Antar : a Bedoueen romance. |
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| XXVIII. |
| XXIX. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. |
| XXXII. |
| XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. |
| XXXV. |
| XXXVI. | CHAPTER XXXVI. |
| XXXVII. |
| XXVII. |
 | CHAPTER XXXVI. Antar : |  |
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Eh! what has befallen you? said Cais; who
among men has cast you down? Know, O king,
they replied, we accompanied Harith till we reached
our own country. Harith guarded the prisoners,
and remained watching them three days, ever
menacing them till night-fall; but one morning
we looked for him and his prisoners, but we
could not find either him or them; so out of our
alarms for you, knowing well his perfidy, we are
come to apprise you. Cais shuddered at this intelligence;
And did this event, asked he, take place
before the families arrived, or afterwards? No women,
no families, no camels, no cattle, have we
seen, replied they. Then the light became dark in
the eyes of King Cais. Alas! then our advantages
have turned out to our prejudice, he exclaimed, and
these ordures of Fazareans will still exult over us.
O king, said Antar, when he saw the anguish of
Cais at this corroboration of the news, this fact
proves indeed the difference between appearances
and reality, as widely distinct are they as existence
from annihilation; an experienced man can see the
whole proceeding from beginning to end. I am
persuaded that Aswad and his companions have ultimately
engaged to procure King Numan's protection
for him, and that he has agreed to their plans,
and as he was coming with them against us, he
must have met our women travelling along the road
(no better opportunity to open a door to the heart
of King Numan could they find), they must have
seized them, and they are now on their way to
Hirah. King Cais was convinced of the probability
of Antar's conjectures; O my cousin, said he, if it is
so, truly we are fallen between two perilous catastrophes,
and two deadly afflictions, and I do not
comprehend which we should undertake first; for
if we pursue Harith in a body the Fazareans will
turn upon us, and if we remain here every vestige
of us will be extirpated. O king, said Antar, it is
my opinion that I go alone after Harith and his
prisoners; I will rescue the property and families;
I will replace Aswad himself and his comrades into
chains and fetters; and I will show you what I will
do with that Prince Aswad and all his people. Do
you in the meanwhile stand firmly opposed to the
tribe of Fazarah. Ah, my cousin, said Cais, much
relieved, do as you please; but if it is so, and you
really must go, take with you some one to aid you
in the contest. O king, said Antar, if my heart
were easy about you, I would attack every human
being on the earth single-handed. But he took his
nephew Hatal, and altogether ten men, on whose
firmness he could rely in battle. Shiboob by his
side, he sought the barren waste, followed by his
warriors.
As to the tribe of Fazarah, after Hadifah and his
flight, and repaired to Sinan, who exhorted
them to resist till the morrow, as something would
probably happen to occupy the Absians' attention.
The next day there started forth from the Fazareans
a sturdy warrior and an intrepid hero; he was a
horseman of the dimensions of an elephant, or a
towering palm-tree; he galloped, and charged, and
challenging to the fight, thus exclaimed, O tribe of
Abs, come forth to the spear-thrust and the sword-blow.
By the faith of an Arab ye are the knights
of the age, the lions of Adnan, the conquerors of the
brave, and truly ye are just; on this account the
God of the holy shrine has aided you, and has humbled
your foes to you. We, moreover, have outraged
you, and we have oppressed you, and we had
no propriety in our transactions. Such indeed have
been our proceedings: but you have slain our
horsemen; you have hurled dead our brave heroes;
and all this has fallen upon us in consequence of our
massacre of your children, and our perfidious conduct
towards you; and, moreover, our warriors
were taken captives by you, and their outrage has
been visited upon them in the result of their infamous
conduct and disgraceful actions. We were
last night resolved on flight, though we are more
numerous than you, and our means more abundant,
but ye are more steady than us in the field of combats
and contests. Now, then, all we demand of
you is justice, and the abandonment of all violence
and outrage, so that when you accomplish your designs
and women, our families and our wives may
not have a word or a syllable to say against you,
and no blame or reproach be attached to you. Come
forth, then, against me, ye that desire the combat,
for ye are the chiefs of Adnan, and the warriors of
Hijaz. Beware of treachery, ye heroes, or the calamities
nocturnal and diurnal will overwhelm ye.
After this harangue the knight thus continued:
"Whoso has tried fortune, him its marvels have
terrified; into him its misfortunes have fixed their
fangs. I truly know that the results of violence
are repentance, and that its consequences will requite
us. There is nothing remaining for us but
to drink of the cup of death under the dust-cloud
when the whole country is blackened. Cool then
my sickness with the spear-thrust; rush then
upon a brave man, to whom every thing is easy.
Shame has pitched her abode on him from every
direction, though once the revolutions of fortune
were his friends. Ye judges, be impartial towards
us, for we have a land whose female mourners
shriek in terror. Perhaps too the revolutions of
fortune will befriend us with its justice, and will
send down its evils upon you. Confide not in
fortune, for the age is fraught with evil; and
sorrow, as you see, may inflict its wondrous works
on you."
King Cais listened, and was exceedingly astonished
at the mild tone of the warrior: his heart
pitied the tribe of Fazarah, as he recollected the relationship
By the faith of an Arab, said he to those around
him, were this knight anxious to make peace with
us I would be reconciled to them, and forgive the
blood of the children on account of the tenderness
of his expressions. But it is too late: so now come
on. And as to this knight who demands fair play,
let him have it; and if any one of ye is able to take
him prisoner, let him capture him. Upon that, the
Absian warriors rushed upon him from all quarters,
and although King Cais called out to them, they
would not return; for their ambitious feelings were
excited against that knight, who, when he saw the
Absian forces making towards him, smiled conceitedly;
and as he joyfully urged on his horse, Eh!
