The Holy Qu’ran – sura 13 – translation by Maulana Muhammad Ali

The Holy Qu’ran
English translation by Maulana Muhammad Ali
first published in 1917, the following comes from the 1920 printing

13. The Thunder (Al-Rad)

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

¹ 1, Allah, am the Best Knower, the Seer. These are verses of the Book. And that which is revealed to thee from thy Lord is the Truth, but most people believe nor.

² Allah is He who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see, and He is established on the Throne of Power, and He made the sun and the moon subservient (to you). Each one runs to an appointed term. He regulates the affair, making clear the messages that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.

³ And He it is who spread the earth, and made in it firm mountains and rivers. And of all fruits He has made in it pairs, two (of every kind). He makes the night cover the day. Surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect.

⁴ And in the earth are tracts side by side, and gardens of vines, and corn, and palm-trees growing from one root and distinct roots they are watered with one water; and We make some of them to excel others in fruit. Surely there are signs in this for a people who understand.

⁵ And if thou wonderest, then wondrous is their saying: When we are dust, shall we then be raised in a new creation? These are they who disbelieve in their Lord, and these have chains on their necks, and they are the companions of the Fire; in it they will abide.

⁶ And they ask thee to hasten on the evil before the good, and indeed there have been exemplary punishments before them. And surely thy Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind notwithstanding their iniquity. And surely thy Lord is Severe in requiting.

⁷ And those who disbelieve say: Why has not a sign been sent down to him from his Lord? Thou art only a warner and for every people a guide.

* * *

⁸ Allah knows what every female beats, and that of which the wombs fall short of completion and that which they grow. And everything with Him has a measure.

⁹ The Knower of the Unseen and the seen, the Great, the Most High.

¹⁰ Alike (to Him) among you is he who conceals (the) word and he who speaks openly, and he who hides himself by night and (who) goes forth by day.

¹¹ For him are (angels) guarding the consequences (of his deeds), before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah’s command. Surely Allah changes not the condition of a people, until they change their own condition. And when Allah intends evil to a people, there is no averting it, and besides Him they have no protector.

¹² He it is Who shows you the lightning causing feat and hope and (Who) brings up the heavy cloud.

¹³ And the thunder celebrates His praise, and the angels too for awe of Him. And He sends the thunderbolts and smites with them whom He pleases, yet they dispute concerning Allah, and He is Mighty in prowess.

¹⁴ To Him is due the true prayer. And those to whom they pray besides Him give them no answer, but (they are) like one who stretches forth his two hands towards water that it may reach his mouth, but it will not reach it. And the prayer of the disbelievers is only wasted.

¹⁵ And whoever is in the heavens and the earth makes obeisance to Allah only, willingly and unwillingly, and their shadows, too, at morn and eve.

¹⁶ Say: Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth? Say: Allah. Say: Do you then take besides Him guardians who control no benefit or harm even for themselves? Say: Are the blind and the seeing alike? Or, are darkness and light equal? Or, have they set up with Allah associates who have created creation like His, so that what is created became confused to them? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme.

¹⁷ He sends down water from the clouds, then watercourses flow according to their measure, and the torrent bears along the swelling foam. And from that which they melt in the fire for the sake of making ornaments or apparatus arises a scum like it. Thus does Allah compare truth and falsehood. Then as for the scum, it passes away as a worthless thing; and as for that which does good to men, it tarries in the earth. Thus does Allah set forth parables.

¹⁸ For those who respond to their Lord is good. And as for those who respond not to Him, even if they had all that is in the earth and the like thereof with it, they would certainly offer it for a ransom. As for those, theirs is an evil reckoning and their abode is hell; and evil is the resting-place.

* * *

¹⁹ Is he who knows that what is revealed to thee from thy Lord is the truth like him who is blind? Only men of understanding mind —

²⁰ Those who fulfil the pact of Allah, and break not the covenant,

²¹ And those who join that which Allah has bidden to be joined and have awe of their Lord, and fear the evil reckoning.

²² And those who are steadfast seeking the pleasure of their Lord, and keep up prayer and spend of that which We have given them, secretly and openly, and repel evil with good; for such is the (happy) issue of the abode —

²³ Gardens of perpetuity, which they will enter along with those who do good from among their fathers and their spouses and their offspring and the angels will enter in upon them from every gate.

²⁴ Peace be to you, because you were constant — how excellent is then the final Abode!

²⁵ And those who break the covenant of Allah after its confirmation, and cut asunder that which Allah has ordered to be joined, and make mischief in the land, for them is the curse, and theirs is the evil end of the Abode.

²⁶ Allah amplifies and straitens provision for whom He pleases. And they rejoice in this world’s life. And this world’s life, compared with the Hereafter, is only a temporary enjoyment.

* * *

²⁷ And those who disbelieve say: Why is not a sign sent down to him by his Lord? Say: Allah leaves in error whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn (to Him) —

²⁸ Those who believe and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah. Now surely in Allah’s remembrance do hearts find rest.

²⁹ Those who believe and do good, a good final state is theirs and a goodly return.

³⁰ Thus We have sent thee among a nation before which other nations have passed away, that thou mightest recite to them what We have revealed to thee, and (still) they deny the Beneficent. Say: He is my Lord, there is no god but He; in Him do I trust and to Him is my return.

³¹ And if there could be a Qur’an with which the mountains were made to pass away, or the earth were cloven asunder, or the dead were made to speak — nay, the commandment is wholly Allah’s. Do not those who believe know that, if Allah please, He would certainly guide all the people? And as for those who disbelieve, disaster will not cease to afflict them because of what they do, or it will alight close by their abodes, until the promise of Allah come to pass. Surely Allah will not fail in (His) promise.

* * *

³² And messengers before thee were certainly mocked, but I gave respite to those who disbelieved, then I seized them How (awful) was then My requital!

³³ Is, then, He Who watches every soul as to what it earns? And yet they ascribe partners to Allah! Say: Name them. Would you inform Him of that which He knows not in the earth, or of an outward saying? Rather, their plan is made fair-seeming to those who disbelieve, and they are kept back from the path. And whom Allah leaves in error, he has no guide.

³⁴ For them is chastisement in this world’s life, and the chastisement of the Hereafter is certainly more grievous. And they have no protector against Allah.

³⁵ A parable of the Garden which is promised to those who keep their duty: Therein flow rivers. Its fruits are perpetual and its plenty. Such is the end for those who keep their duty; and the end for the disbelievers is the Fire.

³⁶ And those to whom We have given the Book rejoice in that which has been revealed to thee, and of the confederates are some who deny a part of it. Say: I am commanded only to serve Allah and not associate anything with Him. To Him do I invite (you), and to Him is my return.

