Verily, I am the One Who abideth disconsolate beneath the
canopy of this world.
O Rasúl! Shouldst thou ask concerning the Sun of the heaven
of inner meaning, know that it hath been eclipsed by the clouds of envy; and shouldst
thou enquire regarding the Moon of the realm of everlasting holiness, be
apprised that it hath been obscured by the shrouds of hatred; and shouldst thou
search after the Star of the firmament of unseen reality, be informed that it
hath sunk below the horizon of malice. Behold, a lone Husayn assailed by a
hundred thousand deadly foes! Behold, a solitary Abraham compassed by a myriad
tyrant kings![1] Behold, one stainless Soul that vast multitudes aim to seize!
Behold, one single Throat that countless daggers seek to pierce!
Not a single night in Mine earthly life did I find rest; not
a single day was I granted repose. At one time My severed head was sent as a
trophy from land to land; at another I was suspended in the air. At one time I
had for a boon companion him who dealt Me a fatal blow; at another I had for a
close associate him who profaned My remains. Every morn, as I arose from My
bed, a fresh affliction awaited Me; and every eve, as I repaired to the
solitude of My chamber, a sore trial was in store. In the succession of My woes
there was no reprieve, and in the onslaught of My sorrows there was no respite.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Days of Remembrance’)
[1] “Deadly foes” (lit., “Shimrs”) and “tyrant kings” (lit.,
“Nimrods”): Shimr dealt the blow that killed Imám Husayn, and Nimrod was the
persecutor of Abraham.
