Now when Antar perceived this defeat, he replaced his feet in the stirrups, and raising his spear from the ground, pounced down from the height like an eagle, or a wild beast when it rushes from its den; and he roared out to them in a loud voice that made the mountains rebellow. O ye ignoble dastards, I am Antar, the son of Shedad! And he urged on Abjer, who started under him like a flash of lightning, or a tearing arrow: his eye-balls turned red, and foam issued from his lips: he shrieked aloud in front of the horses, and immediately they shrunk back on their haunches, and hurled their riders from their backs: and the heroes were scattered over the desert and the wilderness. In less than an hour he drove them from the plunder. As soon as the Absians heard the sound of Antar from under the cloud of dust,—Verily, Antar, the magnanimous warrior, will overcome them, said they; may God assist him! This is indeed true intrepidity, and he deserves half the spoil; for if the heroes drink the cup of death, the greatest share will fall to him, for verily the eye of the sun cannot be concealed. Thus their hearts were purified towards Antar, and they all returned to his assistance.
When the Blood-drinker saw the Absians resume the contest, he said to the people about him, The horseman of Abs and Adnan are coming down, and this day will they bring death and destruction upon us; and he let the reins hang loose and fled. The Teyans spread themselves over the plains and the desert, following him in every direction, whilst Antar, having already slain about eighty men, approached the plunder; and when all were fled, the Absian horsemen came up, and there was not one but praised and thanked him. So they took up the spoil, and the property, and the prisoners, and the bride, and departed, seeking the land of the tribe of Abs, and rejoicing in their victory and triumph; every one in astonishment at Antar’s intrepidity.
But as soon as the other five that fled informed Nakid, the husband of the bride, the light became dark in his eyes, and he shouted out to the tribe of Maan—To horse! to horse! and ere an hour had passed, five thousand valiant horsemen were ready, and he marched at the head of them in hopes of overtaking the race of Abs, and of overwhelming them in perdition and death, and of rooting out every vestige of them, so that not a record of them should exist. For indeed he was a warrior ferocious as a lion, one of the thousand heroes in those days of darkness. He travelled on night and day that he might overtake the tribe of Abs before they could reach their own country. Meanwhile they pursued their journey, seeking their own lands, when a dust arose behind them, and darkened the whole region: it opened, and discovered the Maanites headed by Nakid. At this sight they were convinced of their destruction and death, as they said one to another, Verily the tribe of Maan have overtaken us! They looked towards Antar, and they perceived him smiling and rejoicing at the arrival of the warriors. Verily, said they, O my cousin, the foe is come up with us, and to day will our booty be torn away, and our sculls will fly off. Know, my cousins, said Antar, that death will not be wanting, neither will it increase; but I have long wished for such a day as this, for I have not given up the tribe of Abs; my heart is fixed on returning home; and this fortuitous circumstance has happened to us by the will of Him who disposes life and death. Now is the flame of war at hand, and sorrow and anguish are approaching. Whoever among you is ready to fight, let him fight; whoever wishes to fly, let him fly; but for me, I will drink of their cups, I will contend with their heroes; and thus he continued in verse:
“This day the race of Abs shall behold my combat, and my actions in the contest when I charge. I will seize their property: aye, and the double of it with my supple, quick-moving, death-bearing spear. I will destroy the brave in war with my Indian blade, and I will drive down among them like a devouring lion. I will rave among their horsemen with my determined courage, and I will charge, and I will rush over them in the battle. I am the Knight of Knights, the lion whom no human being can withstand. The lions in their dens tremble at me, and in the day of battle the Ghuols fly from me.”
When Antar had finished, he encountered the warriors with most penetrating thrusts and rending blows. The Absians were obliged to endure it with him, and to assist him in the horrors. The messengers of death were distributed amongst the conquerors and the conquered; the sharp-edged swords came in contact with them, and the straight lances glided through them. The Absians repented of their firmness and fled over the plains, whilst alone Antar encountered the whole calamity; and he stood firm, like one resolved to avert shame and disgrace. He aimed at the breasts of the heroes with overpowering assaults and thrusts, that would have made the deep-rooted mountains totter.
When Nakid saw the battle of Antar, and how alone he stood against five thousand, and was making them drink of the cup of death and perdition, he was overwhelmed with astonishment at his deeds. Thou valiant slave, he cried, how potent is thine arm—how strong is thy wrist! And he rushed down upon Antar, that his bride might behold a proof of his courage: and Antar, seeing that he was making at him, presented himself before him, for he was all anxiety to meet him. O thou base-born, cried Nakid, son of an uncircumcised mother! But Antar permitted him not to finish his speech, before he assaulted him with the assault of a lion, and roared at him: he was horrified and paralyzed at the sight of Antar. Antar attacked him thus scared and petrified, and struck him with his sword on the head, and cleft him down to the back, and he fell, cut in twain, from the horse, and he was split in two as if by a scale; and as Antar dealt the blow, he cried out “O by Abs! O by Adnan! I am ever the lover of Ibla.”
