THE  ROYAL  CEMETERY

Introduction
This long poem of ten stanzas is the expression  of ‘All«mah Iqb«l’s feelings on visiting some royal cemetery. Though the thoughts expressed in the poem could have resulted from visit  to any royal cemetery it is obvious from the fourth stanza that the cemetery was a Muslim one, which could be in his native city of Lahore or in Delhi, or even in Spain. The poem starts  with expression of grief which is commonly experienced by people visiting any commentary. After describing the grandeur of the  kings buried there feelings of admonition are expressed on their  helplessness after death, from which  they cannot  return to their  life. The story of the rise, decline and fall of nations teaches  the same lesson. The history of the Islamic Ummah is no exception. However, the fall of this nation is reflected  in his thoughts as specially painful for reasons which have been explained in other poems. Nevertheless, as is usual with him, he finishes the poem with a message of hope in the last verse.

Translation
The sky is clothed in the cloud’s old tattered robe
The mirror of moon’s forehead is somewhat gloomy

The moon light is pale in this silent panorama
The dawn is sleeping in the lap of the night

How astonishing is silence of the trees
This silence is the soft tune of  Nature’s harp

                The heart of every speck of the universe is pathos embodied
                And the silence is a sad sigh on the lips of existence

Ah ! That fort, that universal mustering ground
Is carrying millennia’s weight on its shoulders

Was  full of life at one time, now is desolate
This  silence is the cemetery of its past elegance

                It is the lover of the remains of its old  denizens
                It is standing on the mountain  top like a sentinel

There from the cloud’s  window above the sky’s roof
That young green star is viewing the universe

The earth’s  vast expanse is a mere child’s play to it
The story of  Man’s failure is known to it by heart

This traveler is going to his  destination since eternity
Seeing revolutions’  spectacles  from the sky’s  seclusion

Though quiescence of the star is not possible in the universe
It has stopped momentarily for saying prayer for the dead

                This earth is full of flowers of life’s variegations
                This earth is the cemetery of many destroyed civilizations

This grief-stricken stage is the resting place of kings
O admonished eye !  Pay the tribute of rosy tears

Though a mere cemetery, this dust ranks with the sky
Ah ! this is the wealth of an unfortunate nation!

So  astounding is the grandeur of mausoleums
That the spectator’s  eye evades even winking

                Such an expression of  failure is in this picture
                Which is impossible to reflect in description’s mirror

Far from the habitations’ crowds  are sleeping
Those who were restless with unfulfilled Longings

The grave’s darkness holds the brilliance of those suns
At  whose thresholds the sky used to remain prostrating

Is this the end of these emperors’ magnificence?
Whose diplomatic policies knew no decline

Be it the grandeur of Qaisar or Faghfur’s ¹ sway
The foe of death’s assault cannot be turned away

                The result of kings’ life-efforts also is the grave
                The last stage on path of magnificence is the grave

Neither the happy assembly’s commotion nor the genius’ talk
Not even the wailing people’s whole night’s compassion!

Neither the tumult of the sword in the battle!
Nor the cry of blood warming Takbâr ! ²

                No call can wake up those who are sleeping
                No life can return to the desolate breast

The soul in the handful of dust ³ is enduring injustice
When breath enters non-existence’ flute it is a mere complaint

Human life resembles the sweet singing bird, which
Sat on the branch a while, chirped, flew away

Ah ! For what purpose did we come in the world, for what  purpose did we go away!
Sprouted from the life’s branch, blossomed, faded away

                Death is interpretation of the dream of the king and the poor alike
                This atrocious one’s terror is the picture of justice ⁴

The stream of life is a boundless ocean
And the grave is a wave of this boundless ocean

O ambition! Shed tears of blood as this life is unreliable
It is the smile of the spark, it is the flammable straw

This moon which is a miracle of the Lord of the universe
Clad in the robe of gold is slowly and proudly strolling

But in the frightening vastness of the starless sky
Its helplessness is worth watching at time of dawn

                What was the moon is a mere piece of cloud
                Whose destruction is in the last tear drop

Similarly unpredictable is the life of nations
Their glory is a picture of the happy times gone by

In this world no nation however prestigious it may be
Can continue its existence till the end of  time

So  much accustomed to nations’  destruction is the universe
That it watches this scene with indifference

Nothing stays the same without change
The universe’ nature  is made of change

                The beauty of world’s  jewel is in ever-changing names
                The mother earth has always remained expecting new nations!

