Ya Rab Chaman-e-Nazm Ko Gulzar-e-Iram Kar

Stanza 1

O Lord, make the garden of verse a garden of Iram;
O cloud of grace, show grace to the parched crop;
You are the source of all bounty; turn to me for a moment;
write this unknown one among those whose speech works wonders;
as long as this brightness does not leave the sun's light,
may the realm of verse not pass from the domain of my pen.

Stanza 2

In this garden the springs of Your bounty flow;
thanks to You are on the nightingale's tongue;
every tree bears fruit, O Lord the Creator;
may we too receive the fruit of our labour.
Grant to the garden of my gentle nature such flowers
as the nightingale has never smelt.

Stanza 3

Grant the pearl-diver of my nature such pearls
that a place for them lies empty in the crown upon the Throne's head;
may each strand be higher than the string of the Pleiades;
may the Pole Star fall in the eyes of the world;
may all be matchless pearls, bound to no one else;
they will be offered to those who are bound to the Prophet.

Stanza 4

Fill this casket of the mouth with the pearl of my desire;
make my flowing nature greater than the river of meanings;
teach my tongue the art of speech;
give my speech such beauty that eloquence itself falls in love with it;
may the cry of praise ring from the heavens down to the fish beneath the earth;
let there be such savour that every ear becomes a mine of salt.

Stanza 5

In praise I would make a spring the equal of an ocean;
if I gave lustre to a drop, I would make it the equal of a pearl;
I would make the gleam of a speck of dust equal to the shining sun;
I would make thorns equal in delicacy to the fresh rose;
I would bind the bouquet of meaning in a new way;
if there were one flower's theme, I would bind it in a hundred colours.

Stanza 6

If at the moment of writing my thoughts turn to the feast,
a picture of the garden of paradise would at once be drawn;
the old sky has never seen such a gathering of stars;
even the honour of Solomon's court would vanish into air;
the throne of the beauties of meaning would come down in such a way
that every eye would see an assembly of fairies.

Stanza 7

By the Cupbearer's grace may such a round go about, and the cups pass,
in which, instead of intoxication, there is the rapture of the end;
may every drunkard forget the turning of the days;
may even the Sufi's tongue not go away unrewarded.
Yes, you drinkers, ask the one who sits in the tavern:
this wave of Kausar has come from the highest paradise.

Stanza 8

When I leave the feast now and turn toward the battle,
may my resolute nature bring news of Khaibar;
if it firmly resolves to cut off the enemies' heads,
may my tongue show everyone the field of battle right here;
may the enemies burn, may fire be seen blazing,
may sword upon sword be seen flashing.

Stanza 9

Let the verses stand in ranks like a mighty army;
let no sword reach the keenness of the words;
if the dots are shields, let each alif be a bloodthirsty dagger;
let the long strokes advance at once, brandishing their lances;
let the cry go up: "Never was an army seen to fight like this;
never was such a battle seen joined on the field of slaughter!"

Stanza 10

From the moon down to the dwelling of the fish let all speak with one tongue;
show the world the cutting edge of the sword of God;
let the soldiers cry out, "You are the master of courage!
Beyond doubt the royal coin is struck in your name."
Let inkwell and pen signal this at every moment:
"You are the lord and master of this drum and standard."

Stanza 11

It is the hour for your support, O Haidar (a), breaker of ranks!
Help is your work, O Haidar (a), breaker of ranks!
You are the lord of generosity, O Haidar (a), breaker of ranks!
Your kindness too is for all, O Haidar (a), breaker of ranks!
Alone, by your good fortune, I stand sword in hand;
let them all gather on one side, and I stand on the other.

Stanza 12

I make no complaint of the world's neglect, my master;
a register of falsehood is worth nothing, my master;
there is no love between rose and nightingale, my master;
what am I? No soul finds comfort, my master.
The world is clouded; no heart is clean;
in this age there is everything but justice.

Stanza 13

They do not weigh the good and evil of the world;
the wise never feign so much ignorance;
for the sake of thorns they do not turn their faces toward the rose;
they do not praise the sweet song of the nightingale.
They are silent, though the glass of their hearts is shattered;
they are helpless only against the falling of their tears.

Stanza 14

They think a potsherd better than a diamond;
they belittle the pearl and make much of the shell;
the outrage is that they call the moon's dark spots the moon;
they throw away the jewel of Najaf for a piece of glass.
The pearls and rubies of Badakhshan and Aden are wasted;
they trample the jewels of speech into the dust.

Stanza 15

With rubies and pearls this mouth is a mine of jewels;
when it speaks, a jeweller's shop opens;
the stanzas are set with gems, the pages are trays of jewels;
let him look at it: yes, is there anyone who wants jewels?
It needs one who can read the marks of skill;
this is a trade in jewels; it needs an eye.

Stanza 16

What has become, all at once, of those jewellers of speech
who were always eager for these wares?
Now there is no seeker, no connoisseur, no buyer;
who is there? To whom shall we show this royal pearl?
At what an hour we left the realm of non-being and came here!
We came when the buyers had left the market.

Stanza 17

Though today no one seeks the ruby of speech,
there is your court, O lord of the Ascension;
O cause of the world's creation, crown of all creatures,
in a moment the needy servant will be made rich.
My hope is in this house; my means of approach is this house;
this is my wealth, this my provision for the journey.

Stanza 18

What am I, what is my talent, O King of kings?
Here Hassan and Farazdaq are helpless and amazed;
Wail and Sahban left the world ashamed;
those who understand, weigh and know speech all fall short.
How can a handful of dust praise the light of God?
Here the tongues of the eloquent stammer.

Stanza 19

What magic of speech can one have who knows nothing and has no learning?
My ignorance is plain to you, my lord;
there is no keenness in my mind, no flow in my nature;
if I speak at all, it is only by your bounty.
What am I? Even the eloquence of angels, what is it worth?
These are such chosen servants that God Himself is their praiser.

Stanza 20

It was some such fervour that made me make this claim;
now I hang my head in shame: what have I done?
I have made a worthless drop into a river;
forgive my fault; I did wrong.
Yes, it is true that even this much boasting was not proper;
my master, it was a balm for the blisters of my heart.

Stanza 21

I am guilty, though I never committed such a fault before;
never, even by mistake, have I praised myself;
never from my heart have I praised the great men of the world;
never have I imitated the speech of the ignorant.
I take pride in the love of the eternal Imam;
all this boasting comes from the support of Ali (a).

Stanza 22

However little my tongue and my speech may be worth,
my daily task, night and day, is the praise of Shabbir (a);
I mean to write two sections in one chapter;
this sorrowing one hopes for his master's help.
May this section be set down on the page in a new style:
one a gathering of joy, the other an assembly of grief.

Stanza 23

The third of Sha'ban is the day of his birth,
and the tenth of the month of mourning the day of his martyrdom;
in either case both bring blessing;
the one is a good deed, the other an act of worship.
I am a praiser of this house; what have I not received from it?
Kausar is its reward, paradise its reward.

