Overall Comments:  Josh after describing beauty of life and ugliness of death now transitions into describing how Death became more beautiful than Life.  This description has undertones of conventional religious sentiments about the beauty of “life after death”.  However, my interpretation of Josh is that he is saying that under some conditions eg. matters of great principle and a message to humanity,  and willingness to die for these, death is more beautiful than life. The fighter is fighting not because he has no other choice but because even though he is aware of his certain death, he does not cave in to the demands of the oppressor, but continues to fight.

Stanza 40
laikin iske bavajood¹ ae mehrman²-e een o aaN³
saKht hairaN huN ke tha vo kaun dana-e zamaN⁴
maut ko jis ne diya naam-e hayaat-e javidaN⁵
is qadar pur haul bihaR⁶ ko banaya gulsitaN
zahar ko kis ne harif⁷-e aab-e haivaN⁸ kar diya
is upi⁹ talwaar ko kis ne rag-e jaN kar diya

1. in spite of 2. familiar with 3. “this and that” – here “ways of the world” 4. wise one of the times  5. eternal life 6.  fearsome wilderness 7. rival/equal 8. water of eternal life 9. sharpened
In spite of this, O, you who are familiar with the ways of the world, I wonder who it was – this wise one of all times, who made Death the equal of Eternal Life.  He converted this fearsome wilderness into a beautiful garden.  Who was it that made poison the equal/rival of the elixir of Life.  Who made the sharp edge of the sword throb like the jugular.  Note that the sharp edge of the sword, the “upi talwaar” is Death and it has been converted to a throbbing jugular vein.

Stanza 41
nau-e insaN¹ ko diya kis falsafi ne ye payaam²
mard-e Ghazi³ ka kafan⁴ hai khil’at⁵-e umr-e davaam⁶
nasb⁷ kis ne kar diye maqtal⁸ meN hoorauN ke Khyaam⁹
jaante ho is dabir-e zahn-e-insaani¹⁰ ka naam
jo anokhi fikr tha jo ek naya paiGhaam tha
us hakim-e nukta¹¹ parvar¹² ka mohammed naam tha

1. human kind 2. message 3. valorous man 4. funeral shroud 5. robe 6. eternal life 7. establish 8. place of massacre 9. home of heavenly hoories 10.  teacher of human thinking 11. point here used to mean knowledge 12. one who nurtures
Who was this philosopher who gave the message to humanity that a funeral shroud in the war for justice is the robe of eternal life.  Who was it that brought heavenly rewards to the battlefield of justice?  Do you know the name of this teacher of humanity?  Who was a unique thinker with a new message?  The name of this nurturer of wisdom was Mohammed.

Stanza 42
aye Mohammed, ae savaar¹-e tausan²-e vaqt-e ravaaN³
aye Mohammed, ae tabib⁴-e fitrat⁵-e nabbaz-e jaaN⁶
aye Mohammed, ae faqih-e nafs⁷ o naqqad-e jahaaN⁸
maut ko tu ne vo baKhshi⁹ aab o tab¹⁰-e javidaaN¹¹
zindagani ke pujari maut par marne lage
log paiGham¹²-e ajal¹³ ki aarzu¹⁴ karne lage

1. rider 2.  horse 3. flowing time, 4. healer 5. nature 6. one who takes the pulse of life 7. one who possesses complete knowledge of life 8. one who can evaluate/critique life 9. granted 10. brilliance and grandeur 11. eternal 12. message, news 13. death 14. wish
O Mohammed, you, who controls the reins of Time, the healer who knows the pulse of life, who knows the secret of life, its best judge.  You have granted such eternal grandeur to Death that those who love life are willing to give everything for death.  People eagerly wait for the news of the arrival of their own death.  Here it might appear, at first reading that Josh is dealing with the rather conventional thought of “life after death”.  As an unrepentant atheist, I have difficulty with this concept.  But I urge you to read this in the context of the full theme and flow of Josh’s marsia.  His focus is the concept of resistance, of standing up for principle, of “speaking Truth to Power” even in the face of certain death.  It is under these conditions that death is preferable to life.  Josh is not dealing with the tame concept of beauty of “life after death”.  He uses Karbala and Husain as a metaphor for the glory of death in the face of resistance to absolute power.  His praise of Mohammed has to be accepted as “conventional” and enjoyed for the beauty of the metaphors he uses.

