Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. This is a very traditional description of the bravery of husain and his followers with poetic exaggeration. But the principles of first trying to reason with the opponent, failing which fighting back and staying the course in the face of certain death are highlighted. Also, josh casts this as a struggle between the early democratic principles of islam against the royal posture adopted by yazid and his forces from the Levant.
38
laikin hua zara bhi na hujjat¹ ka jab asar²
maa’el³ hue jihad⁴ pe sultan-e-bahr-o-bar⁵
uThti hui nigaah⁶ se uRne lage sharar⁷
jhoome ali ki shaan se talvar choom kar
goya⁸ ghaTa⁹ ki o’at¹⁰ se bijli nikal paRi
Thahri zabaaN, niyaam¹¹ se talvaar ubal paRi  1.argumentation, logic 2.effect 3.inclined towards, decided 4.struggler, war 5.lord of land and sea, i.e.world, husain 6.raised eyes (in anger) 7.sparks 8.as if 9.cloud 10.from behind 11.scabbard
But when disputation had no effect, husain got ready for battle. Sparks flew from raised eye brows; husain pulled out the sword of ali, as if lightning emerged from behind a cloud. When words stopped, the sword was unsheathed.
39
shor-e-rajaz¹ baland² hua daar³ ho gaya
lahje⁴ se garm⁵ Khauf-ka-bazaar⁶ ho gaya
roz⁷-e-urooj-e-shaam⁸ shab-e-taar⁹ ho gaya
nikla jo muNh se harf¹⁰ vo talvaar ho gaya
aaKhir fiza¹¹ pe aek kaTaari¹² ubhar¹³ gayee
kaanoN se kafiroN ki kamar tak guzar gayee¹⁴  1.sound of war poetry/songs/cries 2.raised 3.gallows, slaughter house 4.tone, accent 5.warmed up, got started/established 6.regime of fear 7.day, brightness 8.height of the evening 9.dark night 10.word 11.ambience, all around 12.dagger, sword 13.emerge 14.kaanoN se kamar tak guzarna-split a body into two from the head down to the waist
War cries rose and the field became deadly. Cries of fearsome tone filled the air. The bright afternoon turned into a dark night. Every word flew to cut through as if a sharp sword arose in the battlefield and descended on the heads of evil ones slitting them in two.
40
miskan¹ jo the Ghuroor² ke vo sar jhuka diye
aivaan-e-Khusravi³ ke paraKhche⁴ uRa diye
lab-tishnagi⁵ ne Khoon ke darya⁶ baha diye
pyaase ne aab-e-teGh⁷ ke jauhar⁸ dikha diye
barpa⁹ dayaar-e-kufr¹⁰ meN kuhraam¹¹ ho gaya
dev-e-fasaad¹² larza-bar-andaam¹³ ho gaya  1.dwelling 2.hubris, conceit 3.halls of power (Khusro, a legendary tyrannical king is used as a metaphor for absolute power) 4.tatters 5.thirsty lips 6.river (note the juxtaposition of thirst against rivers of blood) 7.aab e teGh is a beautiful play on words.“aab e teGh” literally means the shining/sharp edge of the sword, but aab also means water. husain and his followers were denied access to water and husain is referred to here as “pyaasa” – the juxtaposition of “pyaasa” and “aab-e-teGh” with the double meaning of “aab” is beautiful. 8.qualities 9.spread, bring about 10.abode of evil 11.tumult, fear 12.demon of conflict 13.trembling (with fear) body
The heads swollen with pride were laid low. The halls of power were blown to smithereens. They made rivers of blood flow in spite of their thirst. The flash of the sword of husain showed its effect. Tumult spread in the abode of evil. The demon of war trembled in fear.