³⁷ And thus have We revealed it, a true judgment, in Arabic. And if thou follow their low desires after that which has come to thee of knowledge, thou wouldst have against Allah no guardian nor protector.

* * *

³⁸ And certainly We sent messengers before thee and appointed for them wives and children. And it is not in (the power of) a messenger to bring a sign except by Allah’s permission. For every term there is an appointment.

³⁹ Allah effaces what He pleases and establishes (what He pleases), and with Him is the basis of the Book.

⁴⁰ Whether We let thee see part of that which We promise them, or cause thee to die, thine is but the delivery of the message, and Ours to call (them) to account.

⁴¹ See they not that We are visiting the land, curtailing it of its sides? And Allah pronounces a doom — there is no repeller of His decree. And He is Swift in calling to account.

⁴² And those before them planned indeed, but all planning is Allah’s. He knows what every soul earns. And the disbelievers will come to know for whom is the (good) end of the Abode.

⁴³ And those who disbelieve say: Thou art not a messenger. Say: Allah is sufficient for a witness between me and you and whoever has knowledge of the Book.’

[Click here to read more of The Holy Qu’ran, an English translation by Maulana Muhammad Ali.]

The Holy Qu’ran – sura 11 & 12 – translation by Maulana Muhammad Ali

The Holy Qu’ran
English translation by Maulana Muhammad Ali
first published in 1917, the following comes from the 1920 printing

11. Hud

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

¹ I, Allah, am the Seer. A Book, whose verses are characterized by wisdom, then they are made plain, from One Wise, Aware:

² That you should serve none but Allah. Surely I am to you from Him a warner and a giver of good news.

³ And ask forgiveness of your Lord, then turn to Him. He will provide you with a goodly provision to an appointed term, and will bestow His grace on every one endowed with grace. And if you turn away, I fear for you the chastisement of a great day.

⁴ To Allah is your return, and He is Possessor of power over all things.

⁵ Now surely they cover up their breasts to conceal (their enmity) from Him. Now surely, when they put their garments as a covering, He knows what they hide and what they make public. Surely He is Knower of what is in the breasts.

⁶ And there is no animal in the earth but on Allah is the sustenance of it, and He knows its resting-place and its depository. All is in a clear record.

⁷ And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods and His Throne of Power is ever on water that He might manifest (the good qualities in) you whoever of you is best in deeds. And if thou sayest, You shall surely be raised up after death, those who disbelieve say This is nothing but clear deceit.

⁸ And if We delay for them the chastisement for a stated period, they will certainly say: What prevents it? Now surely on the day when it will come to them, it will not be averted from them, and that which they scoffed at will beset them.

* * *

⁹ And if We make man taste mercy from Us, then withdraw it from him, he is surely despairing, ungrateful.

¹⁰ And if We make him taste a favour after distress has afflicted him, he says: The evils are gone away from me. Certainly he is exultant, boastful,

¹¹ Except those who are patient and do good. For them is forgiveness and a great reward.

¹² Then, may it be that thou wilt give up part of what is revealed to thee and thy breast will he straitened by it, because they say: Why has not a tteasure been sent down for him or an angel come with him? Thou art only a warner And Allah is in charge of all things.

¹³ Or, say they He has forged it. Say: Then bring ten forged chapters like it, and call upon whom you can besides Allah, if you are truthful.

¹⁴ But if they answer you not, then know that it is revealed by Allah’s knowledge, and that there is no God but He. Will you then submit?

¹⁵ Whoever desires this world’s life and its finery We repay them their deeds therein, and they are not made to suffer loss in it.

¹⁶ These are they for whom there is nothing but Fire in the Hereafter. And what they work therein is fruitless and their deeds are vain.

¹⁷ Is he then (like these) who has with him clear proof from his Lord, and a witness from Him recites it, and before it (is) the Book of Moses, a guide and a mercy? These believe in it. And whoever of the parties disbelieves in it, the Fire is his promised place. So be not in doubt about It. Surely it is the truth from thy Lord, but most men believe not.

¹⁸ And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah? These will be brought before their Lord, and the witnesses will say: These are they who lied against their Lord. Now surely the curse of Allah is on the wrongdoers,

¹⁹ Who hinder (men) from the path of Allah and desire to make it crooked. And they are disbelievers in the Hereafter.

²⁰ These will not escape in the earth, nor have they guardians besides Allah. The chastisement will be doubled for them. They could not beat to hear, and they did not see.

²¹ These are they who have lost their souls, and that which they forged is gone from them.

²² Truly in the Hereafter they are the greatest losers.

²³ Surely those who believe and do good and humble themselves before their Lord, these are the owners of the Garden; therein they will abide.

²⁴ The likeness of the two parties is as the blind and the deaf, and the seer and the hearer. Are they equal in condition? Will you not then mind?

* * *

²⁵ And certainly We sent Noah to his people: Surely I am a plain warner to you,

²⁶ To serve none but Allah. Verily I fear for you the chastisement of a painful day.

²⁷ But the chiefs of his people who disbelieved said: We see thee not but a mortal like us, and we see not that any follow thee but those who are the meanest of us at first thought. Nor do we see in you any superiority over us; nay, we deem you liars.

²⁸ He said: O my people, see you if I have with me clear proof from my Lord, and He has granted me mercy from Himself and it has been made obscure to you. Can we compel you to (accept) it while you are averse to it?

²⁹ And, O my people, I ask you not for wealth (in return) for it. My reward is only with Allah, and I am not going to drive away those who believe. Surely they will meet their Lord, but I see you a people who are ignorant.

³⁰ And, O my people, who will help me against Allah, if I drive them away? Will you not then mind?

³¹ And I say not to you that I have the treasures of Allah; and I know not the unseen; nor do I say that I am an angel. Nor do I say about those whom your eyes scorn that Allah will not grant them (any) good. Allah knows best what is in their souls — for then indeed I should be of the wrongdoers.

³² They said: O Noah, indeed thou hast disputed with us and prolonged dispute with us, so bring upon us that which thou threatenest us with, if thou art truthful.

³³ He said: Only Allah will bring it on you, if He please, and you will not escape:

³⁴ And my advice will not profit you, if I intend to give you good advice, if Allah intends to destroy you. He is your Lord; and to Him you will be brought back.

³⁵ Or say they: He has forged it? Say: If I have forged it, on me is my guilt; and I am free of that of which you are guilty.

