And I swear by the stars that hide, That move swiftly and hide, And by the darkening night, And by the breath of dawn,-- Verily this is the word of a noble messenger, Strong, firm in the favour of the Lord of the Throne, Obeyed and trusted. And your companion is not mad: Of a surety he saw [the Angel] on the clear horizon: And he is not mistrusted as to the unseen, Nor is his the speech of a pelted devil. Then whither go ye? Verily this is but a Reminder to the worlds, To whomsoever of you chooseth to walk aright: But ye shall not choose it, except God choose it, the Lord of the worlds. (lxxxi.) THE NEWS. _In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful._ Of what do they question together? Of the great NEWS, About which they dispute? Nay, but they shall know! Again,--Nay, but they shall know! Have we not made the earth as a bed? And the mountains as tent-pegs? And created you in pairs, And made your sleep for rest, And made the night for a mantle, And made the day for bread-winning, And built above you seven firmaments, And put therein a burning lamp, And sent down water pouring from the squeezed clouds To bring forth grain and herb withal, And gardens thick with trees? Lo! the Day of Decision is appointed-- The day when there shall be a blowing of the trumpet, and ye shall come in troops, And the heavens shall be opened, and be full of gates, And the mountains shall be removed, and turn into mist. Verily Hell lieth in wait, The goal for rebels, To abide therein for ages; They shall not taste therein coolness nor drink, Save scalding water and running sores,-- A meet reward! Verily they did not expect the reckoning, And they denied our signs with lies; But everything have we recorded in a book:-- “Taste then: for we will only add torment to you.” Verily for the pious is a place of joy, Gardens and vineyards, And full-bosomed girls, their mates, And a cup brimming over: There shall they hear neither folly nor lying;-- A reward of thy Lord--a gift sufficient, Of the Lord of the heavens and of the earth, and of what is between them, the Merciful! They shall not obtain speech of him:-- On the day when the Spirit and the Angels shall stand in ranks, they shall have no utterance, save he to whom the Merciful shall give leave, and who speaketh rightly. That is the day of truth! Then he that chooseth, let him make for his Lord as his goal. Verily we warn you of torment nigh at hand; On the day when man shall see what his hands have sent before him, and the unbeliever shall say, “Oh! that I were dust.” (lxxviii.) THE FACT.