Violetta Zein mentions this letter, and the preceding events, at around 1 hour 24 minutes in her excellent youtube video:…
A circlet of your hair: Abdu’l-Baha’s poem for Baha’u’llah
Posted by Sen on July 17, 2022
Below is my provisional translation of a poem written by Abdu’l-Baha Abbas and addressed to Baha’u’llah (i.e., “Baha,” in the first line).
This is AB08358 in the Phelps inventory, although it is in fact just part of a tablet that begins on pdf page 92 in INBA 22 from the Afnan library, but pdf page 93 in the better copy from h-net/Bahai.
A typescript of the Persian poem, without the preceding text, is available here.
این حلق بها در حلقه فتاد | My neck, Baha, encircled | |
آن طوق بلا موی تو بود | in a necklace of catastrophe, a circlet of your hair. | |
هر نفحۀ مشک کاید بمشام | Like musk on every breeze, from you | |
از خلق خوش خوی تو بود | comes fragrance of good-natured charm. | |
گر آب فرات بخشید حیات | A living stream gives life to me | |
سرچشمۀ آن جوی تو بود | and the source of that stream, is you. | |
جان تشنهلب است دلها بتب است | Every thirsting soul, each fevered heart | |
کل در طلب روی تو بود | is on a quest, for you. | |
بنگر صنما روی دل ما | See here! The image of an idol’s ‘graved upon our hearts | |
چون قبلهنما سوی تو بود | because the Qiblah turned to you. | |
اسباب جنون آماده کنون | One thing could drive me mad; and now it’s here, | |
دل منتظر هوی تو بود | it’s a heart that waits and yearns, for you. | |
این کشتۀ تو لبتشنۀ تو | I’m slain by you, athirst for you, | |
آشفتهدل روی تو بود | heart in upheaval over you. | |
دلمرده همه افسرده همه | For all the desolate, for every heart dead, | |
جانبخش همه بوی تو بود | your breath breathes life. | |
بر مدّعیان گردید عیان | The author of this plaint, it’s plain, | |
عبّاس سگ کوی تو بود | ‘s a dog that waits outside your gate, Abbaas. | |
~ | ~ | ~ |
Hooshang Sadeghi-Afshar said
Good translation. Whose is it?
Sen said
Why thank you, good sir. It is my translation, and so far as I know the first English translation of this poem.