Sol 6.1

  1. O sky, fall! And O earth, quake!

    Ibn al-Baridi has assumed the vizierate.

  2. A calamity has grown immense, and an intractable ordeal has befallen,

    And an affliction that has turned a newborn's head gray.

  3. It has shattered Islam's pillar and violated sovereignty;

    And its traces have been erased, so it is perishing.

  4. The splendor of the age has worn away, just as

    Long wear has worn out the patterned weave of striped cloaks.

  5. O my people, help me with the burning in my breast and my wailing,

    And my burning anguish, and my stricken heart,

  6. When the army marched on a Thursday,

    With al-Baridi in black garments.

  7. The Imam had bestowed them upon him as a mark of favor,

    And in reliance, on his part, upon one who is no dependable leader.

  8. Robes of honor that strip away glory, and a banner

    Whose knot undoes the knot already tied.

  9. And you imagined that that would deceive him,

    And thus kill him by stealth, as game is trapped.

  10. He is more lecherous than you reckon—indeed,

    He is not one to be trapped by investiture.

Sol 6.1