* * *

³⁶ And it was revealed to Noah: None of thy people will believe except those who have already believed, so grieve not at what they do:

³⁷ And make the ark under Our eyes and Our revelation, and speak not to Me on behalf of those who are unjust. Surely they will be drowned.

³⁸ And he began to make the ark. And whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they laughed at him. He said: If you laugh at us, surely we, too, laugh at you as you laugh (at us).

³⁹ So you shall know who it is on whom will come a chastisement which will disgrace him, and on whom a lasting chastisement will fall.

⁴⁰ At length when Our command came and water gushed forth from the valley, We said: Carry in it two of all things, a pair, and thine own family except those against whom the word has already gone forth — and those who believe. And there believed not with him but a few.

⁴¹ And he said: Embark in it, in the name of Allah be its sailing and its anchoring. Surely my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.

⁴² And it moved on with them amid waves like mountains. And Noah called out to his son, and he was aloof: O my son, embark with us and be not with the disbelievers.

⁴³ He said: I will betake myself for refuge to a mountain that will save me from the water. He said: There is none safe to-day from Allah’s command, but he on whom He has mercy. And a wave intervened between them, so he was among the drowned.

⁴⁴ And it was said: O earth, swallow thy water, and O cloud, clear away. And the water was made to abate, and the affair was decided, and it rested on the Judi, and it was said: Away with the iniquitous people!

⁴⁵ And Noah cried to his Lord and said: My Lord, surely my son is of my family, and Thy promise is true, and Thou art the Justest of the judges.

⁴⁶ He said: O Noah, he is not of thy family; he is (an embodiment of) unrighteous conduct. So ask not of Me that of which thou hast no knowledge. I admonish thee lest thou be of the ignorant.

⁴⁷ He said: My Lord, I seek refuge in Thee from asking of Thee that of which I have no knowledge. And unless Thou forgive me and have mercy on me, I shall be of the losers.

⁴⁸ It was said: O Noah, descend with peace from Us and blessings on thee and on nations (springing) from those with thee. And there are nations whom We afford provisions, then a painful punishment from Us afflicts them.

⁴⁹ These are announcements relating to the unseen which We reveal to thee; thou didst not know them (neither) thou nor thy people before this. So be patient. Surely, the (good) end is for the dutiful.

* * *

⁵⁰ And to ‘Ad (We sent) their brother Hud. He said: O my people, serve Allah, you have no god save Him. You are only fabricators.

⁵¹ O my people, I ask of you no reward for it. My reward is only with Him Who created me. Do you not then understand?

⁵² And, O my people, ask forgiveness of your Lord, then turn to Him, He will send on you clouds pouring down abundance of rain and add strength to your strength, and turn not back, guilty.

⁵³ They said: O Hud, thou hast brought us no clear argument, and we are not going to desert our gods for thy word, and we are not believers in thee.

⁵⁴ We say naught but that some of our gods have smitten thee with evil. He said: Surely I call Allah to witness, and do you, too, bear witness that I am innocent of what you associate (with Allah)

⁵⁵ Besides Him. So scheme against me all together, then give me no respite.

⁵⁶ Surely I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is no living creature but He grasps it by its forelock. Surely my Lord is on the right path.

⁵⁷ But if you turn away, then indeed I have delivered to you that with which I am sent to you. And my Lord will bring another people in your place, and you cannot do Him any harm. Surely my Lord is the Preserver of all things.

⁵⁸ And when Our commandment came to pass, We delivered Hud and those who believed with him with mercy from Us; and We delivered them from a hard chastisement.

⁵⁹ And such were ‘Ad. They denied the messages of their Lord, and disobeyed His messengers and followed the bidding of every insolent opposer (of truth).

⁶⁰ And they were overtaken by a curse in this world and on the day of Resurrection. Now surely ‘Ad disbelieved in their Lord. Now surely, away with ‘Ad, the people of Hud!

* * *

⁶¹ And to Thamud (We sent) their brother Salih. He said: O my people, serve Allah, you have no god other than Him. He brought you forth from the earth and made you dwell in it, so ask forgiveness of Him, then turn to Him. Surely my Lord is Nigh, Answering.

⁶² They said: O Salih, thou wast among us a centre of (our) hopes before this. Dost thou forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? And surely we are in grave doubt about that to which thou callest us.

⁶³ He said: O my people, see you if I have clear proof from my Lord and He has granted me mercy from Himself who will then help me against Allah, if I disobey Him? So you would add to me naught but perdition.

⁶⁴ And, O my people, this is Allah’s she-camel, a sign for you, so leave her to pasture on Allah’s earth and touch her not with evil, lest a near chastisement overtake you.

⁶⁵ But they hamstrung her, so he said: Enjoy yourselves in your houses for three days. That is a promise not to be belied.

⁶⁶ So when Our commandment came to pass, We saved Salih and those who believed with him by mercy from Us from the disgrace of that day. Surely thy Lord — He is the Strong, the Mighty.

⁶⁷ And the cry overtook those who did wrong, so they were motionless bodies in their abodes,

⁶⁸ As though they had never dwelt therein. Now surely Thamud disbelieved in their Lord. So away with Thamud!

* * *

⁶⁹ And certainly Our messengers came to Abraham with good news. They said: Peace! Peace! said he, And he made no delay in bringing a roasted calf.

⁷⁰ But when he saw that their hands reached not to it, he mistrusted them and conceived fear of them. They said: Fear not we have been sent to Lot’s people.

⁷¹ And his wife was standing (by), so she wondered. Then We gave her the good news of Isaac, and beyond Isaac, of Jacob.

⁷² She said; O wonder! Shall I bear a son when I am an extremely old woman, and this my husband an extremely old man? This is a wonderful thing indeed!

⁷³ They said: Wonderest thou at Allah’s commandment? The mercy of Allah and His blessings on you, O people of the house. Surely He is Praised, Glorious.

⁷⁴ So when feat departed from Abraham and good news came to him, he began to plead with Us for Lot’s people.

⁷⁵ Surely Abraham was forbearing, tender-hearted, oft-returning (to Allah).

⁷⁶ O Abraham, cease from this. Surely the decree of thy Lord has gone forth and there must come to them a chastisement that cannot be averted.

⁷⁷ And when Our messengers came to Lot, he was grieved for them, and he was unable to protect them, and said: This is a distressful day!

⁷⁸ And his people came to him, (as if) driven on towards him, and they were used to the doing of evil deeds before. He said: O my people, these are my daughters — they are purer for you; so guard against (the punishment of) Allah and disgrace me not about my guests. Is there not among you any right-minded man?

⁷⁹ They said: Certainly thou knowest that we have no claim on thy daughters, and thou knowest what we desire.