Stanza 24

My purpose has been accepted; all my sins are forgiven;
my hope is fulfilled; I have gained my wish;
the favours of Muhammad (s) have joined the grace of the Lord;
now the standards of the army of themes are raised as banners.
All the firm pillars of the steadfast faith stand low before it;
with the beat of my drum I shake the layers of the earth.

Stanza 25

I take pride in the kindness of the King of the age;
he has given leave to muster the army of verse;
the faces are restored, the tunics fit the bodies trimly;
see, the old themes have been dismissed.
There is not one borrowed verse in my register;
a new army has been enlisted in my host.

Stanza 26

Yes, O old sky, become young again;
O moon of the fourteenth night, scatter your light;
O darkness of grief, hide yourself from the eyes of the world;
O light of morning, appear on this night of festival:
there is rejoicing for a birth in the house of the Hand of God;
the sun is coming down into the King's house.

Stanza 27

O sun and moon, another moon is being born;
the fruit of the palm of the garden of faith is being born;
the son of the Lady of the world is being born;
the pearl that is the radiance of the Throne is being born;
at the mention of him life enters every body;
from his light nine lights of God will be revealed.

Stanza 28

O Kaaba of faith, the days of your sanctity have come;
O Yemeni corner, the days of your glory have come;
O Holy House of Jerusalem, the days of your honour have come;
O spring of Zamzam, the days when you are longed for have come;
O stone of the sanctuary, splendour has shone forth in you;
O mount of Safa, you have grown purer still.

Stanza 29

O Yasrib and Batha, your lord is coming;
O highest rank, the noble King is coming;
after the world's decline, restoration is coming;
the gardens say, "The glorious moon is coming!"
These are the days of the Kaaba's pride;
these are the days when Joseph (a) meets Jacob (a).

Stanza 30

O land of Medina, now you stand higher than the sky;
the splendour that is in the heavens will now be on the earth;
you have found the sun; your star is shining;
the fresh rose would give itself for the scent of your flowers.
The ground on which the angels spread their wings is the true floor;
the dust on which the light of God rests is the true Throne.

Stanza 31

O Seal of the Messengers, blessings on this pearl of your desire!
O light of God, blessings on this mercy of the One we worship!
O King of Najaf, blessings on the joy of this birth!
O Khair-un-Nisa (a), blessings on this star of good fortune!
May the house always be bright, may its light be doubled;
may the light of this full moon stay in the house.

Stanza 32

O community of believers, this is the moment for giving thanks;
bow again and again in thankful prostration to the Creator;
Allah has solved your difficulty;
the registers of your evil deeds are now all torn up;
you have been written among the servants of the friend of God, son of the friend of God;
you have been saved for the sake of Husain, son of Ali.

Stanza 33

O great month, I give my life for your good fortune,
for your glory, your greatness and your majesty!
Blessing has come down; I give my life for Fatima's son!
I give my life for the year in which he was born!
If the morning of Eid were sacrificed for this night, that would be fitting;
even Nowruz gives itself for the greatness of this night.

Stanza 34

I give my life for that Friday night of blessed Sha'ban,
the night on which Muhammad's (s) flower-bodied one was born;
the faith was established and the splendour of Islam increased;
that evening was the equal of the morning after the Night of Ascension.
Ask the full moon about the majesty and honour of the sun;
ask the Night of Power what worth that night had.

Stanza 35

That moonlight, and the stars scattering pearls,
by which the eyes of men were lit;
that singing of Rizwan, those smiles of the houris,
that laughing talk of the angels among themselves;
Michael was blossoming with joy;
as for Gabriel, he could not contain himself for joy.

Stanza 36

Every lane and market of Medina was alight;
every road was fragrance, every quarter a rose garden;
the deer of night had opened its musk-pod of Tartary;
it seemed as though there were heaps of flowers.
Even the sky envied the adornment of the earth;
into every house came the breeze of highest paradise.

Stanza 37

What a night it was, fortunate, auspicious and great!
The face of the mercy of the One we worship was turned toward the world;
Gabriel and Israfeel had not a moment's rest;
together they came down to the earth and went back up.
The people of Yasrib were heedless of themselves and of their houses;
all of them heard the sound of the angels' wings.

Stanza 38

Here Fatima was restless with the pains of labour;
her face was pale, and tears flowed from her wet eyes.
Since all comfort depended on that lady's life,
Ali was distraught at the pain of the Prophet's (s) daughter;
the King who broke the fortress had not a moment's rest;
he walked about holding Hasan (a) to his breast.

Stanza 39

The King of Yasrib and Batha was praying,
"Your holy Self is merciful, my Master;
Zahra is Your handmaid, and my child is Your servant;
O Lord God, make Zahra's ordeal easy;
she is poor, hungry, sorrowful and grieving;
she has no mother beside her to comfort her."

Stanza 40

Suddenly the door of the chamber became a dawning-place of lights;
the doors and walls began to show the light of God's manifestation;
Asma ran at once and said to Ali,
"Blessings on your son, O Haidar-e-Karrar!
Burn rue over Fatima's moon-browed child;
this is no son: it is the moon come down to earth."

Stanza 41

Never has so lovely a face been seen;
the King's whole likeness is drawn from Muhammad (s);
on his forehead shines the star of majesty;
Allah has sent down a wondrous moon into this house.
They are looking at the very image of the Arabian Messenger (s);
the movement of his eyes is as if the Prophet were looking.

Stanza 42

The moment Ahmad (s), the Chosen One, heard this glad news,
the qibla of the world fell down in a prostration of thanks;
glad and joyful, he came toward Zahra's house
and said, "Blessed be your son, O second Mary!
Show me the face of the light of my eyes;
he is a piece of the heart of Muhammad's (s) child."

Stanza 43

Asma said, "O chosen one of the Sovereign,
let me bathe him, and then I will bring him out of the chamber."
Ahmad (s), the Chosen One, said with a smile,
"Bring him; my grandson is pure and most pure;
this moon has been made the crown on the head of the heavens;
he is the one whom God Himself has made pure.

Stanza 44

"I am from him and he is from me; he is no stranger to me;
he is the divine light; he is good and pure;
the secrets that are hidden will now be made plain;
he is a sign of faith; he is a clear proof;
he will step forward to help the Master of Laulak;
it is he who will settle the matter of the unbelievers."

Stanza 45

When the truthful bearer of news had said this,
Asma brought the child on a soft piece of cloth;
when Muhammad (s) caught the scent of that fresh flower,
he began to smile, and a flush came over his radiant face;
when the Arabian Messenger (s) saw that moon-like face,
the Prophet (s) clasped his grandson to his breast.

Stanza 46

Life came back to him, as to Jacob (a) when he found Joseph (a);
he set the child on the lectern of his knees, as one sets the Quran;
great love welled up, and he pressed his face to the child's face;
he kissed him, and pressed his hands to his own eyes.
His heart shook when he looked at the chest and the head;
when he kissed the throat, a sword ran through his heart.

Stanza 47

A surge of weeping rose in him, but holding back his tears
he recited the call to prayer in one ear and the iqama in the other.
He said to Haidar, "O King of divine guardianship,
have you too seen my son's face?
The house is full of light: you have been given such a moon;
no one in the world has ever had such a son.

Stanza 48

"How could it be otherwise, with a father like you and a mother like Fatima?
Of these two, the sun and the moon, he is the one shining star."
Haidar replied, "O qibla of faith,
may God keep over him the shadow of the glorious Prophet!
Higher than all is the station of the King of the faith;
I am a servant, and he too is a slave of the King of the faith.

Stanza 49

"All this blessing in the world comes from your breath;
the greenness of the world comes from this very cloud of grace;
by the bounty of your footsteps a head reaches up to the Throne;
slaves have their honour from the King of the nations;
none of this is owing to Zahra or to Ali;
all this greatness is because he is the Prophet's grandson."

Stanza 50

The King of Yasrib and Batha said with a smile,
"Brother, tell me, have you given your son a name?"
Haidar replied, "O exalted Master,
that I should go before the revered one: is that in my power?"
He said, "It rests with the Lord most high;
even I cannot go before God."

Stanza 51

At that very moment the auspicious Gabriel came down
and said, "Thus says the all-knowing Creator:
Zahra's flower-bodied child is most dear to Us;
O Seal of the Messengers, We have named him 'Husain'.
In beauty he is the chief of all the beautiful of the age;
if derived, the name comes from ihsan; it is the diminutive of Hasan.

Stanza 52

"The Ha signifies that he is the protector of the community;
all will take this Seen as the Seen of saadat, good fortune;
the Ya, for his greatness, is the verse of Ya Seen;
the Noon makes plain that he is the light of prophethood;
saved is he who takes this name […];
in beauty he exceeds Hasan by ten parts.

Stanza 53

"When We brought the two rivers of light together in one place,
then from them this rare pearl was born,
peerless in honour, unique in courage;
there will never be another boy of such beauty.
We know what is plain to no one;
the work We will take from him ends with him.

Stanza 54

"The Bountiful One has given him the riches of both worlds;
the courage He gave to Ali He has given to him;
He has granted him patience, He has given him honour;
and beyond all this He has given him His own love.
He is exalted, revered, honoured, a friend of God;
a guide, faithful, abstinent and generous."

Stanza 55

When the Master of destiny had finished telling of His favour,
Gabriel (a) came close and looked at the face of Shabbir (a);
with a 'Salli ala' he spoke thus to Muhammad (s):
"O King, this moon-faced child is plainly your very image;
since this is a visit of homage, we have bowed in salutation;
we have seen this light on the Throne as well.

Stanza 56

"From eternity the gaze of the mercy of the One we worship has rested on him;
even before Adam he was present on the Throne;
God's own Being is rich in bounty, grace and generosity;
he was the aim and purpose of the creation of the two worlds.
Strange oppression and exile are bound up with his name;
all weep, and all will weep, at his end.

Stanza 57

"This is why there is congratulation and condolence at this moment:
joy and grief are twins in the garden of creation.
The one whom the qibla of the world now holds to his breast
the most unjust will slaughter, for no crime or fault;
even if the Resurrection came, this calamity would not be turned aside;
the knife will be drawn across his blessed throat as he prostrates.

Stanza 58

"This cruelty will come to pass in Muharram, O King of high rank;
in that very month this moon will be hidden from sight;
on the tenth day, a Friday, at the hour of the afternoon prayer, alas,
the misguided will raise his pure head on a spear;
when the head has been cut off, they will do cruel things to the body;
the hooves of horses will be on his chest, broken in a hundred places."

Stanza 59

Muhammad cried out, "Brother, I am wounded to death!
Alas, brother, what news is this you have brought me?
My heart shook, as if a lance had pierced my breast;
my daughter will not survive when she hears of this;
there is no cure in the world for a wound of the heart;
how can I tell Zahra the news of her son's death?"

Stanza 60

When Fatima heard this grievous news,
in the rejoicing for the birth, mourning broke out;
that second Mary beat her head and cried,
"The knife has fallen on your daughter, O Master of the world!
The neck of this moon-like image beneath the dagger!
Alas, alas, my Shabbir's neck will be cut!

Stanza 61

"Alas, for days he will be given no water;
alas, he will bear the torment of a parched mouth;
all will become the mortal enemies of one lone soul;
alas, my beloved, my second Joseph!
His shirt, torn in a hundred places, will be his shroud;
his head will be on a spear, and his body in the dust.

Stanza 62

"He has come into the world to show his patience;
he has come into the world to leave it in such a way;
he has come into the world to people the wilderness;
he has come into the world to make his mother weep.
Would that I had not lost my heart to that moon-like face;
would that he had not been born in my house!

Stanza 63

"The world is dark to me at the news of this grief;
sighs rise from my heart like flames;
blood drips onto my lap from my wet eyes;
today joy has departed from my house.
As long as I live I shall remain in mourning;
from today I shall call him 'the wronged Husain'.

Stanza 64

"Your daughter did not know, O King of the world,
that a mourning assembly would be laid out in the lying-in chamber;
now the day of the sixth-day feast is for me the Ashura of Muharram;
I had not yet even seen the stars when the sky of grief fell on me.
I shall not change my clothes nor wash my hair, father;
through my forty days I shall weep as at a fortieth-day mourning, father.

Stanza 65

"Where is Haidar? He does not come to comfort me;
Zahra is in a sorry state, and he does not console her;
he does not tell me the salve for this wound;
alas, he does not offer me condolence for my son.
Why does he sit apart in his chamber, leaving the house?
I hear his voice: he is weeping for his son."

Stanza 66

Then, looking at her son's face, she cried,
"O my martyr, O my forsaken one, I would give myself for you!
Yes, after I am gone, the people of the Fire will slaughter you;
from this moment I become your mourner;
my heart will be taken up with nothing else;
from today my weeping will never cease.

Stanza 67

"You will die with a parched mouth, alas, Husain!
This body will be cut to pieces, alas, Husain!
Such pain and sorrow upon one life, alas, Husain!
No one will give you a shroud, alas, Husain!
The cruel ones will not bury your body, broken in a hundred places, alas!
They will trample your corpse under their horses, alas!"

Stanza 68

Muhammad (s) said, "O Fatima Zahra,
what can a servant do against the will of the One he worships?
The Creator has given him this highest rank,
which no one but Gabriel knows;
I too would give my life for him, for he is the Lord's ransom;
this son of yours is the means of the community's forgiveness.

Stanza 69

"If what grieves you, O soul of the Prophet (s), is this,
that your darling will lie on the field unburied and unshrouded:
when the distressed Abid is freed from captivity,
he himself will come and lay him in his grave;
the spirits of the messengers of every age will weep for him;
a sister such as Zainab will beat her head and weep for him.

Stanza 70

"When the new moon of Muharram appears in the sky,
in every house an assembly of mourning will be held;
angels will come down together from the Throne to weep there;
this mourning is a mourning that will never grow less;
his house of mourning will always be full of light;
even the world-circling sun will be a moth to it."

