Ode XCI: Who will carry a message to

Who will carry a message to Sa'd son of Nu'man, and Sa'd son of Dhubyan who binds his turban so pompously—

The two branches of the Children of Dhubyan, since their judgement is perverted, and they have been given a drench of bitterness against us ?

Ye wrongfully stirred up war against us : then ye inclined to peace after that the affair had become embroiled and difficult.

And we were not with you at your debauch, when ye drank down, bereft of reason — by God ! — an ill-omened draught ;

Nor did we put far away from us your two standards on a mountain-peak wherefrom the nimble kid of the wild-goats slips and is dashed to pieces ;

Nor did we post our footmen in the narrow pass and say to them — ' Let him who is most cautious shoot at the horsemen '.

And many the day of which a man would wish that he had died before it have we faced, steeling our hearts thereto, terrible though it was ;

We called the Children of Dhuhl thereto, and our people the Children of 'Amir, what time [through darkness and distress] the Sun looked for no place of rising.

And on the Day of Rujaij our horse brought early in the morning on the host of Tayyi' an attack — long-necked steeds bearing a forest of spears ;

We sent their heads tumbling down on the hard rock, what time our swords of Grecian steel gathered notches from blow on blow.

And we bend our horses, lank in the belly and lean, upon the danger-point, and cause them to overwhelm the warrior who attacks us as he lies wounded there :

We strike our steeds until we conquer their reluctance to go forward and on through that which the soul shrinks from in aversion.

O Tha'labah, were it not that your claims upon us from the oath of alliance have been strengthened in warp and woof by a covenant,

Verily the she-camels whose milk has dried up had found on the two sides of Buwanah long grass thick and dark like the tangled manes of baggage-hacks.

Our fathers left to us as an inheritance pillars of glory conspicuous in the sight of men,

And we make fast to a root stock that has reached maturity amongst us new and ancient glory in abundance ;

Those of them who built raised a building and set firm for us an abode thereof, lofty, with a stair to mount thereto.

These are my people : if one smitten by calamity seeks refuge in their tents one day, safe is he there from all scathe.

Among them how many are there of terrible lords, dreaded greatly what time the forerunner of War sets light to the pile !

'Tis they that keep firm and steady the Earth : were it not for them, it would cast hither and thither [as by an earthquake] those upon its surface, whether articulately-speaking or barbarians.

'Tis they who support their people in every place where men meet, with speakers every one of whom leaves all other men struck dumb ;

Stubborn might is ours : with it we muzzle our enemies, while we our-selves refuse to be muzzled by any.

Our speaker stands up and is never at fault for words, what time distress makes the tongue-tied forget all he had to say.

A series of constellations are we : as often as one of them sets, another, brightly shining, appears, with no dust to dim its rays ;

A bright star shines forth among them to which its constellations gather round, what time the tangle of thick-growing evil darkens the heaven.

O thou that askest me for tidings ! thou hadst not asked of our Days in warfare were it not that thou desiredst to know :

No other men are able to undo a knot that we tie, while we can undo any knot of theirs, firmly tied though it be.

Husain sings to his daughters songs [of boasting] in the Hijaz : but boasting is impossible for him except as a mockery [of truth].

Nay, sooth ! we heal the fury of a he-goat with the like of it, and we beat him until his hinder part is wet with blood.