I know not, O my God, what the Fire is with which Thou didst light the
Lamp of Thy Cause, or what the Glass wherewith Thou didst preserve it from
Thine enemies. By Thy might! I marvel at the wonders of Thy Revelation,
and at the tokens of Thy glory. I recognize, O Thou Who art my heart's
Desire, that were fire to be touched by water it would instantly be
extinguished, whereas the Fire which Thou didst kindle can never go out,
though all the seas of the earth be poured upon it. Should water at any
time touch it, the hands of Thy power would, as decreed in Thy Tablets,
transmute that water into a fuel that would feed its flame.
I, likewise, recognize, O my God, that every lamp, when exposed to the
fury of the winds, must cease from burning. As to Thy Lamp, 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."