Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth

,p6 The Life of Muhammad
o my people, can one without strength and courage
Slay a man like me?
If the tiniest ants were to crawl upon her
They would make wounds in her skin.
She smells of! sweet scent and lingers in her bed
Adorned \vith silver and strung with pearls.
The daily sun surpasses her in naught
Except that youth does not endure.
My uncle was orator at Jabiyatu'I-JauHin
With al-Nu'man when he stood up (to speak).
I was the hawk at the door of Ibn Salma
On the day that Nu'man was sick in fetters.
Ubayy and Waqid were set free for me.
The day they went forth with their fetters broken
I went surety for them with all my wealth,
Every scrap of it was allotted.
My family stood high in their regard,
Every dwelling had a great ancestor of mine.
My father gave decisive judgement at Sumay~a'
When disputes were referred to him.
Such were our deeds, but al-Ziba'ra
Is a man of no account, blamed even by his friends.
How much culture is destroyed by poverty
While prosperity hides barbarism!'
Do not insult me for you cannot do so,
Only a gentleman can insult his peer. 4
I care not if a he goat cries in the wastelandS
Or a churl speaks evil behind my back.
The finest stock of Banu 'Qu1?ayy took over the courage
(You ought to have had) when you withdrew.
626 Nine carried the standard while
Makhzum ran away from the spears with the riff-raff.
They stood firm together in their place till all \vere slain,
All of them bleeding from open wounds.'
I t was only honourable that they should stand firm.
The noble man is truly noble.
They stood fast until death came upon them
With the lances broken in their throats.
Quraysh fled from us seeking refuge
I Lit. 'Her interest is'.
:: Sumayi)a was a well in Medina, Aus an.d Khazraj used to submit their disputes to the
arbitration of his grandfather al-Mundhir b. I;Iaram.
3 A variant in the.rifvaya of Yunus is 'mounts above'.