Ashura Poems in English Explained and Annotated (volume 1)

H. Wells : Imam Husain

Pitched upon the scorching desert, The tent of Husain lay, Encompassed round with Satan's hounds Upon that black sad day. They numbered less than eighty strong, Women and children too, While Yazid's thousands stood around, Awaiting the fiend's might. Driven away from the cooling stream, His children waiting for water. Awaiting with patience extremely sublime Like sheep for the butcher's slaughter. Oh! How valiantly fought that pitiful few, Against Yazid's wild murderers, Fought with a courage unequalled in Time Fought with a fierceness that was surely Divine. The earth quaked and trembled as noon drew near. But still the survivors knew no fear But fewer grew that pitiful band, For Islam, God, and Husain they stand. At last, all were dead, the devil had won, Blood red sank down the merciless sun, Trampled and torn lay the gallant Husain,

For Islam, God, and the faithful were slain.* * Khurshed, ed., Imam Husain, 2nd ed., pp. 141-142.

41

Tabish Khair : Poem from Outside a Muharram Procession

The clash of arms, the clasp of armour (Ya Hassan, Ya Hussain): This is not sorrow, this is something else. This is defeat That's more than victory, this is The past that's passed by father to son As a trinket heirloom without price, This is the inheritance of pain. There they whirl, bleeding, bleeding (Ya Hassan, Ya Hussain) From wounds inflicted on other bodies And in another century. This is not war, this is women wailing After the battle is over, after The head is severed, mitred on a lance. This is the knowledge of death Passed on from mother to daughter (Ya Hassan, Ya Hussain). This is not religion, this Is the exchange of unwrapped

Presents. This is a young boy feeling With his father's heart, this is A pony-tailed girl speaking With the voice of her mother. This is not anger, not even passion: (Ya Hassan, Ya Hussain) This is dancing with the wound of time. This is my studied failure to feel.* 25 * Khair, Where Parallel Lines Meet, pp. 9-10. L. 2. ?Ya", an Arabic vocative or attention-getter, almost equivalent to English O, Oh, or Lo. Imam al- Hassan, here mentioned as Hassan, was Imam al- Hussain's elder brother.

43

Anonymous : On the Morn of Muharram

Wake up my friends; for the morn of Qiama has arrived It is the month of Muharram The crescent of grief has appeared The month of mourning has arrived Muharram is the month of tears Muharram is the month of blood Bodies are shredded And the desert is a garden of blood The crescent of grief has appeared The month of mourning has arrived The creation is sad and in mourning It is the month: When Husain was martyred When the eyes of 'Ali shed blood The crescent of grief has appeared The month of mourning has arrived Husain sacrificed for thee path of Islam His head is on the spear His body is on the ground The crescent of grief has appeared The month of mourning has arrived The arms of 'Abbas were cut in this month The three-edged arrow settled in the parched throat of little Asghar

The crescent of grief has appeared The month of mourning has arrived Zainab will hug the dust of thee dungeon in this month Thee innocent face of Sakina will be Bruised in this month The crescent of grief has appeared The month of mourning has arrived.* 30

L. 2. ?Qiama? (correct form qi?mah) means the Resurrection Day.

L. 15. ?'Ali? refers to Imam ?Al?, the first Infallible Imam.

L. 23. ?'Abbas? refers to ?Abb?s b. ?Al?, Imam Husain's step- brother, who was martyred at the Karbala Battle on Ashura. L. 25. ?Asghar? refers to ?Al? al-Asghar, Imam Husain's six month baby.

L. 28. ?Zainab? was Imam Husain's sister.

L. 29. ?Sakina? was Imam Husain's beloved daughter.

45

Farah Yeganeh : A Shaped Elegy for Karbala

Where do you reside now? Where you reside? Where you? Where? Where have the rainbows perished to?5 Where rainbows perished? Where rainbows? Where? Why does the city look so dark? Why city dark?10 Why dark? Why? I've lost the orange and the violet of the rainbow. Orange and violet of rainbow. Lost rainbow. Lost. What should be done with the silent confusion? What with silent confusion? With silent confusion? What?20 I used to stand under the big tall tree. Stand under big tall tree. Stand under tree. Stand. And wonder at the magic of the colors.25 Wonder at magic of colors. Magic of colors. 46

Magic. What have they done to the echoes? What done to echoes?30 What to echoes? What? Have they eventually dissolved in nothingness? Eventually dissolved in nothingness? Dissolved in nothingness?35 Nothingness?* *Ms. Farah Yeganeh herself contributed this poem to this volume.

47