The poem that follows was originally written in Arabic by Bahá’í Faith Founder, Bahá’u’lláh, or, as he was known in the mid 1850s when the poem was written, Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʻAlí Núrí.

I discovered the “Ode of the Dove” by Bahá’u’lláh, less than a month ago, when, after being given verses of poetry to read at a Bahá’í devotional, being charmed by the verses, and surprised that I could not remember encountering them before, during my nearly 34 years’ association with the Bahá’í Faith, I searched out the source of the poetry when the meeting was over.

The poem that got my attention was written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, son of Bahá’u’lláh and Ásíyih Khánum, born, Abbás Núrí, in 1844, in Tíhrán, Persia.

O lifeless one, bereft of heart and soul,
Come to life, come thou to life!

O slumbering one, wrapt in mire and clay,
Awake, do thou awake!

O drunken one, so dazed and gone astray,
Clear thy mind, clear thou thy mind!

The world is filled with sweetest musk; the eyes are brightened with His light;
the heavens now are set ablaze.
From life and self be freed, be wholly freed!

Now is the time for sacrifice; here waft the breaths of Paradise;
secrets Divine are all made known.
Lead thou the lovers nigh, lead them nigh!

The sweetly singing mystic bird, upon a verdant cypress bough,
imparteth knowledge to the soul;
Commit His secrets to thy heart!
Commit His secrets to thy heart!

The preceding poem is in the book, Light of the World, which is one of the more recent in the Bahá’í Library, translated within the past decade, and is available online at Bahá’í Reference Library.

Intrigued, I looked through the book for other verses of poetry, and encountered the following:

Either speak no more of love, or content thyself
with what hath been ordained;
Thus hath it been decreed by My command, and such is My law and My way.

This verse reminded me of Sufi poetry, which I love! How had this gem escaped my notice until now? I searched out a translation of Qaṣídiy-i-Izz-i-Varqá’íyyih, (footnoted after the quoted verse in Light of the World), and found the entire 127 verses of Ode of the Dove, revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, on a Bahá’í Library website, translated by John S. Hatcher, Amrollah Hemmat,and Ehsanollah Hemmat. This translation prioritized conveying the meaning of the original Arabic. I enjoyed reading it silently and aloud, but longed for the meter and rhyme of the original, which had not been preserved.

I then found the Juan Cole translation. Here, every verse was translated with consistent rhyme and meter, but some of the meanings were not as clear as I would have liked.

The poem has the theme of love for God, being compared metaphorically to human love, a common theme of Sufi poetry. Indeed the poem had been written during the two years of the 1850s, that Bahá’u’lláh had spent in Kurdestan, and during which he made the acquaintance of a number of Sufis. A way of deepening ones intimacy to God is hinted at in the poem, which involves seeing the Face of the beloved. While studying and practicing the technique, as I studied the two different translations, I experienced the call to make a 3rd interpretation, which I have now completed.

Verses 61 – 62, Hatcher et al translation of Ode of the Dove:
“Therefore, abandon this claim of love, or else be content with whatever transpires!
Such is the rule established for those who would tread My path!”
Then ardently I called to Her, “O My Beloved!
“My fondest wish and my heart’s desire,

Verses 61-62, Cole translation of same:
[“]Cease claiming to love, or accept all this,
For thus was it ordained in My Law’s scroll.”
In private I called out to Her, “My love,
My ultimate hope and My heart’s sole goal!

Verses 61-62, My interpretation:
“Accept all this or stop thy claim of love!
If thou wouldst tread My path, walk in the fire!”
I then called to Her, O my Beloved!
My fondest wish and all my heart’s desire!

These two verses are near the midpoint of the 127-verse of poem. Prior to this the hero made complaints. After this the complaints of the hero had become qualifications.

Figures of speech turn up in the work, not the least among them being hyperbole. Receiving arrows in equanimity could be literal in certain instances, such as Rene Good receiving bullets in the face as she endeavors to carefully make her way home in Minneapolis a few days ago (January 2026). However, the majority of times that the principle turns up, it is a metaphor for a lesser grade of conflict, or an exaggeration of the intensity of the trial one is presented with. Often it is a verbal challenge, body language, or even a facial expression that we interpret as arrows, darts or bullets.