No sooner did the tribe of Maan behold Antar’s blow, than every one was seized with fear and dismay. The whole five thousand made an attack like the attack of a single man; but Antar received them as the parched ground receives the first of the rain, exhibiting to them his power and his courage. His eye-balls were fiery red, and foam issued from the corners of his lips; wherever he smote, he cleft the head; every warrior he assailed he annihilated; and as the warriors still pressed on him, he tore a rider from the back of his horse, he heaved him on high, and whirling him in the air, struck down a second with him, and the two instantly expired. “By thine eyes, O Ibla,” he cried, “to-day will I destroy all this race.” Thus he proceeded until he terrified the warriors, and hurled them into woe and disgrace, hewing off their arms and their joints. At length the five thousand retreated from the combat, for fear and terror had completely shaken them, and more than nine hundred horsemen he had slain, and gained an entire victory over them.
Just as Antar had nearly annihilated them, there appeared a dust that darkened the whole land. In an hour it was cleared, and there came forth a troop of heroes; at their head was an horseman like an eagle, mounted on an horse that moved like a cloud. The rider was handsome, in the bloom of youth, and every tongue cried out, O by Abs! O by Adnan! Now this knight was Malik, King Zoheir’s son. And he was coming in search of Antar, in consequence of the affair that took place between Antar and his father, who, when he demanded the rank and consideration of a son, wished to put him to death. Now Malik was expecting Antar the next day, but as he came not, he went and acquainted his father the King with all that had happened. Zoheir instantly sent for Shedad, who kissed the ground. Why do you not grant Antar’s request, and call him your son, as every one else does? asked King Zoheir: Think you, Shedad, that amongst the tribes of Cahtan and Adnan there is a more intrepid warrior than your son Antar, or a bolder heart than his? O my Lord, answered Shedad, he is indeed my son, and a part of my heart; but my brother Malik said to me, if you acknowledge Antar as your son, I will abandon myself to the Arab tribes; therefore, on account of my brother Malik, I have renounced him. Well, then, said Zoheir, I will have him return to his country in spite of his foes. And he dispatched a slave to gain information and to follow him. He waited until the slave returned, and told him that Antar had associated himself with Ghegadh, the son of Nashid, and at that moment he was, single handed, engaged with five thousand horsemen, and Nakid the son of Jellah. Malik wept. May God, said he, prosper him, for he has devoted himself to death and destruction; never will he fly or retreat; but by the life of my father King Zoheir, I must aid him, and if he is dead, never will I return till I have taken vengeance on his foes, and made his murderers drink of the loathsome cup. He set out, and appeared as we have just mentioned, and rushed forward with his troops as we have described.
But as soon as Malik and his people came forward, and the men had recognized each other, Antar felt his power expanded, for at that moment the enemy had resolved to slay his heroes. But at the sight of his friend Malik and his warriors, his heart revived, and he exhibited the whole courage of his soul; and he made a most desperate attack upon his antagonists, and overwhelmed them in total ruin.
When the tribe of Maan saw Antar’s destructive force, and his sweeping blows, and that the Absians were come to his assistance, their only resource was flight, and retreat over the plains and wilds; for they said to each other, When Antar was alone, we could not resist him, What shall we do now, that the tribe of Abs and Adnan are come to his aid? So they took to flight and ran away in confusion, whilst Antar and the tribe of Abs having pursued them for three parasangs, returned for the scattered cattle and dispersed horses. Antar dismounted from Abjer, and running up to his friend Malik, wished to kiss his feet in the stirrup, but Malik would not permit him, and kissed him between the eyes, and rejoiced in his safety. And there was not one of the Absians but came up to Antar, and congratulated him on his victory and triumph. Antar thanked them. They halted there that night, and the next day they set out seeking their own country: Antar riding by the side of Malik, and relating to him all his adventures with Ghegadh and his companions, and how he obtained his horse Abjer. Malik informed him of all that had passed between him and King Zoheir, how he had sent after his father Shedad, and had threatened him. Antar was glad, and foreboded well, and felt convinced that his marriage might take place as long as King Zoheir was on his side: so that his love for Ibla increased. They thus proceeded on their journey till they came near to their homes; when Antar’s passion seizing him, he thus exclaimed: