O God,
and the God of all Names...
O God
and the God of all Names, and the Maker of the heavens! I entreat Thee by
Thy Name through which He Who is the Dayspring of Thy might and the
Dawning-Place of Thy power hath been manifested, through which every solid
thing hath been made to flow, and every dead corpse hath been quickened, and
every moving spirit confirmed—I entreat Thee to enable me to rid myself of all
attachment to any one but Thee, and to serve Thy
Cause, and to wish what Thou didst wish through the power of Thy sovereignty,
and to perform what is the good pleasure of Thy will.
I
beseech Thee, moreover, O my God, to ordain for me what will make me rich
enough to dispense with any one save Thee. Thou seest
me, O my God, with my face turned towards Thee, and my hands clinging to the cord
of Thy grace. Send down upon me Thy mercy, and write down for me what
Thou hast written down for Thy chosen ones. Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. No God is there but Thee, the
Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.
Baháfuflláh
I give praise to Thee...
I give
praise to Thee, O my God, that the fragrance of Thy loving-kindness hath
enraptured me, and the gentle winds of Thy mercy have inclined me in the
direction of Thy bountiful favors. Make me to quaff, O my Lord, from the
fingers of Thy bounteousness the living waters which have enabled every one
that hath partaken of them to rid himself of all attachment to any one save
Thee, and to soar into the atmosphere of detachment from all Thy creatures, and
to fix his gaze upon Thy loving providence and Thy manifold gifts.
Make
me ready, in all circumstances, O my Lord, to serve Thee and to set myself
towards the adored sanctuary of Thy Revelation and of Thy Beauty. If it
be Thy pleasure, make me to grow as a tender herb in the meadows of Thy grace, that the gentle winds of Thy will may stir me up and
bend me into conformity with Thy pleasure, in such wise that my movement and my
stillness may be wholly directed by Thee.
Thou
art He, by Whose name the Hidden Secret was divulged, and the Well-Guarded Name
was revealed, and the seals of the sealed-up Goblet were opened, shedding
thereby its fragrance over all creation, whether of the past
or of the future. He who was athirst, O my Lord, hath hasted to
attain the living waters of Thy grace, and the wretched creature hath yearned
to immerse himself beneath the ocean of Thy riches.
I
swear by Thy glory, O Lord the Beloved of the world and the Desire of all them
that have recognized Thee! I am sore afflicted by the grief of my
separation from Thee, in the days when the Daystar of Thy presence hath shed
its radiance upon Thy people. Write down, then, for me the recompense
decreed for such as have gazed on Thy face and have, by Thy leave, gained
admittance into the court of Thy throne, and have, at Thy bidding, met Thee
face to face.
I
implore Thee, O my Lord, by Thy name the splendors of which have encompassed
the earth and the heavens, to enable me so to surrender my will to what Thou
hast decreed in Thy Tablets, that I may cease to discover within me any desire
except what Thou didst desire through the power of Thy sovereignty, and any
will save what Thou didst destine for me by Thy will.
Whither
shall I turn, O my God, powerless as I am to discover any other way except the
way Thou didst set before Thy chosen ones? All the atoms of the earth
proclaim Thee to be God, and testify that there is none other God besides
Thee. Thou hast from eternity been powerful to do what Thou hast willed,
and to ordain what Thou hast pleased.
Do
Thou destine for me, O my God, what will set me, at all times, towards Thee,
and enable me to cleave continually to the cord of Thy grace, and to proclaim
Thy name, and to look for whatsoever may flow down from Thy pen. I am
poor and desolate, O my Lord, and Thou art the All-Possessing, the Most
High. Have pity, then, upon me through the wonders of Thy mercy, and send
down upon me, every moment of my life, the things wherewith Thou hast recreated
the hearts of all Thy creatures who have recognized Thy unity, and of all Thy
people who are wholly devoted to Thee.
Thou,
verily, art the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise.
Baháfuflláh