The Deathless Story of Karbala
From age to age, on Virtue's age,
Shall live the deathless story,
His loss remain the Martyr's gain,
His shame the Martyr's glory;
Till truth shall lie, and Honor die,
And time itself be hoary.
Arise Hussein, arise,
Chief of the Prophet's seed;
Fling broad thy banner to the skies,
And come with utmost speed,
Or ere the throne of the All-Wise
Usurped be by foul Yazid?
He's donned his armour bright,
His father's sword girt on;
The sword of Ali, as the might
Of the Destroyer's own:
And he is off ere morning light
Across the desert wide and lone,
Now, Kufa, keep thy word!
To the good cause be true;
Yazid has sent a giant horde
To march thy province through;
The hirelings of his father's hoard,
Who grace or mercy never knew?
They bore his god-like head aloft,
His mouth struck with their whips.
O mouth, that I have seen so oft,
A-teem with angel quips,
In baby-kisses, warm and soft,
Pressed to the Prophet's lips!?
O body, trampled, fouled, disdained,
Which charmed the gazer's eye,
The blood from out thy veins that drained
Was heaven's electuary;
No horses hooves were ever stained
In so divine a dye.
O barren plain of Karbala,
With herb, nor yet with sod
Be clad eternally; for ah!
There, overwhelmed, down-trod,
The holy son of Fatima
Gave up his soul to God!*
Notes:
L. 19. Kufa, or al-Kufa (Arabic al-Kufa), is a town on western bank of the Euphrates. It is now quite close to al-Najaf. Al- Kufa served as a seat of Imam Ali's government, hence a refuge and center for the Shiites. Just prior to the Karbala incident, several of its inhabitants wrote letters of invitation to Imam al-Hussein; however, most of them betrayed him and participated in the unbalanced war against him in Karbala.
Justice A. D. Russel
Taken from: Ashura poems in English Compiled by Muhammad Reza Fakhr Rohani
Other links:
The Night of Martyrdom
Hussein of Karbala