⁸⁰ He said: Would that I had the power to repel you! — rather I shall have recourse to a strong support.

⁸¹ They said: O Lot, we are the messengers of thy Lord. They shall not reach thee. So travel with thy people for a part of the night and let none of you turn back except thy wife. Surely whatsoever befalls them shall befall her. Surely their appointed time is the morning. Is not the morning nigh?

⁸² So when Our decree came to pass, We turned them upside down, and rained on them stones, as decreed, one after another,

⁸³ Marked (for punishment) with thy Lord. And it is not far off from the wrongdoers.

* * *

⁸⁴ And to Midian (We sent) their brother Shu’aib. He said: O my people, serve Allah, you have no other god save Him. And give not short measure and weight. I see you in prosperity, and I fear for you the chastisement of an all-encompassing day:

⁸⁵ And, O my people, give full measure and weight justly, and defraud not men of their things, and act not corruptly in the land, making mischief:

⁸⁶ What remains with Allah is better for you, if you are believers. And I am not a keeper over you.

⁸⁷ They said: O Shu’aib, does thy prayer enjoin thee that we should forsake what our fathers worshipped or that we should not do what we please with regard to our property? Forsooth thou art the forbearing, the right-directing one!

⁸⁸ He said: O my people, see you if I have a dear proof from my Lord and He has given me a goodly sustenance from Himself. And I desire not to act in opposition to you, in that which I forbid you. I desire nothing but reform, so far as I am able. And with none but Allah is the direction of my affair to a right issue. In Him I trust and to Him I turn.

⁸⁹ And, O my people, let not opposition to me make you guilty so that there may befall you the like of that which befell the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the people of Salih. Nor are the people of Lot far off from you.

⁹⁰ And ask forgiveness of your Lord, then turn to Him. Surely my Lord is Merciful, Loving-kind.

⁹¹ They said; O Shu’aib we understand not much of what thou sayest and surely we see thee to be weak among us. And were it not for thy family, we would surely stone thee, and thou art not mighty against us.

⁹² He said; O my people, is my family more esteemed by you than Allah? And you neglect Him as a thing cast behind your backs! Surely my Lord encompasses what you do.

⁹³ And, O my people, act according to your ability, I too am acting. You will come to know soon who it is on whom will light the punishment that will disgrace him, and who it is that is a liar. And watch, surely I too am watching with you.

⁹⁴ And when Our decree came to pass, We delivered Shu’aib and those who believed with him by mercy from Us. And the cry overtook those who were iniquitous, so they were motionless bodies in their abodes,

⁹⁵ As though they had never dwelt in them. So away with Midian, just as Thamud perished!

* * *

⁹⁶ And certainly We sent Moses with Our signs and a dear authority,

⁹⁷ To Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they followed the bidding of Pharaoh; and Pharaoh’s bidding was not right-directing.

⁹⁸ He will lead his people on the day of Resurrection, and bring them down to the Fire. And evil the place to which they are brought!

⁹⁹ And they are overtaken by a curse in this (world), and on the day of Resurrection. Evil the gift which shall be given!

¹⁰⁰ This is an account of the towns which we relate to thee. Of them are some that stand and (others) mown down.

¹⁰¹ And We wronged them not but they wronged themselves. And their gods whom they called upon besides Allah availed them naught when the decree of thy Lord came to pass. And they added to them naught but ruin.

¹⁰² And such is the punishment of thy Lord, when He punishes the towns while they are iniquitous. Surely His punishment is painful, severe.

¹⁰³ Surely there is a sign in this for him who fears the chastisement of the Hereafter. That is a day on which people will be gathered together, and that is a day to be witnessed.

¹⁰⁴ And We delay it not but for an appointed term.

¹⁰⁵ On the day when it comes, no soul will speak except by His permission; so (some) of them will be unhappy and (others) happy.

¹⁰⁶ Then as for those who are unhappy, they will be in the Fire; for them therein will be sighing and groaning —

¹⁰⁷ Abiding therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord please. Surely thy Lord is Doer of what He intends.

¹⁰⁸ And as for those who are made happy, they will be in the Garden abiding therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord please — a gift never to be cut off.

¹⁰⁹ So be not thou in doubt as to that which these worship. They worship only as their fathers worshipped before. And surely We shall pay them in full their due undiminished.

* * *

¹¹⁰ And We certainly gave the Book to Moses, but differences arose therein. And had not a word gone forth from thy Lord, the matter would have been decided between them. And they are surely in a disquieting doubt about it.

¹¹¹ And thy Lord will surely pay back to all their deeds in full. He indeed is Aware of what they do.

¹¹² Continue then in the right way as thou art commanded, as also (should) those who turn (to Allah) with thee. And be not inordinate, (O men). Surely He is Seer of what you do.

¹¹³ And incline not to those who do wrong, lest the fire touch you; and you have no protectors besides Allah, then you would not be helped.

¹¹⁴ And keep up prayer at the two ends of the day and in the first hours of the night. Surely good deeds take away evil deeds. This is a reminder for the mindful.

¹¹⁵ And be patient, for surely Allah wastes not the reward of the doers of good.

¹¹⁶ Why were there not then among the generations before you those possessing understanding, forbidding mischief in the earth, except a few among them whom We delivered? And the unjust pursued the enjoyment of plenty, and they were guilty.

¹¹⁷ And thy Lord would not destroy the towns unjustly, while their people acted well.

¹¹⁸ And if thy Lord had pleased, He would have made people a single nation. And they cease not to differ,

¹¹⁹ Except those on whom thy Lord has mercy; and for this did He create them. And the word of thy Lord is fulfilled: I shall fill hell with jinn and men, all together.

¹²⁰ And all We relate to thee of the account of the messengers is to strengthen thy heart therewith. And in this has come to thee the truth and an admonition and a reminder for the believers.

¹²¹ And say to those who believe not: Act according to your power, surely we too are acting

¹²² And wait, surely we are waiting (also).

¹²³ And Allah’s is the unseen in the heavens and the earth, and to Him the whole affair will be returned. So serve Him and put thy trust in Him. And thy Lord is not heedless of what you do.

 

12. Yusuf (Joseph)

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

¹ I, Allah, am the Seer. These are the verses of the Book that makes manifest.

² Surely We have revealed it — an Arabic Qur’an — that you may understand.

³ We narrate to thee the best of narratives, in that We have revealed to thee this Qur’an, though before this thou wast of those unaware.

⁴ When Joseph said to his father: O my father, I saw eleven stars and the sun and the moon — I saw them making obeisance to me.

