“O bird of the Rose-garden of Fidelity!...”
'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas, (1909) · Read original
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When in Bahá'í history
O bird185 of the Rose-garden of Fidelity!
Be of no cheerless heart; have no wing nor feather broken;sigh not, neither do thou wail, and sit not chilled in a corner.
The little girl lamented is in the divine Rose-garden in the highest happiness, delight, cheerfulness and gratification. Why then art thou grieved, sorrowing with a bleeding heart? This is the day of rejoicing and the hour of ecstasy! This is the season of the dead arising from the graves and gathering together! And this is the promised time for the attainment of plenteous grace.
Be calm, be strong, be grateful, and become a lamp full of light, that the darkness of sorrows be annihilated, and that the sun of everlasting joy arise from the dawning-place of heard and soul, shining brightly.***
Upon thee be the Glory of the Most-Glorious!
Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.
Discuss this story
For adults
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
- What in your own life does this story bring to mind?
- Where do gratitude and joy meet in this story?
For teens
- Who is someone you know who lives out gratitude the way this story describes?
- If you were going to tell a friend this story in two sentences, what would you say?
Reflection
- Is there someone in your life who would be helped by hearing this story?
- Sit quietly for a moment after reading. What does this story stir in you?
- Take one line from this story and let it stay with you today.
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "“O bird of the Rose-garden of Fidelity!...”" drawn from?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Which virtue does this story most clearly illustrate?
Cite this story
'Abdu'l-Bahá. (1909). *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas*. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/19312/pg19312-images.html
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