Praised be my Lord, the Most High (Subhana Rabbiyya’l-A`la) is a 47-verse prose poem. Baha’u’llah invites readers into paradise to witness the activities of the divine houri, whose stunning beauty and power symbolise the creative forces of Baha’u’llah’s revelation.
Read the Introduction. Watch on YouTube.
Translation by Alison Elizabeth Marshall (See also the translation by Juan Cole.)
The spirit on the sacred horizon shines forth from atop the divine brow.
[1] Letter of eternity, put on the sandals of detachment and walk upon the brocade carpet of the Most High.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[2] This is the earth of immortality, upon which no one among the saintly souls has walked.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[3] Do not despair over the world’s hustle and bustle; soar up into the spiritual world of fidelity.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[4] Your place is with me in the pavilion of the All-Glorious.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[5] In it, you hear the songs of paradise beyond the celestial tree,
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[6] Drink red wine from the sparkling beauty of God,
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[7] Discover sacred fruits of unending innovation,
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[8] Fly with gemstone wings to every frontier in immense kingdoms,
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[9] Sing with every tune the songs of eternity,
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[10] And encounter alluring glances in luxurious upper lounges.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[11] Behold, you will discover in yourself the lights of guidance and swim in a sea, vast and fathomless,
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[12] Feast on spirit fruits from the remotest tree,
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[13] And hear God’s proclamation in the melodic broadcast of the Unseen.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[14] Say: the houri of eternity has come down again to assume this voice of profound sweetness.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[15] She grasped the bright red tumbler in her right hand—
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[16] So as to pour for whoever accepts this blessing in the garden of good pleasure.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[17] She raised her right hand and leaned on her left leg.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[18] She arched an eyebrow, like a fine scimitar, and with it lacerated hearts and insides.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[19] She shook her shoulders, revealing a black snake in the dark hair that slipped from beneath her white veil.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[20] Look! It swallowed up all in heaven down to all beneath the earth.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[21] And returned existence to nonexistence.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[22] At one moment, she uncovered her face; at another, she covered it up.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[23] See! She laid bare the creation of spirits and brought the decree to fulfilment.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[24] After that, she covered her face again lest eternity perish at the bright red scene.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[25] She lifted the black veil from her white brow, which beamed with the fresh and new.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[26] She said, "Am I not the beauty of the beloved bathed in the mid-morning light?”
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[27] Answering, existence cried out, “Yes, indeed, yes!”
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[28] Suddenly, in secret appearances everywhere, the essences of spirit were dancing in the everlasting temples.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[29] The hearts of the faithful were captivated by her glowing lights.
Praise to the one who created and arranged.
[30] The holy ones lost their minds over her coming down and going up.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[31] At that moment, the crier called out from the seat of origination, penetrating the air.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[32] He said, “By the Lord of heaven, a glance at her is better than ruling this world and the next.”
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[33] Thereupon, she rose up, and with her arose the most great resurrection.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[34] She sat down, and the hearts of the near ones shuddered.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[35] After that, she brought out from the back of her hair a tablet of green emerald.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[36] She recited from the tablet a letter from its most penetrating allusions.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[37] Immediately, the spirits burst out of the temples of names.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[38] She signaled with her middle fingertip, and the religions from Adam to Jesus disappeared.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[39] She strutted about after that, over and over; at which point, the sun in the heaven of the divine decree split apart!
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[40] She uncovered her hair and the curls hung down on her breast.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[41] The strain of God issued from the strands of her hair, in remembrance of her Lord, the Lofty, the Most Exalted.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[42] Behold! The miracle of night appeared from the darkness of her hair, and the miracle of day from the brightness of her brow.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[43] She raised the sacred call in the paradise of presence.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[44] She said, “You will be extinguished, people of piety.”
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[45] “You will be denied the forbidden beauty in the hidden sanctuary.”
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.
[46] This is what the Most High pen recorded on the everlasting tablet.
Praised be the one who created and arranged.
[47] In it is wisdom from the secrets you cannot experience or perceive.
Praised be my Lord, the Most High.