41
pal bhar meN zaalimoN ke safeene¹ ulaT gaye
jo haath uThe husain ki nazroN² se kaT gaye
quvvat³ pe jin ko naaz⁴ bahut tha vo laT⁵ gaye
soo-e-haram⁶ jo teer chale the ulaT⁷ gaye
ahl-e-jafa⁸ ki maut ka farman⁹ aa gaya
dasht-e-balaa¹⁰ meN nooh ka toofan¹¹ aa gaya  1.boats, fleet 2.looks 3.strength 4.hubris, pride 5.“laT jaana” is to get caught in hesitation 6.towards the home/family (of husain) 7.turned back 8.people of cruelty 9.orders 10.wilderness of calamity, battlefield 11.Noah’s flood
In the blink of an eye the armada of tyranny sunk. Hands raised against husain were cut off with a mere stare. Those full of hubris and bravado, became hesitant and fearful. Arrows flying towards the “haram” were turned back/ It was time for the death of the unjust. Husain’s battle was like the power of Noah’s flood destroying all before it. Consider the ease with which Josh describes the forces ranged against husain as a fleet of boats, even though the battle was in the desert of karbala. In much the same way he describes the destruction as a “flood”.
42
shiraza-e-kitaab-e-hukoomat¹ bikhar² gaya
sultan ke Ghuroor³ ka darya utar⁴ gaya
kirdaar-e-tishna-kaam⁵ baRa kaam⁶ kar gaya
pani sipah-e-shaam⁷ ke sar se guzar⁸ gaya
haq⁹ ki nigah-e-zarb¹⁰ se be-taab¹¹ ho gaye
baatil¹² ke pairavoN¹³ ke jigar aab¹⁴ ho gaye  1.the binding of the book of government i.e.power structure 2.scattered 3.hubris, pride 4.ebbing of the flood 5.character of the thirsty throated 6.work, effect (note tishna kaam – where kaam means throat and baRa kaam – big effect) 7.army of the Levant (Syria) 8.depth of the water reached above their heads i.e.they were drowned 9.righteousness 10.the look that can strike 11.restless, stricken 12.evil 13.proponents 14.jigar pani hona is to be stricken by fear
The order of the day turned topsy turvy. The flood of conceit of the powerful ebbed. The parched throat of Husain worked its miracle. The army of the Levant got in deeper than it could. They could not bear the powerful look of righteousness, as it melted the hearts of the partisans of evil. The emotional crescendo of the marsia continues but in this stanza Josh also uses reference to a much cited story of the battle of karbala – husain addressed the opposing army. The frontlines of the army were the only ones that could hear/see him and were so deeply affected that they could no longer fight (shiraaza bikharna – things turn topsy turvy). The commanders of yazid’s army had to re-arrange their formation and bring forward those that had not heard husain’s “Khutba-speech” and so were unaffected by it. Also, “sipah e shaam – army of the Levant” refers to the fact that yazid, who was governer of the Levant until he declared himself Khalifa had brought that region’s army to fight Husain. This army, being far away from Mecca was relatively unaffected by the fervour of early Islamic culture.
Also noteworthy is that josh juxtaposes linguistic nuances such as “darya utarna” and “pani sar se guzarna” and “jigar aab ho gaya” in the background of thirst and denial of access to water to the party of husain.
43
uTThi nigaah chehra-e-baatil¹ jhulas² gaya
ek naag tha ke himmat-e-a’ada³ ko Das gaya
paataal⁴ meN safina-e-ahl-e-havas⁵ gaya
pani⁶ ali ki teGh⁷ ka chhaajoN⁸ baras gaya
talwaar ke yuN vaar chale barq⁹ ho gaye
Khud apne hi lahu¹⁰ meN shaqi¹¹ Gharq¹² ho gaye  1.face of evil 2.scorched, burnt 3.enemy’s courage 4.hell 5.boat/fleet of the people of greed 6.(water), sharpness, brilliance 7.sword 8.downpour 9.lightning 10.blood 11.villain 12.drowned
The face of evil scorched as Husain raised his eyes. It was as if a fierce serpent poisoned the enemy’s courage, packing off the fleet of the power hungry to hell. The brilliance of ali’s sword struck like a thunderstorm. The sword flew like lightning strikes, drowning the villains in their own blood. The beautiful juxtaposition of thunder, lightning, fleet of boats alongside thirst continues.
44
sibt-e-nabi¹ ke azm² ne kaRkaai yuN kamaaN³
lau⁴ de uTha yaqeen⁵, dhuaN ban gaya gumaaN⁶
allah ri harb-o-zarb⁷ imam-e-zamaaN⁸ ki shaaN
muNh se nikal paRi umar-e-sa’ad⁹ ki zabaaN
naddi Ghuroor-e-jaah¹⁰ ki payaab¹¹ ho gayee
fauj-e-yazid¹² maahi-e-be-aab¹³ ho gayee  1.grandson of the prophet, Husain 2.determination 3.twang the bow 4.flame, brilliance 5.faith 6.uncertainty, unfaith 7.strikes and blows 8.imam (leader) of the day 9.commander in chief of Yazid’s army 10.hubris of grandeur/power 11.trampled underfoot 12.yazid’s army 13.fish out of water, writhing in pain
The grandson of Mohammed fought with such resolve that faith shone brightly, evil disappeared like fog. By god the power of the blows of husain were such that umar e s’aad’s tongue hung out in fear. The flow of the river of hubris was stopped. The army of yazid thrashed about like a fish out of water. Note the “river of hubris” and “fish out of water” juxtaposed against husain’s thirst.
45
jab hilm ka farishta¹ Ghazabnaak² ho gaya
pyaasauN ka Khoon sho’la-e-be-baak³ ho gaya
aivaan-e-shar⁴ meN aag lagi, Khaak ho gaya
Gham se mu’aaviya⁵ ka jigar⁶ chaak⁷ ho gaya
ahl-e-daGha⁸ ki umr ka paimaana bhar gaya⁹
mardaaniyauN¹⁰ ki teGh¹¹ ka pani utar¹² gaya  1.angel of forbearance/patience 2.fierce in anger 3.fearless flame 4.halls of evil 5.Yazid’s father (dead at the time) 6.liver/heart 7.torn assunder 8.people of deception 9.the cup of life was filled i.e.their life was over 10.manhood, courage 11.sword 12.lose brilliance/sharpness
When the angel of forbearance ran out of patience the blood of the parched braves burst into a flame burning the hallways of evil into ashes. mu’aaviya’s heart was rent assunder. The days of the evil ones were numbered. Their courage dulled like the edge of their sword.
46
pal bhar meN saaNs ahl-e-jafa¹ ki ukhaR gayee
bai’at² ki tumtaraaq³ ki soorat bigaR gayee
dast-e-Khuda⁴ se kiswat-e-shaahi⁵ udhaR⁶ gayee
darbar par ba-hukm-e-qaza⁷ oas⁸ paR gayee
haq⁹ ne rag-e-saqifa¹⁰ ki chhal bal¹¹ nikal di
paa-e-bani umayya¹² meN zanjir Daal di  1.people of evil 2.allegiance, acceptance of suzerainty 3.pomp 4.hand of god 5.royal robe (can also be read as skin) 6.peeled off, skinned 7.by order of fate 8.fog 9.righteousness 10.pulse (life) of throne/power 11.grandeur 12.feet of bani umayya (the tribe of yazid)
Rapidly, the tyrants lost their breath. The demand for “bai’at” lost credibility. The hand of god peeled the sheen of royalty. The royal palace disappeared in a fog. Righteousness erased the pomp and glory of the throne and chained the feet of bani umayya. The story of karbala is that yazid demanded “bai’at” – allegiance on pain of death. husain refused in the face of certainty of death. This act of defiance is celebrated for its righteousness exposing the evil of yazid. The references to ‘royalty’ and ‘royal palace’ are not to an actual presence of these in the battlefield of karbala but to the style of rule adopted by yazid as compared to the simpler style of the early rulers of makkah.
47
1.people of evil 2.allegiance, acceptance of suzerainty 3.pomp 4.hand of god 5.royal robe (can also be read as skin) 6.peeled off, skinned 7.by order of fate 8.fog 9.righteousness 10.pulse (life) of throne/power 11.grandeur 12.feet of bani umayya (the tribe of yazid)
Rapidly, the tyrants lost their breath.  The demand for “bai’at” lost credibility.  The hand of god peeled the sheen of royalty.  The royal palace disappeared in a fog.  Righteousness erased the pomp and glory of the throne and chained the feet of bani umayya.  The story of karbala is that yazid demanded “bai’at” – allegiance on pain of death. husain refused in the face of certainty of death. This act of defiance is celebrated for its righteousness exposing the evil of yazid.  The references to ‘royalty’ and ‘royal palace’ are not to an actual presence of these in the battlefield of karbala but to the style of rule adopted by yazid as compared to the simpler style of the early rulers of makkah. meaningsanddiscussion