Although it has been done before in poetry, it is fascinating to me that, in this work Bahá’u’lláh casts the One God as possessing the feminine gender! In other places in his opus, Bahá’u’lláh mentions the maid of heaven, and refers to his mystical encounter with her while incarcerated, because of his involvement in the Bábí movement (the awakening movement of Iran that was concurrent with the Millerite movement in the United States, however the former was brutally suppressed), but only in, Ode of the Dove, so far as I have been able to find — and there is much yet to be translated — only here does he exalt this feminine apparition to the status of God Herself!

In most other references to, or descriptions of, God, in the Bahá’í literature (that I have encountered), God is referred to with masculine pronouns. However I believe that God is beyond gender and that referring to Him with either set of pronouns is metaphorical.

In His Tablet of Aḥmad (available on line at the Bahá’í Reference Library), Bahá’u’lláh compares God to a nightingale, and refers to Him with male pronouns.

He is the King, the All-Knowing, the Wise!
Lo, the Nightingale of Paradise singeth upon the twigs of the Tree of Eternity, with holy and sweet melodies, proclaiming to the sincere ones the glad tidings of the nearness of God, calling the believers in the Divine Unity to the court of the Presence of the Generous One, informing the severed ones of the message which hath been revealed by God, the King, the Glorious, the Peerless, guiding the lovers to the seat of sanctity and to this resplendent Beauty.

In His The Seven Valleys, Bahá’u’lláh tells about a lover who had lost his beloved. He compared the love of a man for a woman to the love of a believer for the Divine Friend. The lover searched everywhere for his beloved and at last found her and rejoiced. This parable comes up during the third valley discussed in the Seven Valleys, the Valley of Knowledge (available online at the Bahá’í Reference Library). For most of the rest of the Seven Valleys, the Divine Friend is discussed with male pronouns. Here is a rendition of this passage, The Watchman, in song by Julie Rosser Iraninejad.

Ode of the Dove

By Baha’u’llah, poetic interpretation by Jera Jones Igo.
(Based on translations from the Arabic by John S. Hatcher, Amrollah Hemmat, and Ehsanollah Hemmat, and a separate version by Juan Cole.)

1 & 2

Beholding light, I raised mine eyes, to see
A lovely Maiden, bright in form and face,
Her breast and arms, in iridescent glow,
Had brought the sun and stars into this place.

3 & 4

She hovered midair, wafting musk of joy,
A trumpet in Her hand, cheeks peaked and round.
I swooned in Her charisma as She put
The instrument to lips and made it sound.

5 & 6
“This is the best Beloved of the worlds,”
She said, and lit the dungeon bright as noon,
For from Her west effulgence of the sun
Appeared, and on Her east the bright full moon.

7 & 8
Divine was the scent wafting from Her hair.
A glance from Her bestowed enlightenment.
The gleam from Her face guided the Prophets.
Her brightness helped the Chosen Ones ascend.

9 & 10
The arrow of Her eyes will pierce the breast;
And in Her tresses’ noose the neck is caught.
I long to be wherever She has passed,
Amá’s throne is the lowly earth She walked.

11 & 12
My tears were shed for reunion with Her;
Our separation burned me in Her fire!
I spread myself out far and wide because,
That She might tread my heart is my desire.

13 & 14
I searched for Her in each and ev’ry face.
I glimpsed Her light, and then rejoiced! But poof!
She disappeared. I failed to keep Her near.
I craved Her presence, but She was aloof.

15 & 16
And when I stretched beseeching hands to Her,
Holding a sword, She replied, “Not so fast!”
And all my yearning was to hold Her close,
While Her intent was but to break my grasp.

17 & 18
Forever, I will serve Thee faithfully!
Have mercy on me, do not spurn my love!
The two of Us united will be One,
And We shall be the two wings of a Dove.

19 & 20
Was tortured in the dungeon, strength was gone;
Was exiled then, on foot across the snow.
Then after months of walking made a home,
But for a brother’s envy had to go.

21 & 22
Thou art my breast’s desire, my Beloved,
My Soul, my Source, my Light, my Life, my Heart!
Bestow upon me the delight of Love!
End now the pain of Us being apart!

23 & 24
My burning heart ignited ev’ry flame;
The seen world was illumined by my sighs.
The heat of craving has dried up the sea,
This raging thirst has not been satisfied.

25 & 26
I saw a lot of blood in ev’ry land,
But more than that has trickled from mine eyes.
The ocean was a drop next to my tears.
Next to my burning Abe’s was undersize.

