of Our Name, the
Blissful, inasmuch as the Kingdom of the Name of God hath been adorned
with the ornament of the Name of Thy Lord, the Creator of the heavens....
Take heed lest anything deter Thee from extolling the greatness of this
Day--the Day whereon the Finger of Majesty and Power hath opened the seal
of the Wine of Reunion, and called all who are in the heavens and all who
are on earth.... This is the Day whereon the unseen world crieth out:
'Great is thy blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made the footstool
of thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne' ...Say ...
He it is Who hath laid bare before you the hidden and treasured Gem, were
ye to seek it. He it is who is the One Beloved of all things, whether of
the past or of the future." And yet again: "Arise, and proclaim unto the
entire creation the tidings that He who is the All-Merciful hath directed
His steps towards the Ridvan and entered it. Guide, then, the people unto
the Garden of Delight which God hath made the Throne of His Paradise...
Within this Paradise, and from the heights of its loftiest chambers, the
Maids of Heaven have cried out and shouted: 'Rejoice, ye dwellers of the
realms above, for the fingers of Him Who is the Ancient of Days are
ringing, in the name of the All-Glorious, the Most Great Bell, in the
midmost heart of the heavens. The hands of bounty have borne round the
cups of everlasting life. Approach, and quaff your fill.'" And finally:
"Forget the world of creation, O Pen, and turn Thou towards the face of
Thy Lord, the Lord of all names. Adorn, then, the world with the ornament
of the favors of Thy Lord, the King of everlasting days. For We perceive
the fragrance of the Day whereon He Who is the Desire of all nations hath
shed upon the kingdoms of the unseen and of the seen the splendors of the
light of His most excellent names, and enveloped them with the radiance of
the luminaries of His most gracious favors, favors which none can reckon
except Him Who is the Omnipotent Protector of the entire creation."

The departure of Baha'u'llah from the Garden of Ridvan, at noon, on the
14th of _Dh_i'l-Qadih 1279 A.H. (May 3, 1863), witnessed scenes of
tumultuous enthusiasm no less spectacular, and even more touching, than
those which greeted Him when leaving His Most Great House in Ba_gh_dad.
"The great tumult," wrote an eyewitness, "associated in our minds with the
Day of Gathering, the Day of Judgment, we beheld on that