When it was the Six Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Jaland sent Jawamard with his army to Cufa, they came upon a Wady abounding in trees and rills where a halt was called and they rested till the middle of the night, when the Wazir gave the signal for departure and mounting, rode on before them till hard upon dawn, at which time he descended into a well-wooded valley, whose flowers were fragrant and whose birds warbled on boughs, as they swayed gracefully to and fro, and Satan blew into his sides and puffed him up with pride and he improvised these couplets and cried,
“I plunge with my braves in the seething sea; * Seize the foe in my strength and my valiancy; And the doughtiest knights wot me well to be * Friend to friend and fierce foe to mine enemy. I will load Gharib with the captive’s chains * Right soon, and return in all joy and glee; For I’ve donned my mail and my weapons wield * And on all sides charge at the chivalry.”[FN#14]
Hardly had Jawamard made an end of his verses when there came out upon him from among the trees a horseman of terrible mien covered and clad in steely sheen, who cried out to him, saying, “Stand, O riff-raff of the Arabs! Doff thy dress and ground thine arms-gear and dismount thy destrier and be off with thy life!” When Jawamard heard this, the light in his eyes became darkest night and he drew his sabre and drove at Jamrkan, for he it was, saying, “O thief of the Arabs, wilt thou cut the road for me, who am captain of the host of Jaland bin Karkar and am come to bring Gharib and his men in bond?” When Jamrkan heard these words, he said, “How cooling is this to my heart and liver!” And he made at Jawamard versifying in these couplets,
“I’m the noted knight in the field of fight, * Whose sabre and spear every foe affright! Jamrkan am I, to my foes a fear, * With a lance lunge known unto every knight: Gharib is my lord, nay my pontiff, my prince, * Where the two hosts dash very lion of might: An Imam of the Faith, pious, striking awe * On the plain where his foes like the fawn take flight; Whose voice bids folk to the faith of the Friend, * False, doubling idols and gods despite!”