Bicentenary Poems and Prose

Patience: To 'Abdu'l-Baha

Patience:
To 'Abdu'l-Baha

"The darkness of this gloomy night shall pass away. Again the Sun of Reality will dawn from the horizon of the hearts. Have patience, wait but do not sit idle; work while you are waiting; smile when you are wearied with monotony; be firm while everything around you is being shaken; be joyous while the ugly face of despair grins at you; speak aloud while the malevolent forces of the nether world try to crush your mind; be valiant and courageous while men all around you are cringing with fear and cowardice. Do not yield to the overwhelming power of tyranny and despotism. Serve the cause of democracy and freedom. Continue your journey to the end. The bright day is coming. The nucleus of the new race is forming. The harbinger of the new ideals of international justice is appearing. The trees of hope will become verdant; the copper of scorn and derision will be transmuted into the gold of honor and praise; the arid desert of ignorance will be transformed into the luxuriant garden of knowledge; the threatening clouds shall be dispelled and the stars of faith and charity will again twinkle in the clear heaven of consciousness."

Abdu’l-Bahá

Patience is necessary to survive
Amid the crushing forces of Armageddon!
This is the darkness before a new day dawns.
Instead of gnashing your teeth, raise your voices in
Exaltation and joyous praise. Don't be afraid!
Now is the time for patience and work..
Continue to serve God and humanity,
Even when the darkness seems impregnable.

Poet's Note: ▼

This is poem #3 in the 100 I'm writing to commemorate the Centenary of the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha.