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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Ashura Poems in English Explained and Annotated (volume 1) H. Wells : Imam Husain Pitched upon the scorching desert, The tent of Husain lay, Encompassed round with Satan's hounds Upon that black sad day. They numbered less than eighty strong, Women and children too, While Yazid's thousands stood around, Awaiting the fiend's might. Driven away from the cooling stream, His children waiting for water.

Awaiting with patience extremely sublime Like sheep for the butcher's slaughter. Oh! How valiantly fought that pitiful few, Against Yazid's wild murderers, Fought with a courage unequalled in Time Fought with a fierceness that was surely Divine. The earth quaked and trembled as noon drew near. But still the survivors knew no fear But fewer grew that pitiful band, For Islam, God, and Husain they stand.

At last, all were dead, the devil had won, Blood red sank down the merciless sun, Trampled and torn lay the gallant Husain, For Islam, God, and the faithful were slain.* * Khurshed, ed., Imam Husain, 2nd ed., pp. 141-142. 41 Tabish Khair : Poem from Outside a Muharram Procession The clash of arms, the clasp of armour (Ya Hassan, Ya Hussain): This is not sorrow, this is something else.

This is defeat That's more than victory, this is The past that's passed by father to son As a trinket heirloom without price, This is the inheritance of pain. There they whirl, bleeding, bleeding (Ya Hassan, Ya Hussain) From wounds inflicted on other bodies And in another century. This is not war, this is women wailing After the battle is over, after The head is severed, mitred on a lance. This is the knowledge of death Passed on from mother to daughter (Ya Hassan, Ya Hussain).

This is not religion, this Is the exchange of unwrapped Presents. This is a young boy feeling With his father's heart, this is A pony-tailed girl speaking With the voice of her mother. This is not anger, not even passion: (Ya Hassan, Ya Hussain) This is dancing with the wound of time. This is my studied failure to feel.* 25 * Khair, Where Parallel Lines Meet, pp. 9-10. L. 2. ?Ya", an Arabic vocative or attention-getter, almost equivalent to English O, Oh, or Lo.

Imam al- Hassan, here mentioned as Hassan, was Imam al- Hussain's elder brother.