Tablet to Fuad Pasha the Heart 3 страница
We bear witness that [the darkness] hath encompassed the creatures.
45.
Blessed be he who hath been illumined by the Light
which shineth forth from the horizon of the Mercy of his Lord, the Most Holy.
46.
The darkness is the vain imaginings
by virtue of which the people were prevented from turning towards the Kingdom
when the King of the Divine Realm appeared with the Cause of God.
47.
As for what thou hast mentioned,
that a certain person hath supposed
that there are no differences between Us with regard to the Spirit [Jesus Christ].
48.
This is indeed the truth,
inasmuch as the Spirit [Jesus Christ] is sanctified beyond being overwhelmed by differences
or encompassed by symbolic expressions.
49.
He, verily, is the Light of Oneness among mankind
and the sign of the Ancient of Days among the peoples.
50.
He who turneth unto (Jesus Christ) hath turned unto He who sent Him,
51.
and they who rejecteth Him,
hath rejected He who caused Him to be made manifest and to speak forth.
52.
He hath ever been what He was,
and will ever remain the same as what He was;
53.
only the splendor of His theophany in the Mirrors [of Heaven] varies
on account of their different forms and colors.
54.
O beloved one!
Should a hint of the secret which was veiled in mystery be disclosed,
the hearts of those who cling unto what they possess
and cast away what is with God would be thrown into confusion.
55.
If thine eminence would ponder upon what We have set forth for thee
and rise up according to what hath been mentioned with the greatest steadfastness,
56.
there would, verily, be manifest from thee what was previously made manifest.
57.
O beloved one!
This Bird is ensnared betwixt the talons of oppression and hypocrisy,
and seest no nest wherein He might dwell
nor any retreat unto which he might wing his way.
58.
In such a state doth He summon mankind unto everlasting life.
59.
Blessed be the attentive ear!
60.
We ask God that He might bring us together in the same place
and might assist us in what He loveth and is well-pleasing unto Him.
Provisionally translated by ______
Tablet of the Branch
Tablet for the Cousin Maryam CHAPTER ONE
Divisions 1-30
MARYAM
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1.
O Maryam!
The wrongs which I suffer have blotted out the wrongs suffered by My First Name (the Bab) from the Tablet of Creation, and showers of tribulations have rained from the clouds of God‟s decree upon this Manifest Beauty.
2.
My banishment from My home was prompted by naught else but the love of the Beloved, and My exile from My land for none other reason than attaining the good pleasure of the Desired One.
3.
Like a candle, I remained radiant and luminous before the biddings of His decrees, and stood as firm as a mountain in the face of divine tribulations.
4.
I was even as a torrent of rain amidst the revelations of the tokens of His Grace, and a flame of fire in staying the enemies of the Sovereign Lord of Eternity.
5.
The manifold evidences of My might gave way to the envy of the enemies, and the revelations of My wisdom brought forth their malice and perfidy.
6.
Not for one night did I rest in a place of safety, nor did I lift my head from my couch on any morn with ease.
7.
I swear by the beauty of the True One that Husayn wept at my meekness and the Friend of God (Ibrahim) cast Himself into the fire for My afflictions.
8.
Shoudst thou observe plainly; thou shalt witness that the Eyes of Majesty are shedding tears beneath the Tabernacle of Purity, and the men of glory are wailing in the Realm of Grandeure;
to which beareth witness the Tongue of Truth and Glory.
9.
O Maryam!
From the land of Ta (Tehran), after countless afflictions, We reached Iraq at the bidding of the Tyrant of Persia, where after the fetters of Our foes, We were afflicted with the perfidy of our friends. God knoweth what befell Me thereafter.
10.
Until such time as I renounced My home and all therein, and my life and all its attachments; and unaccompanied and alone chose to set out into retirement.
11.
I roamed the wilderness of resignation, travelling in such wise that in my exile every eye wept sore over Me, and all created things shed tears of blood because of My anguish.
12.
The birds of the air were My companions and the beasts of the field My associates.
13.
I traversed the mortal world in a flash of the sprit, and for two years or rather less, I shunned all beside God, and closed Mine eyes to all except Him, that haply the fire of hatred may die down and the heat of jealousy abate.
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14.
O Maryam!
It is not befitting to divulge the divine mysteries, nor is it seemly to reveal heavenly secrets; and by this is meant the mysteries enshrined within the treasury of My being and naught else!
15.
As God is My witness, I endured what the oceans, waves and fruits -- and all that hath ever
been or will ever be – could never bear to endure.
16.
During this period of retirement, none from amongst my brothers or others ventured to enquire into this matter; nor did they seek to understand it, whilst this was a matter greater than the creation of the heavens and the earth.
17.
By God! One moment of this journey is far greater than pious worshipin both worlds.
18.
Although this journey was a most great testimony and the
mightiest and clearest evidence; yet it requires a man of insight to behold the scene of His Transcendent Glory.
19.
He, who is bereft of insight, perceiveth not even his own beauty; what recourse does he have then of attaining the most sacred Divine Beauty.
