How vast the number of those heavenly and all-glorious
beings who, in the wilderness of their separation from Thee, have wandered all
the days of their lives, and failed in the end to find Thee! How great the
multitude of the sanctified and immortal souls who were lost and bewildered
while seeking in the desert of search to behold Thy face! Myriad are Thine
ardent lovers whom the consuming flame of remoteness from Thee hath caused to
sink and perish, and numberless are the faithful souls who have willingly laid
down their lives in the hope of gazing on the light of Thy countenance. The
sighs and moans of these longing hearts that pant after Thee can never reach
Thy holy court, neither can the lamentations of the wayfarers that thirst to
appear before Thy face attain Thy seat of glory.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from
the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)