They drove their art like chariots;
~~ they rode their poetry like cavalry, on hooves and dust, into the new day of God.
Soldier psalms charged the blast like trumpets;
~~versed apostles sought true seeker like treasure:
they marked a measure of the new day’s dawn,
~~and moment to carry it on.
Showing posts with label psalms in plain sight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psalms in plain sight. Show all posts
2/26/12
2/18/12
Psalm 138
My refuge is a garden in the desert;
~~a river in the wilderness is my hope.
There the Father of the Covenant blessed Abraham;
~~there the Father blessed the tribes of man.
There the Father of the Law led his chosen;
~~there the Father of the Way lifted the poor in heart.
And in the days of Arabia, the Father of Submission raised the dwellers of earth;
~~there, from nomads in barren lands, He raised nations.
He did not desert His children there, but eased their thirst;
~~neither did He fail to feed the fishers of men.
He did not abandon His children, even in the time of the end:
~~there He founded the Garden of Paradise, His promised kingdom; His lovers, rose-like, opening.
~~a river in the wilderness is my hope.
There the Father of the Covenant blessed Abraham;
~~there the Father blessed the tribes of man.
There the Father of the Law led his chosen;
~~there the Father of the Way lifted the poor in heart.
And in the days of Arabia, the Father of Submission raised the dwellers of earth;
~~there, from nomads in barren lands, He raised nations.
He did not desert His children there, but eased their thirst;
~~neither did He fail to feed the fishers of men.
He did not abandon His children, even in the time of the end:
~~there He founded the Garden of Paradise, His promised kingdom; His lovers, rose-like, opening.
12/27/11
Psalm 136
May you soar beyond your search,
~~and may you find the Source of love.
May you see your knowledge as a gift and favor,
~~not to beam or overshadow,
~~but to warm the fruit of unity.
May the spirit of your surrender brook such contentment
~~as to melt the winter mountain’s power,
~~and stream a secret valley of budding wonder.
And may your pooling will evaporate and rise to a high place,
~~and then be gently sent to green the faith of every living thing.
~~and may you find the Source of love.
May you see your knowledge as a gift and favor,
~~not to beam or overshadow,
~~but to warm the fruit of unity.
May the spirit of your surrender brook such contentment
~~as to melt the winter mountain’s power,
~~and stream a secret valley of budding wonder.
And may your pooling will evaporate and rise to a high place,
~~and then be gently sent to green the faith of every living thing.
12/16/11
Psalm 134
Generation follows generation,
~~and son follows father.
Abdu’l-Baha, perfect follower of perfection,
~~son and light of the Blessed Perfection:
His example was set ray by ray and hope;
~~and in His twilight He set a plan to continue His work,
~~for generations sun by sun to continue His work.
~~and son follows father.
Abdu’l-Baha, perfect follower of perfection,
~~son and light of the Blessed Perfection:
His example was set ray by ray and hope;
~~and in His twilight He set a plan to continue His work,
~~for generations sun by sun to continue His work.
9/15/11
Psalm 132
Where, Lord, are your children of community,
~~and where are your children of human unity?
Where are your former rule and order, Lord,
~~and honored borders under your sovereignty?
The seed of this generation is scattered past reach:
~~is this your plan?
As the ripened fruit drops and rolls its core to a new place,
~~and winged seeds flutter in the wayward wind,
and as the burr and barb snarl in fur and feather,
~~so they all fall by your design and plant a sign of your good nature:
and as surely as your friend the squirrel will lodge more acorns than he needs,
~~so each new life will embrace a greater season’s company.
~~and where are your children of human unity?
Where are your former rule and order, Lord,
~~and honored borders under your sovereignty?
The seed of this generation is scattered past reach:
~~is this your plan?
As the ripened fruit drops and rolls its core to a new place,
~~and winged seeds flutter in the wayward wind,
and as the burr and barb snarl in fur and feather,
~~so they all fall by your design and plant a sign of your good nature:
and as surely as your friend the squirrel will lodge more acorns than he needs,
~~so each new life will embrace a greater season’s company.
