I must tell my story to somebody, to write it down and preserve it before they eradicate me. They besiege me from all sides, set fire around me, and steal my air. They are lurking me, ambushing me and waiting for an opportunity to entrap me, to soop me down, to cut me into pieces, to put an end to my life, to nullify my entity. I don’t want to leave before telling my story; not the whole story, of course, nor with details, because it is so long to be recorded in a book, and I don’t have enough time left to tell all the story. I'll limit myself to the main signposts of my life, just gleams in the night of history.
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I helped Noah set up his boat, and as the rivers began to flow and the sky started to rain heavily and the deluge took place in the month of Muharam AL Haram, I boarded the boat with him. But my sweetheart remained standing on a high mound, looking at me and waving to me. I called out her name, but she didn’t reply. I beckoned to her to be quick, but she didn’t move. She remained standing there on the hill and the ship sailed without her. By then, I sat alone, bowing my head, covering my face with my hands and a silent tear dropped from my eye. Meanwhile a cat passed near me and stopped by me. It sympathetically meowed and rubbed its body and tail on my nude legs.

In the last watch of my earning for her, I entered the Sumerian city of Erech, bareheaded and barefooted. I went into Ishtar Temple, looking for my beloved among the harlots. But I didn’t find her. I picked up a nail and engraved on a stone “I love you forever”. I hanged the stone on the Temple gate, hoping that she would come one day and see it. I swelled my disappointment like a needle and left. In the main street of the city, I saw the processions of young girls mourning Dumuzie , the God of Pasture who had been entrapped, tortured and killed in the month Muharam Alharam. I scrutinized the faces of the charming girls, looking for my beloved among them, but I didn’t find her, I felt hopeless and helpless, with great wish to cry. So, I joined the procession and began to moan, but I didn’t know whether I was shedding my tears for Dumuzie or for my sweetheart.

I accompanied Gilgamesh and Enkidu through their invasion to the land of cedar and the sea of darkness, looking for the herbage of everlasting life and my beloved as well. I saw the courageous Enkidu fighting the daemon of the forest and defeating it, wrestling with the wild Bull of Heaven in the squares of the city and knocked it down; but, alas, he emitted his last breath inside a closed room. Thus, Gilgamesh rambled, sadly, looking for the herbage of everlasting life alone. He dived deeply to the bottom of the sea and got it, but, while he was sleeping, a snake stole the herbage and ran away into its hole. Gilgamesh felt hurt deeply and began to cry. I shared him his sorrow and wept silently. But I didn’t know whether I was crying for Gilgamesh or for my sweetheart ! I returned back to my tent in the desert and threw my blunt sword out of the tent.

I got into the city of Ur in the land of Sumer, searching for my beloved. I beheld them gathering around Abraham and listening to him. I joined them, but we were attacked by Nimrod’s soldiers and they captured me to burn me with Abraham. The ashes of my burnt body flew high, passed near the moon and caused a lunar eclipse, touched the sun and caused a solar eclipse and, later, remembered my footsteps on earth and landed down.

They utilized me with the others to set up the Babylon Suspended Gardens. In the evening, I swum in the river of Euphrate, looking into the river for my beloved among the river brides. I was searching for something to eat. The waves moved around me carrying geese and fish, but I remained feeling hungry and the mermaids made fun of me. Then, everybody left except I. I remained alone looking for her in my dreams. As the sun was about to set and the moon to decline, the Tower of Babylon collapsed. so I moved with the others towards the land of the Assyrians, talking to the trees and stones about my lover. I passed by the Gypsy villages, I examined their tents, glanced at their women, dancing with the wolves and singing with the owls, but I didn’t feast my eyes on the sight of my sweetheart. I wept painfully in the evening, but I didn’t know whether I was weeping for the Tower of Babylon or for my dear one.

I acclaimed to them when I saw them on their horses pulling out their swords, leaving the dust behind them in the desert. So I picked up my blunt sword and joined them in their attack on Khasrau’s Palace. We entirely tore it down and with its stones we built a circular city full of comely mansions, lush gardens and wide squares. When the city construction had been perfected, the Sultan and his sons accompanied with their assistants entered the city and possessed the palaces. They sacked me and my comrades outside the city walls. I waited there looking at the beautiful girls coming to the city from all over the world, but my beloved one wasn’t among them, so I wept sadly. I didn’t know whether I wept for my lost dreams or for my lover.

I entered Baghdad and saw the people sitting in the cafes, feeling happy and amused. I worked at an observatory . One day when I was working, I observed Maghul legions moving on small and ugly horses. They besieged the city until the food and the ammunition ran out. In the month of Muharam Alharam at noon time, they invaded the city and began to kill people, the elderly and children, slit open the pregnant women, burn the books, and pull down the minarets. The blood and the ink mixed to color the water of the river Tigris. I stood alone at the river bank weeping, but I didn’t know whether I was crying for Baghdad or for my sweetheart.

Completely exhausted, I swallowed my pride and returned to my torn-out tent in the desert. I became addicted to my sad memories and whenever I saw a mirage, I would pull out my sword, ride my horse, run behind it, taking it for my sweetheart’s mirage. But, every time I’d come back frustrated and heartbroken.
 

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Tranlated by : Jawad Wadi