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