Stanza 96


96

And now the corpse is ready for the shroud,
The tunic, and the loin cloth. No avowed
Believer would allow a burial
Without including these immutable
Requirements for interring the deceased.
However, piety could be increased
By using wrappings for the legs and head,
And so there was a turban and instead
Of just a loin cloth, trousers without seams.
Upon a framework made of slender beams
The shroud is draped, and over it is laid
The tunic and the loin cloth. The cascade
Of cloth continues as the people place
The trousers on the loin cloth and the space
Where Qasim's buttocks shortly will recline
Is padded with some cotton. At the sign
The mullah gives, they lift the corpse with care.
With gentleness, they transfer it to where
Upon these garments the cadaver lies,
And clothe it as the mourners agonize.