One must step forth and raise aloft the banner of earnest
striving. By God! Wert thou to hearken unto the heavenly words of this
evanescent Servant that have been raised in this mystic Tablet, thou wouldst
assuredly take to the desert of self-surrender, turn aside from thine own heart
and soul, and cast thy head at the feet of the Friend. How high is the soaring
flight of the phoenix of love, and how low the requisite measure of our
yearning! Strive but a little to soar, that, by the grace of Him Who is the
eternal King, thou mayest ascend from the dust-heap of utter non-existence unto
the loftiest heights of ancient glory. Give wings to thy celestial spirit and
lend strength to thy mystic soul, that haply it may take flight in the
atmosphere of divine nearness and attain the ultimate and invisible goal.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Call of the Divine Beloved’)