Absians, he exclaimed, ye have not failed in this instance
of impartiality; but this is what the strong
ever do against the weak, and as he spoke he bent
his head over the saddle-bow; he assaulted the Absians,
and met them with dreadful sword-blows and
powerful spear-thrusts. Wreaking his vengeance
upon them, he cut through them with his sword,
and in less than an hour he hurled down twenty of
their most puissant knights. The horsemen still
assailed him in every direction, and shouted at him;
but he was silent and returned no answer, neither
did he make any address, but he dealt his blows
right and left, cleaving down the horsemen on the
field of battle. The tribes stared at him and at the
plain, in order to distinguish the vanquished from
the vanquisher, but of that lion-hero they could only
fell it cleft in twain, till all the warriors fled from
him, and sought safety in the presence of King Cais,
who eagerly asked them what that knight had done
to them. On our lives, O king, they exclaimed, we
never saw a more valiant fellow than this hero; he
has cut down our horsemen with his scimitar, and
has brought death upon us. Well, said Cais, and
what is this hero's name? who is this lion? O king,
we know him not, they replied; there is not one of
us that can give any account of him, for never
did we behold his like amongst all the warriors, or
one that could equal him in the field of battle: he
has already slain twenty horsemen, all lion heroes.
The heart of Cais was sorely grieved; and as he
listened to the acclamations of the tribe of Fazarah,
his rage and anguish were more intolerable; for he
felt assured those shouts were the shouts of victory.
His grief and sorrow pressed heavier upon him, and
he ordered his brothers and the horsemen of his tribe
to make a united attack, saying, Come on to the
knight who softened us to pity by his speech, and
who destroys our horsemen with the edge of his
scimitar. Upon this, the Absian heroes rushed
upon him; they slackened their reins, and poised
their spears; but they had not approached the field
of contest before the enemy appeared, and the youth
started forth in their rear, roaring and bellowing
like thunder in a cloud, and blood was trickling
from his sword edge, and death was glaring in his
eyes.
The horsemen shuddered and shrunk back, whilst
the Knight continued to cleave skulls, and to crush
bones, till coming near the banners and standards of
the King, he roared O by Marah! O by Marah!
Hail, O Cais, to thy death and destruction! I am
Harith, son of Zalim, the slayer of lion-warriors.
And he rushed at the standard-bearer, and smote him
on the head with his sword, and divided him down to
the girdle of his back, and felled him cut in twain.
He assaulted King Cais, and dragging him off his
horse's back, took him prisoner, and delivering him
over to one of his attendants, he renewed his attack.
The Fazareans rushed on to his assistance, their
hearts encouraged by his intrepidity; men met men,
and heroes met heroes: blood flowed and streamed;
limbs were hewn asunder; warriors were stretched
low upon the field of contention; the well-proportioned
spears, and the cleaving blades, laboured
amongst them. Heads flew off; wrists were severed;
the eagles of death hovered over them. The warriors
crowded round King Cais and Harith, and
the market of war continued its traffic. This one
died, that one escaped; the scimitars flashed; the
spears stung; mails were split; lives were in agony;
the ground was drenched in blood; the glories of
the heroes were exalted; the flame of war increased,
and numberless were the sword-blows and the spear-thrusts;
the easy became arduous, and the whole
scene boiled like the bubbling of a caldron. Eagles
and vultures hovered over them; the coward was
overthrown, and the brave vanquished. Men engaged,
the day departed, and night came on in obscurity,
when the two armies separating, alighted in a neighbouring
spot.
The Fazareans carried off King Cais, intending
to ransom Hadifah with him, and to obtain through
him security after all their terrors. The cause of
this was, that after King Cais had delivered over the
prisoners to Harith, with an escort of one hundred
men, he conducted them to the land of the Absians,
where he beheld the carcasses of the dead, and the
streaming of blood. The Absians cannot stand out
long, said he to himself: so he pitched his tents on
the sand-hills and mounds, and remained guarding
the prisoners till the third day, when he went unto
them, and found them consulting about the deliverance
of their persons. O Harith, said Aswad,
how trifling is your compliance with the times; how
strange is your conduct among the horsemen! just
as if thou wert only created a rock, cast down on the
plain for every one to stumble against thee. What
can I do? he replied: I am the horseman of horsemen
and heroes. O Harith, said Locait, the cause
of these disasters was your murder of Numan's son,
and though you contrived to escape after all your
dangers, you have persisted in your obstinacy and
rebellion, and have reconciled yourself to a life with
an insignificant, worthless slave; but if you have
a mind to rescue Numan's brother and his companions,
and to make your apologies, and demand
their protection, haste then before it is too late, and
befal you—so that we may engage Numan's protection
for you, and your former deeds be cancelled by
your subsequent conduct, and every man alive will
thank you. But the Absians, said Harith, it does not
become me to afflict them—but then Antar! Ah! indeed,
against him my heart is sick with envy: no
man's frame is more disordered than mine; for he is
superior in feats of arms and horsemanship; were it
not so, the Arabs would be under my control; and
had I not been in want of him, I would have murdered
him, and would have captured his cousin Ibla.
