Éditions Jeune Lévrier
The Song of Songs
Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, May you come with me from Lebanon. Journey down from the summit of Amana, From the summit of Senir and Hermon, From the dens of lions, From the mountains of leopards.” << Song of Solomon 4:8 >>
When you are to come… would you be a Jew among Jews, like the first time, a Muslim or a Christian reading the Bible or the Koran … How would we know it’s you? The Bible puts you on a cloud, surrounded with angels, John compared your approach to the one of a thief in the dark of the night …
The Daheshist Mission emigrates to the Land of the Free
BEFORE having you listen to the voice of Doctor Dahesh singing the presence of the Daheshist Mission in America, my dear reader, allow me first to answer an important question that, I am sure, must have crossed your inquisitive mind: Of all the nations of the world, why the United States in particular?
To answer this question, let me refer you to what I wrote in my book (to be published soon—God willing!)“Reflections on My Life: My Golden Moments with the Beloved,” which is a sequel to my first book (already published): “Reflections on My life: Before and after Doctor Dahesh.”
Ask all those who are willing to live through the hell of inhumane conditions, packed miserably like cattle in the insalubrities of dark and dank containers, or like sardines in the deep hold of a doomed boat, just for the sake of tasting though the lure of a decent life.
Ask anyone who lived under the yoke of tyranny, greed, and deceit, long enough to know that True Freedom is the Holy Grail of mankind.
Ask anyone to whom living in proper dignity has become a mere fantasy.
Ask all those who flocked to her pristine shores, hoping to build their little piece of paradise on earth.
Wasn’t America brought to life by the spirit of those very people who left the tyranny, iniquity, religious persecution, and inescapable if not imposed poverty of their homeland, seeking to fulfill the dream of a decent life, where man could prosper freely at the sweat of his brow within equitable laws, all the while upholding the spiritual values he or she has espoused?
Whatever we may think of America—whether we love her or hate her, we cannot divest her of what she has come to symbolize in the minds and hearts of all the oppressed people of the world. To them America is the land of equal opportunities and genuine Freedom in all its honorable aspects¾namely the freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of belief, and most of all: the freedom to build a life one can be proud of. It was the people in the United States—not the government—who forced the different countries of the world to rethink their form and method of ruling, because they proved to all the totalitarian regimes of the world, be they outwardly recognized as such, or hidden behind false pretences of democracy, that when the peoples in a given country are united heart and soul in a worthy goal, the country they form is unshakable. I am not saying that the people in the United States came up with the perfect form of government; no, but in my view, it is the most perfect any nation upholds on Earth. The day I came to understand what a nation needs so that its people may live in peace and harmony, I started to look at the different nations around the world, trying to see which nation my heart leaned to. It was the United States that won my admiration hands down. Thus, I became an American at heart, though I wasn’t a Daheshist yet. And Dahesh came to reinforce that feeling in me when he espied her as the Rock upon which he decided to build his Temple, on account of the values she upheld.
I don’t deny that other countries enjoy these noble values within their boundaries, but what makes America unique is that not only does she fight heart and soul to preserve these values for her own citizens, but wants them also to all the people of the world, regardless of their race, status, and religious belief. Don’t judge America through the political intrigues carried by the few of her men in power; judge her through the spiritual endowment of her people as a whole. No nation in the world has championed Freedom—True Freedom!—the way the United States has. Her history vouches for that tendency.
In their freedom, the other countries are inclusive if not nationalistic; in her freedom America is universal. America has come to personify Freedom in the mind of those deprived of it, all over the world. And this idea is embedded more in the minds of the people still knocking at her door—up to this day—than in the minds of those already living there. That’s why I believe that the freedom that exists in her realm is as good a freedom as it can get anywhere upon this arth. That’s why America will always be a beacon. That’s why also the American people owe it to the spirit of their forefathers to keep the torch of this freedom burning at the entrance gates of the safe haven they have created. I know: you can’t bring the whole world to America; but you can bring America to the world, unbiased, fair, and truthful to the same spirit that made her be. It is incumbent upon her to uphold that role. And should she now and then teeter in her resolve, it is incumbent upon all of us—us who long to be free—to remind her of her Destiny.
*
DURING his life Doctor Daheshvisited many countries in the world and wrote his impressions about each one of them. He judged them as a divine messenger, and not as a tourist looking to have a memorable time. In his book “Memoirs of a Dinar” [written in 1942], which retraces the allegorical journey around the world of a golden coin through the chiaroscuro of human nature, Doctor Dahesh says through the voice of the Dinar:
NEW YORK, city of the Dollar. The wheel of the world would stop spinning were we to exclude the Dollar, this master before whom all bow. He is the heart, the nerve, and the soul of this city, a noisy and tumultuous city that, during the night, comes to life with her magical lights. Her axis revolves around naught but the power of matter, and matter alone.
