Part 1 · Pages 267-268
Abu Talib’s Poem Reproaching Those Who Abandoned Him
English rendering of the source section
Local English translation from the Arabic text; transmitted accounts, poetry, and editorial notes are distinguished.
This local English rendering may condense the Arabic narration and editorial notes. It is not a complete published English edition. Consult the Arabic source for exact wording and context.
Read the corresponding Arabic sectionAbu Talib composed verses reproaching al-Mut‘im ibn ‘Adi and those of Banu ‘Abd Manaf who failed to support him: “Tell ‘Amr, al-Walid, and al-Mut‘im: I wish my protector were a young camel, weak and short, but loud in its bellow, splashing its legs with drops. It trails behind the herd, unable to catch up when it climbs the open heights. I see our two paternal brothers, when called upon, say the matter belongs to others. They do have a part in it, but they have shrunk back, like stones tumbling from the head of Dhu ‘Aliq. I single out ‘Abd Shams and Nawfal: they cast us aside as one casts away embers. They have made their hands empty of their brothers. They have shared our honor with those who have no father among the people, unless a name is whispered for them. Taym, Makhzum, and Zuhrah once stood with us as allies when support was sought. By Allah, our enmity will not cease, nor theirs, while a single one of our descendants remains.”
Ibn Hisham says he omitted two lines containing coarse abuse. The notes explain the camel imagery and record variant readings of several words. They gloss a short camel, a weak animal, one that bellows loudly, and a word meaning to abandon or disparage.