The Tongues of Poets

12 Izzat 163 B.E. – September 19, 2006

“… The Báb subsequently quoted this well-known tradition: ‘Treasures lie hidden beneath the throne of God; the key to those treasures is the tongue of poets.’ …”

(Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 258)

Prayer and meditation is important to a mystic or spiritual poet, because without these practices the poet can’t unlock the riches “beneath the throne of God”. These treasures are spiritual rather than material and the poet’s tongue is the hand that writes the poem in conjunction with the mind and the soul.

No matter where a poet looks, or what a poet reads there is inspiration. In my case I can’t find inspiration unless I pray and meditate daily. Without my time talking to the Beloved and listening of the Divine Voice, I couldn’t write any type of poem. It doesn’t matter where that poem is mystic, spiritual, or just about the material or physical world around me.

I think I’ll write a poem entitled The Tongues of Poets. This title has appealed to me ever since I read the quote. I didn’t read the quote in the Dawn Breakers, I think I read the quote in a poem book I have. The book was a collect of poems by Baha’i poets. I’ll have to find the book, I’m not sure which bookcase it is in so I’m going to have to look through them all. I think I’ll move all my poetry books to the same bookcase, that would make a specific book easier to find.