Stanza 71

What height, what rank this assembly of mourning has!
From the Throne down to the earth rings the cry of 'Salli ala';
highest paradise longs for the air of this place;
even the water here has the taste of the water of life.
This is the exalted court of the friend of God, son of the friend of God;
all this bounty flows from Husain, son of Ali.

Stanza 72

Now, from here on, it is the telling of the mourning assembly;
that season of joy is over: now it is the telling of grief,
the telling of the wrongs done to the Sultan of both worlds,
the telling of the tumult of Ashura in Muharram.
Come, let whoever longs to see the army of God look now:
see, in this assembly the album of the martyrs is opened.

Stanza 73

O Khizr of the wilderness of poetry, be my guide;
O shining star of wisdom, show your light;
O pain, grant me the delight of a wound in the heart;
O fear of God, free me from sin;
may I be written among the servants of the eternal Imam;
may I be set free for the sake of Husain, son of Ali.

Stanza 74

Even an angel has no admittance: whose court is this?
Paradise envies it: whose rose garden is this?
All the wares are intercession: whose market is this?
Joseph (a) himself is sold here: whose buyer is this?
Where else are such fine goods to be had for nothing?
The stars have never seen such a gathering.

Stanza 75

How splendid the light of this assembly! How blessed this noble gathering!
There is no place empty of Haidar's lovers;
all are lovers of him who is lord of both worlds:
Twelvers, devotees of the Panjtan, zealous Shias.
Why should the heavens not be astonished? It is a wondrous display:
today this assembly of mourning is full of stars.

Stanza 76

Among them, the old are the guests of the Prophet;
those of middle years are the guests of Haidar;
the young are the guests of Ali Akbar;
the sons of the Shias are all the guests of Ali Asghar.
Every one, young and old, is a lover of the King of Medina;
like the five fingers, they all belong to the Panjtan.

Stanza 77

The Prophet (s) declares, "They are my helpers."
Haidar says, "They share my sorrow."
The revered one says, "They are my mourners;
I seek them, and they seek me;
if today they weep and remember us,
we will help them in the grave.

Stanza 78

"They all cry out in grief for my children;
may Allah keep these people's children safe;
may the dwelling of my Shias stay peopled in the world;
on the Day of Resurrection may they be free from the fire of hell.
If any of them dies, I too weep;
I too pray for their forgiveness."

Stanza 79

For everyone this lamenting is a duty binding on each;
weeping alone is the means to our intercession.
Obedience to the Creator is performed at appointed times;
this good deed is one that goes on at every hour.
Weep now, for this hour and this company will not come again;
once the eye has closed, there will be no more time.

Stanza 80

If death grants you time, count it a gain;
be ready to weep, and count it good fortune;
if tears come, count it worship;
if you suffer discomfort in the assembly, count it ease.
He went hungry in the sun, his lips parched with thirst:
what cruelties your Master has borne for you!

Stanza 81

Here there is no real hardship: there is shade, there is a breeze;
the water is cool, and the morning breeze waves the fan.
Have you heard anything of the heat of Ashura?
It is the time to beat our heads, the hour of weeping.
Such heat passed over the King of the faith in the wilderness
that even a grain that fell on the ground was roasted.

Stanza 82

Such a hot wind blew that the trees were scorched;
the earthly element seemed to be the sphere of fire;
wild beasts and animals fell over one another at the water again and again;
all creatures had their fill of water, but the King of the righteous was thirsty.
The dust rose and settled on his locks and on his robe;
in that sun there was not even shade over the light of God.

Stanza 83

The drops of sweat that fell again and again
seemed to be wandering stars;
the pallor of his cheeks bore witness to the pain of hunger;
his pearl-scattering ruby lips had turned blue for want of water.
In this world they longed in vain for running water,
the lips that had kissed the tongue of Muhammad (s).

Stanza 84

The world too is a strange house, in which there is no rest:
a rose, but a rose with no scent of love;
a friend, but a friend in whom there is no kindness;
honey, but honey in which there is no sweetness.
No evening of the exiles has passed without pain and grief;
no one's life in this world has ever passed unchanging.

Stanza 85

Now it is a mother's lap, now the embrace of the grave;
those clad in rose-coloured robes are often seen in shrouds;
now a man is busy in talk, now he is silent;
now there is a throne, and now a bier upon the shoulders.
No one, young or old, has been seen to stay in one state:
at night they lie in a canopied bed, and by day in a coffin.

Stanza 86

Be it joy or sorrow, be it ease or oppression,
in this world a man's life goes by in every way;
now it is a season of mourning, now a time of pleasure;
if you consider, it is an album of joy and mourning.
On what garden does the blight of autumn not fall?
What flower blooms that does not wither?

Stanza 87

Strange are the mornings and the evenings of this passing world:
now grief, now joy, now pain, now ease.
Fatima Zahra's flower-bodied son, raised with every tenderness:
alas for the grief and the pain, that such a beginning had such an end!
He found no rest from the turmoil of his household until the tenth;
the wronged one went hungry from the seventh to the tenth.

Stanza 88

On the sands, this album of kinsmen lies in disarray;
the King's plight is such that I stand stunned before the picture:
neither the sons of Muslim nor the darlings of his sister remain;
there is no Qasim, no Abbas, no Akbar, no Asghar.
All have gone as offerings to the court of the Prophet;
the King of the faith has gone alone into the tent to take his leave.

Stanza 89

He wishes to see his sister's face once more;
love for Sakina has drawn him back into the tent;
he tells Sajjad something of the secrets of the imamate;
and he takes his last leave of the Lady of both worlds as well.
He asks that an old garment be put on his body,
so that after his martyrdom it may serve as his shroud.

Stanza 90

That coming of the traveller into the tent was a calamity;
clasping each one to his breast was a calamity;
his coming was a mercy, but this going was a calamity;
that brief hour of farewell was a calamity.
There, lamentation; here, words of patience and endurance:
the talk of brother and sister was a tale of mourning.

Stanza 91

The revered one would say, "Sister, be patient, be patient;
for the sake of the community our mother endured oppression."
And she would say, "How can I not weep like a cloud?
You put on a shroud, and alas, it is not my grave that is made!
Am I to see with these eyes our mother's house plundered?
Alas, with what eyes shall I see you beneath the dagger?

Stanza 92

"Have I borne few soul-wearing sorrows in this life?
I shed tears from my eyes on our mother's bier;
my tears had not stopped when our father was bathed in blood;
the pieces of Shabbar's heart were seen in the basin.
Apart from your revered self, I have no one left over me, brother;
I am human; my heart is not a stone, brother.

Stanza 93

"Everyone, it is true, must journey out of this world;
a traveller can hardly stay a moment;
with these eyes I have seen my elders pass away;
but beyond all else, alas, is this death of the wronged.
I would give my life for you! Never have I seen a battle fall out like this;
never have I seen a full house laid waste in a single day.

