filling, the minds”

یشمئزّ

literal: to abhor

1 occurrence in corpus

اضطرمت
iḍṭrmt ḍ-r-m “shall” Distinctive

literal: kindle; kindler, igniter; kindler

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

shall 50% kindled 50%
تفرّقت
tfrrqt f-r-q

literal: separation; criterion; difference

SE rendered الأحزان (al-ʾaḥzán)القلوب (al-qlúb)تزلزلت (tzlzlt)تفرّقت (tfrrqt)ارکان (irkán)الأوراق (al-ʾawráq)المقدّسة (al-mqddsh)سالت (sált) as “sorrow, the breasts, convulsed and shaken, Leaves, Holy, rained”

ارکان
irkán r-k-n

literal: pillar; pillars; pillar/foundation

SE rendered القلوب (al-qlúb)تزلزلت (tzlzlt)تفرّقت (tfrrqt)ارکان (irkán)الأوراق (al-ʾawráq)المقدّسة (al-mqddsh)سالت (sált)اعینهنّ (iʿínhnn) as “the breasts, convulsed and shaken, Leaves, Holy, rained, eyes”

احشائهنّ
iḥsháʾhnn ḥ-sh-y “nay”

literal: far be it, God forbid; bowels

3 occurrences in corpus

بنار
bnár n-ʾ-r

literal: fire; fire, flame

SE rendered الزّفرات (az-zfrát)احترقت (iḥtrqt)احشائهنّ (iḥsháʾhnn)بنار (bnár)الحسرات (al-ḥsrát)حزناً (ḥznáan)عبدک (ʿbdk)المظلوم (al-mẓlúm) as “sighs, burned, nay, bewailed, servant, wronged”

fire 67% flame 16% flames 4% hell 3% afire 1% utter 1% fires 1% “hell 1% “fire” 1% “hell.” 1%

Model Translations by Shoghi Effendi

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