20.
What can the shadow discern of the object who sheddeth the shadow; or a handful of clay perceive of the subtle reality of the heart?
21.
At length, divine providence prompted some of His spiritual servants to think of this Canaanite Youth, and they set out with a bundle of letters to search Me out everywhere and from everyone, until they discovered a trace of this Traceless One in a cave of a mountain.
22.
And He guideth all things unto the straight, sacred, path.
23.
I swear by the Sun of Divine Reality that this poor forsaken One was so utterly amazed and mystified by their arrival that this Pen is unable to recount.
24.
Perhaps a keen Pen must needs step forth from within the eternal realm to rend asunder the veils and reveal all the mysteries with absolute sincerity and utmost certitude, and to speak with such tongue that would draw out the heavenly pearls from the shell of silence.
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25.
And this indeed would not be difficult for Him.
26.
At last, the Hand of Glory broke the seal of mystery; but alas, ignorant remained the wise, save those who were truly detached.
27.
Then, the Day-star of the World returned to Iraq.
28.
We found no more than a handful of souls, faint and dispirited; nay utterly lost and dead.
28.
The Cause of God had ceased to be on any one‟s lips; nor was any heart receptive of its message.
The preceding two sentences translated by Shoghi Effendi,
God Passes By, Willmette::Bahai Publishing Trust, 1944
29.
Hence, this Servant, arose to safeguard the Cause and exalt it to the heights of glory in such wise as though a new resurrection had come to pass.
30.
The loftiness of the cause became so evident in every city and so manifest in every land that all sovereigns conducted themselves with forbearance.
Tablet for Cousin Maryam CHAPTER TWO
Divisions 31-60
MARYAM
31.
O Maryam!
Arising before all enemies of different sects and tribes by this Servant, increased the fire of jealousy of Our foes, to such degree that is not possible to mention; nor is it imaginable
-- thus hath it been decreed by the Exalted, the Almighty.
32.
O Maryam!
The Pen of Him who is the Ancient of Days sayeth that the greatest of all deeds is to purify the heart from all else but God.
33.
Sanctify thy heart then from the ungodly, that thou mayest be worthy of the Realm of Eternal Reunion.
34.
O Maryam!
From the limitations of vain imitation, step thou into the vast immensity of the realm of detachment.
35.
Purify thy heart from the world and all that is therein, that thou mayest attain unto the sovereign Lord of faith, and not be deprived of His Divine Sanctuary.
36.
Rent asunder the veils of idle fancies through the power of detachment, and enter thou into the sacred court of certitude.
37.
O Maryam!
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Though a tree may bear 100,000 leaves and harvest 100,000 fruits; yet all these leaves and fruits shall disappear and be destroyed with one movement of the autumn breeze or the cold of the winter.
38.
Waver not away thy gaze then from the very Root of the Divine Tree and of the branches of the Tree of Transcendent Oneness.
39.
Witness thou the sea abiding secure in its spot with the utmost poise and dignity; yet how innumerable shapes and figures form on its surface through the stirring of breezes of the will of the Everlasting Beloved.
40.
All these waves appear to be different one from another and run contrary to each other; yet the people are all busy with the waves and are veiled from the sovereign Might of the Sea of Seas, from Whose movement have appeared the signs of the Unconstrained.
41.
O Maryam!
Seek thou companionship with the Self of the All-merciful, and, barring thyself from association with evil, abide under the unerring protection of the Most Bountiful;
so that perchance the Hand of divine blessings may draw you away from the path of selfish desire to the vast immensity of exaltation and glory.
42.
O Maryam!
From beneath the shadows of mortality repair thee unto the Sun of Eternal Glory.
43.
All shadows remain and move about by reason of the existence of the sun;
in such manner that -- were the sun to withhold its bountiful rays for only a moment --
all created things would return to utter nothingness.
44.
Alas, how pitiful and regrettable that one should busy oneself with the manifestations of the mortal world and remain deprived of the DawningPlace of Sacred Immortality.
45.
O Maryam!
Cherish thou these days, for soon thou shalt not see the Celestial Youth in the earthly pavilion, and shalt behold the signs of grief in all things.
46,
They shall bite their fingers' end in wonder and regret; yet they shall not find the Youth even if they were to search for Him to the uttermost limits of the heavens and the earth.
47.
Thus hath it been revealed from the Kingdom of Exalted Glory.
48.
Yea, soon thou shalt see thyself biting thy fingers' ends, and endeavour to seek Him in all the heavens and the earth; but alas thou shalt not attain the presence of the Youth.
49.
In short, such was ultimately the state of affairs that this Servant decided to leave from amongst the stirrers of sedition, separated from all except for a few women who perhaps have to remain with this Servant.
50.
I shalt not even take with me the maids of the household; until such time as God may desire otherwise.
51.
This Youth begins His journey, whilst My tear drops are My only comfort;
the sighs of My heart are My only companion; My pen is My only friend;
My Beauty is My only solace; My army is my reliance, and My people are my trust.