Stanza 94

"Alas, where can I take you and hide, brother?
The earnings of my four elders are being plundered;
into what turbulent wilderness has fate brought me!
O Lord, would that the daughter of the Hand of God might die,
so that Zahra's son might weep for me at the parting;
I have wept for all the others; let this brother weep for me."

Stanza 95

That lamenting of Zainab, that sobbing of Sakina,
that pounding of the heart in that little breast,
that moon-like face, and that glinting of the earring,
that despairing gaze of the revered one toward his daughter!
His longing made it plain that he was helpless, little lady;
his eyes showed that he was powerless, little lady.

Stanza 96

She would say, "Father, hold me to your breast,"
and the King would say, "Come, life of your father, come;
it grieves me; come, do not shed tears from your eyes;
just let me breathe the fragrance of your musky locks.
He is at Kausar, and without you your uncle has no rest;
I am going: have you any message for your uncle?

Stanza 97

"Little lady, tell me, how is your mother now?
In what corner does she sit? Where does she weep?
Since Akbar rode away toward paradise
I have not seen her in the tent, though I came many times.
All her love for everyone lasted only as long as her son lived;
will she not come to me even for the last farewell?

Stanza 98

"Where is she? Let her send for me, or come herself;
soon she will not be able to find me, nor I her.
Let her hear something from me, and tell me something of how she is;
I am a traveller of a moment: let her at least come and see me.
After me this plundered house will suffer further;
alas, the companionship of a lifetime ends today."

Stanza 99

When the distressed lady, in her swoon, heard this speech,
it was certain that the revered Shabbir was going to his death;
she rose bareheaded and left the cradle of the milkless child,
and cried, "I was not in my senses, O grieving King;
my life will leave my body in a moment now, master;
this servant of yours comes to bid you farewell, master."

Stanza 100

Hearing this, the fortunate King came forward a few steps;
she ran, her hair unbound, and fell at his feet.
The qibla of the world too was in a strange state at that moment:
he wept terribly, holding a kerchief to his eyes,
and said, "The pain of parting wears away the soul;
rise, I adjure you by the soul of Ali Akbar."

Stanza 101

She would say, "How can I rise, O my crown?
My master, it is by these very feet that I have my kingdom;
if the son of the Master of the Ascension is no longer over me,
I shall go among people begging for a veil;
if I lose these feet, my rank will fall;
I would give my life for you: my throne will be overturned.

Stanza 102

"I came here when the house of Kisra was laid waste;
I remember the torment of that first captivity;
the Untier of the knots of both worlds came to my aid;
through the revered one's grace I was freed from captivity;
I was a slave girl; I became the daughter-in-law of Zahra and Ali;
fortune seated me on the cushion of the Prophet (s).

Stanza 103

"For twenty-six years I was never parted from your side;
now separation is my fate, O Sayyid of gentle nature.
The arm that all night long was the pillow of your holy head,
alas, the cruel ones will now bind it with a rope;
if there is no veil on my head, I shall die, my lord;
where in this wilderness shall I go to hide, my lord?"

Stanza 104

The revered one said, "Whose companionship has lasted for ever?
Every lover and beloved has borne this wound;
the Sovereign has called this abode the abode of trials;
from every eye the heart's blood has flowed in this grief.
Strange was the state of the Creator's friend in separation:
Zahra and Ali were together for eight years.

Stanza 105

"Those who lived in love in this house for a hundred years
death parted in a single moment;
there is no remedy against death, O gentle lady;
heaven cannot bear that two should stay in one place.
On whom has time not been cruel, my lady?
Never has it kept faith with the good, my lady.

Stanza 106

"A human being must ask God for good;
He alone will hold up a widow's house in its ruin;
you too must come to the place where I am going;
one does not beat one's head at parting from one's protector.
He will untie the rope from your bound hands;
you have a son like Sajjad, a grown man, with you.

Stanza 107

"Look at Zainab: in what sorrow she is caught!
No one in this house is so friendless and helpless;
she is alone, for her two moon-like darlings are lifeless;
a comforter like the ill-fated Akbar has left the world;
her sons are gone, and the one she raised in her lap is gone too;
she has no one even to ask after her."

Stanza 108

Saying this, he whispered something in his son's ear;
the sick one's weeping raised a storm of grief in the tent;
the world grew dark in Bano's eyes;
Zainab fainted, such pain rose in her heart.
He could not stay there; the noble King came out;
alone he had gone in, and alone, weeping, he came out.

Stanza 109

Reciting something, the helpless King turned toward the qibla;
he bent his radiant neck toward his right shoulder,
and, laying his turban on his trembling hands,
he prayed to God: "O Creator Most Great,
great in the world is the honour of Your beloved;
have mercy, for his family has fallen into ruin.

Stanza 110

"O Lord, this house of the Sayyids is in Your keeping;
the many broken-hearted widows are in Your keeping;
the sick son of this friendless one is in Your keeping;
all these pearls of Your ocean are in Your keeping.
Such is my state: in exile I am caught in calamity;
I am leaving them under Your protection.

Stanza 111

"They are not mine; they are Your servants, O my Creator;
in a town or in the wilderness, You alone are their guardian and provider;
the hypocrites have girded themselves for cruelty and oppression;
the world is no friend, nor is the age on our side.
The honour of the eternal Imam is in Your hands;
in this house are two daughters and two daughters-in-law of Ali.

Stanza 112

"I do not say that they should suffer no torment,
or that the people of cruelty should not burn the tents with fire;
let the women of honour be plundered and taken captive and go to Syria;
let them not find time even to weep over my body;
let Abid's feet be in fetters and his neck in an iron collar,
if in this lies the good of Your beloved's community."

Stanza 113

Saying this, he tore open the collar of his blessed shirt
and threw some dust on his radiant robe;
Shabbir became as one dead; his garment became a shroud;
with a grieving heart he recited the Fatiha for their well-being.
He did not turn back to look at any friend or comforter;
when he came near, he saw that his horse was weeping.

Stanza 114

Gathering up his robe, he called to Ali Akbar,
"Hold my horse's stirrup, my dear one;
piece of Shabbir's heart, where have you gone at this hour?
Where is my brother, to give me his hand?
Muslim's darlings do not come: where are they?
Where are my sister's two sons?"

Stanza 115

In his loneliness the revered one called on each of them;
but who could come? The whole caravan was in paradise.
The darling of the Lion of God mounted his horse himself;
the star of the heavens of the imamate rose high.
In its spirit the horse would hardly set its hooves on the ground;
a cry went up that the pole of the age was riding to the highest heaven.

Stanza 116

The steed showed a wondrous pride in its prancing;
at every step it showed the gait of a peacock;
its trappings showed a wondrous God-given beauty;
its saddle-straps showed the height of a wing in flight.
One hoof was on the dust, and one on the highest heaven;
a cry went up that Buraq had come down to earth again today.

Stanza 117

These words of wonder were on the enemies' tongues;
the revered one, poising his sword, was reciting this battle-song:
"Look, do not destroy me, O pitiless band;
I am the image of the Joseph of the Canaan of prophethood.
By Allah, this is no boast; it is a word of truth:
in the album of the world, Husain is a page apart.