27 & 28
Now in my grief all happiness has fled;
Afflictions stream upon my anguished heart.
My former splendor gone, my light’s gone out,
Extinguished by the scoffer, ev’ry spark.

29 & 30
My yearning for Thy care torments my soul;
My bones are brittle, dried up is my heart;
My love for Thee has sifted me to dust;
I long for union with all that Thou art!

31 & 32
Despair destroyed the path to heaven’s joy;
My constant tears give witness to my grief.
The torment now has crushed my inner self;
My jaundiced face has not yet found relief.

33 & 34
Each night I grieve from insults scoffers hurl;
Each day I pray in tears for Thy support;
For I have reached a state of deep despair,
So that tongues falter making their report.

35 & 36
The maids in their mansions in paradise,
Seeing my tribulation, put on black.
I sorrow for the grief of ev’ry heart.
I grieve for gladess, and I grieve for lack.

37 & 38
Then suddenly behind me, She said, “Stop
Recounting and lamenting all thy woes!
For countless the Husayns who are like Thee,
Among My lovers, and Alís untold.

39 & 40
“Numerous are the lovers who are Mine,
And many are superior to Thee.
But lovers who are wailing all the time
Will not enjoy a single glance from Me.

41 & 42
“Compared to Me the sun is but a star;
Compared to Me the world is but a plant;
And when compared to mysterirs of Me,
The mystery of earth is but an ant.

43 & 44
“I, the Beloved, am made manifest;
And Moses’ lum’nous palm was inside Mine.
My Cause is the essence of Cause itself,
And Justice is the wise Command Divine.

45 & 46
“The ocean flowed from Mine inner Being;
The holy Spirit wafted from My joy.
From but a glimpse of Me did Moses swoon,
And at My glance was Mt. Sinai destroyed.

47 & 48
“My resurrection power brings judgment;
Before my trumpet did the dried bones rise;
Around the temple does My Knowledge spin;
Indeed the temple came forth from My light.

49 & 50 & 51
“Exalted secret knowledge is in ’B’;
Before My Point, did ‘B’ itself prostrate.
Came guidance from the dawn of My command.
From My descent exaltation rose straight,
And through My gift birds sing delightful songs,
And with My tune the humming bees vibrate.

52 & 53 & 54
“In vanity Thou took forbidden fruit.
Thou didst another’s love quaff, wrongfully.
And thou attributed to Me in err’.
Thou didst connect attributes carelessly,
Thou pictured Me as other than I am,
The wrong was to assign limits to Me.

55 & 56
“Thou wilt attain no reunion with Me
Unless thou understand Me and obey,
For drinking the cup of misfortune and
Giving thy blood to anger is the Way.

57 & 58
“Abandon every hope for respite;
Repress desire for any worldly thing.
Thou must be willing to give up thy blood.
‘I burn my heart for love,’ write on thy ring.

59 & 60
“There will be sleepless nights from quiblers’ stings,
Rebukes will come for every good deed,
And deadly poison is the usual drink,
And anger is affection by My Creed.

61 & 62
“Accept all this or stop thy claim of love!
If thou wouldst tread My path, walk in the fire!”
I then called to Her, O my Beloved!
My fondest wish and all my heart’s desire!

63 & 64
I am prepared to take what Thou dost wish;
I cherish whatever Thou hast ordained.
I desire only what Thou dost desire;
I long for only that which Thou hast named.

65 & 66
Here is my chest to welcome Thine arrow;
Here is my body to receive Thy sword.
Thy fire is light, Thy wrath is my desire;
And Thine attack is comfort and reward!

67 & 68
Behold the tears that in mine eyes do flow,
Then see the lack of ordinary joy,
At dawn each one attacked me with arrows,
Each night I was with rejection destroyed!

69 & 70
Each verse I read was a curse aimed at me.
Each moment I heard jeers from ev’ryone.
Then they accused me of idolatry,
Shot me with the arrow of exclusion.

71 & 72
All warfare had descended on my soul,
With blades of anger sharpened for my neck.
And Jacob’s grief, Joseph betrayed by kin.
And Job’s afflictions, Abraham’s long trek,

73 & 74
And Adam’s anguish, and Jonah’s ordeal,
And David wailing, and Noah’s lament,
And Eve banishished and Mary sorrowful,
Isaiah’s trials, Zach’riah’s discontent.

