The Austrian

«I saw… the Prophets and the Messengers gather and seat themselves around Me,
moaning, weeping and loudly lamenting. 'We weep for Thee, O Most Great Mystery,
O Tabernacle of Immortality!' They wept with such a weeping that I too wept
with them. Thereupon the Concourse on high addressed Me saying: '…
Erelong shalt Thou behold with Thine own eyes what no Prophet hath beheld…
Be patient, be patient.'… They continued addressing Me the whole night until
the approach of dawn.»
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 147)
Don’t accuse me of exaggeration
For by the duties of my profession
I was witness to abominations
You can’t comprehend
The fanatic is numb and his heart is clouded
Inhuman violence to the unprotected
My soul revolts against the infamy
He smiles and cracks his whip
But words cannot describe that scene my friend
The crimes that took place in those days
Oh the fear of losing control and the greed that blinds the heart
The faithful ones so brave until the end
I can’t believe the words that I read from his pen
So far away and so long ago
I can feel the intensity, the weeping of his soul, but I know
That when I raise my eyes, there’s a brighter sky
And I remember the ones who lost their lives
His pen describes it in perfect detail
No cry escapes from the victim’s exhale
Torment endured in the darkened silence
You can’t comprehend
The Austrian stands there confounded and helpless
Turn to the homeland escaping the darkness
Locked in his bedroom he lies there shaking
And he must recount his tale
But words cannot describe that scene my friend
The crimes that took place in those days
Oh the fear of losing control and the greed that blinds the heart
The faithful ones so brave until the end