Below we have translated two famous qaṣīdahs regarding Imām al-Ḥusayn (as) composed by the famous poet and jurist, al-Marḥūm al-Sayyid Riḍā’ ibn Muḥammad al-Hindī al-Naqawī (d. 1362 AH, may Allah have mercy upon his soul). In the first qaṣīdah, the Sayyid mourns the state of the womenfolk of Ḥusayn (as), and particularly the tragedy of Lady Zaynab (as). The second poem was composed by the Sayyid to be buried with him in his grave as an appeal to his Lord. Although the Sayyid descended from a prominent family in Lucknow, India, he nonetheless ascended to the grand heights of Arabic eloquence. Despite having all the qualifications to become a grand marja’ of his time, he abstained from this position and instead established his rank as one of the foremost poets of the Ahl al-Bayt. The beauty of his poems indicate the prowess of this great literarian, as they are often recited in Arabic majālis.^[1] His poetry has been described as “al-sahlah al-mumtani’ah,” (irreplicably simple). As usual, we have endeavored to translate his poems into rhyming couplets while adhering as closely as possible to the original meaning of the lines. When appropriate, we have added some minor footnotes for clarification of finer points regarding Arabic eloquence.

 

إن كــان عـنـدك عـبـرة تـجـريـهـا		If you should carry a tear to gush
فـانـزل بـأرض الطـف كـي نـسقيها		Then alight, let us quench the land at Ṭaff[2]
فـعـسـى نَـبُـلُّ بـهـا مـضـاجـع صفوة		Perchance we bedew the graves of those knights
مـا بُـلَّتِ الأكـبـاد مـن جـاريـهـا		For whom the hearts don’t halt in their plight![3]
ولقـد مـررت عـلى مـنـازل عـصـمـة		Indeed, over those pure relics I tarried
ثـقـل النـبـوة كـان ألقـي فـيـها		Whence Prophetic truth had once been carried[4]
فـبـكـيـت حـتـى خـلتـهـا سـتجيبني		And I wept until I nigh heard those remnants
بـبـكـائهـا حـزنـاً عـلى أهـليـهـا		Echo my wails on the fate of their tenants;
وذكـرت إذ وقـفـت عـقـيـلة حـيـدرٍ		And then I recalled that ‘Aqīlah of Ḥaydar
مــذهــولة تــصـغـي لصـوت أخـيـهـا		Standing distraught at the call of her brother[5]
بـأبـي التـي ورثـت مـصـائب أمِّها		Yes she bore of trials just as her mother
فـغـدت تـقـابـلهـا بـصـبـر ابـيها		And faced them still with her father’s ṣabr![6]
لم تَـلهُ عـن جمع العيال وحفظهم		Bereaved of both her brethren and children
بـفـراق إخـوتـهـا وفـقـد بـنـيـها		Yet still protecting her orphans and women;[7]
لم انس إذ هتكوا حماها فانثنت		I’ll never forget their defiling her sanctum
تشكو لواجها إلى حاميها		And how to her brother she pled in tandem,[8]
تـدعـو فـتـحـتـرق القـلوب كـأنّما		Her words did burn our hearts entire
يـرمـي حـشـاهـا جـمـره مـن فـيـها		Flying as sparks from the pit of grief’s fire:[9]
هـذي نـسـاؤك مـن يـكـون إذا سرت		“Here are your women, as captives degraded
فـي الأسـر سـائقـها ومن حاديها		By which driver and handler are they paraded?![10]
أيـسـوقـهـا زجـرٌ بـضـرب مـتـونـها		By whips they are driven, their backs so mangled
والشـمـر يـحـدوهـا بـسـبِّ أبـيـهـا		And by Shimr’s jeers at their father they’re handled;[11]
عـجـبـاً لهـا بالأمس أنت تصونها		You had yesterday been their repose
واليــوم آل أمــيــة تــبــديــهــا		But today Umayyads their bodies expose!
حـسـرى وعـزَّ عـليك أن لم يتركوا		Weary they travel, whilst upon you it’s dire
لك مـن ثـيـابـك سـاتـراً يـكـفيها		That you can’t avail, for you’re stripped of attire![12]
وسروا براسك في القنا وقلوبها		They see your head on a spear while they march
تـسـمـو إليـه ووجـدهـا يـضـنـيـها		Longing for you while their grief leaves them parched!”
إن أخَّروه شــجــاه رؤيــة حـالهـا		If kept at the rear he’s crushed by their state,
أو قــدمــوه فــحــاله يــشـجـيـهـا		And brought to the fore, they weep at his state![13]

