The Ransom
The Players:
Bob Ryan - Rythm Guitar & Lead Vocals
Eugene Smith - Drums
Auberte Campeau - Keyboards & Backing Vocals
Mike Ward - Bass Guitar & Flute
Laurel DeWitt - Backing Vocals
Recorded in 1995 at Lakewood Media Recording Studios
(Lyrics)
Words & Music by Bob Ryan (C)1991
A cold wind; a prison cell
his Father lay in the Siyah Chal
Only four, he'd never known
The luxuries and peace of the family home
And left behind for seven years
As his vision grew through his loving tears
He served his Lord, endured the strain
His tender heart, and mind of the truly free
O Purest Branch
a ransom for a meeting of the friends
O Purest Branch, ransom given
For the gaining of the presence of our Lord
A hot day; the evening cool
He paced the roof in a state of prayer
And he fell, a sudden fate
An open skylight, down on an open crate
And the friends in shock beat upon their heads
Though the doctor came, he couldn't help
And the Purest Branch, he apologized
Ashamed to lay in the presence of the friends
There knelt his Lord and asked him
He'd grant it, if he wished to live
But the son he spoke instead
Of an open gate in the walls of a prison cell
And the Greatest Branch begged for healing
And lay prostrate at the feet of his Lord
O my Greatest Branch
leave him in the hands of his God
Bob Ryan performing "The Ransom"
with the band, Spirit Village
This song was written about the life of Mirza Mihdi (1848 - 1870), the youngest son of Baha'u'llah, the Prophet/Founder of the Baha'i Faith. One of Mirza Mihdi's titles was, the Purest Branch. He was very young when the first of his Father's banishments came, and was left in the hands of others to care for him while the rest of the family and followers set out on that initial arduous journey.
About seven years later, Mirza Mihdi rejoined his Father then a prisoner of the Ottoman empire imprisoned in the penal city of Akka in the Holy Land. The song focuses on the period surrounding Mirza Mihdi's death.
Below, I've reprinted excerpts written about this period of the life of Mirza Mihdi:
Mirza Mihdi was taken to Baghdad to join the Family in ...1860. It was in that city that this pure and holy youth, noted for his meekness, came in touch with the Divine Spirit and was magnetized by the energizing forces of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation. From that time on, he devoted every moment of his life to the service of his heavenly Father. He was Bahá'u'lláh's companion in Baghdad, Adrianople and 'Akká, and served Him as an amanuensis [secretary] towards the end of his life, leaving to posterity some Tablets in his handwriting. The last ten years of his life were filled with the hardship and suffering inflicted on Bahá'u'lláh and His companions in the course of the three successive banishments from Baghdad to 'Akká.
The Purest Branch resembled 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1844-1921) [Eldest son of Baha'u'llah], and throughout his short and eventful life he displayed the same spiritual qualities which distinguished his illustrious Brother. The believers loved and venerated him as they did 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
In 'Akká [following a series of further banishments, still prisoners], the Purest Branch lived in the barracks near his Father. Often he attained the presence of Bahá'u'lláh late in the afternoon to act as His amanuensis. On 22 June 1870, early in the evening, Bahá'u'lláh informed His son that he was not needed that day to write and that instead he could go up on the roof for prayer and meditation as was his custom. It was a normal practice of the prisoners to go on the roof for fresh air in the evening of a hot summer day. The Purest Branch had often paced up and down that roof chanting prayers and meditating. But on that fateful evening as he chanted the verses of.....one of Bahá'u'lláh's most moving poems,.....he was carried away in a state of utter detachment and joy. As he paced along that familiar space wrapped in his customary meditations with his eyes closed, he fell through an open skylight on to an open crate Lying on the floor below. He was badly wounded, and bled profusely. He was so terribly injured that they had to remove his clothes by tearing them from him. The following is a summary of an account given by Husayn-i-Ashchi, the cook in Bahá'u'lláh's household, and a devoted believer. In this he describes the tragic circumstances of the fall and death of the Purest Branch:
'It is not possible for anyone to visualize the measure of humility and self-effacement and the intensity of devotion and meekness which the Purest Branch evinced in his life. As he was pacing in a state of prayer, attracted to the Kingdom of Abha, with his head turned upwards, he fell through the skylight down on some hard objects. The terrific loud sound of the impact made us all run to the scene of the tragedy where we beheld in astonishment what had happened....and were so shocked as to beat upon our heads. Then the Ancient Beauty [Baha'u'llah] came out of his room and asked what he had done which caused his fall. The Purest Branch said that he knew the whereabouts of the skylight and in the past had been careful not to come near it, but this time it was his fate to forget about it.
We carried his precious person to his room and called a doctor....but he could not help... In spite of much pain and agony, and being weak, he warmly greeted those who came to his bedside, showered an abundance of love and favours upon them and apologized to everyone, saying he was ashamed that while they were all sitting, he had to lie down in their presence...'
Members of the Holy Family and some of the companions gathered around him and all were so distressed and grief-stricken that 'Abdu'l-Bahá with tearful eyes entered the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, prostrated Himself at His feet and begged for healing. Bahá'u'lláh is reported to have said 'O my Greatest Branch [Abdu'l-Baha], leave him in the hands of his God.' He then proceeded to the bedside of his injured son, dismissed everyone from His presence and stayed beside him for some time. Although no one knows what took place in that precious hour between the lover and the Beloved, we can be sure that this son of Bahá'u'lláh, whose devotion and love for the Cause of His Father knew no bounds, must have been exhilarated by the outpouring of bounties and love from his Lord.
...Bahá'u'lláh, having the power of life and death in His hands, asked His dying son whether he wished to live. He assured him that if this was his wish God would enable him to recover and grant him good health. But the Purest Branch begged Bahá'u'lláh to accept his life as a ransom for the opening of the gates of the prison to the face of the many believers who were longing to come and enter the presence of their Lord. Bahá'u'lláh accepted his sacrifice and he died on 23 June 1870, twenty-two hours after his fall.
(Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 3, pp. 204-207)And so it happened, in time the gates of the prison became opened and the people gained access to Baha'u'llah after years of being kept out - thanks to the ransom paid by Mirza Mihdi.....
