The blade of
Yezid has pierced me and I
Clung to the
robes of Ali
There was no
place in the world to shelter
Our likes
No voice in
the courtroom
To give witness
The hordes
of Karbala descended upon us
And left us
to dry in the sun
Violence and
falsehood would prevail
And the men
of God would ever fall, ever fall
Ever to
their entrapment
They would
fall
They were
strong
And worthy!
They were worthy
Goodness
their only and fatal
Weakness
And like
Samson to Delilah
They would
willingly
Even
desirously
Give
themselves as a sacrifice
Perhaps if
enough of their blood was spilt
The thirst
of the world would be quenched
If enough of
their bodies were slaughtered
Its hunger would
likewise be filled
And
righteousness return to the people
Like silence
to a crying infant
Then take me
by the ropes and lead me to the tent
There he
awaits me
Oh Imam of
the Imams!
Grant your
slave the strength
To face his
blade
To face his
blade
I approach
him gently, if not shyly
His eyes are
delighted
And his hand
is sure
Speak the
name of God in my ears
Embrace me
strongly
Like a
father
And open the
vein with your blade
Let my life
now flow into the earth
It came from
the earth
And now it
returns
Now I cannot
stand, I am going
Let me lay
on the ground to rest
The blade of
Yezid has pierced me and I
Am strewn as
a feast for his guests
(The poem
uses references which those unfamiliar with certain elements of Islam will not
grasp. Lay explanation is provided.)
Ali,
Yezid and the Karbala: A story from the “early church” of Islam. Ali was
the nephew and son-in-law of the Prophet, and, some say, the rightful heir to
leadership of Islam. The problem was that Islam was not only a sweeping spiritual
revival, it also accomplished a near impossible socio-political feat—it united
the tribes of Arabia. And in that unity, everyone knew, was power, power enough
to overthrow the great empires of the day (Byzantium and Persia, which it did).
People who had initially resisted the Prophet (in his days of poverty) now
posed as fervent followers, realizing the immense psychological power they
could tap by using religious rhetoric. They maneuvered, around and over many
sincere followers of the Prophet, for a place of prominence in this young
movement, or, more importantly, this budding empire. Ali, apparently incapable
of the vicious manipulation which his opponents employed, eventually lost power
and was assassinated as he led the morning prayers. His conniving political
opponent had an even more conniving son, Yezid, who is passionately remembered
by all Muslims. Yezid’s continued clash with the bothersome line of Ali led to
the massacre of Karbala. Karbala, a desert region in Iraq marks the place where
Yezid’s troops intercepted the caravan of Hussain (Ali’s son) and all his
extended family. They held them hostage for a time, depriving them of water,
and then killed them. Karbala is analogous to Calvary in Christianity, and
arouses similar sentiments in many Muslims as the suffering of Christ arouses
in many Christians (albeit they do not consider it a source of spiritual
salvation). The writer proposes that the essences of Ali and Yezid both
pre-date the actual historical figures, and endure past their lifetimes until
today in all spheres of society. Religion, politics, economy, business, science, art, anywhere you look you will find
those with transcendental aims who consequently appear naive, and are massacred
(literally or figuratively) by those with egotistic aims but who are more eager
and willing to play power games. He at once mourns and takes courage in the
struggle of Ali and his descendants, and here he finds meaning to the
injustices of the greater world as well as his own world.
Imam of
the Imams: Imam, meaning “the one who stands before”, can be used for the
pastoral figure in an Islamic community. It is also used by some to refer to
Ali and 11 of his descendants who guided the community in its early years. It is
used in the latter sense here. The writer calls on Ali in the moment before his
death, as Christ called on “Eli” in the moment before his. There is a suspicion than an uncanny pre-surgence and resurgence of certain great spiritual figures has been taking place (e.g. Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Christ, the Prophet, Ali); meaning that they appeared and interacted with the faithful both before and after their earthly lives.
The
ropes, the tent, the Name of God, and the opening of the vein: Alludes to
the ritual slaughter of the animal on the occasion of Eid ul Azha, the Islamic
feast of sacrifice. The feast celebrates the substitution of a sheep which God
made for Abraham as he was about to kill his beloved son. The suggestion the writer makes is that justice has a way of
constantly running into deadlocks, and this calls for acts of counter-justice
such as bailing, atonement, redemption, intercession, mercy, forgiveness etc., to undo
the knots. A person who offers themselves knowingly and willingly as the
sacrificial animal commits such an act of counter-justice. Only in the most extreme
cases does it actually involve death. Usually it involves the willingness to
offer oneself as an object upon which others can thrust hateful, angry or frustrated projections which they have not been able to resolve or express otherwise. The
one on whom they project has done nothing wrong to them, but he allows them to
use him as this “substitute”.
