the Heaven of Thy oneness. May they hoist the sail of detachment upon the
Ark of Salvation, and move over the seas of Thy knowledge; may they spread
wide the pinions of unity and by their aid soar upward to the Kingdom of
Thy singleness to become servants whom the Supreme Concourse will applaud,
whose praises the dwellers in Thine all-glorious realm will utter; may
they hear the heralds of the invisible world as they raise their cry of
the Most Great Glad-Tidings; may they, in their longing to meet Thee,
invoke and pray unto Thee, intoning wondrous orisons at the dawn of
light--O my Lord Who disposest all things--shedding their tears at
morningtide and even, yearning to pass into the shadow of Thy mercy that
endeth never.

Help them, O my Lord, under all conditions, support them at all times with
Thine angels of holiness, they who are Thine invisible hosts, Thy heavenly
battalions who bring down to defeat the massed armies of this nether
world.

Verily art Thou the Mighty, the Powerful, the Strong, the
All-Encompassing, the One Who hath dominion over all that is.

O holy Lord! O Lord of loving-kindness! We stray about Thy dwelling,
longing to behold Thy beauty, and loving all Thy ways. We are hapless,
lowly, and of small account. We are paupers: show us mercy, give us
bounty; look not upon our failings, hide Thou our endless sins. Whatever
we are, still are we Thine, and what we speak and hear is praise of Thee,
and it is Thy face we seek, Thy path we follow. Thou art the Lord of
loving-kindness, we are sinners and astray and far from home. Wherefore, O
Cloud of Mercy, grant us some drops of rain. O Flowering Bed of grace,
send forth a fragrant breeze. O Sea of all bestowals, roll towards us a
great wave. O Sun of Bounty, send down a shaft of light. Grant us pity,
grant us grace. By Thy beauty, we come with no provision but our sins,
with no good deeds to tell of, only hopes. Unless Thy concealing veil doth
cover us, and Thy protection shield and cradle us, what power have these
helpless souls to rise and serve Thee, what substance have these wretched
ones to make a brave display? Thou Who art the Mighty, the All-Powerful,
help us, favour us; withered as we are, revive us with showers from Thy
clouds of grace; lowly as we are, illumine us with bright rays from the
Day-Star of Thy oneness. Cast Thou these thirsty fish into the ocean of
Thy mercy, guide Thou this lost caravan to the shelter of Thy singleness;
to the wel