⁵ He said: O my son, relate not thy dream to thy brethren, lest they devise a plan against thee. The devil indeed is an open enemy to man.

⁶ And thus will thy Lord choose thee and teach thee the interpretation of sayings, and make His favour complete to thee and to the Children of Jacob, as He made it complete before to thy fathers, Abraham and Isaac. Surely thy Lord is Knowing, Wise.

* * *

⁷ Verily in Joseph and his brethren there are signs for the inquirers.

⁸ When they said: Certainly Joseph and his brother are dearer to our father than we, though we are a (strong) company. Surely our father is in manifest error —

⁹ Slay Joseph or banish him to some (other) land, so that your father’s regard may be exclusively for you, and after that you may be a righteous people.

¹⁰ A speaker among them said: Slay not Joseph, but, if you are going to do anything, cast him down to the bottom of the well. Some of the travellers may pick him up.

¹¹ They said: O our father, why dost thou not trust us with Joseph, and surely we are his sincere well-wishers?

¹² Send him with us to-morrow that he may enjoy himself and play and we shall surely guard him well.

¹³ He said: Indeed it grieves me that you should take him away and I fear lest the wolf devour him, while you are heedless of him.

¹⁴ They said: If the wolf should devour him, while we are a (strong) company, we should then certainly be losers.

¹⁵ So when they took him away and agreed to put him down at the bottom of the pit, We revealed to him: Thou wilt certainly inform them of this affair of theirs while they perceive not.

¹⁶ And they came to their father at nightfall, weeping.

¹⁷ They said: O our father, we went off racing one with another and left Joseph by our goods, so the wolf devoured him. And thou wilt not believe us, though we are truthful.

¹⁸ And they came with false blood on his shirt. He said: Nay, your souls have made a matter light for you. So patience is goodly. And Allah is He Whose help is sought against what you describe.

¹⁹ And there came travellers, and they sent their water-drawer and he let down his bucket. He said: O good news! This is a youth. And they concealed him as an article of merchandise, and Allah was Cognizant of what they did.

²⁰ And they sold him for a small price, a few pieces of silver, and they showed no desire for him.

* * *

²¹ And the Egyptian who bought him said to his wife: Make his stay honourable. Maybe he will be useful to us, or we may adopt him as a son. And thus We established Joseph in the land, and that We might teach him the interpretation of sayings. And Allah has full control over His affair, but most people know not.

²² And when he attained his maturity, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. And thus do We reward the doers of good.

²³ And she in whose house he was, sought to seduce him, and made fast the doors and said: Come. He said: Allah forbid! Surely my Lord made good my abode. The wrongdoers never prosper.

²⁴ And certainly she desired him, and he would have desired her, were it nor that he had seen the manifest evidence of his Lord. Thus (it was) that We might turn away from him evil and indecency. Surely he was one of Our chosen servants.

²⁵ And they raced with one another to the door, and she rent his shirt from behind, and they met her husband at the door. She said: What is the punishment for one who intends evil to thy wife, except imprisonment or a painful chastisement?

²⁶ He said: She sought to seduce me. And a witness of her own family bore witness: If his shirt is rent in front, she speaks the truth and he is of the liars.

²⁷ And if his shirt is rent behind, she tells a lie and he is of the truthful.

²⁸ So when he saw his shirt rent behind, he said: Surely it is a device of you women. Your device is indeed great!

²⁹ O Joseph, turn aside from this. And (O my wife), ask forgiveness for thy sin. Surely thou art one of the sinful.

* * *

³⁰ And women in the city said: The chiefs wife seeks to seduce her slave. He has indeed affected her deeply with (his) love. Truly we see her in manifest error.

³¹ So when she heard of their device, she sent for them and prepared for them a repast, and gave each of them a knife; and said (to Joseph): Come out to them. So when they saw him, they deemed him great, and cut their hands (in amazement), and said: Holy Allah! This is not a mortal! This is but a noble angel.

³² She said: This is he about whom you blamed me. And certainly I sought to seduce him, but he was firm in continence. And if he do not what I bid him, he shall certainly be imprisoned, and he shall certainly be of the abject.

³³ He said: My Lord, the prison is dearer to me than that to which they invite me. And if Thou turn not away their device from me, I shall yearn towards them and be of the ignorant.

³⁴ So his Lord accepted his prayer and turned away their device from him. Surely He is the Hearer, the Knower.

³⁵ Then it occurred to them after they had seen the signs that they should imprison him till a time.

* * *

³⁶ And two youths entered the prison with him. One of them said: I saw myself pressing wine. And the other said: I saw myself carrying bread on my head, of which birds were eating. Inform us of its interpretation surely we see thee to be of the doers of good.

³⁷ He said: The food with which you are fed shall not come to you, but I shall inform you of its’ interpretation before it comes to you. This is of what my Lord has taught me. Surely I have forsaken the religion of a people who believe not in Allah, and are deniers of the Hereafter.

³⁸ And I follow the religion of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. It beseems us not to associate aught with Allah. This is by Allah’s grace upon us and on mankind, but most people give not thanks.

³⁹ O my two fellow-prisoners, are sundry lords better or Allah the One, the Supreme?

⁴⁰ You serve not besides Him but names which you have named, you and your fathers Allah has sent down no authority for them. Judgment is only Allah’s. He has commanded that you serve none but Him. This is the right religion, but most people know not.

⁴¹ O my two fellow-prisoners, as for one of you, he will serve wine for his lord to drink; and as for the other, he will be crucified, so that the birds will eat from his head. The matter is decreed concerning which you inquired.

⁴² And he said to him whom he knew would be delivered of the two Remember me with thy lord. But the devil caused him to forget mentioning (it) to his lord, so he remained in the prison a few years.

* * *

⁴³ And the King said: I have seen seven fat kine which seven lean ones devoured; — and seven green ears and (seven) others dry. O chiefs, explain to me my dream, if you can interpret the dream.

⁴⁴ They said: Confused dreams, and we know not the interpretation of dreams.

⁴⁵ And of the two, he who had found deliverance and remembered after a long time said: I will inform you of its interpretation, so send me.

⁴⁶ Joseph, O truthful one, explain to us seven fat kine which seven lean ones devoured, and seven green ears and (seven) others dry, that I may go back to the people so that they may know.

⁴⁷ He said: You shall sow for seven years as usual, then that which you reap, leave it in its ear, except a little which you eat.

⁴⁸ Then after that will come seven years of hardship, which will eat away all you have beforehand stored for them, except a little which you have preserved.

⁴⁹ Then after that will come a year in which people will have rain and in which they will press (grapes).

