Human love as allegory for divine love
(To categorize)[edit]
"The subject matter of this Tablet is that of the relationship between the Divine Youth and the Maiden. In the past, as you are well aware, it has not been uncommon to use human love, passion and longing as an allegory of the divine love between God and His creatures. One has only to think of the Song of Songs in the Old Testament, the writings of some of the Christian saints and much of Persian mystical poetry. The tradition represented by such literature was used by Bahá'u'lláh in aspects of His Revelation; but in this Tablet He employs a complexity of expression that makes it extremely challenging for any translator unfamiliar with this tradition in the Persian context to render an English version without giving an entirely false impression of what Bahá'u'lláh is trying to convey. In the polluted climate of much current Western discourse on matters of this kind, an inadequate translation would no doubt increase the probability of inappropriate and irreverent reactions."
- (On behalf of the Universal House of Justice, 27 August 1998, at https://bahai-library.com/uhj_lawh_huriyyih_cole )
"The divine Words are not to be taken according to their outer sense. They are symbolical and contain realities of spiritual meaning. For instance, in the book of Solomon's songs you will read about the bride and bridegroom. It is evident that the physical bride and bridegroom are not intended. Obviously, these are symbols conveying a hidden and inner significance. In the same way the Revelations of St. John are not to be taken literally, but spiritually. These are the mysteries of God. It is not the reading of the words that profits you; it is the understanding of their meanings. Therefore, pray God that you may be enabled to comprehend the mysteries of the divine Testaments."
