The First Table: depicting the reality of the world of the heedless.

[About twenty-five years ago on Yuşa Tepesi (Mount Joshua) above the Istanbul Bosphorus, at a time I had decided to give up the world, a number of important friends came to me in order to call me back to the world and my former position. I told them to leave me till the following morning so that I could seek guidance. That morning the following two Tables were imparted to my heart. They resemble poetry, but they are not. I have not changed them for the sake of that blessed memory, and they have been kept as they occurred to me. They were added to the Twenty-Third Word, and now have been included here on account of their ‘station’.]

THE FIRST TABLE

[The Table depicting the reality of the world of the heedless.]

Don’t call me to the world; -- I came, and saw it was transitory.

Heedlessness was a veil; -- I saw the light of truth was concealed.

All the beings in existence, -- I saw were ephemeral, harmful.

If you say, being, I dressed in it; -- Alas! It was non-being; I suffered much!

If you say, life, I tasted it; -- I saw it was torment upon torment.

The mind became pure torture; -- I saw permanence to be tribulation.

Life became pure whim; -- I saw attainment to be pure loss.

Deeds became pure hypocrisy; -- I saw hopes to be pure pain.

Union became parting itself; -- I saw the cure to be the ill.

These lights became darkness; -- I saw these friends to be orphans.

These voices became announcements of death; -- I saw the living to be dead.

Knowledge was transformed into fancy; -- I saw in science a thousand ailments.

Pleasure became pure pain; -- I saw existence to be compounded non-existence.

If you say the Beloved, I found him; -- Alas! On separation I suffered grievous pain.
 

Please click on the following link to continue reading;

The Second Table: indicating the reality of the world of the people of guidance, those with easy hearts.