Lonemedic

What does the first sentence of this Hidden Word mean? Who/what is the nightangle? Since it is lower case, I make the assumption, this is not a reference to Baha'u'llah.

"In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold. Treasure the companionship of the righteous and eschew all fellowship with the ungodly."

Thanks!

jupitermadcat

I believe it means Bird If i'm not mistaken it's a type of Bird.

cire perdue

The most important aspect to being a Baha'i is to have a spiritual connection to Baha'u'llah. I see all kinds of intellectual approaches to this Faith and I see questions that only make sense when posed from an intellectual viewpoint. The Baha'i who is staunch in his faith has planted love for Baha'u'llah in his heart. He has heard the nightingale sing, a symbol for Baha'u'llah. We hold onto Baha'u'llah despite doubt, despite the clamor of others who not only disagree but seek to tear down this Faith. To hold onto the Faith is as to have a loving parent whose love one does not want to betray so one follows their advice and guidance when it does not make sense. As a teenager who understood that too much driving around could cause one to come to grief. We do not challenge this loving Father when we do not agree or understand, we are obedient. We do not have to re-invent faith or belief. Once we accept we follow Him. It is truly freeing to reach the day when one knows it is safe to give one's whole heart to this Faith.

Lonemedic

Thank you! This was helpful. So Baha'u'llah is the "Nightangle" of our true affection and desire. I have never understood this.... thank you so much for helping.

InvestigateTruth

I think It may be understood considering the first part of it:

In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love.

So, if we think of our heart as a garden. Then Baha'u'llah says that in this Garden, only plant the rose of Love and in this garden, if we imagine that if any bird can enter this garden, then Baha'u'llah says be after the "nightingale of affection and desire".

I think, this nightingale is the "affection and desire" for love of God.
In another words, if the heart has a nightingale, this nightingale should be after the "affection and desire" for God.


In the Seventh vally Baha'u'llah also uses simillar terms:

"the nightingale of thine heart on all the branches of the rosetree of existence, whether visible or concealed, should cry out: “He is the first and the last, the Seen and the Hidden....”"

cire perdue

"...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....guiding the lovers to the seat of sanctity."

I typed that from memory and may have it wrong due to stroke, but it is Baha'u'llah who is the Nightingale.....There is a progression there which is first one is sincere, then one believes, and with detachment, he/she may become a true lover which is what one should strive and hope to attain. Thank you for your kind response to my thoughts.

Lonemedic

This is great... We might have 2 of the seventy possible meanings. Thank you both.

arthra

The nightingale is motif in Western and Persian literature see the following:

During the Romantic era the bird's symbolism changed once more: poets viewed the nightingale not only as a poet in his own right, but as “master of a superior art that could inspire the human poet”.[8] For some romantic poets, the nightingale even began to take on qualities of the muse. Coleridge and Wordsworth saw the nightingale more as an instance of natural poetic creation: the nightingale became a voice of nature. John Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" pictures the nightingale as an idealized poet who has achieved the poetry that Keats longs to write. Invoking a similar conception of the nightingale, Shelley wrote in his “A Defense of Poetry":
"A poet is a nightingale who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds; his auditors are as men entranced by the melody of an unseen musician, who feel that they are moved and softened, yet know not whence or why.”

Nightingale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And of course in Persian literature:

GOL O BOLBOL

lit. “rose and nightingale,” a popular literary and decorative theme. Together, rose and nightingale are the types of beloved and lover par excellence; the rose is beautiful, proud, and often cruel, while the nightingale sings endlessly of his longing and devotion.


Encyclopædia Iranica | Articles

Remember the story told by Oscar Wilde?

"One red rose is all I want," cried the Nightingale, "only one red
rose! Is there no way by which I can get it?"

"There is away," answered the Tree; "but it is so terrible that I
dare not tell it to you."

"Tell it to me," said the Nightingale, "I am not afraid."

"If you want a red rose," said the Tree, "you must build it out of
music by moonlight, and stain it with your own heart's-blood. You
must sing to me with your breast against a thorn. All night long
you must sing to me, and the thorn must pierce your heart, and your
life-blood must flow into my veins, and become mine."

The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde

So all these are befitting the Messenger of God...

jupitermadcat

just learned something new.

