Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 9.djvu/279

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ⅬⅥ, 10-37.
the chapter of the cave.
263

10 And the foremost foremost[1]!
These are they who are brought nigh, In gardens of pleasure !
A crowd of those of yore,
And a few of those of the latter day !
15 And gold-weft couches, reclining on them face to face.
Around them shall go eternal youths, with goblets and ewers and a cup of flowing wine ; no headache shall they feel therefrom, nor shall their wits be dimmed !
20 And fruits such as they deem the best ;
And flesh of fowl as they desire ;
And bright and large-eyed maids like hidden pearls ;
A reward for that which they have done !
They shall hear no folly there and no sin ;
25 Only the speech, ‘Peace, Peace !’
And the fellows of the right — what right lucky fellows !
Amid thornless lote trees.
And talʼh[2] trees with piles of fruit ;
And outspread shade,
30 And water out-poured ;
And fruit in abundance, neither failing nor forbidden ;
And beds upraised !
Verily, we have produced them[3] a production.
35 And made them virgins, darlings of equal age (with their spouses) for the fellows of the right !

  1. I. e. the foremost in professing the faith on earth shall be the foremost then.
  2. The mimosa gummifera is generally so called in Arabia ; but the banana is said to be meant in this passage.
  3. The celestial damsels.