Spiritual value has no weight whatsoever there. There is no place for it, at all, in this capital where the millions are heaped. Here every one swears only by matter. New York is built on the heavy foundations of this vile matter: by matter she lives, by matter she dies. Let him whom sufferance is his destiny head toward New York without his pockets being amply filled with dollars, and he will understand the meaning of misery to the full extent of the word.
But there exists another aspect to New York. I lived there for four years, and I have noticed that an extraordinary freedom of thought reigns there. Though it astonished me fully, still, this fact stirred my admiration greatly. What a strange contrast between this freedom and the chains that fetter India and Egypt for example! The most miserable here is the equal of the highest personalities: he expresses himself with the same authority, the same independence. There are no seigneurs, no slaves throughout the whole land. Science and civilization flourish under the shadow of the spangled banner, which the eagle protects with his powerful wings. As to the newspapers, there is no subject that they do not tackle with avidity, analyzing and dissecting it through the microscope. They criticize the masters of the hour, putting in evidence their wrongs down to the least negligence. The most striking is that, any political figure who happens to have been put to task by the press, amends his conduct without protesting. He even thanks whoever was able to bring him to correct his wrong, on account that it was for his own good and the good of the public at large.
I, yesterday a Dinar, today a ring encircling the finger of a young beauty, wished that a day would come when India, this country of 350 millions people, Egypt, with her 18 millions people today, and the other countries of the Orient, who are enchained and oppressed by colonization, and where the freedom of speech and writ are forbidden, be able, in the near future, to enjoy the same kind of independence, and I thought: America! whatever may be your materialism and your love for the dollar, whatever may be your infatuation with that nefarious idol and the disasters ensued upon the soul on its account, I love you, O Land of Liberty, I love you, and wish that I could live in your bosom till the day God grants the Orient this sublime Liberty He has so generously granted you.
*
TO DOCTOR DAHESH Liberty is a God given right that no soul should be deprived of; it is a basic element in the human condition. He sung it the way he sung every thing sacred to him in this life:
O Liberty!
You are a resplendent spark from God,
A torchlight from Paradise,
The song of every living being,
Sung with yearning and love.
You are an exquisite bird,
That God imparted
From the Gardens of Paradise!
Touch me, O Liberty,
With your wonderful balm,
For then you bring me back to life.
Oh how many a distraught prisoner call upon you
With all they uphold of hope!
And how many a one in chains
Dreams that you will grant him compassion!
You are the messenger of Heaven,
Beloved of the Apostles,
Beloved of the Angels and Cherubim!
You are the Daughter of God!
So, come to me, O Liberty!
To Dahesh Freedom is a basic and sacred human right no one—no one—should be deprived of. And those tyrants who try to suppress it are only going against the will of God; that’s why they will never succeed, as he said it in those words:
Freedom is a gift from heaven to the sons of Earth. Therefore, whatever (the opportunistic ruler) may try to harm her sanctity, she is ready to rebel against him and blind him with a spray of her dust.
However hard odious tyrants try to bury freedom, they will never succeed, because freedom is forever immortal till the end of Time.
That’s why also he fought heart and soul the Lebanese Government when it conspired to deprive him of his freedom, and decried its tyranny for wanting to divest him of that most sacred of God-given right. And if he chose the United States over all the other nations of the world, it is not only because Liberty shines there in her most beautiful apparel, but because she deserved this spiritual boon. For when it comes to the spiritual world, nothing is done haphazardly: there must be a reason. That Lady standing tall at the gate of that haven-for-all, without exception, must have been good at her words when she declared “Give me your poor, wretched, and oppressed…”, to earn to be chosen by the Son of Man as a bower for His beautiful bride, as Daheshcalls the Daheshist Mission, and a beacon for his holy message. Dahesh did not choose the United States because of its materialistic wealth, but because of her spiritual wealth—something each country in the world upholds, and something only the spiritual world can read to its true worth.
Every country has a collective soul which represents the total of the souls of the people that constitute it and live by it within its fold. Its system of government reflects the genuine endeavor of its people to live in peace and harmony, and thrive within just, equitable, and humane laws, based on the respect and love of the divine precepts. It is perfect to the extent of perfection in the hearts of its people. Needless to say then in what category the soul of Lebanon falls, when it persecutes iniquitously the purest of souls.
The next question to come to the mind of the reader is: Was the civil war in Lebanon the impetus that hastened the departure of the Daheshist Mission from there? Only Doctor Dahesh can answer this question. One thing I am sure of, though: Lebanon failed to see in Daheshthe promised Paraclete, the way Jerusalem failed to see in Jesus the promised Messiah. Isn’t it most condign then that, to reach the Four Corners of the world, the Daheshist Mission takes her flight from the Land of the free rather than the land of tyranny? Had Lebanon deserved such recompense, the DaheshistMission would not have left it, despite the civil war. But that was not to be, because the Lebanese people renounced Dahesh. How abominable must have been their crime, in the eyes of the Lord, to have His redeemer leave them thus! How sad! Isn’t it odd that, not once, has the Spiritual Message that graced our world across the ages been recognized by the people to whom it was revealed? This only reinforces Jesus’ words,
A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.
Isn’t it odd also that the three monotheist religions that were revealed to the world emanated from the same region: the Levant—a region famed to be “At’harard wa’anjas shaeb [Purest land and most impure people—how befitting a portrayal!]”? And why does the Lord “insist” on this region as birthplace for His Messengers when He knows that its people would not accept them as such? That being the case, should we then be surprised to see the messianic promise, Dahesh, be born in the same region: Jerusalem. As to the reason why Lebanon has been chosen as the birthplace of the Daheshist Mission, God only knows why, and I believe He let it be known long time ago through His Prophet Isaiah [35:2]
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
The Excellency of our God.
Alas! though Lebanon was predestined to behold the glory of the Lord, Lebanon was not meant to uphold it, for so, too, was prophesized:
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” [Matthew 24:27]
But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. [Luke 17: 25]
What applied to Jerusalem at the time of Jesus was true for Lebanon at the time of Dahesh, for it persecuted the very one who was meant to redeem it.Notwithstanding, the exodus of the Daheshist Mission from Lebanon was not a spur of the moment decision; it was meant to be, and what transpired in Lebanon only reinforces that truth. He who knows Doctor Dahesh well, how he thinks and what he represents, knows that this is true. In our hearts we, the Daheshists, knew that sooner or later the Daheshist Mission would leave the land of her birth. And now that the “treasure” it took him a whole lifetime to amass was on its way to the United States, we knew that Doctor Dahesh would not tarry long to follow it. Not to overlook the fact that Doctor Dahesh had to be in the United States to guide the first steps of the Daheshist Mission there.
The Daheshist Mission did not leave Lebanon to seek shelter under the umbrella of a more auspicious star, or because she feared for her survival had she decided to stand her grounds; no, she left because Lebanon had used up its entire spiritual chances to host this divine Mission. In other words, and in line with the very recommendation of Jesus Christ Himself: it was time for the DaheshistMission to shake off the dust from her feetand depart from Lebanon for good. The Lebanese people were given ample time to heed her voice; they chose not to. It is for them that Doctor Dahesh wrote those momentous words, which I have already mentioned before:
*
PROPHETS come, Prophets go, and it is up to us to heed their call. Ours is not to question the will and ways of the Lord, but recognize His mercy through His messengers. I can’t speak for the world, but I know what I believe. As to the Daheshist Mission taking her flight from the Land of the Free, Dahesh prophesized it, too, in his sublime piece “Sa’Ughanny… I Will Sing!” which he wrote in Los Angeles on June 22, 1977. In this song Doctor Dahesh sings his joy to find that the Daheshist Mission has not only taken permanent roots in the United States of America, but also spread, from there, all over the World. I was with him at the time, and it was my first visit to the United States. We were on our way to visit the City of Lions, in Disney Land, in California; and I can’t tell you how elated I was when I read it. For to me this song vindicates all the suffering Doctor Daheshwent through in order to bring his holy mission to terms: spread the divine Message to the whole World. To me, this is a yet to be fulfilled prophesy; and only time and the events will prove it right.
When the Daheshist Religion becomes firmly rooted
In the American Homeland—I will sing!
And when her branches reach out to embrace its States,
And imbue the bosoms of its people—I will sing!
And when she spreads in America, crossing the regions, covering the lands,
Outreaching the far-off places and abodes—I will sing!
And when her foundations becomes sturdy,
The sturdiness of proud mountains towering high—I will sing!
And when the Daheshist temples are edified,
And awesome spiritual orisons are uplifted from their midst—I will sing!
When the reed plays its pleas to the Creator of the Worlds,
Originator of the Galaxies, Maker of the Planets and the Nebula—I will sing!
And when the believers incense their faces with the sacred breath of their burning rumuz, with a fond movement of their hands and their hearts filled with devotion to God—I will sing!
Yes, I will sing like Prophet David sang kneeling before his Creator,
Thus how I will kneel down and sing!
And I will sing like the sister of Prophet Moses sang,<br>When Pharaoh and his armies drowned and the sons of Israel were saved—thus I will sing!
I will sing like the daughter of Jephthah the Gileatide,
Who triumphed in his war and returned victorious, alike her—I will sing!