Stanza 118

"By Allah, there is no one my equal in the world;
I am in need, yet no one is as rich as I;
yes, apart from me there is no intercessor on the Day of Gathering;
there are others enough, but no other grandson of the Prophet.
If anyone lays claim to miracles, the claim is false;
what is there in the world that anyone can take pride in?

Stanza 119

"We are those to whom Allah gave Kausar;
He gave us the crown of the lordship of paradise;
He gave us Ali's fortune and the Prophet's character;
He gave us power, strength and gold.
We are light; our house is the Sinai of divine radiance;
the throne of David's son is our prayer mat.

Stanza 120

"My grandfather is he whose feet are the crown of the Throne,
whose station was two bows' length, the Seal of the Messengers, the Master of the Ascension;
my mother is one whose intercession all must seek;
my father is he who laid waste the houses of idols.
If Haidar, the breaker of ranks, had not gone out to fight,
the idols would never have come out of the house of God.

Stanza 121

"In what battle did he not make his breast a shield?
What hard stage did he not overcome?
What army's ranks did he not overturn?
What night was there that he did not bring to dawn?
Who was there who did not accept the faith beneath his sword?
He brought back the head of any man who would not accept Islam.

Stanza 122

"The idols were not few, nor were the unbelievers;
who had the strength to break Uzza with a kick?
The idolaters bowed down and folded their hands in entreaty,
but Haidar, the breaker of ranks, left none of those idols unbroken.
By the Creator's grace he made the Kaaba clean;
the Lion of God came out of the sanctuary having given the call to prayer.

Stanza 123

"In this age it is we who own this very sword;
we are the valiant son of Haidar-e-Karrar;
we are the child of so great a lord of the world as Muhammad (s);
we are the heirs of the court of the King of Laulak.
They took nothing with them but their shrouds;
they have handed down to us even the Ark of Sakina.

Stanza 124

"This is the head, this the turban, of the chief of the age;
this is Ali's sword, this Hasan's belt;
this is David's coat of mail that guards my body;
this is the shirt of the Joseph of the Canaan of trials.
Let me show the warrant from the hand of the Arabian Messenger (s):
this is Solomon's seal, this is the Prophet's ring.

Stanza 125

"Look, whose sword is this, what valiant warrior's?
In what lion's grip is the sword of the Karrar?
Even the river has never seen a sword with such an edge;
it is the lightning of lightning, the sword of swords.
It is not a cutting edge but the wrath and fury of Allah;
they call it the home of death, not a blade.

Stanza 126

"It has no flow that stops somewhere to take breath;
it moves most lightly; there is no heaviness in it;
it bears no mark but the word of victory;
you will all be burned: it is fire, there is no water in it.
It will not leave alive anyone who is an enemy of the faith;
those are not its gleams: it is Death, frowning in anger.

Stanza 127

"All others are drops; if there are rivers of bounty, it is we;
if any know every point of the Quran, it is we;
if there is a treasure that God Himself has gathered, it is we;
if any are the most excellent, it is we; if any are learned and wise, it is we.
On the Throne our daily practice was teaching the angels;
a teacher like Gabriel is our pupil.

Stanza 128

"Had it not been for the bounty of the coming of the King of Laulak,
there would be no dome of the heavens above the earth;
in the layers of the earth there would be nothing but dust;
had we not purified the world, it would not be pure.
Where was this sound of the call to prayer, morning and evening?
When we were on the Throne, where was this Islam?

Stanza 129

"Evil done to a benefactor: is this the return for kindness? Bravo!
You have become well-wishers of the enemy and ill-wishers of the friend;
do not block my way at the prompting of the misguided;
even now, for Allah's sake, let the traveller go.
In a moment there will be safety from grief and calamity:
I shall escape slaughter, and you the wrath of God.

Stanza 130

"I shall not make my home or shelter in any town;
I shall not even think of going to Yasrib;
I am patient; I shall never complain of anyone;
I shall never so much as mention this cruelty.
My weeping will not cease, for I am hidden away from my loved ones;
whoever asks, I shall say that I was plundered in the wilderness."

Stanza 131

The enemies said, "We do not fear the wrath of God;
we are people of the Fire; we do not fear the torments of hell;
we do not fear the complaint of the Messenger (s) of both worlds;
we do not fear the weeping of the Lady of the Resurrection.
We are on whichever side the wealth of the world is;
we have nothing to do with Allah: we are slaves of gold."

Stanza 132

The revered one said, "So be it: ranks, be on your guard;
the wrath of Allah is coming: take heed, you ranks;
like lightning I shall pass through the ranks again and again;
when are the people of the Panjtan held back by a few ranks?
You have seen my ways in exile; now see me in war;
come, if you are slaves of gold, then see my blow."

Stanza 133

Here the curved sword left its corner of seclusion;
there every arrow, in fear, left the bowstring;
with what fury the image of death left its home!
The ranks of the pitiless army left the riverbank.
The phoenix of victory came out, opening the door of triumph;
the falcon of death came out, poising its wings for the prey.

Stanza 134

The new moon came out from the cloud and shone;
a single candle flame showed two heads in the air;
the racing of the horse made the lightning writhe;
the sword's gleam took aim at the shield of the sun.
The enemies began to hide their heads behind their shields;
Gabriel, alarmed, raised his wings high.

Stanza 135

When that calamity came down from on high,
the settlement of the oppressors was wiped out in a moment;
when the two-handed sword began to work single-handed,
it seemed the whole city of unbelief had been plundered.
Allah broke their strength at every blow;
the ranks broke as the idols broke under the Lion of God.

Stanza 136

When, falling like lightning, it came out through the ranks of the unbelievers,
from the ringing of the sword came the cry, "Strike!"
now it sank into a shield, now it came out through a sword;
when it pierced an arrowhead, it came out at the notch.
The doors of peace and safety were shut on the wrongdoers;
even the bowstrings hid themselves in the corners of the bows.

Stanza 137

Now it flashed in the heavens, now it came down on a head;
now it flashed on a coat of mail, now it came down on a shield;
now it fell on a breast, now it came down on a heart;
now it quivered on a flank, now it came down on a waist.
When it had cut its way through, what then of the horse?
Whatever cutting was left over was the horse's share.

Stanza 138

Wherever it went, moving without feet in his hand,
a river of blood came boiling up there;
in a moment it came on, changing a hundred colours;
drinking blood, it came on spitting out rubies.
Its body was diamond, its colour greener than emerald;
do not call them its markings: its belly was full of jewels.

Stanza 139

In battle it was fitting to call it fairy-faced;
it became a beloved when it put on red clothes;
for all its eminence, it kept its head bowed;
its markings were a bride's ornaments of flowers.
Its blade had the scent of the apples of the garden of paradise;
it stayed at the side of a bridegroom like Shabbir.

Stanza 140

Though the wave beat its head, it could not match its flow;
even the current of the Red Sea could not match its water;
the lightning's flash could not match its scattering of flame;
the dagger's tongue could not match its cutting speech.
Its heat was worse than the tongues of hell;
it was a lance, a dagger, a Sirohi blade, a knife.