* * *

⁵⁰ And the king said: Bring him to me. So when the messenger came to him, he said: Go back to thy lord and ask him, what is the case of the women who cut their hands. Surely my Lord knows their device.

⁵¹ (The king) said: What was your affair when you sought to seduce Joseph? They said: Holy Allah! We knew of no evil on his part. The chief’s wife said: Now has the truth become manifest. I sought to seduce him and he is surely of the truthful.

⁵² This is that he might know that I have not been unfaithful to him in secret, and that Allah guides not the device of the unfaithful.

* * *

⁵³ And I call not myself sinless surely (man’s) self is wont to command evil, except those on whom my Lord has mercy. Surely my Lord is Forgiving, Merciful.

⁵⁴ And the king said: Bring him to me, I will choose him for myself. So when he talked with him, he said: Surely thou art in our presence to-day dignified, trusted.

⁵⁵ He said: Place me (in authority) over the treasures of the land; surely I am a good keeper, knowing well.

⁵⁶ And thus did We give to Joseph power in the land — he had mastery in it wherever he liked. We bestow Our mercy on whom We please, and We waste not the reward of the doers of good.

⁵⁷ And certainly the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believe and guard against evil.

* * *

⁵⁸ And Joseph’s brethren came and went in to him, and he knew them, while they recognized him not.

⁵⁹ And when he furnished them with their provision, he said: Bring to me a brother of yours from your father. See you not that I give full measure and that I am the best of hosts?

⁶⁰ But if you bring him not to me, you shall have no measure (of corn) from me, nor shall you come near me.

⁶¹ They said: We shall strive to make his father yield about him, and we are sure to do (it).

⁶² And he said to his servants: Put their money into their bags that they may recognize it when they go back to their family, so that they may come back.

⁶³ So when they returned to their father, they said: O our father, the measure is withheld from us, so send with us our brother that we may get the measure, and we will surely guard him.

⁶⁴ He said: Can I trust you with him, except as I trusted you with his brother before. So Allah is the Best Keeper, and He is the most Merciful of those who show mercy.

⁶⁵ And when they opened their goods, they found their money returned to them. They said: O our father, what (more) can we desire? This is our property returned to us, and we shall bring corn for our family and guard our brother, and have in addition the measure of a camel-load. This is an easy measure.

⁶⁶ He said: I will by no means send him with you, until you give me a firm covenant in Allah’s name that you will bring him back to me, unless you are completely surrounded. And when they gave him their covenant, he said: Allah is Guardian over what we say.

⁶⁷ And he said: O my sons, enter not by one gate but enter by different gates. And I can avail you naught against Allah. Judgment is only Allah’s. On Him I rely, and on Him let the reliant rely.

⁶⁸ And when they entered as their father had bidden them, it availed them naught against Allah, but (it was only) a desire in the soul of Jacob, which he satisfied. And surely he was possessed of knowledge, because We had given him knowledge, but most people know not.

* * *

⁶⁹ And when they went in to Joseph, he lodged his brother with himself saying: I am thy brother, so grieve not at what they do.

⁷⁰ Then when he furnished them with their provision, (some one) placed the drinking-cup in his brother’s bag.1243 Then a crier cried out: O caravan, you are surely thieves!

⁷¹ They said, while they turned towards them: What is it that you miss?

⁷² They said: We miss the king’s drinking-cup, and he who brings it shall have a camel-load, and I am responsible for it.

⁷³ They said: By Allah! You know for certain that we have not come to make mischief in the land, and we are not thieves.

⁷⁴ They said: But what is the penalty for this, if you are liars?

⁷⁵ They said: The penalty for this — the person in whose bag it is found, he himself is the penalty for it. Thus do we punish the wrongdoers.

⁷⁶ So he began with their sacks before the sack of his brother, then be brought it out from his brother’s sack. Thus did We plan for the sake of Joseph. He could not take his brother under the king’s law, unless Allah pleased. We raise in degree whom We please. And above every one possessed of knowledge is the All-Knowing One.

⁷⁷ They said: If he steal, a brother of his did indeed steal before. But Joseph kept it secret in his soul, and disclosed it not to them. He said: You are in an evil condition, and Allah knows best what you state.

⁷⁸ They said: O chief, he has a father, a very old man, so take one of us in his place. Surely we see thee to he of the doers of good.

⁷⁹ He said: Allah forbid that we should seize other than him with whom we found our property, for then surely we should be unjust

* * *

⁸⁰ So when they despaired of him, they conferred together privately. The eldest of them said: Know you not that your father took from you a covenant in Allah’s name, and how you fell short of your duty about Joseph before? So I shall not leave this land, until my father permits me or Allah decides for me; and He is the Best of the judges.

⁸¹ Go back to your father and say: O our father, thy son committed theft. And we bear witness only to what we know, and we could not keep watch over the unseen.

⁸² And ask the town where we were, and the caravan with which we proceeded. And surely we are truthful.

⁸³ He said: Nay, your souls have contrived an affair for you, so patience is good. Maybe Allah will bring them together to me. Surely He is the Knowing, the Wise.

⁸⁴ And he ruined away from them, and said: O my sorrow for Joseph! And his eyes were filled (with tears) on account of the grief, then he repressed (grief).

85, They said: By Allah! Thou wilt not cease remembering Joseph till thou art a prey to disease or thou art of those who perish. ⁸⁶ He said: I complain of my grief and sorrow only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you know not.

⁸⁷ O my sons, go and inquire about Joseph and his brother; and despair not of Allah’s mercy. Surely none despairs of Allah’s mercy except the disbelieving people.

⁸⁸ So when they came to him, they said: O chief, distress has afflicted us and our family, and we have brought scanty money, so give us full measure and be charitable to us. Surely Allah rewards the charitable.

⁸⁹ He said: Do you know how you treated Joseph and his brother, when you were ignorant?

⁹⁰ They said: Art thou indeed Joseph? He said: I am Joseph and this is my brother; Allah has indeed been gracious to us. Surely he who keeps his duty and is patient — Allah never wastes the reward of the doers of good.

⁹¹ They said: By Allah! Allah has indeed chosen thee over us, and we were certainly sinners.

⁹² He said: No reproof be against you this day. Allah may forgive you, and He is the most Merciful of those who show mercy.

⁹³ Take this my shirt and cast it before my father’s face — he will come to know. And come to me with all your family.

* * *

⁹⁴ And when the caravan left (Egypt); their father said Surely I scent (the power of) Joseph, if you call me not a dotard.

⁹⁵ They said: By Allah thou art surely in thy old error.