This highway is acquainted with thousands of caravans
Koh-i-Nër’s ⁵ eye is familiar with innumerable kings

Egypt and Babylon ⁶ are annihilated, not a mark remains
The roll of existence does not have even their names

The evening of death has overpowered the sun of Iran
Time has robbed the grandeur of Greece and Rome

                Ah! The Muslim also from the world similarly departed
                The «z«r ⁷ cloud appeared over the horizon, rained and departed

The rose petal’s vein is a string of pearls with dawn’s tears
Some ray of the sun is enmeshed in the dew

The river’s breast is the cradle for sun’s rays
How beautiful is the sun’s sight at the river bank!

Juniper is busy in beautifying, river is the mirror
For  the flower bud  spring breeze is the mirror

The cuckoo remains calling from the garden’s nest
Remains hidden from the human eye in the leaves’ privacy

And  the nightingale, the flowery singer of the garden
By whose presence is alive the glory of the garden

Is a living picture of the commotion of Love
How beautiful is this picture from Nature’s pen!

In the garden the roses silent assemblies are holding
The shepherd boys’ shouts in the valley are echoing

This old world  is so full of life
That in death also is hidden the zest of life

The petals fall in autumn in the same way
As toys fall from the sleeping infant’s hand

                In this cheerful world though luxury is limitless
                One grief, that is grief of the Millat is always fresh

Memories of the age gone by are still fresh in our heart
This Ummah cannot erase its kings’ memories form its heart

These desolate mansions are excuses for shedding tears
Insight has developed in the eye with continuous tears

We give to the world the pearls of the weeping eye
We are the remaining clouds of a storm gone by

There are hundreds of pearls in this cloud’s  breast
Thunder still lurks in this cloud’s  silent breast

It can change the dry wilderness to a flowery vale
It can change the farmer’s hope from slumber to awakening

                The manifestation of this nation’s majesty has passed
                But the manifestation of its beauty has not yet passed ⁸

Explanatory Notes
1. Faghfër and Qaisar- They are the titles of the emperors of China and the Roman Empire respectively. These two empires and their rulers were emblems of power, authority and grandeur, and they still represent these attribute in Urdu and Persian literature.

2. Takbâr- It  is the Muslim creed which is “Allah-u-Akbar” (God is Great). It is usually called in battles and other difficult times.

3. Allusion to the human body.

4. Allusion to the Islamic  teaching that death is not annihilation but a change in location and condition. The necessary corollary of the above  is the resurrection when real justice will  be done to all and all injustices of the worldly life will be redressed. Both these things are ephemeral.

5. Koh-i-Nur- This was the diamond in the crown of Shahjahan (the Mughal Emperor who ruled from 1627 to 1657, which was the period of the highest glory of the Mughal Empire). This verse alludes to the many kings who used the Koh-i-Nër in their crowns. These included the successors of Sh«hjah«n till the attack of N«dir Sh«h in 1756 when he took it to Iran. It was taken from Iran by the British after one of the battles with Iran in the 19th century and since then is included in the jewels of the British crown.

6. Egypt and Babylon - These are the countries of the ancient world which had reached the highest stage of civilization, including science and technology. Egypt is a country with the longest known history, though the dates of the period before 1600 B.C. are disputed. The oldest known history dates back to 3110 B.C.  In the course of history through which Egypt passed several religious and ethnic groups, including Persians, Greeks, Romans and Muslims held suzerainty over it. Each of these periods has left its marks on the civilization and culture of Egypt.

Babylon was also an ancient kingdom on the Tigris and Euphrates in South Mesopotamia (present day Iraq). Its history dates back to 3500 B.C. During this period its borders advanced and receded many times. For a great part of their history the Babylonians were traders. They were reputed for their law and administration and temples. They had attained high proficiency in astronomy, medicine and music.

7. ÿz«r - Sixth month of the Greek or Syrian year corresponding to the month of March.

8. The 99 attributes of God are grouped into two main classes, known as Jal«lâ (manifesting His Majesty) and Jam«lâ  (manifesting His Beauty). Similarly, the attributes if  Islam the dân of God are grouped into Jal«lâ and Jam«lâ classes. The period of the rise of Islamic nations exhibited their material grandeur in all the sciences, technologies and arts whose examples abound throughout the Islamic world. However, the Jam«lâ attributes, consisting of the spiritual and esoteric powers of Islam has not been fully established. This aspect of Islam will manifest itself now.