Stanza 141

It was present in every throng, and apart from all;
it had vigour and allure, polish and grace;
at a single ford it was fire and water and air;
it was nectar and poison, the Messiah and death.
How full of mettle it was! What wondrous capacity it had!
Wherever each was called for, there it was spent.

Stanza 142

Its blade sent flying the bosses of every shield;
from eternity it had held sway over the rebel army;
Death itself took fright whenever it saw its face;
its sway was like a fortress of mirrored plate.
It went in by this door and, opening that one, came out;
now it settled in the breast, now it came out again.

Stanza 143

It went at the spears from the side of the lancers;
it reached the archers from the side of the blades;
then it came back from the side of the cavalry troops;
from the side of the shields it turned its face toward the swords.
The whole roll of names and lineages was reviewed;
there were hundreds of thousands: what of it? It took the measure of them all.

Stanza 144

When it reached a shield it did not spare the wrist;
in every hand it left not one finger-joint whole;
it did not give up its playfulness, its mischief, its fighting,
nor its keenness, its harshness, its polish.
Everyone's limbs were being severed;
its tongue ran like scissors, and its taunts were fierce.

Stanza 145

Those in mirrored armour had no strength to fight;
their breasts were cut in pieces, their hearts split in two;
the mail-clad cried, "We have no strength to fight;
if we escape, we shall know we have been given life again."
They had heard that a coat of mail was a place of safety;
they did not know that it was the snare of death.

Stanza 146

They had forgotten their wickedness and the ways of battle;
the archers had forgotten how to shoot their arrows;
the treaty-breakers had forgotten all their trickery;
in their stupor they had forgotten the mouth of the quiver.
They did not know whether there was life in their bodies or not;
they cried out: was the bow in their grip or not?

Stanza 147

In fear the spearheads bowed their upright statures;
cowering, the bows bowed their heads in submission;
falling back, the young men on the field lowered their standards;
the banners fell again and again and bowed their heads to the dust.
There was a cry: "Mercy! O King of the age, give us refuge now!"
The pennants spread their skirts, begging, "Grant us safety!"

Stanza 148

The King said, "The river is in flood; it will not stop;
the slap of calamity in this wave will not be held back;
Zahra's darling will not stop without victory and triumph;
until Pharaoh is drowned, Moses (a) will not stop.
It is a sea of wrath; its name is the fury of the Eternal;
its ebb and flow will not stop until evening."

Stanza 149

He went at this rank and came out through the middle of that throng;
whatever army engaged him face to face, he trampled it and came through;
he came out of the crowd poising his two-pointed sword
as Ali came out after flinging open the gate of Khaibar.
If the world survived, it was because of the spirit of Muhammad (s);
had Shabbir not shown mercy, there would have been a disaster.

Stanza 150

He fought, but his mercy was greater than his anger;
if his courage was great, his kindness was no less;
like his grandfather, he cared most for the community;
he loved his slaves more than his sons.
He struck no one he saw turning away;
tears came to his eyes when he saw a man breathing his last.

Stanza 151

Having driven the enemies from the riverbank, he would say,
"Why have you abandoned the landing? Come and stop me;
is this how you entertain a traveller you have invited?
If I wished, I could go into the river and drink;
but in the river of patience I feel no thirst;
this water is poison now, for Abbas is no more.

Stanza 152

"I have not forgotten Akbar's parched mouth,
that moon-like face, that stature, that youth,
those dried lips, that wondrous eloquence;
showing his tongue, he begged for water in his death throes.
To whom can I tell how I have drunk my heart's blood?
After such a son, has any father lived on?"

Stanza 153

Saying this, he called to Sakina's water-carrier:
"Love has brought me back to you;
fighting, I have reached the riverbank;
Abbas, I am fainting from thirst;
press your lips to these dry lips;
if there is any water in the water-skin, give your brother a drink.

Stanza 154

"Why are you lying in the sand, hiding your face?
Rise: I have not brought Sakina here;
you are unheeding; how can your brother wake you?
It is the time of the afternoon prayer, O son of the Lion of God;
I shall be glad if you go forward bearing the standard;
will you not pray behind your brother today?"

Stanza 155

Saying these words, the brother began to weep for his brother;
the inventors of cruelty found respite from the sword;
the army that had left the field came back;
over the one who had thirsted two days, the cloud of Syria gathered.
Arrows rained down on the friend of God, son of the friend of God;
all of them fell upon Husain, son of Ali, alone.

Stanza 156

When the King wiped away his tears and looked at his breast,
from his chest to his sides it was all three-edged arrows;
the cruel ones struck him with swords from every side;
neither wrist nor shoulder nor arm was whole.
Fortune had turned against the King with the parched throat;
the heads of the lances were red with the Sayyid's blood.

Stanza 157

When those blessed hands were made useless by wounds,
the King laid his shield on the saddle-bow and put his sword in its sheath;
then the unbelievers came right up to the Kaaba of faith
and all at once began to strike the wronged one with swords.
The ranks of the army of cruelty surrounded the King
just as the idols once stood ranged around the Sanctuary.

Stanza 158

The arrows left no place on his forehead for prostration;
fate engraved many marks on a single gem;
the face of the qibla of faith was covered with wounds;
everywhere on that clear Quran were the lines of the sword.
On every part of his body were fragments of swords;
the whole volume of his body lay scattered in its thirty parts.

Stanza 159

Such was the state of the revered one; this was the state of his horse:
its face was wounded by swords, its body a sieve from the arrows;
its forehead was wounded, its mane drenched in blood;
gone was the fine set of its neck, its spirit and its gait.
With the rain of arrows that had fallen on it from every side,
it stood like a peacock in the sun with its feathers spread.

Stanza 160

When the King of the righteous, fainting, slumped over the saddle-bow,
the steed would turn its head and look toward its master;
the heartsick Shabbir would coax it and say,
"Now the battle is at an end, O faithful horse;
I shall dismount now; our companionship is over;
your legs no longer move, nor does my hand.

Stanza 161

"You are wounded; I can no longer bear to trouble you;
I am falling; I too have no strength to hold myself up;
how fine you have been! You have stood by me well;
the darling of the Hand of God has reached his journey's end.
The house in which you were raised will be plundered in a moment;
the companionship we have shared since childhood ends now.

Stanza 162

"The enemies surround me; I cannot get as far as the tents;
the strength I have lost I cannot regain now;
it is hard to keep my seat; I cannot make you run;
your flanks are wounded; I cannot spur you on.
Even a beast feels the pain of the torment of wounds;
I have known pain, and I feel the pain of all.

Stanza 163

"How can I hurt you, when your wounds are deep?
I have never once struck you with a whip."
When the horse heard all these words of pain,
two rivers of tears flowed from its eyes;
even the beast was moved by such kindness and grace;
turning, it laid its face on the noble King's feet.

