All of the quotations below are from Baha'u'llah, (1817-1892), Founder of the Baha'i Faith. The concept I have here is to use these inspirational words to enhance a garden stroll. In my mind's eye I was picturing a grand public garden of hundreds of acres and varied themes. I've stretched the scenario; there may be no garden in existence with all of the elements fantasized here. Not all of the plaques in this sample inscription garden would be year-round, and a myriad more quotations that pertain to the garden metaphor could be selected from His Writings, especially if seasonal themes were emphasized.
The key to the source abbreviations are at the end below.
[garden gate/entrance]
"Solaced are the eyes of them that enter and abide therein!" (PHW, #18)
"The beginning of all things is the knowledge of God…" (GL, p.3)
[gravel pathway]
"...a Revelation that hath enabled every least pebble to resound again with Thy praise... (PM, 144)
"…abide under the shadow of the green and goodly Tree…" (GL, p.189)
[garden wall]
"The Beloved shineth on gate and wall..."
(SV, p.38. Baha'u'llah quotes the Persian Sufi poet Attar.)
[lawn/grassy area]
"Within every blade of grass are enshrined the mysteries of an inscrutable wisdom..." (KI, p.198)
[alpine rock garden]
"…God hath never burdened any soul beyond its power." (GL, pp.106-107)
[sundial]
"…for every thing a time hath been fixed, and for every fruit a season hath been ordained…" (GL, p.262)
[maze/labyrinth]
"Be thou patient, though thy heart be consumed in its separation from God…" (SLH, p.148)
[large grape arbor]
"The bounties of the Source of Bounties are at every moment visibly descending." (BM, p.1)
[elaborate trellis/espalier]
"…the mesh of divine destiny exceedeth the vasteth of mortal conceptions…" (KI, p.251)
[drinking fountain]
"Drink your fill from the well-spring of wisdom, and walk ye in the garden of wisdom..." (TB, p.212)
[floral bower/arch/pergola]
"...blossoms from the bowers of His grace and stars from the horizon of His providence." (SLH, p.136)
[newly-seeded garden bed]
"In the soil of whose heart will these holy seeds germinate?" (KI, p.61)
"I am, O my God, but a tiny seed which Thou hast sown in the soil of Thy love…" (PM, p.178)
[footbridge]
"...the Balance hath been appointed, and the Bridge hath been laid..." (GDM pp.19-20)
[fountain/waterfall/stream]
"Withhold not, O my Lord, the water that is life indeed from running down…" (PM, p.69)
"How plenteous, O my God, is the stream of Thy knowledge!" (PM, p.213)
"I was withered, Thou didst revive me with the heavenly stream of Thine utterance..." (PM, p.264)
[birdhouse/aviary]
"...incline mine ear to the sweet melodies of the birds that warble their praise of Thee..." (PM, p.5)
[meadow]
"If it be Thy pleasure, make me to grow as a tender herb in the meadows of Thy grace..." (PM, p.240)
[pond with waterlilies]
"Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a tranquil conscience within me…" (PM, p.248)
[lilies/daylilies]
"Well is it with the sincere in heart for their share of the light of a mighty Day!" (KI, p. 211)
[tulip bed]
"Its wondrous tulips unfold the mystery of the Burning Bush..." (KI, p.198)
[hyacinths in other early spring bulbs]
"They will hearken unto infallible proofs from the Hyacinth of that assembly..." (KI, p. 199)
"In every leaf ineffable delights are treasured..." (KI, p.198)
[fragrant garden area]
"…endeavor to inhale the fragrance of the incorruptible Flower, to breathe the sweet savors of holiness..." (GL, p.321)
[bed of salvias/lavenders]
"Consider how all created things eloquently testify to the revelation of that inner Light within them." (KI, p.140)
[giant boulder]
"...shouldst Thou point to a mute rock with a single finger of Thy will, Thou wouldst enable it to unfold the knowledge of all past and future ages..." (IOPF, p.34)
[tall column/cypress/redwood]
"...that out of their hearts may ascend that which will be worthy of the court of Thy majesty..." (PM, p.79)
[trees]
"Magnified, O Lord my God, be Thy Name, whereby the trees of the garden of Thy Revelation have been clad with verdure…" (PM, pp.160-161)
[roses]
"O FRIEND! In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love…" (PHW, #3)
[fire pit/outdoor oven/grill]
"This divine Fire burneth of itself, with neither fuel or fume... (TU, p.72)
[garden canopy]
"...suffer me not to be far removed from the shadow of Thy mercy and the canopy of Thy bounty." (PM, p.288)
[orchard]
"O MY SERVANTS! Ye are the trees of My garden; ye must give forth goodly and wondrous fruits…" (PHW, #80)
[amphitheatre]
"Cleave unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you." (GL, p.217)
[carillon/bell-tower]
"...the fingers of Him Who is the Ancient of Days are ringing, in the name of the All-Glorious, the Most Great Bell, in the midmost heart of the heavens." (GL, p.32)
[stone obelisk]
'...every stone and every tree shouteth aloud: "The Lord is come in His great glory!"...' (TB, p.13)
[woodland]
"Nature in its essence is the embodiment of My Name, the Maker, the Creator." (TB, p.142)
"Nature is God’s will and is its expression in and through the contingent world." (TB, p.142)
[fallen tree]
"...We send forth the tempestuous gales of Our decree, tear it up by its roots, and lay it prostrate upon the face of the earth." (SLH, p.37)
[briar patch]
"Obstruct not the luminous spring of thy soul with the thorns and brambles of vain and inordinate affections..." (GL, p.323)
[compost pile]
"...This is an existence which knoweth no decay..." (TB, p.142)
[tree nursery]
"Ye are the saplings which the hand of Loving-kindness hath planted in the soil of mercy..." (ESW, p.25)
[windsock/wind wheel/wind chimes]
"Be light and untrammeled as the breeze..." (GL, p.323)
"I can hear from the whisper of the winds the sound of Thy glorification and praise..." (PM, p.272)
[windmill]
"Consider, how the wind, faithful to that which God hath ordained, bloweth upon all the regions of the earth..." (GL, p.339)
[newly-sprouted garden bed]
"What myrtles of unity hath the soil of their hearts produced!" (KI, p.46)
[garden gazebo]
"...shareth as an intimate the pavilion of the Loved One." (SV, p.18)
[garden exit]
"From the garden of whose soul will the blossoms of the invisible realities spring forth?" (KI, p.61)
Key to the Sources
AHW - Arabic Hidden Words
BM - Baha'i Meetings
ESW - Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
GDM - Gems of Divine Mysteries
GL - Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
IOPF - Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting
KI - The Kitab-i-Iqan, The Book of Certitude
PHW - Persian Hidden Words
PM - Prayers and Meditations By Baha'u'llah
SLH - Summons of the Lord of Hosts
SV - The Seven Valleys
TB - Tablets of Baha'u'llah
TU - The Tabernacle of Unity
