Premonition

...
Said I one night to a pristine seer
(Who knew the secrets of whirling Time),
"Sir, you well perceive,
That goodness and faith,
Fidelity and love
Have all departed from this sorry land.
Father and son are at each other's throat;
Brother fights brother. Unity
and Federation are undermined.
Despite these ominous signs
Why has not Doomsday come?
Why does not the Last Trumpet sound?
Who holds the reins of the Final Catastrophe?"
...

- "Chirag-i-Dair" (excerpt)
Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib,
Benaras, 1827
(translated by Qurratulain Hyder)