52.
This is what I divulged unto thee from the mysteries of the Cause,
that thou mayest be of them that are endued with understanding.
53.
O Maryam!
All the seas of the world and the rivers that flow out from them are pouring down from the eyes of the Youth that hath appeared as a cloud and is weeping at His Own meekness.
54.
Alas, this Life and this Head, We offered in the path of the Friend from all eternity to all eternity, and shall be wholly resigned to whatever that may transpire.
55.
At one time this Head was raised on a spear; and at another time it was delivered to the hands of Shimr.
56.
I was cast into the Fire at one time, and suspended in the air at another time.
57.
And this is that which the infidels have wrought against Us.
58.
And thus, O Maryam, We named this Tablet with wondrous wailings and showers of tears; and dispatched it towards thee; that thou mayest bewail with ease and share with the Ancient Beauty in His anguish.
59.
Furthermore, since Jinab-i-Baba was in our presence in the first year, he is aware of certain matters.
60.
God willing, the Holy Spirit will inspire his tongue to speak of the undoubted truth, and cleanse the world with a dewdrop from the story of the Youth.
Translated provisionally by G. Yazdani
Tablet of the Nightingale and the Owl
Ttranslated by Juan Cole.
edited by Alison Marshall.
1863/1868?
1. Introduction, by Alison Marshall (from whoisbahaullah.com)
Tablet of the Nightingale and the Owl is a short story, which reads much like a fairy tale. It was written by Bahá'u'lláh when he was living in Edirne (Adrianople), sometime after he broke off relations with his half-brother, Mirza Yahya (Subh-i-Azal). Historian, Adib Taherzadeh, has suggested[1] that the reference in the tablet to the artificial nightingales being expelled from the divine garden could be interpreted as referring to Bahá'u'lláh's separation from Mirza Yahya.
Throughout his writings, Bahá'u'lláh refers to himself as the divine Beloved and to the believers as his lovers. In this tablet, he symbolises the divine Beloved as a spiritual Rose of perfect beauty and the believers as nightingales, who long for the beauty of the Rose. In the middle of the tablet, Bahá'u'lláh illustrates how misunderstandings develop and harden between people, by telling the story of the crow and the nightingale. This is a story within a story and, in this second story, Bahá'u'lláh plays the role of the nightingale.
Bahá'u'lláh begins the tablet by wasting no time getting to the point, that all is not well in the divine garden. The Rose has appeared but the nightingales are not interested. He appeals to them to unite with him, but the problem is that they are not real nightingales, just artificial ones. They don't recognise their Beloved and argue that he isn't the real Rose, which, they say, originated from Medina not Iraq. The Rose doesn't mince words, informing the nightingales that their argument proves that they've never, in fact, recognised the Rose at all. "Rather, you recognised walls, rafters and buildings." He explains that he isn't from any place in particular; instead, he comes from different places at different times. This is a key principle of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings, which is commonly referred to as the 'oneness of the prophets'. Briefly, it states that the prophets are, from a spiritual point of view, the same person, even though they appear to humanity at different times and places. Bahá'u'lláh accuses the nightingales of being crows "who have learned to mimic nightingales" through their blind obedience - the implication being that their religious life looks the part but isn't the real McCoy.
The Rose tells the artificial nightingales that they are like the owl, as it is depicted in the following story. The owl once told the nightingale that crows sing more beautifully than the nightingale. The nightingale asks for the chance to prove that this isn't true, suggesting that both he and the crow sing so that their songs can be compared. But the owl refuses this request, saying that he once heard a beautiful melody in a garden and asked around for what made the sound. Others told him it was a crow, and the owl decided this must be true for he happened to notice a crow fly out of the garden soon after he'd heard the sound. Ignoring the nightingale's protests, the crow becomes confirmed in his conclusion. He challenges the nightingale: if the nightingale made that sound, why hasn't he become famous for it? The nightingale explains that he was a victim of the hunter's tyranny and that he and his song have been hidden.
The tablet reverts back to the Rose addressing the artificial nightingales, counselling them not to allow an obscure idea that they've picked up from somewhere to become a certain truth. Instead, they should listen to the Rose himself and not worry about things like the place he originated from. Suddenly, a real nightingale arrives and tells the artificial ones that, although they are nightingales in form, they've been hanging out with crows for so long that they've become like them. He tells them to fly away, that the divine garden is a place for real nightingales only.
In the final paragraph, Bahá'u'lláh ends with general advice for the "human nightingales". He exhorts them to properly investigate who their real Beloved is and to do what they can to protect the divine garden and the world from his enemies. The way to do this is through manifesting good deeds and character, which will prove that the accusations of enemies are just slander. If, however, the enemies do witness a wrong committed by one of the lovers, all "must return to the most holy abode", so that only those wrong actions will vindicate the slanderers.
Note
Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. Adrianople, 1863-68 (Oxford: George Ronald, 1977) p 243. A full discussion of the tablet is on pages 241 to 244.
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