122 
[No. 2, 
C. J. Lyall— Translations from the Hamdseh. 
In or about the year 610 A. D., a company of the Benu Jusham and 
the Benu Nasr ibn Mo'awiyeh, both of Hawazin, commanded by ‘Abdal¬ 
lah, the youngest brother of Dureyd, led a foray against Ghatafan, and 
carried off: a great number of camels. They were returning from this 
expedition with their booty, and had reached the border of the territory 
of Hawazin, at a place called Mun‘araj el-Liwa (“ the place where the 
sandhills curve round,” see v. 5 of the poem), when ‘Abdallah proposed 
that they should halt and divide the spoil. Dureyd, who was with them, 
dissuaded him, pointing out that they were not yet safe from pursuit. 
But ‘Abdallah persisted, and swore that he would not leave the spot, till he 
had taken his fourth part of the captures, and feasted his companions on 
a nagi^h —a camel slain by the leader of an expedition from his share of 
the spoil and divided among his fellows. Next da}', while they were pre¬ 
paring the feast, a cloud of dust was seen. A sentinel posted on the sand¬ 
hills cried—“ I see horsemen coming clad in yellow.” “ They are of Ashja‘,” 
said ‘Abdallah, “ I care not for them.” “ I see others,” said the sentinel, 
“ who have the points of their lances set between the ears of their horses.” 
“ These are of Fezarah,” said Dureyd. “ And there come also others who 
gallop along, trailing their lances on the ground.” “ These are of ‘Abs, and 
Death comes with them !” said the elder brother. 
Hardly had ‘Abdallah’s men time to mount, when the foe were upon 
them. ‘Abdallah fell at the very beginning of the fight, slain by a man of 
the house of Qarib, of ‘Abs. Dureyd, fighting to the last over the prostrate 
body of his brother, fell grievously wounded, and his companions fled, 
leaving the camels, which the men of Ghatafan recovered. When the fight 
was over, two men of ‘Abs, Zahdam and his brother Qeys, collectively known 
as ez-Zaliclamani, “ the two Zahdams,” with a rider of Fezarah named 
Kardam, passed by Dureyd, who was lying among the dead. Dureyd, who 
was still conscious, heard the elder Zahdam say to Kardam—“ Methinks 
Dureyd is not yet dead : I seemed to see his eyelid move. Get thee down, 
and finish him.” “ Nay, he is dead,” said Kardam. “ Get thee down, I 
tell thee, and see if he yet breathes.” Kardam dismounted and went up to 
Dureyd: he found him still breathing; but, yielding to compassion, he 
returned and said: “ He is dead, quite dead.” Notwithstanding this 
assurance, Zahdam, before departing, pierced with his lance the body of 
Dureyd. By a singular chance, this new wound, by opening a passage to a 
quantity of blood which had gathered within from an inward hurt, and so 
freeing the lungs, was the means of saving Dureyd’s life. When at night¬ 
fall the enemy returned home, he dragged himself towards the lands of 
his tribe, and met a wandering band of men of Hawazin, who received him 
and tended him until his wounds were healed. 
