Page:The Celebrated Romance of the Stealing of the Mare.djvu/88

Rose like a cloud to heaven. And presently they saw him,
And he could see their eyes, and the flashing of their spear-points.
And the foemen called aloud, " O thou of the race of Himyar,
Thou shalt not flee our wrath, not though thy back grew pinions.
For he thy sire of old came thus. And thou, what wouldst thou? "
And to them Abu Zeyd, " My right lies in my spear-point.
Wait rather, all of ye, that I may prove your boasting."
And I charged, said Abu Zeyd, and lo I was among them.
And the din of battle rose, and the clanking of the sword-blades,
And I could not count their numbers spread on the plain like locusts.
Roaring they came on me with the loud voice of lions.
You had said a cloud in heaven struck by the bolts of thunder.
And to my soul I said, " O thou Helali Salame,
To fly were shame on thee. Nay, rather fear thou Alia,
Lest she should send for news how thy back turned in battle."
And I saw my death by the spear as the best of doubtful issues.
" Death is better than talk," I said, a the words of the idle,