Stanza 164

It shook its neck as if to say, "O Messiah, do not dismount;
there is still breath in me, my master; do not dismount;
the enemies stand around with swords; do not dismount;
the whole army is advancing, my Master; do not dismount.
Alas for the cruelty, that the lord of the high seat should sit in the dust!
I long to die before my saddle is emptied."

Stanza 165

The King said, "How long this love for a traveller?
You have done all that companionship requires;
tell me, what way is there to keep my seat?
There is no strength in my hands, my feet or my heart.
It is better that I dismount, or I shall reel and fall;
all my wounds will burst open if I faint and fall.

Stanza 166

"It is the hour of the afternoon prayer; it is fitting to dismount;
on this dust I must make a prostration of thanks;
though passing out of the world is a hard stage,
let my head be cut off in prostration, for such a death is good fortune.
In obedience to God one does not spare body or head;
I have the right to it, for it is my father's legacy."

Stanza 167

Saying these words, the lord of both worlds dismounted;
the gem fell from the ring; the saddle was empty.
In this sorrow there were no helpers, nor any of the Master's friends;
the noble King steadied himself, leaning on his sword.
All the clothes on his radiant body were soaked in blood;
he kept one hand resting on his horse's neck.

Stanza 168

Laying his face on its mane again and again, he said,
"Go to the threshold of the tents, O steed of the Master of the Ascension;
the cruel ones will slaughter me in a moment now;
tell Zainab to take care of Sakina
and to stay there until my head is severed from my body;
then take Bano wherever God commands."

Stanza 169

When, saying this, the son of the Lion of God moved away,
the son of Ashath shot an arrow into his forehead;
Zahra's cry shook both worlds;
the three-edged arrowhead came out at the back of his head.
He did not writhe: how great the patience of the Imam of both worlds!
The arrow's notch kissed the mark of his prostrations.

Stanza 170

The revered one had not yet drawn that arrow from his forehead
when the sword of the pitiless son of Malik struck his head;
when the sword of cruelty, having cut down to the brow, was raised again,
Shabbir held his head and simply sat down in the dust.
Seeing the blood of the Prophet's grandson, the angels cried out;
such was the state of Ali in the mosque of Kufa.

Stanza 171

When the helpless King knelt facing the qibla,
now he would sink forward in a faint, now he would raise his head;
he was in the remembrance of God when an arrow struck his mouth;
his pure lips, drowned in blood, became rubies.
The blood ran down to his blessed chin;
two pearls among his blessed teeth were broken.

Stanza 172

The son of Wahb struck at his side with a spear;
at the same time Zurara's sword fell on his shoulder;
the arrow of the son of Kamil passed right through his heart;
the axe of bloodthirsty Khooli sank into his arm.
The swords gave him no respite even for a few breaths;
his breath stopped when the spear of Sinan ibn Anas struck him.

Stanza 173

Trembling, the King of the righteous bowed in prostration to God;
at once the drums of victory sounded in the army;
the cruel son of Saad cried out in delight,
"O Khooli, O Shees, O valiant son of Dhul Jawshan,
the eternal Imam is finished now;
all together, cut off the head of Husain, son of Ali."

Stanza 174

The narrator writes that the Resurrection broke loose:
twelve inventors of cruelty came forward with daggers drawn;
a lady of the Prophet's line came out of the tent door bareheaded;
she had neither veil nor head-cloth, neither socks nor wrap.
The accursed cried out in fear, covering their eyes with their hands,
"Look, Fatima is coming to save her son!"

Stanza 175

The heavens shook when she beat her head with her hands;
the pearls in her ears flashed like lightning;
when Fizza put a head-cloth over her, she would say,
"I am a plaintiff; a wrap does not become one who cries for justice;
let me go bareheaded like this to the Prophet's tomb;
my veil has gone with Husain, son of Ali."

Stanza 176

Coming into that crowd, the frail lady cried out,
"O grandson of the Prophet, son of Ali, lover of the Creator,
the horse is riderless: where has its rider dismounted?
Brother, your sister has come to see you;
I shall die if I do not find you, revered one;
I shall not go back without seeing you."

Stanza 177

The King of the faith heard his sister's lament
at the very moment when his blessed throat was beneath the dagger;
he signed to Shimr and said, "O cruel Shimr,
Zainab has come out; wait a moment;
in the end I must depart from this abode of trials;
at least let the brother say a few words to his sister."

Stanza 178

Shimr turned his face away and drew back the dagger;
weeping, the King called out to Zainab,
"Sister, you torment your brother by coming into this tumult;
whom will you see? I am in the grip of death;
I cannot rise: swords have fallen on my body;
do not be afraid: Mother is standing at my side.

Stanza 179

"Go to the mourning mat and weep and lament;
do not let my darling Sakina come out of the tent;
Grandfather's cavalcade has arrived from paradise;
sister, you will not hear my voice again.
If you must weep, come and weep over my body;
stand aside, for my head is being cut off in prostration to God."

Stanza 180

Hearing this cry, the daughter of the Hand of God ran forward
and cried, "Brother, let me at least see your face!"
But alas, the sister could not reach her brother:
here the Sayyid's head was parted from his body.
She saw neither the killer, nor the neck, nor the sword;
when she arrived, she saw Shabbir's head on a spearpoint.

Stanza 181

Seeing her brother's head, the forsaken one cried,
"Your sister has suffered; I would give myself for your wrongs;
the dagger has cut all the veins of this neck;
you are dead: who will ask after us now?
The family of the Arabian Messenger is caught in calamity;
where are the daughters of Zahra and Ali to go now?

Stanza 182

"Alas, son of the Master of the Ascension, O Husain!
In a strange land the widows' kingdom has been plundered, O Husain!
It is as though Ali had been slain today, O Husain!
Alas, you are in need of a shroud and a grave, O Husain!
No one comes even to offer condolence for you;
no one even lifts your body from the ground.

Stanza 183

"Your sister would give her life for you, O my chief, my Sayyid,
slaughtered from the nape, slain by the dagger, my Sayyid,
O hungry, forsaken, helpless one, my Sayyid;
your head is in the killer's grip, my Sayyid.
You say nothing, nor do you call your sister;
with what despair you keep gazing at your sister!

Stanza 184

"Brother, I have no one, as you well know:
neither Ahmad, nor Zahra, nor Hasan, nor the Hand of God is here;
you were my great support, O Sayyid of high rank;
you have left me in the wilderness: what a calamity, alas!
Brother, you went without saying anything to me;
brother, you did not even see your sister safely to Najaf.

Stanza 185

"O my martyr, O my brother, born of my own mother,
by whom can your sister have your body lifted, brother?
How can my heart find rest, brother?
The killer did not even give you water, alas, brother!
No man ever does such cruelty to a man;
no one kills even a beast while it is thirsty."

Stanza 186

Be silent now, Anees, for the heart is restless in the breast;
the laments that Zainab made cannot be written.
Now pray to God: "O Creator of both worlds,
my enviers are many; grant my heart peace;
their enmity toward this man of no learning is groundless;
without a sword, they are being cut down by the sword of my tongue."