, however, O
Beloved of the worlds, I cannot think what power except Thy power could
have kept it safe for so many years from the tempests that have
continually been directed upon it by the rebellious among Thy creatures.

I swear by Thy glory, O my God! Thy Lamp which Thou didst light within the
tabernacle of man crieth out to Thee and saith: "O Thou the one alone
Beloved! How long wilt Thou forsake me? Lift me up to Thee, I pray Thee.
Though this wish of mine be the wish of a human creature, yet Thou knowest
that my true wish is to sacrifice myself in Thy path. Thou art He Who hath
made my desire to be the same as Thy desire, and my will the same as Thy
will. Do Thou preserve Thy loved ones, I beseech Thee, in the shelter of
Thy shadowing mercy which transcendeth all things, that haply the
sufferings they bear may not deter them from turning in the direction of
Thy name, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful."

XC: "GLORIFIED ART THOU, O MY GOD! THOU KNOWEST THAT..."

Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou knowest that in my love for Thee I have
not sought any rest, that in proclaiming Thy Cause I have denied myself
every manner of tranquillity, and that in the observance of whatever Thou
hast prescribed in Thy Tablets I have not delayed to do Thy bidding. I
have, for this reason, suffered what no man among all the inhabitants of
Thy realm hath suffered.

Thy glory beareth me witness! Nothing whatsoever can withhold me from
remembering Thee, though all the tribulations of the earth were to assault
me from every direction. All the limbs and members of my body proclaim
their readiness to be torn asunder in Thy path and for the sake of Thy
pleasure, and they yearn to be scattered in the dust before Thee. O would
that they who serve Thee could taste what I have tasted of the sweetness
of Thy love!

I implore Thee to supply whosoever hath sought Thee with the living waters
of Thy bounty, that they may rid him of all attachment to any one but
Thee. Thou art, verily, the Omniscient, the All-Glorious, the Almighty.

XCI: "LAUDED BE THY NAME, O LORD MY GOD! HOW GREAT..."

Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! How great is Thy might and Thy
sovereignty; how vast Thy strength and Thy dominion! Thou hast called into
being Him Who speaketh in Thy name before all who are in Thy heaven and on
Thy earth, and hast bidden Him cry out amongst Thy creatures.

No sooner had a word gone forth from His lips, however, than