“71:  O Son of man!  Write all that We have revealed unto thee with the...”

O Son of man!  Write all that We have revealed unto thee with the ink of light upon the tablet of thy spirit.  Should this not be in thy power, then make thine ink of the essence of thy heart.  If this thou canst not do, then write with that crimson ink that hath been shed in My path.  Sweeter indeed is this to Me than all else, that its light may endure for ever.

Part II—­From the Persian

Preamble

In the Name of the Lord of Utterance, The Mighty.

“1:  O ye people that have minds to know and ears to hear!...”

O ye people that have minds to know and ears to hear!  The first call of the Beloved is this:  O mystic nightingale!  Abide not but in the rose-garden of the spirit.  O messenger of the Solomon of love!  Seek thou no shelter except in the Sheba of the well-beloved, and O immortal phoenix! dwell not save on the mount of faithfulness.  Therein is thy habitation, if on the wings of thy soul thou soarest to the realm of the infinite and seekest to attain thy goal.

“2:  O Son of spirit!  The bird seeketh its nest; the nightingale the...”

O Son of spirit!  The bird seeketh its nest; the nightingale the charm of the rose; whilst those birds, the hearts of men, content with transient dust, have strayed far from their eternal nest, and with eyes turned towards the slough of heedlessness are bereft of the glory of the divine presence.  Alas!  How strange and pitiful; for a mere cupful, they have turned away from the billowing seas of the Most High, and remained far from the most effulgent horizon.

“3:  O friend!  In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the...”

O friend!  In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold.  Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly.

“4:  O Son of justice!  Whither can a lover go but to the land of his...”

O Son of justice!  Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved? and what seeker findeth rest away from his heart’s desire?  To the true lover reunion is life, and separation is death.  His breast is void of patience and his heart hath no peace.  A myriad lives he would forsake to hasten to the abode of his beloved.

“5:  O Son of dust!  Verily I say unto thee:  Of all men the most negligent...”

O Son of dust!  Verily I say unto thee:  Of all men the most negligent is he that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance himself over his brother.  Say, O brethren!  Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.