440 C. J. L} r all —Translations from the Hamaseh and the Aghani. [No. 4, 
‘Abd-Yaghuth, as his name shews, was of the pagan Harithis : the idol Yaghuth 
{“the Helper”) is mentioned with Ya‘uq and Nesr in v. 23 of the 71st Surah of the 
Qur’an: all three were worshipped by the Arabs of el-Yemen. The author of the 
second and third pieces, Ja‘far son of ‘Olbeh, was the great-grandson (Aghani XI, 146) 
or great-great-grandson (Agh. XY, 73) of ‘Abd-Yaghuth, Much uncertainty prevails 
regarding the date of his death. The Aghani calls him “ a mukhadrim of the two 
Rules,” that is, a poet who flourished under both the houses of Umayyeh and el-‘Abbas ; 
according to this work (where several differing versions of his story are given) he was 
slain at Mekkeh in the reign of el-Mansur Ahu Ja‘far (A. H. 136—158). But in the 
commentary on the Hamaseh by et-Tebrizi he is said to have been put to death in the 
Khalifate of Hisham son of ‘Abd-el-Melik the Umawi (A. H. 105—125). The “Hay 
of Sahbal” was the adventure which led to his death : to avenge an insult put upon 
him by the Benu ‘Oqeyl, he made a raid upon them, and was returning with his booty 
when he was beset by the ‘Oqeylis in the valley of Sahbal. He fought his way through 
them and escaped ; but having slain one of the ‘Oqeylis, that tribe accused him of 
murder before the Khalifeh’s Governor at Mekkeh, who, after vain attempts to save 
jhis life, was obliged to deliver him up to his accusers, who put him to death. 
The date of the Hay of el-Kulab is fixed by Caussin de Perceval as A. H. 612. 
II. 
The death-song of ‘Abd-Yaghuth, chief of the Benu-l-Harith ibn Ka‘b of Nejran. 
(Aghani XY, 75-76). 
After the slaughter of their fighting-men by the Governor of Kisra at el-Mushaq- 
qar, the Benu Temim withdrew from el-Bahran to the valley of el-Kulab, near the 
great waste called ed-Bahna, south of el-Yemameh. Their helpless state there moved 
the covetousness of the people of el-Yemen, and all the tribes of Mafthij gathered to¬ 
gether to plunder them. But warning was brought to the people of Temim, and they 
arrayed themselves for battle ; and the fight lasted the whole day long, until night 
parted them. And they watched one another through the night, and at dawn went 
forth again to battle. Then the fury of the men of Temim prevailed, and those of 
MaShij were driven in headlong rout; and many a chief was slain, and many a foot¬ 
man taken captive. ‘Abd-Yaghuth was the leader of Mat) hi j on that day : he too was 
taken captive, and ‘Ismeh son of Ubeyr of Teym carried him to his house, where they 
made ready to slay him in requital for the death of en-No‘man son of Jessas, the leader 
of Temim, who had fallen in the first day’s fight. And they feared lest he should 
utter satires against them, and make them a by-word among the Arabs ; therefore they 
were about to gag him, when he promised that he would utter no word of reviling 
against them : so they left his tongue free. Then said he—“ 0 ye sons of Teym, let 
me die as befits one noble.” “ And how wouldst thou die?” asked ‘Ismeh. “Give' 
me wine to drink, and let me sing my death-song.” “ So be it,” said ‘Ismeh ; and he 
plied him with wine, and cut one of his veins, and left him until the blood all flowed 
forth from his body. And as his life ebbed, ‘Ismeh’s two sons who stood by began to 
upbraid him: “Thou didst gather together against us all el-Yemen,” said they: 
“ but now behold how God has dealt with thee.” Then said ‘Abd-Yaghuth— 
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