Bicentenary Poems and Prose

In the Castle of Mah-Ku: To the Bab

In the Castle of Mah-Ku:
To The Bab

"The voice of the Bab, as He dictated the teachings and principles of His Faith, could be clearly heard by those who were dwelling at the foot of the mountain. The melody of His chanting, the rhythmic flow of the verses which streamed from His lips caught our ears and penetrated into our very souls. Mountain and valley reechoed the majesty of His voice. Our hearts vibrated in their depths to the appeal of His utterance."

Shaykh Hasan-i-Zunuzi1

Locked within the gates of Mah-Ku--
"the Open Mountain"2--
a four towered stone castle,
on the boarders of the Ottoman and Russian empires,
the Bab revealed the Persian Bayan.

During the early part of His incarceration,
He was forbidden to see all
save two of His followers.

It was only through the intervention of God,
that Ali Khan3
opened the gates of the fortress
for the Babi pilgrims
to see the Beloved Bab.

Blessed are those
who heard the voice of the Bab
as he revealed the Word of God.

Poet's Note: ▼

This is poem 71 of the 200 I am writing to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Birth of The Bab. For more information on this time in the Bab's imprisonment see The Dawn-Breaker: Nabil's Narrative, Chapter XIII: The Bab's Incarceration in tthe Castle of Mah-Ku, pages 243-260.

Footnotes
1  The Dawn-Breakers: Nabil's Narrative, page 249
2  This is how the Bab referred to Mah-Ku.
3  Commander of the troop stationed at Mah-Ku.