Bicentenary Poems and Prose

Crown of Martyrdom

Crown of Martyrdom:
To The Blessed Beauty

"Magnified be Thy name, O God, the Lord of heaven! Attire my head with the crown of martyrdom, even as Thou didst attire my body with the ornament of tribulation before all that dwell in Thy land. Grant, moreover, that they whose hearts yearn over Thee may draw nigh unto the horizon of Thy grace, above which the Day-Star of Thy beauty sheddeth its radiance. Ordain, also, for them what will make them rich enough to dispense with aught else except Thee, and rid them of all attachment to such as have repudiated Thy signs.

There is none other God but Thee, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting."

Bahá’u’lláh

Pray for the martyred lovers
in every age,
in every dispensation,
who steadfast in their faith
refused to barter
paradise
for a few more years
of physical existence.

Pray for the murdered Babis,
who went singing
and dancing
to the gallows,
or the executioner's stage
knowing their souls would ascend
wearing the crown of martyrdom,
proof of their love
for The Bab
and for God.

Pray for the executed Baha'is,
men and women,
young and old,
who refused to renounce
on threat of physical death
the belief in the Blessed Beauty,
who is the Glory of God.

Poet's Note: ▼

This is Poem 152 of 200 Dedicated to The Blessed Beauty.