7/1/11
Psalm 122
God enlightened His children as they grew;
~~He put forth a season of wildflowers in a promised land.
His early lovers called on Him in cycles of serpentine struggles;
~~the brave and frightened psalmist of Zion also called on Him.
In time, the Lord made youth from the lining of the child;
~~He raised His warmed ones to outgrow their ancient unawakened ways.
Soft rays dispersed cloudy young minds,
~~and mild rains filtered the dust of childhood.
Youth grew into a great century of light, filled and satisfied;
~~in this day, Earth is such a youth, robust, rebellious, in sweet ripeness and pride.
With dread and judgment, the Father Himself will appear to still this natural struggle;
~~the Lord will show their wandering the way.
Surely youth in all their wild lands will look toward light and glory;
~~they will walk toward light and glory along this rocky floor of the sky.
~~He put forth a season of wildflowers in a promised land.
His early lovers called on Him in cycles of serpentine struggles;
~~the brave and frightened psalmist of Zion also called on Him.
In time, the Lord made youth from the lining of the child;
~~He raised His warmed ones to outgrow their ancient unawakened ways.
Soft rays dispersed cloudy young minds,
~~and mild rains filtered the dust of childhood.
Youth grew into a great century of light, filled and satisfied;
~~in this day, Earth is such a youth, robust, rebellious, in sweet ripeness and pride.
With dread and judgment, the Father Himself will appear to still this natural struggle;
~~the Lord will show their wandering the way.
Surely youth in all their wild lands will look toward light and glory;
~~they will walk toward light and glory along this rocky floor of the sky.
Psalm 121
Set a table, celebrate and eat;
~~set out a feast after the yearly month of fasting.
What shall we eat in the beginning of spring, before the planting?
~~Before the Ridvan meeting and its planning, what shall we eat?
Winter greens over-winter underground;
~~feel the burst of fresh miracles as they become your mouth.
~~set out a feast after the yearly month of fasting.
What shall we eat in the beginning of spring, before the planting?
~~Before the Ridvan meeting and its planning, what shall we eat?
Winter greens over-winter underground;
~~feel the burst of fresh miracles as they become your mouth.
6/26/11
Psalm 120
Where will the knight’s quest end,
~~and what will the pure knight find?
Enemies may cross his path,
~~and castle treasures tempt him.
Such were the Templar keepers who settled the foot of Mount Carmel;
~~they found their aim not an end, but the world’s center. Amen.
~~and what will the pure knight find?
Enemies may cross his path,
~~and castle treasures tempt him.
Such were the Templar keepers who settled the foot of Mount Carmel;
~~they found their aim not an end, but the world’s center. Amen.
6/24/11
Psalm 119
May the loving God comfort you with his name, the Comforter.
May the God of grace bless you in his name, the Blessed Beauty.
May the one true God be your trust by his name, the Spirit of Truth.
May the God of the prophets keep you through his name, the Promised One.
May the God of faith call you to his name, the Glory of God.
May the God of grace bless you in his name, the Blessed Beauty.
May the one true God be your trust by his name, the Spirit of Truth.
May the God of the prophets keep you through his name, the Promised One.
May the God of faith call you to his name, the Glory of God.
Psalm 118
Praise the God of ages, who embraces us with the days of Ayyam-i-Ha,
~~moments like notes of his glad song,
~~dark and dawn like text on a page in his book of glory.
~~moments like notes of his glad song,
~~dark and dawn like text on a page in his book of glory.
Psalm 111
Seed of Abraham, flower of brotherhood: Alleluia.
~~tree of life, root of remembrance and reunion: Allah’u’abha.
~~tree of life, root of remembrance and reunion: Allah’u’abha.
6/21/11
Psalm 109
Still in my dream and imagining: awake, Apocalypse!
~~Four horsemen are riding; four horsemen are writing with fire in the night fields, writing with stars on silver snow.
