March 20, 2016
February 14, 2016
Ayyám-i-Há is Coming
Intercalay’s coming, the time for fun and cheer.
The Báb proclaimed that these are days that we give to the
poor.
We have good food and give our gifts and open up our door,
door, door, door,
door, door, door, door.
Ayyám-i-Há is coming! Ayyám-i-Há is near!
Intercalay’s coming, the time for fun and cheer.
The Báb proclaimed that these are days that we give to the
poor.
We have good food and give our gifts and open up our door,
door, door, door,
door, door, door, door.
(Child’s Way magazine, January-February 1978)August 17, 2015
May 10, 2015
April 13, 2015
December 7, 2014
September 20, 2014
June 8, 2014
March 8, 2014
November 12, 2013
July 20, 2013
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)
December 5, 2012
Remover of Difficulties
Is there any remover of difficulties save God?
Say praised be God He is God
All are His servants and all abide by His bidding.
Say praised be God He is God
All are His servants and all abide by His bidding.
October 12, 2012
The Friend of Understanding Love – a poem by Elizabeth Hackley
None but Thee can understand our hearts,
O Friend of Love Divine!
Tho we seek thru all the world for friends,
Whose love will be like Thine!
None but Thee can understand our failures,
And know our deepest need;
Only Thou canst lift us from ourselves,
Our burdened souls relieve.
None but Thee can satisfy our longing,
Our Father and our God!
None but Thee can understand our problems,
The road that we have trod.
Only Thou canst lead us out of darkness
And light in us increase;
Only Thou canst raise us from our death
In self, and give us peace!
(Baha’i Magazine, vol.24, no. 4, July 1933)
O Friend of Love Divine!
Tho we seek thru all the world for friends,
Whose love will be like Thine!
None but Thee can understand our failures,
And know our deepest need;
Only Thou canst lift us from ourselves,
Our burdened souls relieve.
None but Thee can satisfy our longing,
Our Father and our God!
None but Thee can understand our problems,
The road that we have trod.
Only Thou canst lead us out of darkness
And light in us increase;
Only Thou canst raise us from our death
In self, and give us peace!
(Baha’i Magazine, vol.24, no. 4, July 1933)
September 19, 2012
June 15, 2012
April 29, 2012
Jewel in the Lotus -- Music by James Seals and Jack Lenz; Sung by Dash Crofts and and "The Best Singers in Toronto" Choir
Sing to the jewel in the lotus, sing in the temple of love.
Sing
to the beauty he gives us, sing to the children above.
Hearts filled with gladness, overflowing in adoration, raise our voices to the glory.
Sing to the new creation, praise with our hearts full of love.
Sing to the jewel in the lotus, praise to the Kingdom above.
Listen oh people, thou art in safety. Thine is the sovereignty,
Ancient, imperishable and everlasting love.
Hearts filled with gladness, overflowing in adoration, raise our voices to the glory.
Sing to the new creation, praise with our hearts full of love.
Sing to the jewel in the lotus, praise to the Kingdom above.
Listen oh people, thou art in safety. Thine is the sovereignty,
Ancient, imperishable and everlasting love.
Dawning place of the mention of God, dawning place of the mention of God.
Lift up our hearts to the [billions of stars?]. Sing, sing, sing. . .
Sing to the jewel in the lotus, sing in the temple of love.
Sing to the beauty he gives us, sing to the children above.
Hearts filled with gladness, overflowing in adoration,
Spirit will lift us, bless us, everlasting love.
Hand by hand the water is brought, heart to heart through deed and by thought
Age to age the servants have toiled, sacrificed, they raise from the soil
The Temple of God, Temple of God, Temple of God.
And now behold with eyes that are solaced
the light that is shining from the jewel in the lotus.
Sing to the new creation, praise with our hearts full of love.
Sing to the jewel in the lotus, praise to the Kingdom above.
Listen oh people, thou art in safety. Thine is the sovereignty,
Ancient, imperishable and everlasting love.
Sing for the earth is one country, sing in the springtime of love.
Sing for all the religions, sing to the glory of God.
Sing, sing, sing!
March 18, 2012
On Hearing of Enoch's Murder – a poem by Ruhiyyih Khanum, 17 September 1979
The sunlight is black
The sunlight is black
What raven wing
Covered my sun at noonday?
The sunlight is black
What raven wing
Covered my sun at noonday?
In my mouth is the salt of tears
I cannot swallow so much salt . . .
Blood is so beautiful
Blood is so pure
Why do the people let blood
Run in the street?
So long it took
To make this man
Noble and good
His mind and his soul
Expanded like sunlight
At noonday.
Why did you kill him?
Are you pleased at this riddled shell,
This mangle of bone and flesh?
Did you think your deed in the dark
Was a bright light?
Everything is pulsing,
Throbbing and throbbing!
There is no answer
And the sunlight is black.
Go Enoch go!
Go to Musa on the hill
Go to your Master
Go to your Guardian
Go to the Kingdom of Light!
But ask not of us
Nor of your people
Who have plucked a sin
Big enough and dark enough
To blot out the noonday sun!
Woe to Africa!
Weep as you have not wept before,
Weep on your knees,
Weep your eyes blind,
You have murdered Abu'l-Futuh,
The Father of Victories is dead
At your hand, at your hand!
Your jewelled crown
Placed by God on your head
Is rolled into the grave-
Weep, weep, weep your heart away.
(The Baha’i World, 1979-1983)
I cannot swallow so much salt . . .
Blood is so beautiful
Blood is so pure
Why do the people let blood
Run in the street?
So long it took
To make this man
Noble and good
His mind and his soul
Expanded like sunlight
At noonday.
Why did you kill him?
Are you pleased at this riddled shell,
This mangle of bone and flesh?
Did you think your deed in the dark
Was a bright light?
Everything is pulsing,
Throbbing and throbbing!
There is no answer
And the sunlight is black.
Go Enoch go!
Go to Musa on the hill
Go to your Master
Go to your Guardian
Go to the Kingdom of Light!
But ask not of us
Nor of your people
Who have plucked a sin
Big enough and dark enough
To blot out the noonday sun!
Woe to Africa!
Weep as you have not wept before,
Weep on your knees,
Weep your eyes blind,
You have murdered Abu'l-Futuh,
The Father of Victories is dead
At your hand, at your hand!
Your jewelled crown
Placed by God on your head
Is rolled into the grave-
Weep, weep, weep your heart away.
(The Baha’i World, 1979-1983)
January 22, 2012
Prayer – a poem by H. H. Rycroft
We met, we talk'd, we listen'd, and lo:
God, the Shining One, the Peerless,
Fill'd our souls with love so fearless
That temple walls were cleans'd from sin
And fit for Him to sojourn in.
We sat, we pray'd, we waited, and lo:
God, the Glorious One, the Father,
Came Himself our gifts to gather,
And ev'ry deed our spirits told
Was magnified a thousand-fold.
We stood, we wept, we trembled, and lo:
God, the Mover of creation,
Granted each his proper station,
Appointed each a hidden scar,
The Sacred Wonder of Abhá.
(Star of the West, vol. 16, no. 5, August 1925)
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