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Sunday, February 17, 2013

The Báb -- a poem by Robert Koehl written for the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Báb

O thou Morning Star:
  What flaming beauty Thine,
  Intoxicating men like wine,
To draw them from afar!

O Messenger of God:
  How great the need for Thee,
  And yet, Thy worth, how few could see
To walk where Thou has trod!

O Forerunner of the Kingdom:
  What Spirit hath Thine eyes shown forth,
  That twenty thousands saw its worth,
And followed Thee in martyrdom!

O Prophet of the Lord:
  Who for Thy Cause Thyself preserved,
  But finishing, men's laws observed,
And died for their accord!

O twofold Prince and Guide:
  Who mirrored forth Thy Lord,
  And gazed straight heavenward,
And saw Baha'u'llah, ere Thou hadst died.

O Reformer of this Day:
  What fiery accents used!
  What mighty laws infused
In men who sleeping lay!

O Primal Point:
  Thy mightiest Name adored –
  In which all Names are stored,
Who did men's souls anoint;

We ask to learn of Thee
  How power flows to men
  From out God's mighty Pen
And makes them truly free.
(The Baha'i World 1938-1940)