A Sleepy Morning in Dublin, New Hampshire 1

THE SUN RISES ON Dublin Lake, illuminating the western shore. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is already awake.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá is staying on the Parsons’ estate, on the east side of the lake, near Knollwood and Brush Farm. The Parsons have three houses: Stonehenge, Ty-ny-maes, fondly called Tiny May, and Day-Spring, the double-gabled three-story “cottage” with Doric columns, which Agnes Parsons has readied for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. From one side of the balcony is a wide view across the fields and on the other can be seen the mountain ranges disappearing into the distance. This morning he will walk in the “bird cage,” a grove of trees where the birds feed, cool and quiet, with the smell of pine beneath his feet.

It is here, in Dublin, that the rich and famous from Boston and Washington spend their summers. But they do not entertain in grand and glittering style as would those who live near the Vanderbilts in Newport, Rhode Island. The Dubliners spend their evenings around open fires discussing politics, literature, music, and art.

Agnes Parsons wants to keep ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s arrival a secret so he can rest. She will succeed for twenty-four hours. Then the continuous stream of visitors will begin.

New Hampshire 2

His days were spent in talking in detail with the persons who came from nearby and from distances, in speaking to local gatherings, and in writing the endless Tablets (letters) to people around the world. Again, He was taking time to deepen the friends, to inspire them, to raise them up, to teach them the spiritual meaning of life, to prepare them for the tasks that lay ahead, and to show them how to develop true happiness.

This day was also a blessed day and passed in the utmost joy and happiness 3

Early in the morning, while having tea, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke about the Tablet of the Báb to Násiri’d-Dín Sháh when he was the Crown Prince and the answer of the ‘ulamá. ‘It must be compared’, He said, ‘with the Lawh-i-Sultán which issued from the Supreme Pen so that the injustices of the followers of Mírzá Yahyá might be exposed.’

In the afternoon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke of Hájí Muhammad-Taqí Vakíl’ud Dawlih, the Afnán. He also showed great kindness to some of the American Bahá’ís. About one of them, He said:

Write this in the margin of the book: The time will come when her whole family will be proud of Mrs [Grace] Krug and her faith. Her husband [Dr. Florian Krug] is still distant and heedless; the time will come when he will feel himself exalted on account of Mrs Krug’s faith. I see what they do not see. Ere long the whole of her family will consider the faith of that lady as the crown of honor on their heads.

That evening ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke of the days of the Blessed Beauty and of His kindness towards Shaykh Salmán. He praised the sincerity and constancy of that messenger of the Merciful and described some of the events in his life.

This day was also a blessed day and passed in the utmost joy and happiness.

  1. Menon, Morella. “A Sleepy Morning in Dublin, New Hampshire.” 239 Days in America, 26 July 2012, https://239days.com/2012/07/26/the-stigma-of-oddness/. [return]
  2. Ward, Allan L. 239 Days: ʻAbdu’l-Bahá’s Journey in America. Wilmette, Ill: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1979, 117-118. [return]
  3. ’Abdu’l-Bahá, and Mirza Mahmud-i-Zarqani. Mahmúd’s Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání Chronicling ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey to America. Edited by Shirley Macias. Translated by Mohi Sobhani. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. https://bahai-library.com/zarqani_mahmuds_diary&chapter=5#section124 [return]