Bicentenary Poems and Prose

Go Forward, Press Onward

Go Forward, Press Onward:
To the Blessed Beauty

“When the swords flash, go forward! When the shafts fly, press onward!”
Baha’u’llah, The Fire Tablet, Baha’i Prayers, pp. 218-219

To recant
is neither to go forward
nor to press onward,
rather
it is to deny Baha'u'llah,
the Glory of God.

The lover
cannot deny the Beloved
even when confronted with death.

One at a time,
they were asked
to apostatize their faith,
to renounce the Blessed Beauty.

No,
was the answer each gave
knowing a hangman's noose
awaited their refusal.

These women--
         Tuba Zairpour
         Izzat Janami and Ru’ya Ishraghi - mother and daughter
         Nusrat Yalda’i
         Tahirih Siyavushi
         Mashid Nirumand
         Zarrin Muqimi
         Akhtar Sabet
         Shahin Dalvand
         Simin Sabiri
         Mona Mahmudnizhad--
chose to go forward,
chose to press onward
into the Abha paradise.

Poet's Note: ▼

The inspiration for this poem was a series of essays by Jaine Toth titled "The Women They Hanged" http://bahaiteachings.org/series/the-women-they-hanged. This is Poem 17 of 200 Dedicated to The Blessed Beauty.