Prince Aswad now began to indulge hopes of
success. What is it you wish? said he, that we may
grant it, and engage for its fulfilment? I wish you
would go with me, said Harith, to the tribe of Fazarah,
and assist me in the destruction of Antar,
and insure me Numan's protection. O Harith, exclaimed
Aswad, who only required his liberty and
return to Irak, I engage for Antar's death, were he
encompassed by multitudes.
Upon this, Harith released them from bondage,
and brought them arms and horses, and only waiting
for the darkness of night, they set out for the
land of Fazarah; and as they met the wives, and
property, and families of the Absians on the road,
My opinion, said Aswad, is, you should drive away
these baggage-camels, and depart for King Numan
before the dread Antar pursue us, and return us to
captivity and infamy.
So they surrounded the baggage-camels on all
the land of Irak. Who is it, said Harith, son of
Zoheir, who has sent you against us? Surrender!
exclaimed the Brandisher of Spears, or I will make
thee dwell in thy tomb. We are the horsemen of
Aamir, and with us is Harith, son of Zalim, and
Prince Aswad, brother of King Numan. Thus
saying, he attacked Harith, son of King Zoheir, and
took him prisoner: and as the remaining horsemen
saw death was in him, they wheeled round, and
sought flight; but lo! in front of them were sturdy
knights; so they surrendered themselves to captivity
and chains; and when morning dawned, the
hundred horsemen were pinioned.
Harith looked at Ibla, who was in tears, and casting
her eyes round right and left, and he would have
spoken to her. O Harith, said Aswad, knowing his
situation, we cannot let you do such an act as that;
it is impossible, till you see Antar dead. And
Harith soon repented of having rescued them, as
he communed with himself,—If I go to Numan,
and Mootegeredah should ever hear that I have released
her brother's foes, and have captured the Absian
women, never will she permit her husband to
give me any favourable answer: the best thing I
can do, will be to go with these ordures, that I may
watch my opportunity with them, and make them
all drink of the cup of death; and then seize Ibla,
and fly with her to some corner of the earth.
The Brandisher of Spears knew what he was
about. O Prince, said he, turning to Aswad, Harith
remove him from us before evening. You know, O
Chief of the tribe of Marah, said Aswad to Harith,
that we are now marching to the tribe of Fazarah.
But I am aware, that Cais and Antar must have
annihilated them. My advice is, that you join them
till I send you aid from my brother Numan; for I
cannot permit you to enter Irak, till Cais be led before
you in fetters and chains, and the head of Antar
be on the tallest of spears.
Harith knew they were afraid of him; however,
he had nothing for it but to turn away his horse's
head, and seek his tribe and his people. He continued
his road till he reached the tribe of Fazarah,
whom he informed of the release of the prisoners,
and that he had sent the Absian baggage-camels to
Irak; and I, he added, will consent to assist you.
Sinan burst into tears in a fit of joy, and felt convinced
that all was now right. Harith asked about
Antar; We know nothing of him, said they.
Harith concealed himself, till ascertaining that
Antar was absent, he discovered himself, and attacked
the troops, and dispersed the camp, and took
King Cais prisoner. But in compliance with Sinan's
advice, that he should release Cais, and ransom
Hadifah and his brothers, he summoned Cais, and
made a covenant with him, to which Cais gave his
consent, and swore he would release Hadifah and
his brothers from bondage.
They accordingly set him at liberty, and he returned
to the Absians, who were delighted at his
with the Fazareans. He ordered Hadifah and his
brothers into his presence, and he gave them honorary
robes, and released them: returning them
their horses and their arms, he sent them home,
having first asked them to make peace; but Hadifah
refused. When they reached the tribe of Fazarah,
their troubles diminished, and their joys increased.
Sinan and Harith advanced, and saluting them, conducted
them to the tents; and on that day there was
no fighting.
As to the Absians, when King Cais had liberated
Hadifah and his brothers, he assembled his brothers,
and Rebia, and his tribe, and began to consult
with them how he should conduct the war against the
Fazareans. My advice, O King, said Rebia, is,
that we should protract the combat; perhaps our
cousin may come to us, he, the reliever of our sorrows—Antar,
son of Shedad, and repay them for
their outrages. We must, said Cais, make one
united attack, and perhaps we may punish the iniquity
of that Harith, son of Zalim. That's the
thing, said the Absians.
The next day the Fazareans mounted, and sought
the contest; the Absians also made an universal assault;
limbs were soon cut off; the polished blades
and lengthened spears laboured; heroes were laid
low on the scene of horrors. The affair continued
in this state till mid-day, the Fazareans being well
backed against the Absians by the presence of Harith.
But lo! a dust arose, and covered the land; and
armour, and at their head was a knight like a mass
of a mountain, or the declivity of a vast rock; and
he shouted out, O by Abs! O by Adnan! Retaliation
for Malik, son of Zoheir! I am Zayidah, son
of Museeb: then repeating his shout, he attacked
the Fazareans. His men followed him to the assault,
and in less than an hour they drove back the
Fazareans to the tents.
When Harith saw this, he uncovered his head,
and attacked till he retrieved the day by his vigorous
resistance. Thus the combat continued till evening,
when the two armies separated. The Fazareans
alighted at their tents, and thanked Harith for his
exploits: and thus also the Absians alighted at
their tents, and thanked Zayidah for his achievements.