75 & 76
All that occurred to each is but a drop
Of mine own adversity, and anguish.
Alone, I wander this remote region!
My companions in this desert are beasts.

77 & 78
Then from my tears and tapping of my heart
Springs gushed forth from the heavens side by side.
The force of sorrow tore the old away.
The flame of my distress demolished pride.

79 & 80
All red came from the red of my heart’s blood.
Tears flowing from mine eyes sprouted each shoot.
Suffering in the path of love is sweet,
Pleasure in any other path is moot!

81 & 82
These scars from iron shackles mar my neck.
And on my feet remain the marks of chain.
And not a day passed that I would not weep
Because of insults, sarcasm and blame.

83 & 84
My soul uprooted, my heart was dissolved,
My inner being boiled from my distress.
And I was without spirit, soul, or heart.
That I survived, I am incredulous!

85 & 86
I wish that whatever exalted me,
And caused the torment I’ve had to endure.
That brought the adversity that hit me,
Had never come, nor such ghastly torture!

87 & 88
In solitude I found reunion and
I rose to the apex of Unity!
I can describe how Thou appeared to me,
Thine own vision will supply proof for Thee.

89 & 90
And if my understanding was in err’,
That limit was imposed by Thine own light.
And from my own dejection gloom emerged,
But from the joy in my heart day dawned bright!

91 & 92
Since I was joyful when awakened then,
Being rejected now won’t make me sad.
I loved Thy holiness and Thy friendship,
Then traveled from Tihran on to Baghdad.

93 & 94
From Heaven’s brightness I attained the Light,
I traveled upward with joy in my heart.
I call my spirit to let go of self,
Spirit of life, now ditch the empty part.

95 & 96
Amá, descend Thy Spirit from on high,
There is no greatness in my abject state.
O my heart, to thee I call out, Depart!
There is no joy behind this wretched gate.

97 & 98
Be reconciled with all thou hast endured
For the contentment of thy Beloved,
With affection and love She called to me,
“Do calm thyself! I know all thou hast said.

99 & 100
“Give up what thou hast believed and worshipped.
Idolatry acknowledges one God.
To Me the glorious is the abject,
The most luminous beam is but a fraud.

101 &:102
“Thy verses of adoration are apt,
But with the competence of a servant!
See for eternity I did exist,
Know I am stainless and immaculate.

103 & 104 & 105
“I’ve seen, that many of the just are cruel,
And many of the wise don’t really know.
I’ve seen, that many of the strong are weak,
And many mystic knowers are all show.
And many worshippers do not obey,
And many mimic prayer without a flow.

106 &107 & 108
“The heavenly verses are of My self,
And all the scriptures descended from Me.
A grain of Mine, had darkened the sun’s light,
And from a drop of Mine was formed the sea.
And all the joyous melodies you hear
Are nothing but the buzzing of a bee.

109 & 110
“From the song of My spirit all souls live,
From ecstacy of mine souls receive joy!
By falling waters under My command
Do all the adored ones become viceroys!

111 & 112
“The land of the spirit was trod by Me.
Mount Sinai became the place where I walked.
Because of My light, the daystar shone forth,
The splendid sun in its happiness rocked!

113 & 114
“Those illumined signs of revelation,
That descend when My revealed verses come,
Are the dawning places of holiness,
And manifestations of all wisdom.

115 & 116
“The command that instigated all these,
Where they derived from, is the command ‘Be!’
Thou turned away from My Face, when thou didst
Indulge in thy vain made up fantasy.

117 & 118
“Secure thyself in Divine light which I,
For thee, implanted and concealed within.
Grasp firmly onto the cord of the Cause.
And know the Face of light in place therein.

119 & 120
“Free of illusion, tear apart the veil!
Behold the tear-eyed Face within thyself!
Be thankful because this hidden power
Has been awakened and loosed for thy help!

121 & 122
“Within thyself is a transcendent truth
That’s hidden where it will be found by few.
This holy mystery brings joy and peace.
Enjoy My gift, it makes life fresh and new.

123 & 124
“If the full glory has been manifest
All creation would have been dumbfounded.
From the kingdom of the grand mystery
Of power, this command emanated.

125 & 126 & 127
“Blessed are those who have joined this new Cause!
Blessed are those who remain in the light!
Blessed are those who have shed their life’s blood!
Blessed are lovers who with Me unite!
Blessed are the chaste ones who have hastened
To enter the shade of My holy might!”