On the 14th, Juliet arrived early hoping to work, but 'Abdu'l-Bahá had left already. She stayed with one of the Persian friends who recalled memories of his father. Valiyú'lláh Khán was the son of Varqa Khán, a Bahá'í Martyr and renowned poet, very dear to Bahá'u'lláh. Varqa Khán had told his son that Bahá'u'lláh had explained to him the Station of the Master as "The Mystery of God," a Station although not of a "Manifestation of God" (a Divine Prophet), was of the same spiritual nature and power for a certain purpose in the Plan of God.
Varqa wrote poems to the Glory of the Master, Who would scold him for it. Varqa could not keep quiet and wrote:
Varqa wrote poems to the Glory of the Master, Who would scold him for it. Varqa could not keep quiet and wrote:
"O Dawning-Point of the Beauty of God,I know Thee!Though Thou shroudest Thyself in a thousand veils,I know Thee!" *
* J. Thompson's Diary, pp. 309-10.
Besides receiving daily morning visitors and friends, some with petitions, 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote tablets in answer to His voluminous mail. Though He would escape as much as He could to "His Garden," and He tried to limit individual requests for interviews to urgent matters, the Master found the daily process exhausting. Yet He did not cease speaking to the friends in groups on various aspects of "this Great Dispensation."
Besides receiving daily morning visitors and friends, some with petitions, 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote tablets in answer to His voluminous mail. Though He would escape as much as He could to "His Garden," and He tried to limit individual requests for interviews to urgent matters, the Master found the daily process exhausting. Yet He did not cease speaking to the friends in groups on various aspects of "this Great Dispensation."
Juliet includes a few more details: "The next morning, Thursday, though I went unusually early to the Master, He had already left the house. But Lua, Valíyu'lláh Khán, and I had a wonderful morning. Valíyu'lláh told us so many things.
"My father," he said, "spent much time with the Blessed Beauty. The Blessed Beauty Himself taught him.
"One time when my father was in His room, Bahá'u'lláh rose and strode back and forth till the very walls seemed to shake. And He told my father that once in an age the Mighty God sent a Soul to earth endowed with the power of the Great Ether, and that such a Soul had all power and was able to do anything. 'Even this walk of Mine' said Bahá'u'lláh, 'has an effect in the world.'
"Then He said that His Holiness Jesus Christ had also come with the power of the Great Ether, but the haughty priesthood of His day thought of Him as a poor, unlettered youth and believed that if they should crucify Him, His Teachings would soon be forgotten. Therefore they did crucify Him. But because His Holiness Jesus possessed the power of the Great Ether, He could not remain underground. This ethereal power rose and conquered the whole earth. 'And now,' the Blessed Beauty said, 'look to the Master, for this same Power is His.'
"Bahá'u'lláh," added Valíyu'lláh Khán, "taught my father much about Áqá. Áqá (the Master, you know) is one of the titles of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Greatest Branch is another, and the Greatest Mystery of God another. By all these we call Him in Persian. The Blessed Perfection, Bahá'u'lláh, revealed the Station of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to my father. And my father wrote many poems to the Master, though the Master would scold him and say: 'You must not write such things to Me.' But the heart of my father could not keep quiet. This is one poem he wrote:
"My father," he said, "spent much time with the Blessed Beauty. The Blessed Beauty Himself taught him.
"One time when my father was in His room, Bahá'u'lláh rose and strode back and forth till the very walls seemed to shake. And He told my father that once in an age the Mighty God sent a Soul to earth endowed with the power of the Great Ether, and that such a Soul had all power and was able to do anything. 'Even this walk of Mine' said Bahá'u'lláh, 'has an effect in the world.'
"Then He said that His Holiness Jesus Christ had also come with the power of the Great Ether, but the haughty priesthood of His day thought of Him as a poor, unlettered youth and believed that if they should crucify Him, His Teachings would soon be forgotten. Therefore they did crucify Him. But because His Holiness Jesus possessed the power of the Great Ether, He could not remain underground. This ethereal power rose and conquered the whole earth. 'And now,' the Blessed Beauty said, 'look to the Master, for this same Power is His.'
"Bahá'u'lláh," added Valíyu'lláh Khán, "taught my father much about Áqá. Áqá (the Master, you know) is one of the titles of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the Greatest Branch is another, and the Greatest Mystery of God another. By all these we call Him in Persian. The Blessed Perfection, Bahá'u'lláh, revealed the Station of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to my father. And my father wrote many poems to the Master, though the Master would scold him and say: 'You must not write such things to Me.' But the heart of my father could not keep quiet. This is one poem he wrote:
I know Thee!
Though Thou shroudest Thyself in a thousand veils,
I know Thee!
Though Thou shouldst assume the tatters of a beggar, still would
I know Thee!'
"Ah-h! Mrs Thompson. Marhabá! Marhabá!" (Welcome! Welcome!)
The intonation of that "Marhabá" can never be described. It is a welcome from a heart which is a channel for God's heart.
He was very playful with Mamma. "Are you pleased with Juliet? Pleased now, Mrs Thompson? The next time you have to complain of her, come and complain to Me and I will beat her!"
Ward makes no mention of this day, and Mahmud's days are still off a bit--we will get back to his chronicle tomorrow.
The instinct to glorify the Master was probably quite common--but the Master Himself deflected and discouraged it. True humility. . . .
_______
We spent the day cutting down the script, arranging for voice talent to come record final character voices, and tracking down some old suitcases and a trunk, in preparation for a scene at the train station with Persians loading luggage. . . . So much to do!
_______
We spent the day cutting down the script, arranging for voice talent to come record final character voices, and tracking down some old suitcases and a trunk, in preparation for a scene at the train station with Persians loading luggage. . . . So much to do!
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