King Cais having asked Zayidah about the cause
of his coming, O King, said he, I heard what had
happened to you with the filthy tribe of Fazarah,
and how they had massacred the children. I could
not endure such deeds: I thought indeed you would
have sent to require my assistance; but as no one
came to me from you, I mounted with these warriors,
and am here to aid you; and were it not for
Harith, I would easily defeat the Fazareans. Tomorrow,
however, I will challenge him; perhaps I
may kill him, and relieve the Arabs from his atrocities,
and his treacheries, and malice. On hearing this,
King Cais reposed quite happy. As to the tribe of
Fazarah, By the protection of an Arab, said Harith,
I must kill him.
They reposed that night, revolving under the will
of the most merciful God, whom nothing human can
change, till the day dawned, when the two parties
having mounted to the scene of action, lo! Harith
started forth, eager for the contest; and as he galloped
and charged, he thus recited:
"I regard no man as a friend, and I make absence
an exchange for enjoyment. Whenever a
friend asks a favour of you, betray him, and requite
a good action with an evil one, as a foe, and
hurl down every one with the long spear. Ply
the sword amongst all your relations, and slay
every one with the polished sabre. Betray your
companions and family, till you see the dearest in
infamy. When you want a comrade, associate
with a spear, and be not separated from your
bright scimitar. Abandon your family, forsake
friends; laid low on the back of the earth, let
them lie dead. O Absians, I will singly attack
you this day with deeds that ages shall record.
My sword shall not rest in the darkness of its
sheath, and it will not be reconciled to any one
instead of me. My scimitar, and my arms, and
my spear, shall tear ye out, root and branch.
Think not I regard a friend that he can please
me. I love no friend; come forth then, and behold
the combat of a youth, a vanquisher, who
considers numbers as nought; see how he will
act among ye on the back of his colt that will
heart this day is sick, ease therefore my sickening
heart with the contest. I am Harith, son of
Zalim; my name is famed for perfidy throughout
the tribes."
The Absians replied to Harith's verses with curses
and abuse. Zayidah longed to attack him, but one
of his cousins anticipated him; he was a stout horseman,
and a noble warrior; he rushed on Harith;
he stood up on his saddle; then stretched himself
out on his stirrups, and drove at Harith a fierce
thrust. But as Harith watched the spear aimed
at his chest, he unsheathed his sword, and at one
blow clipped off its point. Then he closed on him,
and pierced him with his lance through the chest,
and forced the barb out quivering through his back;
he hurled him down dead, weltering in his blood.
Again he rushed at the standards of King Cais,
shouting, O Absians, this is not your custom, thus
to let others fight for you; why stand ye still on the
backs of your horses? Sally forth, if ye are desirous
of glory. If you wish to withdraw, I will let you,
on condition that ye abandon for ever the land of
Shurebah and Mount Saadi. I will accommodate
you among my tribe of Marah, and I will intercede
for you with King Numan, provided you first send
me your slave Antar bound in chains, that I may
kill him, and retaliate on him, and deliver him to
King Numan. On hearing this harangue, King
Cais was anxious to order his army to attack, but
Zayidah would not permit him, for rushing upon
qualities! Art thou not ashamed barely to mention
such odious propositions? and thus he continued:
"If thine eye regards iniquity as virtue, by my
life, thy blindness has lasted too long. If perfidy
were to smite thee with the cleaving sword,
it would see its favourite disgraced. Thou hast
gained a name by the murder of Khalid, till thou
hast filled the unwatered deserts with the talk of
thy deeds. Thou didst go to him as he slept,
and thou didst force the polished sword against
him in the obscurity of night. But now hail to
thee! verily thou shalt taste of prolonged tortures
from the edge of my scimitar and the barb
of my spear."
These two intrepid heroes met like two ferocious
leopards, and a contest ensued that startled the
boldest, and amazed the stoutest. They continued
in this state till mid-day, when they were enveloped
under the dust. Harith despised his antagonist;
but perceiving his uncommon powers, he exerted
himself in the combat of blows and thrusts, fearful
that the tribe of Fazarah should regard him with
an eye of inferiority. So he assaulted Zayidah like
an enraged lion, and smote him on the head, splitting
his casque and his chains; the sword continued
to work through him till it issued between his
thighs, and he fell dead, cut in two. The Fazareans
sent forth shouts of exultation, when lo! a
knight advanced towards King Cais: he was close
No, young man, said Cais. I am Cosoorah, Harith's
brother, said he, who has outraged you after
all your kindness. I am resolved to go out against
him myself, and, perhaps, I may relieve the Arabs
from his iniquities; for greatly has he dishonoured
our kindred by his acts. I wish therefore to try
myself in the combat with him, and whether I am
victorious over him, or he kill me, I shall be eased
of his perfidy. King Cais was exceedingly astonished.
These two are brothers by the same father
and mother, said he to his chiefs; but what a difference
is there between them in courtesy and generosity!
