but they had no money; so he presented to each girl ten golden piled arrows from his quiver. Whereupon quoth one of them to her friend, "Well-a-day! These fashions pertain to none but Ma'an bin Zaidah! so let each one of us say somewhat of verse in his praise." Then quoth the first,
"He heads his arrows with piles of gold, * And while shooting his foes is his bounty doled: Affording the wounded a means of cure, * And a sheet for the bider beneath the mould!"
And quoth the second,
"A warrior showing such open hand, * His boons all friends and all foes enfold: The piles of his arrows of or are made, * So that battle his bounty may not withhold!"
And quoth the third,
"From that liberal-hand on his foes he rains * Shafts aureate- headed and manifold: Wherewith the hurt shall chirurgeon pay, * And for slain the shrouds round their corpses roll'd."[FN#135]
And there is also told a tale of
Ma'an the Son of Zaidah and the Badawi
Now Ma'an bin Záidah went forth one day to the chase with his company, and they came upon a herd of gazelles; so they separated in pursuit and Ma'an was left alone to chase one of them. When he had made prize of it he