LordOfGoblins

Maybe Baha'u'llah is not the nightingale of affection and desire in one of the meanings. The way I see it is that it is a call to live life with affection and desire in your heart and not become a lifeless zombie or someone who purges all desire (satanic or angelic) from themselves and becomes desireless.

Pollwr

I have just stumbled upon the following, which explains the word "ungodly"

"The word 'ungodly' should not be misunderstood. An ungodly person may profess belief in God, while many who regard themselves as agnostics or atheists may not be ungodly in reality. An ungodly person is one who through his friendship, knowingly or unknowingly, prevents a believer from following the dictates of his faith and becomes a barrier between him and his God."

(Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 3, p. 35)

armin

Here's how I see it, my personal interpration and like you said before there are many different meanings to it, thus, Hidden words!

Since it's not capitalled here, the true nightingale in this Hidden word, as we can read from the first part of it, our own heart, is not Baha'u'llah. Baha'u'llah is The Nightingale! In each of our own individual hearts, the seat of God, there is a unique nightingale that sings God's melody to us. This chain continues an infinite number of times to the one true infinity!

Hope that made some sense

cire perdue

about meanings is these can all be true!

armin

Surely dear CP! When we truly believe in God then He will give us courage, the courage will bring hope back to our lives and with God's help there's nothing we can't do! I've had many good dreams, like I've said before in some other thread about dreams, but without God's help I wouldn't even have those good dreams!

I'll say this and enough rambling from me I've always wanted to see Abdul'Baha in my dreams but it's never happened! I always asked God why and I believe I know the answer now. It's cause I know people who have and they gave me the hope.

cire perdue

I promise you that you will see Abdul'baha when you truly need Him. He is alredy with you.

LordOfGoblins

I dont think it is wise to live too much in the 'dream world'. Especially if you are the type of person who loves that kind of thing. Good dreams are nice but I dont see them as reflecting the good pleasure of God. In fact if you read the book of Job you will see that part of his test was to have bad dreams whilst waking up to bad circumstances. To me this shows that we cant really relly upon anything of that nature. Sure you might have the odd mystical dream or meaningful dream, but that is the extant of it speaking for the vast majority of people at least. That is my understanding...

arthra

There are a few reassuring quotes that come to mind:

12.

O MAN OF TWO VISIONS!

Close one eye and open the other. Close one to the world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved.

~ Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words

13.

O SON OF SPIRIT!

I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.

~ Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)





Make thou an effort that thou mayest take thy place under the sun and receive an abundant share of its dazzling light. In truth do I tell thee, once thou hast attained this station, thou shalt behold the saints bowing down their heads in all humility before Him.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 56

I say unto thee the truth, that I am with you in spirit and in heart, that I rejoice by your joy and am happy by your happiness; and hear with the ear of spirit your calling and scent with the spiritual nostrils the fragrances of your garden.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 8

O seeker of Truth! If thou desirest that God my open thine eye, thou must supplicate unto God, pray to and commune with Him at midnight, saying:

O Lord, I have turned my face unto Thy kingdom of oneness and am immersed in the sea of Thy mercy. O Lord, enlighten my sight by beholding Thy lights in this dark night, and make me happy by the wine of Thy love in this wonderful age. O Lord, make me hear Thy call, and open before my face the doors of Thy heaven, so that I may see the light of Thy glory and become attracted to Thy beauty. Verily, Thou art the Giver, the Generous, the Merciful, the Forgiving.

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá

Baha'i Prayers, p. 60

Lonemedic

I really appreciate all of you dear souls, and the sharing of such inspirational comments/quotations! Quite enlightening!

tonyfish58

Not only are they in the writings, they were also present at this Most Holy Occasion....The Declaration of Baha'u'llah in the Ridvan Garden in 1863

Day 5 - Roses

On the fifth night, one of the companions was watching beside Bahá'u'lláh's tent and keeping the ropes steady; as midnight approached, Bahá'u'lláh came out from His tent, and passed by the places where some of His companions were sleeping. He began to pace up and down the moonlit, flower-bordered avenues of the garden. The nightingales were singing so loudly on every side, only those nearby could make out Bahá'u'lláh's voice. He continued to walk, and paused amidst an avenue. He observed how the nightingales were sleepless from dusk till dawn enraptured with their love for the roses, communing in a burning passion of melody. How, He asked, could those afire with the rose-like beauty of the Beloved, choose to sleep?

Regards Tony