Thus started forth Cosoorah against his
brother. Eh! thou faithless villain! he exclaimed,
what means this depravity? this outrage against the
warriors? hast lost thy senses? or is it thy folly
that goads thee on? Thou bastard! cried Harith,
recognising him, and he was immediately inflamed
with intense wrath and indignation, I sent after
thee to come and assist me, but thou wert gone to
the Absians, and fearest not my power: now thou
art come even to fight me. And as he spoke, he
assailed his brother with the utmost fury; but Cosoorah
met him like a sparkling fire. (The Arabs,
in those days of ignorance, used to call Harith the
Violator, and Cosoorah the Intrepid). And they
continued the spear-thrust and sword-blow till every
eyeball was sickened. They continued in this state
till evening came on, when Harith desisted from
the engagement, saying, Return to thy comrades
have slain thee at the very first. By the faith of a
noble Arab, said Cosoorah, thou hast no escape but
by flight; if thou retirest from before me, I will
pursue thee to the tribe of Fazarah, and will bring
defeat down upon thee; for I only came to fight
thee, because thou hast glutted the universe with
the scandal thou hast brought on the Arabs. On
hearing this, the light became dark in the eyes of
Harith. He rushed at him, and smote him with
Zoolhyyat on the head, and divided him down to the
belt of his back, and he hurled him over cut in
twain. Confounded at Harith's deed, the two
armies shuddered at the hardness of his heart against
his brother, the son of his father and mother. As
to King Cais, he vanished from existence at the
horror of this catastrophe. He remained that night
in the greatest distress at being thus abandoned by
Harith, for he could not imagine what would happen,
or how it would all end. As to Harith, when
he had slain his brother Cosoorah, he retired to the
tribe of Fazarah, where Hadifah and Sinan met
him, and thanked him for his achievements, and for
the murder of his brother.
At the dawn of day the two armies prepared to
engage, when lo! Harith started forth galloping and
charging, and challenging to the contest. Come forth,
ye Absians, he cried, against the grasper of lives! him
who converts joy into sorrow—him who regards no
engagement—him who acknowledges no brother—no
to a general assault, but the Chief Shedad started
out against Harith, who encountered him, and commenced
the blow, and the draughts of instant death:
he had even wounded him; but just as he was about
to close upon him, lo! a dust arose, and as it cleared
away, there appeared the bridegroom of war and
battle—the destroyer of sturdy warriors—the serpent
of the bowels of the desert—the instructor of
heroes in battle—he, in whom the world glories—
the Chief Antar, son of the Chief Shedad, and his
companions were like devouring lions; and as the
Absians beheld Antar advance, they set up the
shout of joy, Oh what a glorious morn! King Cais
kissed him between the eyes, and told him what
Harith had done, how he had slain his brother,
and wounded Shedad. And to his inquiries of
Antar about what had happened with Aswad and
their wives and property, O King, said Antar, I
have rescued our prisoners and our heroes, and I
have returned Aswad to bondage and captivity, and
we have not lost a single article, not even the value
of a halter. The cause of this was, that Antar with
ten warriors and Shiboob followed Aswad's track;
and when their eyes met, Antar roared in a voice
that made the mountains and the whole country
resound, Ignoble dastards! I am Antar, son of
Shedad: let go those women and children. No
sooner did Aswad and his companions hear the
voice of Antar, the lion-knight, than they were
stupefied and confounded; their bodies were struck
cried Aswad to Locait and the Brandisher of Spears;
on to the sturdy slave, for he has only a small party
of cowards with him. Comfort your heart and
brighten your eye, cried they all; soon will we show
you a day of horrors. But our opinion is, you
should station a party of us over the prisoners, that
our hearts may not be occupied in the hour of
battle. This being done, the Brandisher of Spears
and Locait with their warriors returned to engage
Antar, who received them as the parched earth the
first of the rain: he yelled in their horses' faces,
and thus drove them on their haunches, and made
them hurl their riders off their backs. As soon as
the women heard the voice of Antar, their pain and
sorrow vanished; joy and gladness visited them.
Shiboob sought the post of the prisoners; he met
the heroes that were stationed over them sitting still,
and contemplating the battle. He rushed towards
Harith, son of Zoheir, in the rear of the guards,
who were leisurely enjoying the spectacle of the
combat: he released him from bondage, and, in less
than an hour, they had released one another: then
mounting the horses to which they had before been
bound, they made an assault to assist Antar, exclaiming
as in one voice, O by Abs! O by Adnan!
At this shout his powers expanded; but Aswad
seeing the prisoners rescued, was alarmed. He
would have fled, but Shiboob perceived him. Follow
me, O Prince, he cried out to Harith, son of
Zoheir. But the warriors of Aamir and Darem,
steeds. Antar pursued them with the Absians,
till they drove them out of that country, having
first taken ten prisoners, and slain twenty heroes;
the remainder bent their fugitive course towards the
wastes and the wilds.
Antar and his comrades were returning, when
lo! Shiboob and Harith, son of Zoheir, advanced
with Prince Aswad their prisoner, whom they dragged
along as they would a camel. Eh! O Ebe
riah, said Antar, how didst capture Adwad? Know,
my brother, replied Shiboob, when he beheld you,
and how you slaughtered his men, he fled; but I
pursued him till I overtook him; I smote his horse,
and wounded him in the pasterns. Aswad fell off;
I jumped on his breast; he resisted; I drew forth
my dagger, and he cried, Quarter, O Shiboob! and
surrendered himself to me. I pinioned him well,
arms and shoulders. Antar congratulated them on
their safety, and wishing the women joy on their
security, he stationed a guard over Aswad and his
comrades. O Antar, said Aswad, what advantage
is there in keeping me in captivity? Let me go
this once, and accept me as your friend and companion
in every strait and difficulty. Eh! and why
should I let thee go? said Antar; just to assemble
against me all thy host and tribes, and come and
engage me a second time? Who, said Aswad, can
ever dare to fight thee again, or ever come near
thee in the combat? Never will I approach the
spot where thou art. Know too, O Aboolfawaris,
Upon this the heart of Antar was alarmed
for the Absians, till day dawning, he mounted with
his brave companions, and they travelled over the
wastes and the sandhills till they reached home,
where they reposed in the tents one night, and
having placed Ibla and the other women in security,
Antar again mounted; and as he passed over the
deserts and the wastes, he recollected all the wars
he had been engaged in, and thus recited:
"I bade adieu to her whose absence has deposited
in me a flame whose smallest work is its blazing.