Stanza 43
zeest¹ ka aks²-e shahaadat³ se nikharta⁴ hai jamaal⁵
maut ke ghungaT meN hai roo-e butaan⁶-e lazavaal⁷
Khun ke taqauN⁸ meN hai qindil⁹-e vajah zuljalaal¹⁰
zahn¹¹-e insani ko baKhsha¹² sirf tu ne ye Khayaal
ahrman¹³ par dahshat¹⁴-e yazdaN¹⁵ ko Ghalib¹⁶ kar diya
ek ek insaan ko laakhoN pe bhari kar diya

1. life 2. reflection, influence 3. martyrdom 4. to become fresh, beautiful 5. face 6.  face of beauties 7. no decline/reduction 8. alcove, shelf 9. lamp 10. intent of god 11. mind 12. granted 13. Zoroastrian equivalent of Satan (force of evil) 14. fear 15. god, force of goodness 16. triumphant
The beauty of life is refreshed under the shadow of martyrdom.  Hidden behind the curtain of death is the beauty of eternal life.  In the alcoves of sacrifice is placed the lamp of god’s purpose.  You alone have granted this thought to the mind of man.  You have made the fear of Goodness triumphant over Evil.  You have made the (principled) man more forceful than millions.

Stanza 44
Khalq¹ ko tu ne tamanna e shahadat² baKhsh di
is tamanna e shahadat ne shuja’at³ baKhsh di
phir shuja’at ne phabakne⁴ ki hararat⁵ baKhsh di
is hararat ne gadaoN⁶ ko hukumat⁷ baKhsh di
is qadr ujlat⁸ se tu ru e zamiN⁹ par chha gaya
muddo’i¹⁰ chakra gaye tariKh¹¹ ko Ghash¹² aa gaya

1. creation 2. longing for martyrdom 3. courage 4. to bloom to come to fruition 5. heat/enthusiasm  6. pauper 7. ability to command, power 8. speed 9. face of the earth 10. proponents 11. history 12. faint
You granted the desire for martyrdom to all creation.  The desire for martyrdom gave them courage.  Courage granted them the enthusiasm to bring purpose to fruition.  Enthusiasm made paupers powerful!  You (O, Mohammed) triumphed over this earth with such speed that proponents were stunned and history fainted in the face of your awesome speed.

Stanza 45
phool kar gahvara-e Gham¹ meN phabakta² hai suroor³
tiragi⁴ ki surmai⁵ mehrab⁶ meN hai shama-e toor⁷
shaam-e rangiN⁸ lahd⁹ hai subah¹⁰ Quran o Zuboor¹¹
maut hai noor¹² o qusoor¹³ o hoor¹⁴ o angur¹⁵ o tahoor¹⁶
ye aqaid¹⁷ hoN to phir marne se Dar sakta hai kaun
maut ke shaidaiyoN¹⁸ ko zer kar¹⁹ sakta hai kaun

1. garden of sorrows 2. to blossom/come to fruition 3. joy 4. darkness, evil 5. dark, black 6. central prayer alcove 7. light of Mt. Tur (where god revealed his glory to Moses) 8. evening of the (blood) coloured grave 9. dawn, rising 10. Psalms of David 11. message of god, hope 12. light 13. palaces 14. hoories 15. grape/wine 16. purity  (lumped together “rewards in paradise) 17. beliefs, thinking 18. admirers 19. to defeat
Joy blossoms and comes to fruition in the garden of sorrow.  The lamp of god’s message is found in the dark alcove of evil.  The redness of the dying evening is the dawn of hope.  Death in resisting evil is itself the rewards promised in paradise.  If such are the beliefs, then who can be afraid of dying.  Who can conquer such admirers of death.  Josh develops the theme of the triumph of good over evil.  He uses Quran and Zuboor in the same breath and Moses’ adventure as a metaphor for the glory of god.  I like to think that he is generalizing the message of god beyond narrow religious bounds (and of course as an atheist, I like to think that it is expanded beyond the confines of god to the idea of good). There is more power and pleasure in reading Josh in that way.

Stanza 46
sab se pahle dahr¹ ko tu ne hi samjhai ye baat
taq² e aivan e shahaadat³ meN hai qindil e hayaat⁴
sar faroshi⁵ hai mata e zindagani⁶ ki zakaat⁷
mauj e Kauser⁸ ki saKha⁹ ka pek¹⁰ hai naKhl¹¹ e furaat
arsh¹² utarta hai farsh¹³ e garm gir o dar¹⁴ par
raqs¹⁵ karti hai davami¹⁶ zindagi talvar par

1. world 2. alcove 3. hall of martyrdom 4. lamp of life 5. offering head (life)
6. valuable life 7. obligatory contribution that Muslims must make for charity
8. legendary river in paradise 9. benevolence 10. messenger, preview 11. date palm oasis 12. sky/heavens 13. floor/earth 14. hot, uncomfortable 15. dance 16. eternal
You (O Mohammed) were the first to explain this to the world that in the halls of martyrdom is found the lamp of life, that offering up your life is the greatest “zakat” that life can offer, that the garden of furaat is a preview of the benevolence of Kauser.  You taught us that heavens can descend on this life-sapping earth, that eternal life dances on the edge of the sword.  At the banks of Furaat (Euphrates), a river in Karbala, Husain fought his last battle.  Kauser is the legendary river of paradise.  Hence Josh says that the garden of Furaat is the preview of the benevolence of Kauser (of paradise).  “Zakat” is a “wealth tax” levied on Muslims and is considered obligatory.  The “zakat on the wealth of life” is “sarfaroshi”.

