The Divine Springtime in New York

A retelling that quotes The Promulgation of Universal Peace, the record of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's 1912 talks in North America. Passages in quotation marks are His words as recorded in that volume, from notes taken by Esther Foster.

'Abdu'l-Bahá reached New York on 11 April 1912, at the start of His journey through North America. Two days later, on 13 April, about three weeks after Naw-Rúz, He spoke at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Morten, 141 East Twenty-first Street.

After greeting those present, He spoke of the natural world. "The spiritual world is like unto the phenomenal world," He said. "They are the exact counterpart of each other." The physical world has four seasons. When spring comes, "the whole world is rejuvenated and finds new life"; then summer, autumn and winter follow, the flowers wither and the leaves turn gray. "Then comes another springtime; the former springtime is renewed; again a new life stirs within everything."

Then He applied the image to religion. "The appearances of the Manifestations of God are the divine springtime. When Christ appeared in this world, it was like the vernal bounty; the outpouring descended; the effulgences of the Merciful encircled all things; the human world found new life."

That spring did not last. "Then by degrees these fragrances of heaven were discontinued; the season of winter came upon the world; the beauties of spring vanished." In the end, He said, "there was no trace of the spring left."

Then He said, "Bahá'u'lláh has come into this world. He has renewed that springtime. The same fragrances are wafting; the same heat of the Sun is giving life; the same cloud is pouring its rain, and with our own eyes we see that the world of existence is advancing and progressing. The human world has found new life."

He closed with a hope for the people in the room: "I hope that each and all of you may become like unto verdant and green trees so that through the breezes of the divine spring, the outpouring of heaven, the heat of the Sun of Truth, you may become eternally refreshed; that you may bear blossoms and become fruitful; that you may not be as fruitless trees."

This is a retelling. For the full talk, see The Promulgation of Universal Peace by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, talk of 13 April 1912.

'Abdu'l-Bahá. (1912). *The Promulgation of Universal Peace*. Bahá'í Publishing Trust.