I have quitted her, but my heart is with her, and
I have preserved my covenants and stipulations
with her. O Ibla, were absence a substance, thou
wouldst see what burthens I have borne. As to
the calamities of fortune, were they scimitars, their
flash should not terrify me. O Ibla, how oft the
raven of the desert croaks in love, and truly its
croaking gives me ease. I was born for the tumultuous
war of vengeance, when the bright foreheads
of the high mettled steeds rush impetuously to
the contest, and the brilliancy of the atmosphere
is blackened with their dust, and the lustre of the
sun's rays vanish, and the thursts clash with the
barbs of the spears, whose lacerating gores wrench
out the folds of the entrails. Never have I been
present in the battle, on the day of horrors, but
that I have made the whole country flow in blood.
The horsemen look at me, in the day of the battle,
with eyes, whose balls are fixed on high. They
of my sword is their necks. They abuse my
complexion for its swarthiness, day and night;
their hypocrisy is the least evil they speak. I have
a sword, were it brandished in Hajir, even Irak
would sparkle with its lightning."
As Antar repeated his verses, his companions
were much delighted at his expressions, and his
compliance with the times. They hastened forward
till they came up to the Absians. King Cais
had not finished speaking of Harith, son of Zalim,
when Shedad, Antar's father, returned from
his engagement with Harith; he was wounded, and
his shoulder was raw with blood. Antar, as he
viewed his father, wounded, and in that plight, had
not the command of his senses. He rushed against
Harith, who, observing the confusion, was still wavering
between truth and doubt, uncertain what to
think, till Antar himself stood before him, in the
plain of battle; and as he looked at him, his limbs
shook as with an ague: he was stupefied—he was
aghast. Eh! thou ordure-born, cried Antar, how
speedily thou hast forgotten favours! how quickly
hast thou betrayed thy friends! verily, thou hast
no honour, no word to be believed. By the faith
of an Arab, I must slay thee, and thus Antar recited:
"Congratulate thyself, O Harith, that thou hast
fallen on a hero, accustomed to plunge into darkness,
ever amongst warrior princes. Thou shalt
see in me this day a lion-hero, that deals the blow
darkened, but retreat not, that my soul's anguish
may be extinguished. How many lion-heroes
have I slain with my sword, and how many gores
have I driven with my spear! Never has the
flourish of the spear-barb glittered in the morn,
but I was the first among the troops. I launch
into the hottest of the fight, and the dust is its
pavilion far extended over the plains. Death, in
the day of contention, serves my arm, and my
sword hews away the joints. Fiends dread my
power and my assault. Man, too, has felt my
virtue. I am fate amongst the foe—I am the
calamity—I am the establisher of woe amongst
the tribes. My star is above the minutest stars in
the constellation of the Great Bear; and as to my
ambition, kings talk of it in their assemblies. My
chest is broad, and my spear is a tearer, and my
vehemence is acknowledged in every army."
Now Harith hung down his head towards the
ground in fear of Antar. He meditated a while,
and was confounded; again he had recourse to his
artifices and stratagems. Welcome, welcome, O
Aboolfawaris, he cried, thou ornament of assemblies!
thou lion of the land! thou sublime in glory! thou
pardoner of sinners! thou defender of children and
women! O Aboolfawaris, verily I have sinned
against thee, and what thou hast said of me was
justifiable, for thou hast reduced me to that state,
that I can no more raise up my head among the
warriors. Indeed, I repent of my conduct towards
with my story, and what has happened to
me. I perceived my chance of success with Numan
was weakened, and my apprehensions were realized.
So I set at liberty Aswad and his horsemen,
thinking that thy matters would be easily arranged
with Numan. But the reverse is the event; for
they still demand me, and had I not fled, they
would have put me to death. But now that is all
over; and I have no apology thou canst accept; I
must exert myself in the contest with thee; but
afterwards I will dismount from my horse, and cast
myself under the hoofs of thy horse, Abjer, and will
humbly ask thy forgiveness. Canst thou then pardon
me this once? And if I ever again betray thee, may
the mother of Harith be no more a free-born woman.
May God curse thee, Harith, said Antar, above all
mankind, and all that put their trust in thee or
believe thee! But if I could suppose that forgiveness
could purify thee, I would pardon thee.
O champion of the Absians, cried Harith, thou
knowest my sword Zoolhyyat is my greatest joy, and
dearer to me than the life that animates my body
—take it and forgive me, and he actually sheathed
his sword and delivered it to Antar. Antar was
amazed at his words, and astonished at his actions;
for the surrender of arms prohibited all contest, and
he dared not raise his hand against him. O Harith,
said he, restoring his sword, I cannot from my heart
confide in thee, and from me towards thee there
can be no security or protection, but through King
his heart against thee, for me to be responsible for
him, and to engage his protection for thee. Yet
march on before me, that I may intercede with him.
So Harith went on before him, and whilst the two
parties were amazed at seeing him (for they knew
not what had happened), Hadifah began to quiz
Harith. Eh! Harith, he cried, hast thou then
returned to fight for this bastard slave? Woe! woe!
