Mir Anis Poems ( Translated in english)

Monday, October 6, 2008

Elegies from Mir Anis
These are some of the translated poems of the urdu poet Mir Anis, the famous marsiya-nigaar (the style of urdu poetry dedicated to martyrs of Karbala).

------------Arrival of Hussain in kerbala
Like the full moon come to earth
Husain advanced towards his steed
Ali’s angelic breed around him like a cluster of stars
Tresses streaming in the wind,
Hand in hand,
Heads held high,
The gallant lads walked in majesty and pride.
Suddenly the desert became dark as the night,
Battle drums boomed across the sands,
The earth shook under the horses hooves,
The enemy had reached the river’s edge
Each one like a dreadful orge.
Said abbas to his men, “go ask them what they want”
Tell them : “Take care, remember, the daughters of the prophet rest inside these tents.”
They answered : “We ‘ve come to block your access to the river.
To night General shimr shall cross the marsh
At this Abbas roared, the lion in the vale,
Raised his eyebrows, looked at the hilt of his sword---
No less in might than Ali’s scimitar---
And charged
As a tiger springing from his lair.

-------Hussain’s farewell to his daughter Sakina
This world is a play of shadow and light,
Of joys and greif,
Of sunrise and dusk,
The end of every beginning never is the same
Little lass, once you laid your head in my lap,
Now don’t be stubborn, don’t you sleep on the dust,
My elfin child.

----------Hussain rides his brave steed
He bent his forelegs and knelt down
To let his hallowed master mount,
Who sat erect in his saddle
Like a jewel set in a glowing crown,
From east to west rose the cry, Hail, Hail, Hail !
The shouts of hosanna echoed thro’ hill and dale,
The horse turned into flash of lightning.
The Lady Moon opened her parasol of rays,
The dawn wind came running with the scent of paradise,
Flowers of the desert sprinkled their pollen-gold,
Hussain, the Imam, is the son of the Imam,
His shield and sword carry salvation’s grace,
The worlds shall perish if he is enraged.

----------------------------Abbas’s charger
Famished and thirsty for two nights and days,
The dumb creature looked the twinkling river and neighed,
His muscles quivered and twitched as Abbas stroked his proud and fiery mane,
But the sound of rippling water made him restive again,
And he turned his head and looked at his rider.

-------------The morning of the martyrdom
The Lord of faith had prayed all night,
At daybreak he said to Akbar, his son,
“The morning of murder is come, arise.
Call out for prayer, the night is done.”
The lord’s beloved then called the faithful to prayer,
And the people recalled the prophets own voice.
In the forest of terror the trees in ecstacy swayed.
As the nightingale of truth sang out in the glade.

Sarojini Naidu's Poem on Karbala

Here's a poem by MIss Sarojini Naidu on the subject of karbala
Night of the martyrdom

Black-robed bare-footed, with dim eyes that rain.

wild tears in memory of thy woeful plight

And hands that in blind, rhythmic anguish smite

Their blood-stained bosoms, to sad refrain

From the old haunting legion of thy pain,

Thy votaries mourn thee through the tragic night

with mystic dirge and melancholy rite

crying to thee Husain ! Ya Husain !

Why do thy myriad lovers so lament ?

Sweet saint is not thy matchless martyrhood

The living banner and brave covenant

Of the high creed thy prophet did proclaim

Bequeathing for the world's beatitude

Thy enduring loveliness of Allah's Name!


--Mrs. Sarojini Naidu

What is Karbala---a brief summary

The event of Karbala is such that it demands the attention of the philosopher, the physician, and the historian alike. In Islam, there is no event greater in religious and social significance than this. The learned know that it is closely related to social, religious, and political thought alike. All individuals whatever there station in life, are concerned with this in their affairs of everyday life. Being a man and not have the qualities of man, does not entitle one to be called a man. God has granted two lives to the human being, one the apparent which consists of the body, and the other hidden in which the organs of morality play a part. The organs of morality themselves are of two kinds, one true, and the other false. The true are those without which man would be like an animal, while the false ones are not so effective because they degenerate the man. The study of the event of Karbala shows that it was morally a great lesson. The true morals are tolerance, kindness, forgiveness, love, generosity, faithfulness, and eschewing in justice. The false ones are miserliness, cruelty, injustice, greed, anger, malice, etc. the event of Karbala is such that by the study of it men can become models of virtue, if the virtues of sacrifice, kindness and generosity of Hussain(a.s) were of the highest order, the baseness, brutality and cruelty displayed by the enemy were the other extreme. Hussain(a.s) in his kindness and greatness of heart gives water to Hur and his men and beasts who were sent to capture him, but the men of Yazeed on the banks of Euphrates refuse even a drop of water to Hussain(a.s); instead they send forth an arrow that kills the six-month old son of Hussain(a.s.) Thousands of little instances can be cited to show the true morals of Hussain(a.s) and his men, and the false ones of the enemy. Domestic economy and relations are as important in the life of man in the battlefield as in the peace of the house, and the state. A critical study of the event of Karbala is a living commentary on this section of human life. It abundantly gives lessons for the relations between husbands and wives, masters and slaves, friends and foes, etc. The events of Karbala have thrown a flood of light on political questions as well. Today diplomacy, and expediency, are the basis of international relations. Hussain(a.s) could have also employed these to save his life, but he was above all this in his purity and honesty of purpose. For the sake of worldly power he did not make use of a false action. His acceptance of Yazeed?s caliphate would have made the world think that Hussain(a.s) the grandson of the prophet(pbuh) allowed and accepted the false instead of the truth; but Hussain(a.s) was for right and truth, and he sacrificed all for it. The battle of Karbala was not an ordinary battle, that is, for material possessions, but it was a battle for the upholding of Truth against falsehood. It was a fight between light and darkness, in which the ultimate and the everlasting success was that of truth and light. Today Islam owes its position to this battle that ended hypocrisy, and dispelled darkness from it forever. Hussain(a.s) the beloved son of Alia.s, and the grandson of the prophet(pbuh) was the cause, the means, as well as the end which, in one, brought about the everlasting triumph of Islam. Islam owes him an obligation from which it would never be able to free itself.