"Grant, then, that they may go straight on in the path of Thy Cause ..."

... "Send down, therefore, O my God, upon all that seek Thee that which will entirely strip them of all that pertaineth not unto Thee, and will draw them nigh unto Thy Self. Assist them, by Thy grace, to love Thee and to conform unto that which shall please Thee. Grant, then, that they may go straight on in the path of Thy Cause, the path wherein have slipped the footsteps of the doubters among Thy people and the froward among Thy servants. Thou art, verily, the All-Powerful, the Almighty, the Most Great."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, CLXI, p. 254






Plumb

"Let thy soul glow with the flame of this undying Fire ..."

"Let thy soul glow with the flame of this undying Fire that burneth in the midmost heart of the world, in such wise that the waters of the universe shall be powerless to cool down its ardor. Make, then, mention of thy Lord, that haply the heedless among Our servants may be admonished through thy words, and the hearts of the righteous be gladdened."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XV, p. 38

Rothko

"In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love ..."

"O FRIEND! , In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly."

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, No. 3 Persian










Matisse

" ... the fragrance of the mystic Flower can be inhaled only in the ideal Garden ..."

"O my brother! A divine Mine only can yield the gems of divine knowledge, and the fragrance of the mystic Flower can be inhaled only in the ideal Garden, and the lilies of ancient wisdom can blossom nowhere except in the city of a stainless heart. “In a rich soil, its plants spring forth abundantly by permission of its Lord, and in that soil which is bad, they spring forth but scantily.” 31"

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán, p, 191 

31. Qur’án 7:57.

Julius Shaier

"How can the shadow endure when once the sun hath shone forth?"

"How can a true lover continue to exist when once the effulgent glories of the Beloved are revealed? How can the shadow endure when once the sun hath shone forth? How can a devoted heart have any being before the existence of the Object of its devotion? Nay, by the One in Whose hand is my soul! In this station, the seeker’s complete surrender and utter effacement before his Creator will be such that, were he to search the East and the West, and traverse land, sea, mountain and plain, he would find no trace of his own self or of any other soul."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries (Javáhiru’l-Asrár), pp. 70-71

" ... that thy soul may be delivered in this day from the bondage of misbelief ..."

"O My brother! If thou be a champion of this arena, speed within the lands of certitude,  that thy soul may be delivered in this day from the bondage of misbelief, and that thou mayest perceive the sweet savours that waft from this garden. Verily, the perfume-laden breezes that carry the fragrance of this city blow over all regions. Forfeit not thy portion thereof and be not of the heedless. How well hath it been said:

His fragrant breaths diffused in Eastern lands could well
To sick ones in the West restore their sense of smell! 5"

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries (Javáhiru’l-Asrár), pp. 66-67


5. From the Díván of Ibn-i-Fárid.

"O people! The Tree of Life hath verily been planted in the heart of the heavenly paradise and bestoweth life in every direction."

"O My brother! At every juncture We have restated Our theme, that all that hath been recorded in these verses may, by the leave of God, be made clear unto thee, and that thou mayest become independent of those who are plunged in the darkness of self and who tread the valley of arrogance and pride, and be of them that move within the paradise of everlasting life.


Say: O people! The Tree of Life hath verily been planted in the heart of the heavenly paradise and bestoweth life in every direction. How can ye fail to perceive and recognize it? It will in truth aid thee to grasp all that this well-assured Soul hath disclosed unto thee of the essence of the divine mysteries. The Dove of holiness warbleth in the heaven of immortality and admonisheth thee to array thyself with a new vesture, wrought of steel to shield thee from the shafts of doubt concealed in the allusions of men, saying: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of  God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.” 21

Wing then thy flight unto this divine Tree and partake of its fruits. Gather up that which hath fallen therefrom and guard it faithfully. ..."

-Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries (Javáhiru’l-Asrár), pp. 51-52 

21. John 3:5–7.

Sudek