Stanza 47
aatish-e sozaN¹ ko tu ne aab-e zam zam² kar diya
vahshiyoN³ ko haamil⁴-e tahzib-e muhkim⁵ kar diya
Khaak⁶ ko nasriN⁷ banaya jaam⁸ ko jam⁹ kar diya
surKh¹⁰ sho’loN¹¹ ko nichoRa¹² mauj-e yam¹³ kar diya
kishtiyaN¹⁴ chalvaaiN tufaaN se tere farman¹⁵ ki
maut boi¹⁶ zindagi kaTi¹⁷ tere qura’an ki

1. fire of grief 2. water of Zamzam (legendary spring near Kaaba, reputed to be miraculous) 3. wild, unprincipled, powerful rulers 4. accepting of 5. the culture/rights of the ruled 6. dust 7. white rose 8. cup 9. short for Jamshed (legendary king) 10. red 11. flame 12. squeezed 13. mighty wave 14. boats 15. order, instruction 16. sowed 17. harvested life
You turned the fire of grief into soothing water of Zamzam.  You taught unprincipled rulers to accept the rights of the ruled.  You made flowers out of dust and made the cup more powerful than Jamshed.  You wrung a mighty wave out of red flames, establishing a great movement (acceptance of death as the price of righteousness).  Your orders made the storm itself to launch boats.  Storm launching boats rather than destroying them is like  death giving eternal life rather than taking life away.  You sowed death and reaped a life in accord with the Quran.  Sowing death (sacrificing life) and reaping the reward – a life of righteousness (in accord with the Quran).

Stanza 48
maut ki zulmat¹ meN tu jagmaga di zindagi
jauhar-e shamshir-e uryaaN² meN dikha di zindagi
sham’a ki maanind³ qabroN meN jala di zindagi
sarzamin-e marg⁴ meN tu ne uga di zindagi
habs⁵ TooTa baaGh-e jannat ki hava aane lagi
maqbaroN⁶ se dil dhaRakne ki sada⁷ aane lagi

1. darkness 2. the (shining) sharp edge of the naked (unsheathed) sword
3. like, just as 4. homeland of Death 5. stillness, suffocation 6. grave, tomb
7. sound
You (O, Mohammed) gave brilliance to life in the darkness of death.  You showed that life was reflected in the sharp edge of the unsheathed sword.  Like the lighting of a lamp, you lit up life even in tombs.  You nurtured life in the very homeland of Death.  Suffocation broke and fresh air from paradise blew in.  The sound of beating hearts could be heard coming from tombs.

Stanza 49
Khaak ke zarraat¹ ko tu ne surayya² kar diya
aag ko pani, pani ko sahba³ kar diya
maut si kaali bala ko rashk-e-salma⁴ kar diya
aaKhri hichki ko gul baang-e masiha⁵ kar diya
sar se Khauf-e neesti⁶ ki yuN balaaeN Taal deeN
aadmi ne maut ki gardan meN baaheN Daal deeN

1. dust particles 2. constellation (Pleiades) 3. wine 4. envy of the heavens (Salma is a constellation) 5. song of the Messiah (resurrection, eternal life)
6. fear of non-existence
You made particles of dust (earth, this world) shine like stars in a constellation (heaven).  You changed pain (fire) to pleasure (water) and water to wine.  The ugliness of death has become the envy of heavens.  The last breath has become the clarion call of eternal life.  You removed the fear of non-existence so much so that mankind willingly embraced death.

Stanza 50
ye tasavvur¹ maut ka jaise hi soo-e karbala²
vaqt-e dooN parvar³ ke taariKhi taqaaze⁴ se muRa
Khoon meN tere gharane ke talaatum⁵ aa gaya
lashkar⁶-e subah-e farozaaN⁷ shaam⁸ ki janib⁹ chala
daf’atan¹⁰ qasr-e jafa¹¹ mismaar¹² ho kar rah gaya
raub-e shahi¹³ naqsh ba divar¹⁴ ho kar rah gaya

1. concept 2. towards Karbala 3. protector of the weak, Husain 4. demand of history 5. storm 6. army 7. bright morning, righteousness 8. evening, darkness, evil 9. towards 10. suddenly 11. house of cruelty/oppression 12. crumbled, destroyed 13. fear of king 14. like a picture on a wall, unreal, artificial
The new concept of death turned towards Karbala to answer the demand of time and history made on Husain.  Your household (O, Mohammed) rose like a storm.  The army of the righteous marched on evil.  Suddenly, it was as if the house of oppression crumbled.  The fear of royal power evaporated.