T ERSTWHILE FLOURISHED IN THE..."

Faded now is all that erstwhile flourished in the Paradise of Thy
transcendent oneness, O my God! Where are the rain-giving clouds of Thy
mercy? Shorn are the branches of the Tree of Thy unity of the vesture of
Thy majesty and wisdom; where is the spring-time of Thy gifts and
bounties? Motionless lies the Ark of Thy Cause on the sea of Thy creation;
where are the winds of Thy grace and favors? Encompassed on every side is
Thy Lamp by the tempests of discord blowing from every land; where is the
globe of Thy graciousness and protection?

Thou seest, O my God, how the eyes of these poor creatures are bent upon
the horizon of Thy riches, how the hearts of these helpless ones are set
in the direction of Thy might. I beseech Thee, O Thou Who art the sole
Desire of them that have recognized Thee, and the Object of the adoration
of the entire creation, not to suffer them, now that Thou hast attracted
them by Thy most exalted Word, to be far removed from the Tabernacle which
Thou hast reared up by Thy name, the All-Glorious.

They are sore pressed with cares, O my Lord, and are encompassed about by
the wicked. Send down, therefore, from the heaven of Thy behest Thine
invisible hosts, that, holding aloft the ensigns of Thy victory, they may
help them in Thy land, and may shield them against Thine adversaries.

I entreat Thee, O my God, by Thy name through which the clouds have rained
down their rain, and the streams have flowed, and the fire of Thy love
hath been kindled throughout Thy dominion, to assist Thy servant who hath
turned towards Thee, and hath spoken forth Thy praise, and determined to
help Thee. Fortify, then, his heart, O my God, in Thy love and in Thy
Faith. Better is this for him than all that hath been created on Thine
earth, for the world and whatsoever is therein must perish, and what
pertaineth unto Thee must endure as long as Thy most excellent names
endure. By Thy Glory! Were the world to last as long as Thine own kingdom
will last, to set their affections upon it would still be unseemly for
such as have quaffed, from the hands of Thy mercy, the wine of Thy
presence; how much more when they recognize its fleetingness and are
persuaded of its transience. The chances that overtake it, and the changes
to which all things pertaining unto it are continually subjected, attest
its impermanence.

Whosoever hath recognized Thee will turn to none save Thee, and will seek
from