Now that plain was very extensive, and as evening was advancing, they halted till midnight, and then departed, seeking their own country, where they arrived in the morning: and they met King Zoheir at the lake of Zatool-irsad, and with him were his sons, and Rebia son of Zeead. As soon as they saw the King, they hastened to him, and saluting him, laid the plunder before him, and told him what Antar had done, how he had joined them, and liberated them from misery and destruction, and had slain Kais, and dispersed part of the tribe of Cahtan. Confer this great obligation then, on thy son, he so longs for, said Zoheir to Shedad, that you may be rewarded by his great actions, and be ennobled by his sword to after generations.
Rebia, Shas, and Malik, Ibla’s father, and his son Amroo, were greatly enraged at this; but Prince Malik, the friend of Antar, rejoiced.
He then divided the spoil in equal portions, but out of respect for Antar would not take even a halter. And Antar immediately presented the whole of it to his father and his uncles; and all the tribe of Abs were astonished at his noble conduct and filial love. Zoheir sacrificed camels and sheep, and ordered a feast to be prepared, and as they ate and drank, King Zoheir turned towards Antar and said, recite, Aboolfawaris, some of thy verses; and he thus complied.
“May fortune bring thee every wish of thy heart, live in peace, for every result will secure thy comfort! This is the lake whose residence thou hast sweetened; and were it not for thee, its rain fraught with exhalations would not fall upon us. Thou art present, and all its herbs are green or yellow, and all their wonders and charms are expanded before us. The breeze of musk wafts the essence of its flowers, and it smiles from east to west. O then, let us do it ample justice with wine; let us mix it till its banks o’erflow. Let us drink with thee out of cups of joy, and let us hold up thy train, thou lord of honor! Thy countenance is decked in smiles, laughter lives in thy teeth, and there is a sword whose blows draw the blood of thy foes. O do not then reproach me if I weep for Hima, when I call to mind the friends that dwell there, and its neighbours. In my heart is an ever burning flame, but I am ever in alarm about these dear warriors and these tents. Over the extent of the waste are marvellously rich canopies, and the whole is ornamented with fine curtains of Grecian velvet, painted with every surprising form, that I am amazed at their starry brilliancy. My heart was in agony the day they quitted Hima, but it soon returned to hail its royal master. Should it be said amongst the people—Who is the most determined hero? What youth is ennobled high o’er the rest? We will say it is Zoheir, illustrious in his birth, towering above all men, who can never attain his eminence. His exploits avert from us the obscurity of night, and all is luminous, so that his star is one mass of onyx. May he ever succeed in every enterprize; may death ever march wherever his armies march.”
These verses delighted the King. May God never renounce thy mouth, or man do thee harm, said he. By the faith of an Arab, thou art one of the wonders of the world; and he continued to praise and thank him; when lo! a great dust arose, and there appeared a hundred horsemen, all clothed in steel, headed by a Knight like a lofty date tree on an elephant, on his head was a turban of Kufian cloth, and over him a painted mantle of Grecian fabric; beneath him was an Arabian steed; they came down towards the lake, and when they reached it, the foremost rank stopped short, and their leader dismounted, and presented himself before King Zoheir, bowing before him. His tears began to flow, and with a heart rent with anguish he thus addressed him.
“O thou, the defender and protector, be my defence and support against mine enemies. Thou art the defender of orphans, and thy beneficence heals the wounded spirit. Fortune has overwhelmed me, my bosom bursts, and my soul is full of grief. A perfidious minded oppressor has overpowered us with his strength, and has violated our virgins. Wherever he goes, death precedes him, so he destroys his foes before he presents himself. Protect us from his violence before all our women are dragged prisoners by their hair.”