And God will make me victorious, and the Daheshist Religion will spread throughout the entire regions of the earthly globe—then I will sing!
And I will be inebriated with the wine of the Daheshist victory,
And soar aloft with my soul to the divine paradises,
Then I will sing and sing!!
I wrote it in the car
going to the City of the Lions in Los Angeles
9:30 AM January 22, 1977
[ See the original Arabic text ]
*
WHEN I heard the Beloved read that wonderful song, I was in an indescribable state of joy. Inner tears flooded my heart—I never felt so happy in my life. The one thing I didn’t know, however, was that Doctor Dahesh would not be with us to see that sacred day materialize. That shouldn’t surprise me, though, for Prophets do not seek honor from men … nor do they seek glory from this world! Dahesh is no exception. All he sought was to sing the glory of the Lord! Nevertheless, I am sure that this day shall come! As to him singing that day: my only hope in this life is to hear him sing it … in person!
O Lord, You have a strange way of recompensing Your chosen Ones. Moses closes his eyes before he sees the Promised Land; Jesus is put on the cross for wanting to save man; and Daheshleaves us before he sang his song of triumph! Are You trying to tell us that no recompense on this earth can match the one You have reserved for them in their happy world?
In closing, my dear reader, allow me to join my humble voice to the one of the Beloved to sing the country he has chosen to be a spiritual beacon to the whole world.
O America!
Is there a haven for me in your midst?
Though I am nor wretched nor poor,
I still yearn to be free!
Oh sweet Land of Hope,
I longed to be part of you,
Would your laden arms still welcome me?
O America!
Blest you are of all the Nations
For a Prophet has trod your paths.
The last of the Prophets…
The best of all Nations,
At the end of time!
What more would you ask?
O Land of plenty!
Now that the Prophet rests in your midst,
Your air is a breath of genial bliss.
Your ember fields will revel for aye,
To the fragrance left by his trail.
O Land of weal!
With a yearning soul I look upon you!
O Lady of Liberty!
The poor and the wretched you did embrace,
Now the promised “Helper” you may claim!
In a poem, your high spirit He immortalized,
To His memory your blazing torch shall ever glow,
For the whole world to know,
That Dahesh has chosen you!
And should the rest of the Nations
Ask you what makes you so Special… so Grand?
Tell them the Beloved Guiding Prophet, Dahesh,
Has chosen Me as a base for His Sacred Mission.
From My Land of Free it shall reverberate,
To reach the Four Corners of the World!
And this joy, America, is Yours to celebrate … for eternity!
And you, Stars-spangled Banner!
Your stars ought to glitter for evermore,
To behold at last their missing star:
The fairest of them all!
Now your colors will shine up high,
And blazon His solemn Creed,
To those that were left behind!
O White!
You caught the frailness of the snow,
The lily and the dove…
Now you can convey
The purity of His heart!
O Blue!
You depicted the beauty of the eye,
The sea and the sky…
Now you can disclose
The depth of his love!
O Red!
You exalted the warmth of the fire,
The rose and the sunset…
Now you can speak
Of the glee flowing from his soul?
And yet, beware America beware!
The End of an Era is at your doorstep, and you are part of it.
The chosen ones have gathered on your shores,
Awaiting the call of their last trip.
Though they’ve waited in silence for so long,
Yet deep in their soul they always knew
That their redeemer would be passing by.
To them, this Land is the last stepping stone,
In a relentless river of recurring woes!
They’ve waited for their redeemer in total awe
And looked for Him in everyone who held a Bible aloft!
Little did they know,
That he would come like a thief,
Not to call… but to witness!
Your deeds He did witness, America!
He marveled at some…
Smiled at others…
And frowned at most!
He praised some…
And pined at others…
Foreseeing the outcome of it all!
The road is still long, America!
And yet He left giving you no sign.
But from your groves He left our world,
And to your spirit He surrendered his last sigh.
And He suffered!
Oh, how He suffered, America!
And yet, you were unaware!
From your Land of Free He soared aloft
To His heaven… His native Land!
But before leaving your earth he sang a song,
A song of joy to predict that His Message
Will prevail… and pervade!
From the same Land it will radiate afar
To enthrall a world in despair!
What more would you ask, America!
Oh yes, a share in His Far-Land!
But this you have still to earn.
So, don’t start counting your laurels yet,
Because the task is grand
And the time is short,
Since the Redeemer has already left!
O America!
To your shores I came
To claim my share of being free!
I seek no fame or fortune,
All I want is to sing His song to you!
Deny me not the last chapter of a dream,
Just give me a chance to be worthy of my creed
And earn the meed of a final sleep!
Joseph Henri Chakkour
Copyright © 2009 Georges H. Chakkour – Tous droits réservés