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Three Other Tablets “IN THE NAME OF THE PEERLESS AND EVER-LOVING LORD! O Shams! Hearken with all thy heart unto the nightingale song of the Beloved, that perchance thou may abandon the habitation of self and desire and step into the placeless realm of eternal glory, forsake thine own life, and commune with Him Who is the life of thy life. Were thou to traverse the limitless reaches of the spirit, thou would of a certainty rend asunder the garment of patience and forbearance, hasten to offer up thy soul, renounce the dross of this fleeting world, and find repose upon the throne of ancient glory. Each thing must needs have an effect and each sign reveal a secret. Not until the world-illuming sun has shone can the east be distinguished from the west, nor the blooming garden discerned from the barren waste. Heavenly strains compare not with earthly clamors, and the croaking of the raven can in no wise be confounded with the song of the nightingale. For the latter speaks the land of the Beloved and increases life, whereas the former tells only of the city of the blind and causes faith to wither. One must step forth and raise aloft the banner of earnest striving. By God! Were thou to hearken unto the heavenly words of this evanescent servant that have been raised in this mystic Tablet, thou would assuredly take to the desert of self-surrender, turn aside from thine own heart and soul, and cast thy head at the feet of the Friend. How high is the soaring flight of the phoenix of love, and how low the requisite measure of our yearning! Strive but a little to soar, that, by the grace of Him Who is the eternal King, thou may ascend from the dust-heap of utter non-existence unto the loftiest heights of ancient glory. Give wings to thy celestial spirit and lend strength to thy mystic soul, that haply it may take flight in the atmosphere of Divine nearness and attain the ultimate and invisible goal. This profitless world produces naught save deadly poison, and its ephemeral dregs can never yield the everlasting cup. […]An embodiment of Divine virtues can grasp this subtle mystery. Well it is, then, with the one who attains this ocean and drinks therefrom the draught of life!”“[…] Praise be to Him Whose Essence is immeasurably exalted above the strivings of human hearts, however pure, to soar into the atmosphere of His nearness, and Whose Being is immensely sanctified beyond the exertions of human minds, however lofty, to ascend unto the Heaven of His presence. From time immemorial He has been exalted above the description of aught save Himself, and He will forever continue to be sanctified beyond the praise of all created things. […]”