⁹⁶ Then when the bearer of good news came, he cast it before his face so he became certain. He said: Did I not say to you that I know from Allah what you know not?

⁹⁷ They said: O Our father, ask forgiveness of our sins for us, surely we are sinners.

⁹⁸ He said I shall ask forgiveness for you of my Lord. Surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

⁹⁹ Then when they went in to Joseph, he lodged his parents with himself and said: Enter Egypt in safety, if Allah please.

¹⁰⁰ And he raised his parents on the throne, and they fell prostrate for his sake. And he said: O my father, this is the significance of my vision of old — my Lord has made it true. And He was indeed kind to me, when He brought me forth from the prison, and brought you from the desert after the devil had sown dissensions between me and my brethren. Surely my Lord is Benignant to whom He pleases. Truly He is the Knowing, the Wise.

¹⁰¹ My Lord, Thou hast given me of the kingdom and taught me of the interpretation of sayings. Originator of the heavens and the earth, Thou art my Friend in this world and the Hereafter. Make me die in submission and join me with the righteous.

¹⁰² This is of the announcements relating to the unseen (which) We reveal to thee, and thou wast not with them when they resolved upon their affair, and they were devising plans.

¹⁰³ And most men believe not, though thou desirest it eagerly.

¹⁰⁴ And thou askest them no reward for it. It is nothing but a reminder for all mankind.

* * *

¹⁰⁵ And how many a sign in the heavens and the earth do they pass by! yet they turn away from it.

¹⁰⁶ And most of them believe not in Allah without associating others (with Him).

¹⁰⁷ Do they then feel secure from the coming to them of an all-encompassing chastisement from Allah or from the coming to them of the hour suddenly, while they perceive not?

¹⁰⁸ Say: This is my way: I call to Allah, with certain knowledge — I and those who follow me. And glory be to Allah! and I am not of the polytheists.

¹⁰⁹ And We sent not before thee any but men, from the people of the towns, to whom We sent revelation. Have they not then travelled in the land and seen what was the end of those before them? And certainly the abode of the Hereafter is best for those who keep their duty. Do you not then understand?

¹¹⁰ Until, when the messengers despaired and (the people) thought that they were told a lie, Our help came to them, and whom. We pleased was delivered. And Our punishment is not averted from the guilty people.

¹¹¹ In their histories there is certainly a lesson for men of understanding. It is not a narrative which could be forged, but a verification of what is before it, and a distinct explanation of all things, and a guide and a mercy to a people who believe.

[Click here to read more of The Holy Qu’ran, an English translation by Maulana Muhammad Ali.]

The Essays of Montaigne – preface by William Carew Hazlitt

The Essays of Montaigne
by Michel de Montaigne, translated into English by Charles Cotton
[first published in 1686 – this text comes from the edition published in 1877 by William Carew Hazlitt]

Preface

The present publication is intended to supply a recognised deficiency in our literature–a library edition of the Essays of Montaigne. This great French writer deserves to be regarded as a classic, not only in the land of his birth, but in all countries and in all literatures. His Essays, which are at once the most celebrated and the most permanent of his productions, form a magazine out of which such minds as those of Bacon and Shakespeare did not disdain to help themselves; and, indeed, as Hallam observes, the Frenchman’s literary importance largely results from the share which his mind had in influencing other minds, coeval and subsequent. But, at the same time, estimating the value and rank of the essayist, we are not to leave out of the account the drawbacks and the circumstances of the period: the imperfect state of education, the comparative scarcity of books, and the limited opportunities of intellectual intercourse. Montaigne freely borrowed of others, and he has found men willing to borrow of him as freely. We need not wonder at the reputation which he with seeming facility achieved. He was, without being aware of it, the leader of a new school in letters and morals. His book was different from all others which were at that date in the world. It diverted the ancient currents of thought into new channels. It told its readers, with unexampled frankness, what its writer’s opinion was about men and things, and threw what must have been a strange kind of new light on many matters but darkly understood. Above all, the essayist uncased himself, and made his intellectual and physical organism public property. He took the world into his confidence on all subjects. His essays were a sort of literary anatomy, where we get a diagnosis of the writer’s mind, made by himself at different levels and under a large variety of operating influences.

Of all egotists, Montaigne, if not the greatest, was the most fascinating, because, perhaps, he was the least affected and most truthful. What he did, and what he had professed to do, was to dissect his mind, and show us, as best he could, how it was made, and what relation it bore to external objects. He investigated his mental structure as a schoolboy pulls his watch to pieces, to examine the mechanism of the works; and the result, accompanied by illustrations abounding with originality and force, he delivered to his fellow-men in a book.

Eloquence, rhetorical effect, poetry, were alike remote from his design. He did not write from necessity, scarcely perhaps for fame. But he desired to leave France, nay, and the world, something to be remembered by, something which should tell what kind of a man he was–what he felt, thought, suffered–and he succeeded immeasurably, I apprehend, beyond his expectations.

It was reasonable enough that Montaigne should expect for his work a certain share of celebrity in Gascony, and even, as time went on, throughout France; but it is scarcely probable that he foresaw how his renown was to become world-wide; how he was to occupy an almost unique position as a man of letters and a moralist; how the Essays would be read, in all the principal languages of Europe, by millions of intelligent human beings, who never heard of Perigord or the League, and who are in doubt, if they are questioned, whether the author lived in the sixteenth or the eighteenth century. This is true fame. A man of genius belongs to no period and no country. He speaks the language of nature, which is always everywhere the same.

The text of these volumes is taken from the first edition of Cotton’s version, printed in 3 vols. 8vo, 1685-6, and republished in 1693, 1700, 1711, 1738, and 1743, in the same number of volumes and the same size. In the earliest impression the errors of the press are corrected merely as far as page 240 of the first volume, and all the editions follow one another. That of 1685-6 was the only one which the translator lived to see. He died in 1687, leaving behind him an interesting and little-known collection of poems, which appeared posthumously, 8vo, 1689.

It was considered imperative to correct Cotton’s translation by a careful collation with the ‘variorum’ edition of the original, Paris, 1854, 4 vols. 8vo or 12mo, and parallel passages from Florin’s earlier undertaking have occasionally been inserted at the foot of the page. A Life of the Author and all his recovered Letters, sixteen in number, have also been given; but, as regards the correspondence, it can scarcely be doubted that it is in a purely fragmentary state. To do more than furnish a sketch of the leading incidents in Montaigne’s life seemed, in the presence of Bayle St. John’s charming and able biography, an attempt as difficult as it was useless.

