Tale of Hussain's Martyrdom

Translator's Note

It is a great honour to be asked to translate the tale of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s.) into English. However, in undertaking the task, I was faced with the problem of translating the Arabic poetry which normally accompanies the account of Imam Hussain's martyrdom and which may lose its meaning in the process. To circumvent this difficulty, I resorted to English poetry from the book "Sunshine at Midnight, the Kerbala Epic" written by the late Syyid Ali Mahdi, an eloquent poet and writer. Thus the reader will notice befitting passages of his poetry adorning the translation throughout.

Najim al-Khafaji, B.A.