unto me, "What will become of the land without that
beneficent god the terror of whom passed through the lands like the
goddess Sekhmet in a year of pestilence?" Then I made answer unto him,
saying, "His son shall save us. He hath entered the Palace, and hath
taken possession of the heritage of his father. Moreover, he is the god
who hath no equal, and no other can exist beside him, the lord of
wisdom, perfect in his plans, of good will when he passeth decrees, and
one cometh forth and goeth in according to his ordinance. He reduced
foreign lands to submission whilst his father [sat] in the Palace
directing him in the matters which had to be carried out. He is mighty
of valour, he slayeth with his sword, and in bravery he hath no compeer.
One should see him attacking the nomads of the desert, and pouncing upon
the robbers of the highway! He beateth down opposition, he smiteth arms
helpless, his enemies cannot be made to resist him. He taketh vengeance,
he cleaveth skulls, none can stand up before him. His strides are long,
he slayeth him that fleeth, and he who turneth his back upon him in
flight never reacheth his goal. When attacked his courage standeth firm.
He attacketh again and again, and he never yieldeth. His heart is bold
when he seeth the battle array, he permitteth none to sit down behind.
His face is fierce [as] he rusheth on the attacker. He rejoiceth when he
taketh captive the chief of a band of desert robbers. He seizeth his
shield, he raineth blows upon him, but he hath no need to repeat his
attack, for he slayeth his foe before he can hurl his spear at him.
Before he draweth his bow the nomads have fled, his arms are like the
souls of the Great Goddess. He fighteth, and if he reacheth his object
of attack he spareth not, and he leaveth no remnant. He is beloved, his
pleasantness is great, he is the conqueror, and his town loveth him more
than herself; she rejoiceth in him more than in her god, and men throng
about him with rejoicings. He was king and conqueror before his birth,
and he hath worn his crowns since he was born. He hath multiplied
births, and he it is whom God hath made to be the joy of this land,
which he hath ruled, and the boundaries of which he hath enlarged. He
hath conquered the Lands of the South, shall he not conquer the Lands of
the North? He hath been created to smite the hunters of the desert, and
to crush the tribes that roam the sandy waste...." Then the Shekh of
Upper Thennu said