التاريخ اليميني 34.5

34.5

ولما علم السلطان من نيته في إرجاء القتال وتأخير النزال، دلف إلى عدو الله عز وجل بقلوب قد صقلها التوحيد، وبشرها الوعد وأنذرها الوعيد، ورماهم بالصيلم من رجالة الديلم، وبالشياطين من الأفغانية المطاعين، رجال كالآجال مطوحة بالنفوس، مذللة للأعين الشوس، أو كالليوث أخرجها الجوع، وأعياها إلى أشبالها الرجوع، ينفذون في الأسداد نفوذ المثاقب في العيدان، أو البيارم في الحيطان، ويفرعون البواذخ كالوعول، وينزلون عنها كمنحدر السيول. وواصلها عليهم أياما تباعا، يجذبهم بصدق البراز إلى البراز ، جذب النار للسليط ، والمغناطيس للحديد، فكلما فارقوا تلك المضائق، التقطهم الفرسان كما تلتقط الأفراس بيادق، ولم تزل هذه حالهم حتى انضم إلى اللعين أكثر من والاه، ولباه معظم من دعاه، وعند ذلك احتشد للبروز مستندا إلى الجبل، من حوله الأفيال كالقلل، فجد المصاع، واحتد القراع، وحمي الوطيس، واستوى المرؤوس والرئيس، وصار اللقاء كفاحا، فمن آخذ بالتلابيب ، ومناقر كاليعاقيب ، ومضارب ما بين الرؤوس إلى العراقيب، [189 ب] وكلما أشليت الفيلة للتهويل والتفخيم، والحطم بالأظلاف والخراطيم، مطرتها سحائب الزانات متلوية كالأراقم، منسابة إلى حدق العيون أو ثغر الحلاقم. ورأى الكافر موقع أبي عبد الله محمد بن إبراهيم الطائي من الغناء، وضراوته بإسالة الدماء، فانتحاه بأخشن من في جملته شوكة، وأعظمهم شكة، حتى أثخنوه ضربا على الهام، وحطما من خلف وقدام، وهو كالحرون ثابت لا يمل شرف مقامه، ولا يكل دون الضرب بحسامه، متسمحا بالروح في نصرة الدين وطاعة رب العالمين.

But the King of India, terrified at that army, sat down under the protection of the mountain, fortifying himself, and took refuge in a pass between ten high mountains, and strengthened the approaches to those narrownesses by mountain-like elephants, and wrote to seek aid from the provinces of his country, and summoned the cavalry and infantry of his kingdoms, and embraced the expedient of delay, thinking that procrastination and tediousness would thus obstruct the army of Islam in attaining their end, until perhaps, by length of time and long continuance in their position, they might be alarmed and turn back from that attempt at battle, and from that invasion. When the Sultan, dreading their deep and secret perfidy and fraud, incited the men of Dilem and the Afghans against them, stirring them up to occupy the declivities, and, like an attracting magnet of victory, to draw them to themselves. When, therefore, they descended from their narrow passes into the open plain, they picked them up like a bird picking up grains with a sharp beak. Several days passed in this manner, until the ropes of the deniers became collected, and a great army joined the infidels, so that from Hind and Sind, and all quarters, there was (an army) blowing-up fire, seeking tumult, making self-restraint to repose, bearing aid, and inclined to succour the head of destruction, the fountain of strife.

They directed themselves against them, they raised the shout of battle, and joined in array, and drew around the army the obstruction of the giant elepliants. Thus the fire of war was burning, and the combatants of the two armies raged like hornets in the heat, and seized one another by the collar, and pierced each other's head and breast by the wounds of the sword; and heads were cast upon the battle-plain like balls, and wherever the elephants came into the engagement the Muslim army, with spears and arrows, cut through their throats and trunks. And these Kaffirs beheld the strength and experience of Abdullah-Tai, how active he was in battle and war, and in (shedding) blood and killing chiefs, and therefore they turned towards him with a compact band of warriors and with a number of heroes (literally, stirrers of the fire, pokers) and attacked him on all sides with severe wounds. And he withstood them like an excited male elephant, and to obtain victory for Islam exposed himself freely and offered his life a sacrifice to martyrdom. And when the Sultan saw him in the claws of that distress, he sent some stars from his special guards to help him, that they might rescue him from the claws of those accursed ones. And, as his body was all eyes, like a sieve, and his frame all rings, like a coat of mail, the Sultan ordered that they should place him upon an elephant, that the pain of his wounds might be healed, and receive refreshment and solace.