Wondrous vision, burning earth, I see a dark dawn:
~~Why raise my eyes to early embers?
It is the will of my Beloved: My eyes open in flames of love,
~~a Covenant as strong as the Holy City, a morning star, its heaven and Bride, the Holy Mountain, its gold dome.
~~Four horsemen are riding; four horsemen are writing with fire in the night fields, writing with stars on silver snow.
Wondrous vision, burning earth, I see a dark dawn:
~~Why raise my eyes to early embers?
It is the will of my Beloved: My eyes open in flames of love,
~~a Covenant as strong as the Holy City, a morning star, its heaven and Bride, the Holy Mountain, its gold dome.
Psalm 98
As the glow of the moon shows the hidden work of the sun,
~~so the work of The Hidden Words shows the light of religion as one.
~~so the work of The Hidden Words shows the light of religion as one.
5/10/11
Psalm 80
Said the ascendant Lord: turn to the master,
~~follow him;
said the master: I am the servant,
~~follow me.
~~follow him;
said the master: I am the servant,
~~follow me.
2/5/11
Psalm 79
In this place is the heart of the world;
~~the center of desire is in this sacred home.
In its embrace are two holy shrines;
~~pilgrims enter a fortified city, an embattled country,
~~land and limb blessed by the tree of life, its seed of peace.
~~the center of desire is in this sacred home.
In its embrace are two holy shrines;
~~pilgrims enter a fortified city, an embattled country,
~~land and limb blessed by the tree of life, its seed of peace.
11/27/10
Psalm 77
Not Sultan, Shah, nor Caesar, none;
~~none but God and God alone:
He sends His blessed Rain, His human Word,
~~and once again, His Blessed endures the human sword.
The more able their attempts to wound,
~~the more capable is His Strength found.
The more they try to bury the Promised One,
~~the more their fury wish the Promise gone;
~~the more splendidly has His Light always shone.
~~none but God and God alone:
He sends His blessed Rain, His human Word,
~~and once again, His Blessed endures the human sword.
The more able their attempts to wound,
~~the more capable is His Strength found.
The more they try to bury the Promised One,
~~the more their fury wish the Promise gone;
~~the more splendidly has His Light always shone.
11/8/10
Psalm 76
Why must Your Love suffer, Lord;
~~why offer Your Word on Earth to teeth of cruelty?
And why do You say it is the work of the Pure,
~~and prisoning the Perfect will set men free?
~~why offer Your Word on Earth to teeth of cruelty?
And why do You say it is the work of the Pure,
~~and prisoning the Perfect will set men free?
10/3/10
Psalm 75
My Lord is a wise Lord, wisdom born in the core, as surely as the heart envisions spring;
~~my King is a knowing King, knowledge risen from the root, as surely as the soul knows its way home.
~~my King is a knowing King, knowledge risen from the root, as surely as the soul knows its way home.
6/26/10
Psalm 74
In Tehran, Husayn Ali was born;
~~in the heart of Persia and the throne of Iran, Baha’u’llah, the Glory of God, was born.
In the land of Ta, the Redeemer of All Mankind arose;
~~the Lord of the Covenant, the Sun of Righteousness arose.
In the 1817th year of our Lord, the Wronged One of the World appeared;
~~in the nineteenth century, in the middle east, the First and the Last was made manifest.
In the age of fading monarchs and fallen stars, the King of Glory emerged;
~~in the time of the end, the Day of God Himself began.
~~in the heart of Persia and the throne of Iran, Baha’u’llah, the Glory of God, was born.
In the land of Ta, the Redeemer of All Mankind arose;
~~the Lord of the Covenant, the Sun of Righteousness arose.
In the 1817th year of our Lord, the Wronged One of the World appeared;
~~in the nineteenth century, in the middle east, the First and the Last was made manifest.
In the age of fading monarchs and fallen stars, the King of Glory emerged;
~~in the time of the end, the Day of God Himself began.
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