Devotional Poetry

The Wayfarers' Journey

The Wayfarers' Journey

"And further: the stages that mark the wayfarers’ journey from their mortal abode to the heavenly homeland are said to be seven. Some have referred to them as seven valleys, and others, as seven cities. And it is said that until the wayfarer taketh leave of self and traverseth these stages, he shall never attain the ocean of nearness and reunion nor taste of the matchless wine."

Baha'u'llah1

Stone on stone foundations were laid
citadels constructed:
Seven Cities lead to certitude;
Seven Valleys perfection.

Exiting self,
the Wayfarer traverses
the stages of certitude;
through valleys deep or city streets,
achieving degrees of perfection.

In the Valley of Search,
the Wayfarer rids
astride the steed of patience:
seeking high and low;
seeking ar and wide
for the Point of Adoration.

Inhaling the fragrance of the Friend,
the Seeker is dissolved in the blaze of love.

Into the Valley of Love,
the Wayfarer rides
astride the steed of pain:
blind to both doubt and certitude;
blind to ignorance and knowledge;
fearing nothing.

By the favor of God,
the Lover is freed
from the talons of love's eagle.

Into the Valley of Knowledge,
the Wayfarer strides
content with God's injunction.

Perceiving,
with both outward and inward eyes,
the secrets of resurrection;
the Traveler comprehends
divine wisdom
in the innumerable Manifestations of God.

Beyond the planes of limitation,
the Wayfarer enters the Valley of Unity.

Penetrating the shrouds of plurality,
the Wanderer see with the eye of God,
hears with ear of God,
and understands that the varieties
witnessed on this journey
emanate from person perceptions.

Entering the Valley of Contentment,
the Wayfarer
experiences the winds of divine happiness
blowing from paradise.

Burning the veils of desire,
the Wayfarer witnesses all creation
compensated from God's abundance:
depression is transformed into ecstasy;
unhappiness into rapture.

In the Valley of Wonderment,
the Wayfarers' awe
increases exponentially.

Witnessing new phenomena every second,
The Wayfarer is thrown into bewilderment,
is made speechless by the beauty of God,
is astounded by the works of God,
and sees within humanity the universe.

In the Valley of True Poverty
and Absolute Nothingness,
the Wayfarer dies--
to the self of matter--
and is reborn in in the spiritual realm.

Sanctified
from everything that decomposes,
the Believer
lives on the plane of certitude;
hears the song of perfection.

Throughout the journey,
The Wayfarer
never departs from the Path of divine Law.

Obedient to God's commands,
and shunning everything forbidden,
the Lover
is nourished from the Goblet of Law,
is acquainted with the secrets of Truth,
and soars in the heaven of certitude.

Poet's Note: ▼

I wrote this poem in Azamat 154 B.E. This is the first of two poems I have written on this subject. The second poem, which was written in 2017 celebrating the Bicentenary of Baha'u'llah is located in "Bicentenary Poems and Prose"  "Wayfarer's Journey" .

Footnotes
1  The Seven Valleys