 

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أرى عـمري مْـؤذِناً بالذهابِ		My life I behold—of its flight calling loud
تَـمُرُّ لـياليهِ مَـرَّ الـسحابِ		Its nights flying by the fleeting of clouds!
وتُـفـجِئُني بـيـضُ أيـامه		The blaze of its days does seize me in truth
فـتسلخُ مـنّي سـوادَ الشبابِ		And strips from me the dark hairs of my youth![14]
فـمَنْ لي إذا حانَ منّي الحمام		Then who shall avail when Death will loom
ولـم أسـتطع منهُ دفعاً لما بي		While I lie unable to ward off my doom?[15]
ومَـنْ لـي إذا قـلَّبتني الأكفُّ		And who will avail when through hands I course
وجـرّدني غـاسلي من ثيابي		And my washer takes the clothes off my corpse?
ومَنْ لي إذا صرتُ فوق السريـرِ		And who will avail when I’m placed on my bier
وشيلَ سريري فوقَ الرقابِ		And my bier is raised on shoulders that steer?[16]
ومَـنْ لـي إذا ما هجرتُ الديارَ		And who will avail when abodes I forsake
وأعتضتُ عنها بدارِ الخرابِ		And in lands of waste I’m left in their wake?
ومَـنْ لـي إذا آبَ أهلُ الودادِ		And who will avail when lovers turn back
عـنِّي وقـد يئسوا من إيابي		Despairing that I shall ever come back?
ومَـنْ لي إذا ما غشاني الظلامُ		And who will avail when by darkness I’m covered
وأمسيتُ في وحشةِ واغترابِ		And find myself forlorn without succor?[17]
ومَـنْ لـي إذا مـنكرٌ جدَّ في		And who will avail when by Munkar I’m hounded
سـؤالي فـأذهلني عن جوابي		And questioned till I’m left confounded?
ومَـنْ لـي إذا دُرسـتْ رمّتي		And who will avail when my body decays
وأبـلى عـظامي عفرَ الترابِ		And my bones midst the dust shall fade away?
ومَـنْ لـي إذا قـامَ يومُ النشورِ		And who will avail on that Resurrection
وقـمتُ بـلا حجّةٍ للحسابِ		When I without ḥujjah will stand to be reckoned?
ومَـنْ لـي إذا نـاولوني الكتابَ		And who will avail when I’m given my record
ولم أدرِ ماذا أرى في كتابي		While I know not what is in it lettered?[18]
ومَـنْ لـي إذا امتازت الفرقتانِ		And who will avail when two folks are cleft
أهـلُ الـنعيمِ وأهلُ العذابِ		One faction damned, the other blessed?
وكـيفَ يُـعاملني ذو الـجلال		And how will Almighty God then treat me
فـأعرفُ كـيفَ يكونُ انقلابي		Such I may know to where He will deem me?
أباللطفِ، وهو الغفورُ الرحيم		Will He, Most Forgiving, hold me with kindness
أمْ الـعدلِ وهـو شديدُ العقابِ		Or will He, Most Wrathful, take me to justice?[19]
ويـاليتَ شـعري إذا سـامني		If only I knew! Should He hold me to task
بـذنبي وواخـذني بـاكتسابي		And censure me for the crimes of my past—[20]
فـهل تُـحرقُ النارُ عيناً بكت		Then would Hell really burn an eye that had mourned
لـرزءِ القتيلِ بسيفِ الضبابي؟		In pain for one slain by blades of the sword?!
وهـل تُحرقُ النارُ رجلاً مشت		Would Hell really burn a foot that strolled
إلـى حـرمٍ منهُ سامي القبابِ؟		Towards a shrine whose dome was extolled?!
وهـل تُـحرقُ النارُ قلباً أُذيب		Would Hell really burn a heart that did melt
بـلوعةِ نـيرانِ ذاك المصابِ؟		In the woes of that tragic inferno, heartfelt?!

