“O thou darling dear!...”
'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas, (1909) · Read original
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When in Bahá'í history
O thou darling dear!
Turn thy face toward the Supreme Kingdom and chant thou this commune:
O Thou Pure God! I am a little child; make Thou the bosom of Thy Gift a dear resting-place of comfort, suffer me to grow and be nurtured with the honey and the milk of Thy love and train me under the breast of Thy knowledge; bestow Thou freedom while in a state of childhood and grant Thou excellence!
O Thou Incomparable One! Make me the confident of the Kingdom of the Unseen! Verily, Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful!
O Unequalled Lord!270
For this helpless child be a Protector; for this weak and sinful one be kind and forgiving.
O Creator! Although we are but useless grass, still we are of Thy garden; though we are but young trees, bare of leaves and blossoms, still we are of Thy orchard; therefore, nourish this grass with the rain of Thy county; refresh and vivify these young, languishing trees with the breeze of Thy spiritual springtime.
Awaken us, enlighten us, sustain us, give us eternal life and accept us into Thy Kingdom!
Source: 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Abbas (1909). Public domain text from Project Gutenberg eBook #19312.
Discuss this story
For adults
- Where do you see kindness appearing — visibly or quietly — in this passage?
- How does this story complicate or deepen your understanding of tablets?
- Read the closing lines once more. What single phrase stays with you?
For teens
- Who is someone you know who lives out kindness the way this story describes?
- If you were going to tell a friend this story in two sentences, what would you say?
Reflection
- What single image from this story will stay with you?
- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice kindness?
- Read the passage a second time, slowly. What did you notice that you missed the first time?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "“O thou darling dear!...”" 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
Record yourself reading this story
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