translated from the Arabic by Abdullah al-Udhari
Those who smell the soil of Ahmad’s grave will have musk–scented breath for the rest of their life, but the catastrophes poured on me could night the day.
ماذا على من شمّّ تُُربة أ حمد أن لا ي شمّّ مدى الزمانِِ غواليا
صُُبّّت عليّّ مصائب لو أنّّها صُُبّّتْْ على الأيّّام صرن لياليا
“[Those who smell the soil]” by Fatimah bint Muhammad is published in Classical Poems by Arab Women: A Bilingual Anthology by Abdullah al-Udhari (Saqi Books, 1991). Used with the permission of Saqi Books.