Wahība Raiders
The poem is approximately eighty to one hundred years old and described a raid on the Bīt ʿAmūš by the Wahība tribe. The Wahība surprised two Mahra from Bīt ʿAmūš of the Bīt Ṣabḥ subsection—a father and a son—whom they killed, but not before the two Mahra had exacted their price. The son acquitted himself particularly well by sneaking around the Wahība raiders and killing two of them from a rear position before he himself was killed. The poet calls upon Rāmes to lead the counterattack and praises his skill as a raider.
| Poem | Translation |
|---|---|
| 1) samʿīn ʾawmer bīs // wel ḳōfel līs ebōb // eǧwōbes men ḥrō | [Hark,] o listeners, I am speaking about this [event] // the door is not closed for it // the response to it comes right from [my] head. |
| 2) ḳeṣdōna be-fzāt // eḏ-m rīḥeḳ ehyīṭ //el-wheybe hīs ġzō | I will say a qaṣīḍa about the fearsome [attack] // [those] who braved danger from afar // the Wahība when they attacked |
| 3) šīhem slēb eǧīt // we-ḏlēl ʾabrōt // we-mzōyed ḏe-ḥmō | They [carried] with them good weapons // sturdy, far-travelling mounts // and plenty of water. |
| 4) we-dlēlhem fhēm // berh ḏ-ġrūb bkāt // we-hnafh eḏ-ḥzō | The guide understood the way // indeed he knew the area // he keeps himself out of the way of danger |
| 5) te šūḳa l-ḥākəbīt // eṭṭərefse klōh | Until he brought them to [Wadi] Ḥākəbīt // [and] its two sides |
| 6) kūseh bēr we-ġyūǧ // we-hbūn ḏ-bet eṣabḥ // teḳḳəfōren eḏ-ḳnōh | They found camels and men // the children of the clan of Ṣabḥ // May God requite those who raised them. |
| 7) šēhī essəbūr ḫeybet // lehne mḏeyyəbeyn // we-mderrəkeyn klōh | The two of them had a couple of bullets // but they were courageous // and they, the two of them, were vigorous fighters. |
| 8) ḥebrē ḏ-hemmes ǧīd // eḳnawn eḏ-herhō | The son whose mother’s name is virtuous // a young lad who shows no fear. |
| 9) nōke bīhem hel śat // hel eǧeyḥī ebḥayt // we-mġōren šehǧō | He came at them from around and about // at the [flank] of a steep mountain // and then he came to stop. |
| 10) ṭarḥeyhem ḏe-ślōl // be-źhēr ḏ-bātī nōb // we-mlōteḳ men ṯrōh | He let them load up // on the backs of the large, sturdy camels // the corpses of the two. |
| 11) men hnīhem we-hnīn // ʾenʿəyūten kel bkōh | From them and from us // every mourner cried |
| 12) ʾazzətehn w-ʾazzəteyn // ʾazzəteyn tnōfe lā // ʾār ḏe-b-ḥeydeh eswōh | If only…if only….// “If only…” doesn’t help // but what is “in the hand” is an action. |
| 13) reytəhem bīt ʾeskanyōt // ʾawḥāhem elṭəyūm // we-mnōbī berh ṭwōh | If only they were of Bīt Eskanyōt // and that their rescue had come together // and that the news had arrived at night. |
| 14) ǧrēzzəmenna we-ġyūǧ // tehmān hīsen ṣawt // hīs lḥaymer wet wsōh | Rifles and men // you would hear the sound from them // [similar to] when the star Luḥaymar “rains” [i.e. heralds the start of the rainy season]. |
| 15) ʾār yeslōm hīhem ʾāḳrōn // ʾādeh rāmes šīkem bōh | May God strengthen him [Rāmes] against them, knowledgeable in the terrain // so that Rāmes would be with them here. |
| 16) rāmes yedlōl ʾāḳā // ber dwīlef emaġzē // eḏlōla hedlōh | Rāmes is well versed with the land // he is accustomed to raiding // [on] a riding camel that he takes. |