O Aboolfawaris, cried Harith, turning round (for
his back was towards Antar), scandal to the Arabs
that they should thus speak of thee, and call thee
bastard, and the least of thy acts towards me is this
thy act, and this thy beneficence. Never will I return
to the presence of King Cais till I have whitewashed
my face with him, either by the death of
Hadifah or his captivity. And he drew forth his
sword, quicker than the lightning's flash, and struck
Antar a full blow on the head, and he attempted to
kill him in the presence of the assembled nations.
On Antar's head was one of the Chosrowean helmets,
on which he always depended; but Harith's sword
split it, cut the lining and wadding, and fell
upon his head, making a gash on his forehead, and
causing the blood to flow over his beard. Afraid,
lest he should repeat the blow and destroy him,
Antar exhibited the utmost steadiness. He shouted
out to Harith with the roar of a lion, and directing
his spear against him, resolved to pierce him; but
Harith fled from before him, and sought the tribe
of Fazarah. The day now disappearing, Antar
stanching the blood, bound up his wound. King
Cais and his brother also hastened up and inquired
how he was. Antar told them the whole circumstance,
and repaired to his father's tents, bellowing
in the excess of his fury and rancour. He reposed
that night, but was all anxiety for the dawn of day,
that he might sally forth to the battle, and relieve
his heart in the blows of the scimitar. As to the
tribe of Fazarah, they reposed in a state of most
perfect happiness. Hadifah went to meet Harith,
and thanked him for what he had done, saying,
Truly thou hast eased my sorrows, and hast done
a deed shall be recorded from generation to generation;
and hadst thou but slain that dæmon, thou
wouldst have been the paragon of the age! O Ebe
Hijar, said Harith, this hero cannot be numbered
amongst the warriors thou hast ever known. Speak
not much to me on this subject, for I am well aware
of Antar's style of fighting, and I only dealt him
the blow of one already terrified. I had deceived
him, but my heart did not feel secure in him, so I
resolved to exert my power over him, before he
should exert his power over me, and I have wounded
him. He has courted the combat, and in every respect
he is a true hero. They continued thus till
the laughing morn approached, when the warriors
drew their swords, and extended their spears. The
first who started forth to the field was the knight of
the precipitate attack—the serpent of the bowels of the desert—the raiser of the lofty column—the noble
calling out for Harith, his heart full of resentment;
and when the Fazareans saw him, and heard
his harangue, they were bewildered and amazed,
Hadifah inquired for Harith, but they could not
find him, and it was said that he had fled, taking
with him ten of the most intrepid horsemen. Now
Harith, in fact, was aware that Antar would not care
for his wound, but would come forth in the morning
to challenge him, when he would be under the
necessity of fighting him; therefore, only waiting
till the darkness thickened, and the eyes of mortals
were asleep, he took with him ten horsemen, and
carried off a good string of camels, belonging to the
tribe of Fazarah, and sought the land of Mecca.
Hadifah was greatly troubled. May God curse
Harith, son of Zalim, and afford him no security on
the road, said he; for he has not regarded the rights
of his friend. Antar's rancour was at its height.
He assailed the Fazareans, and rushed upon them—
he laid low the horsemen—he destroyed the brave
—and he cut his way through the heroes; and when
the Absians saw his attack, they prepared to assist
him; but Cais prevented them, saying, Let us
abstain from the combat, that we may ascertain what
is become of Harith; perhaps he may be concealed.
So he sent word to Antar, and told him of the state
of things. Antar bore the battle alone till evening,
when he retired. The tribe of Fazarah was in the
greatest consternation; all their fortitude was staggered—their
heads hung down, and they passed
The next day, they again mounted for the combat,
and long lasted the thrust with the tall spears, and
the blow with the polished scimitars. Antar and
the horsemen set fire to the hearts of the tribe of
Fazarah—they drove them to their tents. The
parties continued in this state for three days; on the
fourth, the horsemen allied to Hadifah separated,
and sought their own country, frightened at Antar
and his assaults. Thus the tribe of Fazarah being
disgraced, depended on the heights of the mountains.
The Absians seized their dwellings, and took up
their abode there, surrounding the Fazareans on all
quarters, and cutting off every communication; for
Antar vowed, that he would not leave of the tribe
of Fazarah one to speak or one to hear. This state
of things continued ten days; they were in the
greatest difficulties, and every friend and comrade
had abandoned them. They lighted fires by night
on the mountain tops, and fortified themselves
amongst the sandhills. By day, Hadifah descended
on foot with his brothers, possessing themselves of
the ways and defiles, and defending their families
with their scimitars and glittering swords, but feeling
certain of overwhelming calamities. On the eleventh
day, Hadifah assembled them. O my cousins, said
he, know that Antar will not quit us, and will not
leave a remnant of us alive; so fight the foe—expose
your lives—pierce them with the spears, and dearly
sell your existence. Thus he continued to encourage
them with harangues, till they disregarded life.
steeds, and snatching up their tall spears, they precipitated
themselves from the mountain-tops. But
the women began to weep and lament, and a crowd
of noble slaves followed them. The Absians were
eager for the contest, and Antar hastened to the
scene of spear-thrusts and sword-blows; but Cais,
observing the desperate fury of the Fazareans, said
to Antar and the Absians, O my cousins, by the
God of heaven, attend to me, retire to some distance
from them; thus urged on by their own virulence,
they will soon be mixed with us in the desert, then
let us turn upon them and plunder their lives. And
he wheeled away his horse, and Antar followed him.