 

[1] For instance, listen to a beautiful recitation of the first qaṣīdah by al-Sayyid Muḥammad al-Ṣāfī here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX3ODZ_hKtI. The second qaṣīdah is recited beautifully by al-Shaykh Bāqir al-Maqdisī here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrVk6ZGYZKM. Alḥamdulillāh, we have also been granted the tawfīq to translate his most famous al-Qaṣīdah al-Kawthariyyah about Imām ‘Ali’s (as) status into the English language; perhaps we will share this translation in the future.

[2] The poet skillfully utilizes the classical Arabic trope of rhapsodization (al-tashbīb) here, however he appropriates it to mourn for the martyrs of Karbalā rather than bygone lovers. Watering the relics of a beloved (al-suqyā) is a form of benediction often employed in Arabic poetry.

[3] The Arabic is quite difficult to render perfectly here in translation, however the speaker employs partial alliteration (al-jinās al-nāqiṣ) here by utilizing the verb “balla” (to moisten) in both active and passive constructions.

[4] Continuing with the theme of tarrying over the abandoned quarters of the beloved, al-Hindī continues his lament over the martyrs. His reference to “thiql al-nubuwwah” (the weight of Prophethood) is an allusion to the Ahl al-Bayt, who had tarried on the terrain over which he passes.

[5] The title al-‘Aqīlah is one of the famous nicknames of Lady Zaynab; per the Arabic dictionary Lisān al-Arab, the title means a “high-bred, chaste, and invaluable woman” (al-mar’ah al-karīmah al-nafīsah al-mukhaddarah). Of course, Ḥaydar (the lion) is one of the famous titles of Imām ‘Ali (as) and is used here to allude to Lady Zaynab’s bravery. Hence, by combining these two titles the poet encapsulates all the major virtues of this great paragon of the Ahl al-Bayt.

[6] The Arabic is slightly difficult to fully render into rhyming English verse, however the poet here utilizes a particle called “bā’ al-tafdiyah” (the bā’ of ransoming). The line literally means, “May my father be sacrificed for the one who inherited the tribulations of her mother; and persisted in facing them with her father’s patience.” There is a rhetorical device in Arabic known as “murā’āt al-naẓīr” (known in English rhetoric as “synathroesmus”). This implies that a speaker stacks words together that have very similar connotations. There is a beautiful case of this here in the words “ummihā” (her mother) and “abīhā” (her father) as well as maṣā’ib (tribulations) and ṣabr (patience). In this couplet there is an allusion to one of the other famous titles of Lady Zaynab: Umm al-Maṣā’ib (the Mother of Tribulations).

[7] In the Arabic, there is an antithetical juxtaposition (al-ṭibāq) between the words “jam’” (gathering) and “firāq” (separation) as well as “hifẓ” (protection) and “faqd” (loss).

[8] There is another example of “murā’āt al-naẓīr” (“synathroesmus”) in this line. The poet skillfully utilizes “ḥimāhā” (her sanctum) and “ḥāmīhā”(her protector) together. The latter line can be more literally rendered, “She began to complain of her need (liwājahā) to her protector.” We notice that the poet carefully selects the word liwāj which denotes a need but also connotes “something that one turns about in one’s mouth.” This corresponds beautifully with the use of the verb “inthanat” (she turned in tandem). Thus, another excellent example of synathroesmus.

[9] This simile (al-tashbīh) in this line can be more literally rendered, “…as though her insides were casting their sparks from her mouth.”

[10] Here we see the poet utilizing the device of al-iltifāt (grammatical shift) in quoting Zaynab directly addressing Imām al-Ḥusayn (as). This line is extremely powerful because there is a hidden metaphor embedded within it (al-isti’ārah) that the Imām’s womenfolk were being treated like animals. The poet constructs this perception through the use of the words “sā’iquhā” (their driver) and “ḥādīhā” (their handler).

