O King! Wert thou to
incline thine ear unto the shrill of the Pen of Glory and the cooing of the
Dove of Eternity which, on the branches of the Lote-Tree beyond which there is
no passing, uttereth praises to God, the Maker of all names and Creator of earth
and heaven, thou wouldst attain unto a station from which thou wouldst behold
in the world of being naught save the effulgence of the Adored One, and wouldst
regard thy sovereignty as the most contemptible of thy possessions, abandoning
it to whosoever might desire it, and setting thy face toward the Horizon aglow
with the light of His countenance. Neither wouldst thou ever be willing to bear the burden of dominion save
for the purpose of helping thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most High. Then would the Concourse on high bless
thee. O how excellent is this most
sublime station, couldst thou ascend thereunto through the power of a
sovereignty recognized as derived from the Name of God!
- Baha'u'llah (Tablet to
Nasiri’d-Din Shah, Suriy-i-Haykal [Tablet of Temple]; ‘The Summons of the Lord
of Hosts’)
