Chinese and Arabian Literature - E. Wilson - The Search For Mecca

36
THE ROMANCE OF ANTAR
I make an oath, therefore, by the holy house at Mecca, by the
temple, by the eternal God, who never forgets his servants and
never sleeps, that if Hadifah commits any act of violence, I will
make him drink the cup of vengeance and of death ; and will
make the whole tribe of Fazarah the byword of all the world.
And you, Arab chieftains, if you sincerely desire the race to
take place, conduct yourselves with justice and impartiality
otherwise, by the eyes of my dear Ibla, I will make the horses
run the race in blood." " Antar is right," the horsemen
shouted on all sides.
Hadifah chose, as the rider of Ghabra, a groom of the tribe
of Dibyan, This man had passed all his days and many of his
nights in rearing and tending horses. Cais, on the other hand,
chose as rider of Dahir a groom of the tribe of Abs, much bet-
ter trained and experienced in his profession than was the
Dibyanian. When the two contestants had mounted their
horses King Cais gave this parting instruction to his groom
" Do not let the reins hang too loosely in managing Dahir ;
you see him flag, stand up in your stirrups, and press'his flanks
gently with your legs. Do not urge him too much, or you will
break his spirit." Hadifah heard this advice and repeated it,
word for word, to his rider.
Antar began to laugh. " By the faith of an Arab," he said
to Hadifah, " you will be beaten. Are words so scarce that
you are obliged to use exactly those of Cais ? But as a matter
of fact Cais is a king, the son of a king ; he ought always to be
imitated by others, and since you have followed, word by word,
his speech, it is a proof that your horse will follow his in the
desert."
At these words the heart of Hadifah swelled with rage and
indignation, and he swore with an oath that he would not let
his horse run that day, but that he wished the race to take place
at sunrise, next morning. This delay was indispensable to
him in preparing the act of perfidy which he meditated, for he
had no sooner seen Dahir than he was speechless with astonishment
at the beauty and perfections of the horse.
The judges had already dismounted and the horsemen of the
various tribes were preparing to return home, when Shidoub
began to cry out with a loud voice, " Tribes of Abs, of Adnan,
of Fazarah and of Dibyan, and all here present attend to me for
an instant, and listen to words which shall be repeated from
; :
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