[11] This line may be somewhat difficult to understand without knowing the difference between the meanings of “sā’iq” and “ḥādī.” The word “sā’iq” means someone who drives forward his camels with a staff and the word “ḥādī” implies one who sings to his flock to urge them forward. Therefore, the poem metaphorically implies (al-isti’ārah) that the women of Imām al-Ḥusayn are being treated worse than beasts of burden, as they are advanced by being physically whipped and verbally taunted.

[12] The poet now seizes on another theme in these lines: the violation of the chastity of Ḥusayn’s (as) womenfolk. He emphasizes the irony in that the Imām cannot clothe them, as his body itself had been looted of all its clothes and lies naked on the plains of Karbalā.

[13] The poet so poignantly paints the tragedy of the womenfolk and Ḥusayn in these lines as they are marched by their enemies. The final line employs a rhetorical device known in Arabic eloquence as “al-tabdīl” or “al-‘aks al-ma’nawī” (antimetabole) whereby words are inverted to render approximately the same meaning. The poet describes that regardless of whether Imām Ḥusayn’s head is in front of the ladies or behind them, their tragedy remains palpable.

[14] These lines are extremely eloquent and powerful; we see the poet utilizing multiple levels of antithesis between the words “layālīhī” (its nights) and “ayyāmihī” (its days) as well as “bīḍ” (white) and “sawād” (black). Additionally, there is a personification of life (al-isti’ārah al-makniyyah) as calling out, passing by, seizing, and stripping.

[15] This is the first in a series of rhetorical questions (al-istifhāmāt al-balāghiyyah) for the purposes of emphasizing the poet’s abject sense of solitude and loneliness in front of God. He describes his burial with exquisite detail; this is known in Arabic rhetorical as “al-taṣwīr al-fannī” (imagery).

[16] We notice here that the poet employs several devices used to anonymize the participants of his burial such as depersonalized constructions (or al-tarākīb al-majhūlah, such as “raised” and “my washer”) and metonymy (or al-kināyah, such as shoulders and hands instead of mentioning people). This functions to emphasize the absolute estrangement of the poet from the inhabitants of this world after he has departed from them.

[17] It is as though in these lines the poet takes us through step-by-step as he is slowly abandoned: firstly, by his possessions (al-diyār), then his loved ones (ahl al-widād), then finally his world as he is encompassed by darkness.

[18] The passive construction could be more literally rendered here as, “when they give me (nāwalūnī) my record.” The poet employs this anonymity for the angels of Judgement Day to emphasize the state of confusion and fright that shall betake him on Resurrection.

[19] The phrases used here are derived from the Qur’ān in a form of intertextuality (al-iqtibās). More literally the poet says that God “is the Most Forgiving and Merciful.” (46:8) and that “He is the Most Severe in chastisement.” (5:98)

[20] Al-Hindī employs a form of stylistic intertextuality (al-iqtibās al-uslūbī) here on the pattern of the famous lines of Du’ā’ Kumayl:

 وليت شعري يا سيّدي وإلهي ومولاي أتسلّط النار على وجوه خرت لعظمتك ساجدة، وعلى ألسن نطقت بتوحيدك صادقة ، وبشكرك مادحة، وعلى قلوب اعترفت بإلهيتك محقّقة، وعلى ضمائر حوت من العلم بك حتى صارت خاشعة

“If only I knew oh my Lord, my God, my Master: would you let Hell reign upon faces that had fallen prostrate at Your Majesty? Upon tongues that sincerely professed Your Unity and extolled Your Gratitude? Upon hearts that truly recognized Your Divinity? Upon psyches that filled themselves with knowledge of You until they became humbled?”

However, in the poem al-Hindī employs a different strategy here in comparison to Imām ‘Alī’s (as) supplication; he intercedes with God instead by his lamentation and devotion to Imam Ḥusayn (as). He expresses astonishment that his body should burn in Hell after it has already toiled and tormented itself in sincere requiem for the Master of the Martyrs!