التاريخ اليميني 25.3

25.3

The kings of Hind and its notables [and the companies of ascetics who held property there] had kept it as a treasury for the greatest idol, and generation after generation they had brought to it kinds of treasures and precious jewels, light in weight but heavy in value and price when appraised, as an act of worship — so they claimed — for what would bring them good and draw them near to God. There the Sultan came upon the crow's date and the cream of the ages: what the backs of camels could not carry, nor the vessels of loads contain, nor the hands of scribes record, nor the thought of reckoners comprehend. He mustered his troops against it, planted his standards around it, and set about fighting its guardians with a bold heart, a proud nose, a keen resolve, a strong grip [163b] and an opinion that kindled rightly.