Haider rise from your prayer… your shield and armour wear
As they demand Haider… death demands Fatima
* * *
O’ crown upon every believer’s head and their patience
O’ tongue that constructs words of gold O’ peak of eloquence
Swords and fire knock on your door, thirsty for your grievance
You who defines prayer, soon your prayer will give you condolence
Your rose stands by the door… down her cheeks her tears pour
Your absence destroys her… death demands Fatima
* * *
You who in battle the lion, gifted with a sixth sense
Foresight of an eagle, he who sees beyond present tense
With protective anger over Fatima so immense
When her name was mentioned by men, each of your veins would tense
O’ welder of anger… he who foresees danger
Danger’s coming to her… death demands Fatima
* * *
Behind the door as the peak of eloquence they demand
“O’ man the daughter of Ahmed does not heed your command”
“O’ Zahra”, this tyrant answers, “with fire I am armed
I shall burn the house and all in it with no reprimand
Even if you’re inside… in fire you’ll reside
I swear I will kill her”… death calls for Fatima
* * *
As this door of the Prophet’s household on fire was lit
He took the whip from Qunfudh and with it Zahra he hit
Fire trickles throughout the door, and she stands opposite
Before they break through the door and Zahra is crushed by it
Waves of men through the door… the door crushes her more
And Muhsin falls from her… death calls for Fatima
* * *
Draw your sword which screams O’ Ali, and with every danger
Her flowing blood screams “O’ Ali, touches me a stranger”
Before you can rise and draw your sword as an avenger
Swords are put to your neck as your beloved’s wounds are major
Her tongue cries out your name… her rib it cries the same
With every ounce of her… death calls for Fatima
* * *
Ali looks within, finds between his emptiness a key
To the heart of Fatima, to what happened and would be
He finds within, a corpse and a shroud of pure clarity
Upon a darkened grave, whispering silence to Ali
A sun that shall not rise
Over our earthly skies
Heavens drag and pull her
Death calls for Fatima
* * *
Within every dream hidden before his two helpless eyes
He had thought they would never live to witness this demise
Complaining about the nail to the pillars of the skies
Touching the dented wound that has left him with no disguise
His eyes tell us a tale
Riddled pain they entail
His eyes fail to leave her
Death calls for Fatima
* * *
He carries her to the grave within his arm she had curled
Then stopped as if his feet had come to the end of the world
He lowered her like lowering the sun itself unfurled
As the earth had slowly swallowed her beauty from his world
His arms still feel the warmth
His heart feels the storm
His hand feels emptier
Death calls for Fatima
* * *
Her absence so sharp upon his soul, carving him some more
Digging into his being, like the nail behind the door
Running out of rooms within his heart to flee anymore
When the nail crushed her, remember it crushed Ali more!
Crushing his only dreams
Silence his loudest screams
Ali with no Zahra
Death Calls for Fatima
* * *
Nouri Sardar (Verses 1-5) & Taher Adel (Verses 6-9)
(London – 16/04/11)