The besetting sin of both Montaigne’s translators seems to have been a propensity for reducing his language and phraseology to the language and phraseology of the age and country to which they belonged, and, moreover, inserting paragraphs and words, not here and there only, but constantly and habitually, from an evident desire and view to elucidate or strengthen their author’s meaning. The result has generally been unfortunate; and I have, in the case of all these interpolations on Cotton’s part, felt bound, where I did not cancel them, to throw them down into the notes, not thinking it right that Montaigne should be allowed any longer to stand sponsor for what he never wrote; and reluctant, on the other hand, to suppress the intruding matter entirely, where it appeared to possess a value of its own.

Nor is redundancy or paraphrase the only form of transgression in Cotton, for there are places in his author which he thought proper to omit, and it is hardly necessary to say that the restoration of all such matter to the text was considered essential to its integrity and completeness.

My warmest thanks are due to my father, Mr Registrar Hazlitt, the author of the well-known and excellent edition of Montaigne published in 1842, for the important assistance which he has rendered to me in verifying and retranslating the quotations, which were in a most corrupt state, and of which Cotton’s English versions were singularly loose and inexact, and for the zeal with which he has co-operated with me in collating the English text, line for line and word for word, with the best French edition.

By the favour of Mr F. W. Cosens, I have had by me, while at work on this subject, the copy of Cotgrave’s Dictionary, folio, 1650, which belonged to Cotton. It has his autograph and copious MSS. notes, nor is it too much to presume that it is the very book employed by him in his translation.

W. C. H.

KENSINGTON, November 1877.

[Crisis Chronicles editor’s note: Until I have time to proofread and add the rest of the text of The Essays of Montaigne to the Online Library, you may read said text at Wikisource: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Essays_of_Montaigne.]

Love II (by George Herbert)

Portrait of George Herbert by Robert White, 1674

Love II
by George Herbert
from The Temple (1633)

Immortal Heat, O let thy greater flame
   Attract the lesser to it: let those fires
   Which shall consume the world, first make it tame;
And kindle in our hearts such true desires,

As may consume our lusts, and make thee way.
   Then shall our hearts pant thee; then shall our brain
   All her inventions on thine Altar lay,
And there in hymns send back thy fire again:
Our eyes shall see thee, which before saw dust;
   Dust blown by wit, till that they both were blind:
   Thou shalt recover all thy goods in kind,
Who wert disseized by usurping lust.

   All knees shall bow to thee; all wits shall rise,
   And praise Him who did make and mend our eyes.

* * * * *

Love I (by George Herbert)

Portrait of George Herbert by Robert White, 1674

Love I
by George Herbert
from The Temple (1633)

Immortal Love, author of this great frame,
   Sprung from that beauty which can never fade;
   How hath man parcel’d out thy glorious name,
And thrown it on that dust which thou hast made,
While mortal love doth all the title gain!
   Which siding with invention, they together
   Bear all the sway, possessing heart and brain,
(Thy workmanship) and give thee share in neither.
Wit fancies beauty, beauty raiseth wit:
   The world is theirs; they two play out the game,
   Thou standing by: and though thy glorious name
Wrought our deliverance from the infernal pit,
   Who sings thy praise? only a scarf or glove
   Doth warm our hands, and make them write of love.

* * * * *

Sonnet 154 – “The little love god lying once asleep” (Shakespeare)

CLIV.

The little love god lying once asleep
Laid by his side his heart-inflaming brand,
Whilst many nymphs that vowed chaste life to keep
Came tripping by; but in her maiden hand
The fairest votary took up that fire
Which many legions of true hearts had warmed;
And so the general of hot desire
Was, sleeping, by a virgin hand disarmed.
This brand she quenchèd in a cool well by,
Which from Love’s fire took heat perpetual,
Growing a bath and healthful remedy,
For men diseased; but I, my mistress’ thrall,
    Came there for cure and this by that I prove:
    Love’s fire heats water, water cools not love.

-*-

     

Sonnet 153 – “Cupid laid by his brand and fell asleep” (Shakespeare)

CLIII.

Cupid laid by his brand and fell asleep.
A maid of Dian’s this advantage found,
And his love-kindling fire did quickly steep
In a cold valley-fountain of that ground;
Which borrowed from this holy fire of Love
A dateless lively heat, still to endure,
And grew a seething bath, which yet men prove
Against strange maladies a sovereign cure.
But at my mistress’ eye Love’s brand new-fired,
The boy for trial needs would touch my breast;
I, sick withal, the help of bath desired,
And thither hied, a sad distempered guest,
    But found no cure, the bath for my help lies
    Where Cupid got new fire–my mistress’ eyes.

-*-

     

Sonnet 152 – “In loving thee thou know’st I am forsworn” (Shakespeare)

CLII.

In loving thee thou know’st I am forsworn,
But thou art twice forsworn, to me love swearing:
In act thy bed-vow broke, and new faith torn
In vowing new hate after new love bearing.
But why of two oaths’ breach do I accuse thee,
When I break twenty? I am perjured most,
For all my vows are oaths but to misuse thee,
And all my honest faith in thee is lost.
For I have sworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness,
Oaths of thy love, thy truth, thy constancy,
And, to enlighten thee, gave eyes to blindness,
Or made them swear against the thing they see;
    For I have sworn thee fair; more perjured eye,
    To swear against the truth so foul a lie!

-*-

     

Sonnet 151 – “Love is too young to know what conscience is” (Shakespeare)

CLI.

Love is too young to know what conscience is;
Yet who knows not conscience is born of love?
Then, gentle cheater, urge not my amiss,
Lest guilty of my faults thy sweet self prove.
For, thou betraying me, I do betray
My nobler part to my gross body’s treason;
My soul doth tell my body that he may
Triumph in love; flesh stays no farther reason,
But, rising at thy name, doth point out thee,
As his triumphant prize. Proud of this pride,
He is contented thy poor drudge to be,
To stand in thy affairs, fall by thy side.
    No want of conscience hold it that I call
    Her “love” for whose dear love I rise and fall.

-*-

     

Sonnet 150 – “O, from what power hast thou” (by Shakespeare)

CL.

O, from what power hast thou this powerful might
With insufficiency my heart to sway?
To make me give the lie to my true sight
And swear that brightness doth not grace the day?
Whence hast thou this becoming of things ill,
That in the very refuse of thy deeds
There is such strength and warrantise of skill,
That, in my mind, thy worst all best exceeds?
Who taught thee how to make me love thee more,
The more I hear and see just cause of hate?
O, though I love what others do abhor,
With others thou shouldst not abhor my state.
    If thy unworthiness raised love in me,
    More worthy I to be beloved of thee.

-*-