The others, seeing the banners move away, also
turned their horses heads and retired. The Fazareans
were greatly delighted; their eagerness was
excited—they raised their shouts, and galloped for
ward to capture the Absians. The dust arose—the
sun was veiled; and Hadifah cried out, O my
cousins, ply the sword on the foe; let not one survive!
King Cais and Antar exulted, and wheeled all at
once, followed by the noble horsemen; and the
spear-thrust commenced after this short suspension.
The heroes clashed against each other—exertion was
universal—artifice availed not—conversation was at
an end—horses trampled over the plain—hands,
right and left, were palsied—vallies were not distinguished
from mountains. The dust arose like
night, and war was in all its terrors. The brave
exulted on their saddles, and persisted—the coward
streamed—the hearts of the bravest failed—the
battle continued to rage till the Almighty permitted
the day to depart; the warriors were laid low upon
the sands, and gray were the locks of infants on
that day. But God prospered the Absians, and
nothing appeared sweeter to them than death, and
the approach of fate. This was their condition,
when lo! a dust drew nigh, and it moved along like
a cloud that equalized the hills and the vallies. The
arms of both parties instantly relinquished the blow
and thrust, for they thought it was the dust of Harith
returning, and with him a party of villains. In
an hour, the dust cleared away, and there appeared
a tribe of Hijaz, and some horsemen of Mecca, in
Yemen cloaks, and turbans of Kufian silk, all girded
with straight spears, and scimitars of India; and
their countenances were like the sparkling constellations:
round them were slaves with Yemen javelins,
all like lions, and clothed in panther skins; and
when they advanced out of the dust, they moved
gently between the two ranks and exclaimed, O by
the Arabs! sheathe your swords, from striking
bodies and skulls. Ye have agitated the chiefs of
the sacred shrine: this is the Lord of the Holy
Wall and Zemzem, the obeyed monarch, Abdulmotalleb,
of the tribe of Hashem. Withdraw from
the contest; hear what he says, and presume not to
oppose his word. At hearing this, the two parties
separated.
King Cais came forward, and saluting him, kissed
they reached the land of Shurebah, where the horsemen
alighted at their tents, and the people were
united to their wives. King Cais ordered sheep to
be slaughtered, and a feast to be prepared, whilst
Abdulmotalleb began to describe to them the peculiarities
of Mecca, and the holy shrine, the virtue of
Zenzem and the temple, and the appearance of our
Lord Mohammed, the lamp of darkness. (May the
peace of God be on him and his noble associates as
long as the ringdove moans and the pigeon sings!)
He informed him of his existence and appearance,
and excited their wishes to live long, that they might
perhaps comprehend him, and be guided by his
light; and there was not one but anxiously longed
to survive till his time that he might behold him,
and might fight for him.
When the feasts of the tribes of Fazarah and Abs
were over, Hadifah requested Aswad's liberty of
King Cais, who assenting, asked the opinion of Abdulmotalleb
on that point. It would be right, said
he, to loosen his bonds. Summon him here, that I
may make peace between you, and I will invite him
to repair to King Numan, for he is the king of the
age over every prince, and he commands all the
Arabs; and by the truth of the God of old, no one
is made a monarch or sultan but that there is imparted
to him some secret knowledge to which a
common man is not admitted; and were it not a
favour from the God of heaven and earth, the post
of honour of one would not be raised above another,
Cais conformed with the orders of Abdulmotalleb,
and sent some of his chief attendants to Aswad to
release him from bondage. He invested him with
a magnificent robe, and paid him every honour and
respect, and begged his pardon for all that had
passed. Abdulmotalleb took him by his side, and
presented him some victuals. He ate till he was satisfied,
and conversed; and in Abdulmotalleb's last
words to Aswad he concluded by saying, Know, O
prince, that God did not create men useless and
helpless, and it is incumbent on his slaves to defend
themselves against violence and oppression. Your
brother is now King of the Arabs and Irak. Every
thing is easy to him, because he has the language
and the sword of a king; but it is his duty to settle
the disputes of his people, and the Arabs, and the
tribes, and not to act like a foolish man, for God
will make him responsible for his tyranny. Thou
hast seen how he has sent thee with armies and
troops, but they have all been dispersed. All this
is by the command of God, far and near. It is now
deemed meet that thou shouldst return to thy brother
Numan, and prohibit him from acts of outrage
and hostility; advise him not to cut asunder the
connexion between him and the tribe of Abs, and
let him not act in a manner to incur the reproaches
of kings and of the Arabs. It is ever particularly
praiseworthy to respect kindred and relationship.
O chief, said Prince Aswad, all these events were
owing to Harith; but now that business is terminated,
I will request my brother to withdraw his aggressions
from this tribe, and I will fill his ears with
reproof and reproach.
Thus ended the day in feasts and merriment.
The next day Abdulmotalleb took his departure,
saying to King Cais, Every one must be aware that
the horses of death are pursuing him, and that he is
a captive in the grasp of fate and destiny; let him
therefore content himself with a little in this world.
Thus saying, he departed, accompanied with the
chiefs of Abs and Fazarah, in order to bid him farewell.
Aswad rode out also till mid-day, when he
departed on his return to Irak. Abdulmotalleb
halted in that country, and having made peace between
the Absians and Fazareans, taking their
bonds and covenants for the preservation of tranquillity,
to which the Sheikhs of the two tribes were
witnesses, he travelled over the wilds and the wastes.
King Cais and Hadifah, with their companions, returned
to their respective lands; but heart burnings
and deep recollections still remained.
| CHAPTER XXXVI. Antar : | |