Charge after charge the Emir led;
They rank before us, and behind
Ruin a tragic glory spread;
The falchions leapt in tongues of flame
Where’er our Arab coursers trod,
The bodies of our foes became
The scabbards of the swords of God!
But few escaped the martyr’s crown
Amid the Frank and Norman peers;
The solemn, silent stars looked down
On red Atharib’s rayless spears.
The Crescent of the Seljukees
Was floating over every height,
The song of victory on the breeze,
The clarion of the Islamite.
You yet may know the battlefield,
For bones are crumbling there to dust,
And riven helm and battered shield,
Are lying there defaced with rust.
Edessa, lad, his glory made;
He toyed with Amid, to beguile
The spears of Jocelin; so delayed
His march at Amid’s gates awhile.
Deceived, they went, an erring band,
And scarce defended left the town,
And we departed by command
To haul Edessa’s crosses down;
As reapers in the field of death,
As brother Muslims side by side,
To guard the honour of the Faith,
To bear the brunt, and turn the tide.
Onward to reap the swathes we went,
Onward to pass the foemen’s flank,
Unloosened rein and body bent,
Bridle by bridle, rank on rank;
Line after line the horsemen go,
And head by head the chargers run,
With spears and turbans row on row,
It was a wondrous sight, my son.
The Sun of Islam rose again,
And on our banners flashed success;
We met the Franks in their domain,
And paid them for their wickedness;
We stormed Edessa town at last,
And vengeance whetted every blade.
For every insult of the past,
A shambles of the place we made;
We would have razed it to the ground,
Its turrets with the desert laid,
Destroyed its ramparts; but the sound
Of Zengi’s voice the slaughter stayed.
Our Emir’s valour thro’ the lands
Was bruited by the Muslim’s lips,
And unto distant western strands
Was carried by the Christian ships.
And yet they slew him, slew the man
Who from oppression gave relief;
No more his eye the battle scan;
They slew him! Slew our peerless chief!
No more in front his turban shine;
The’ assassin’s dagger pierced his breast,
No more his lance will lead the line,
Nor sabre scourge the seething west.
HISTORICAL NOTE
Imad ad-Din Zengi (1085 – 1146) was a Turkish atabeg who ruled Mosul, Aleppo, Hama, and Edessa. He was the namesake of the Zengid dynasty. Zengi’s rise to power was a complex process far beyond the scope of this book, however, I was able to give an idea of it through the eyes of his two court poets. Zengi’s poets were Ibn al-Qaysarani and Ibn Munir, but mine are fictional characters who are used as away of conveying information about Zengi, describing his attack of Edessa, and showing his tyranny and cruelty. This dark side of his character is not merely a western projection, as this description by a medieval Muslim historian shows:
Zengi was tyrannical and he would strike with indiscrimate recklessness. He was like a leopard in character, like a lion in fury, not renouncing severity, not knowing any kindness.
While researching Zengi I came across some interesting, but little known, poets, including Maymun Ibn Qays Al-a’sha (570– 625), whom I have quoted in Chapter One and Yahya Parkinson (1874-1918), whose poem, Zengi, forms the basis for this extract.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bard of Burgh Conan is one of the pen names of Christopher Webster. He was brought up in Conisbrough, went to Station Road School, and has lived at various times on Daylands Avenue, Roberts Avenue and Castle Avenue. The town, with its rich history and magnificent castle, has been an important influence in his life and has inspired some of his best work, hence his pen-name, Bard of Burgh Conan (from a medieval form of the town’s name). He read English at St David’s, Lampeter and Leeds University, and is now a teacher and writer. His first educational publication was Poetry Through Humour and Horror (Cassell, 1987). This was followed by many more educational publications including books for KS3 and GCSE English Language and Literature published by Hodder, and the best-selling 100 Literacy Hours (Scholastic, 1997/2005). He has also published several novels and some volumes of poetry under his own name. His writing about Conisbrough includes Crusader, The Abduction of Lady Alice, Richard of Conisbrough, The Poet and the Castle, Conisbrough Tales, Coal Dust Kisses and three books of short stories.
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends