“On the Fall of the `Abbasid Caliphate”
An elegy by Sa`di Shirazi (d. 1292)
Translated from the Persian by Carl W. Ernst
Heaven would be right if it wept blood upon the earth –
Commander of the Faithful Musta`sim’s kingdom has fallen.
Muhammad! If on doomsday you raise up your head from earth,
look upon this doomsday that is now upon the people.
The blood of pitiless men took the delicate harem-dwellers
beyond the threshold (astan), as our bloody tears stained our sleeve (astin).
Alas for the world’s turning, and the revolution of the day –
No one ever imagined that such a thing could be this way.
Now look up, you who saw the glory of the sacred gate:
Roman Caesars and Chinese Khans with their heads in the dust.
The blood of the nephews of the Prophet has been shed
on that very spot where emperors rubbed their foreheads.
Woe! If any fly descends on the blood of those pure ones,
honey will taste bitter in his mouth till doomsday comes.
After this, one should not count on pleasure from this world;
tar remains in the ring after the gem has gone.
The Tigris has turned bloody; after this, if it flows downhill,
it will turn a sandy palm oasis into bloody clay.
Tears are vain; it’s useless to wash with water
sadness from a man’s heart or a brand from a horse’s back.
Graves of martyrs are not for lamenting, since there is
highest heaven as the least reward for them.
But because of being Muslim (musulmani) and having compassion,
the grateful one’s heart burns from separation from these lovely ones.
Wait till tomorrow, when you’ll see the Day of Judgment,
and the dead rise from their graves with bloody locks.
The dust of their feet is the ointment of my eyes;
on resurrection day their blood will stain the houris’ eyes.
If the injured body rolls in bloody dust, so what?
Their pure spirit’s in the merciful protection of their Lord.
It’s not right to trust the earth or set your heart on it;
heaven’s sometimes friendly, brother, at other times mean.
You’d call heaven’s wheel on earth a pair of great millstones;
day and night the hearts of men between are ground to flour.
The power of a brave arm has no power against fate;
when destiny arrives, good counsel has no power.
Fine Indian swords can’t be unsheathed on Judgment Day;
What can a brave man do when death ambushes him?
Experience is useless when luck turns away;
what good’s attacking when one’s saddle’s fallen off?
If people seek battle for earth’s carrion,
brother, if you’re wise, nest like the Phoenix.
What’s the world worth? It’s in need of God,
Who watches over us in the realm of faith and certainty.
Lord! Keep this pillar of being Muslim (musulmani) safe with me
in the protection of the just king, the leader of power and faith,
Emperor of happy fate, saviour of the day, Abu Bakr-e Sa`d,
Whose character is pleasing and whose qualities are fine.
Choosing his clear-sighted views is for the public good,
and the mighty only ought to speak to him with gentle words.
Of course they pray for his good fortune on both land and sea:
“Thousands of blessings be on your soul from the soul’s creator!”
May your time have felicity (sa`adat), and your happiness (sa`d) be strong,
your flag triumphal, fortune friendly, and success distinguished.
Source: Kolliyat-i Sa`di, ed. Muhammad `Ali Forughi (Tehran: Sazman-e Chap o Intisharat-e Javidan, n.d.), pp. 503-4.
Historical note: Sa`di (d. 1292), a native of Shiraz, was one of the greatest Persian poets, especially celebrated for his collection of ethical stories and poems, the Rosegarden (Gulistan). He also wrote many lyrics (ghazals) and odes (qasidas), the latter often dedicated to political figures. Sa`di’s patron in this poem, from whose son he took his pen-name, was Abu Bakr-e Sa`d (r. 1226-1260), an atabeg (hereditary Turkish ruler) of the Salghurid dynasty in southern Persia. Abu Bakr-e Sa`d became a vassal to the Mongol emperors Ogedey and Hulagu, receiving the Mongol title Qutlugh Khan for his services. Two years before his death, Abu Bakr-e Sa`d assisted Hulagu in the siege of Baghdad in 1258, which is lamented here. See C. E. Bosworth, The New Islamic Dynasties, pp. 207-8; C. E. Bosworth, “Salghurids,” Encyclopaedia of Islam, 8:978b.