Sirat Ibn Hisham 27
The leap of Lakhni'a Dhu Shanatir upon the kingship of Yemen, his assumption of the kingship, something of his career, then his killing
وَثَوْبٌ لِخَيْنَعَةَ ذِي شَنَاتِرَ عَلَى مُلْكِ الْيَمَنِ [ تَوَلِّيهِ الْمُلْكَ، وَشَيْءٌ مِنْ سِيرَتِهِ، ثُمَّ قَتْلُهُ ] فَوَثَبَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَجُلٌ مِنْ حِمْيَرَ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ بُيُوتِ الْمَمْلَكَةِ، يُقَالُ لهَ لِخُنَيْعَةَ يَنُوفَ. ذُو شَنِاتَرَ، فَقَتَلَ خِيَارَهُمْ، وَعَبِثَ بِبُيُوتِ أَهْلِ الْمَمْلَكَةِ مِنْهُمْ، فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ مِنْ حِمْيَرَ لِلْخَنِيعَةِ: حِمْيَرَ لِلْخَنِيعَةِ: تُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَاهَا وَتَنْفِي سَرَاتَهَا وَتَبْنِي بِأَيْدِيهَا لَهَا الذُّلَّ حِمْيَرُ تُدَمِّرُ دُنْيَاهَا بِطَيْشِ حُلُومِهَا وَمَا ضَيَّعَتْ مِنْ دِينِهَا فَهُوَ أَكْثَرُ كَذَاكَ الْقُرُونُ هَلْ ذَاكَ بِظُلْمِهَا وَإِسْرَافِهَا تَأْتِي الشُّرُورَ فَتُخْسَرُ وَكَانَ لَخَنِيعَةَ امْرِأً فَاسِقًا يَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ قَوْمِ لُوطٍ، فَكَانَ يُرْسِلُ إلَى الْغُلَامِ مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الْمُلُوكِ، فَيَقَعُ عَلَيْهِ فِي مَشْرَبَةٍ لَهُ قَدْ صَنَعَهَا لِذَلِكَ. لِئَلَّا يَمْلِكُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ يَطْلُعُ مِنْ مَشْرَبَتِهِ تِلْكَ إلَى حَرَسِهِ وَمَنْ حَضَرَ مِنْ جُنْدِهِ، قَدْ أَخَذَ مِسْوَاكًا فَجَعَلَهُ فِي فِيهِ، أَيْ لِيُعْلَمَهُمْ أَنَّهُ قَدْ فَرَغَ مِنْهُ. حَتَّى بَعَثَ إلَى زُرْعَةَ ذِي نُوَاسِ بْنِ تُبَّانَ أَسْعَدَ أَخِي حَسَّانَ، وَكَانَ صَبِيَّا صَغِيرًا حِينَ قُتِلَ حَسَّانُ، ثُمَّ شَبَّ غُلَامًا جَمِيلًا وَسِيمًا، ذَا هَيْئَةٍ وَعَقْلٍ، فَلَمَّا أَتَاهُ رَسُولُهُ عَرَفَ مَا يُرِيدُ مِنْهُ فَأَخَذَ سِكِّينًا حَدِيدًا لَطِيفًا، فَخَبَّأَهُ بَيْنَ قَدَمِهِ وَنَعْلِهِ، ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ، فَلَمَّا خَلَا مَعَهُ وَثَبَ إلَيْهِ، فَوَاثَبَهُ ذُو نُوَاسٍ فَوَجَأَهُ حَتَّى قَتَلَهُ، ثُمَّ حَزَّ رَأْسَهُ، فَوَضَعَهُ فِي الْكُوَّةِ الَّتِي كَانَ يُشْرِفُ مِنْهَا، وَوَضَعَ مِسْوَاكَهُ فِي فِيهِ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ عَلَى النَّاسِ، فَقَالُوا لَهُ: ذَا نُوَاسٍ أَرَطْبٌ أَمْ يَبَاسٌ فَقَالَ: سَلْ نَخْمَاسَ اسْتِرْطُبَانَ ذُو نُوَاسٍ. اسْتِرْطُبَانَ لَابَاسَ - قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: هَذَا كَلَامُ حِمْيَرَ. وَنَخْمَاسُ: الرَّأْسُ - فَنَظَرُوا إلَى الْكُوَّةِ فَإِذَا رَأْسُ لَخَنِيعَةَ مَقْطُوعٌ، فَخَرَجُوا فِي إثْرِ ذِي نُوَاسٍ حَتَّى أَدْرَكُوهُ، فَقَالُوا: مَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَمْلِكَنَا غَيْرُكَ: إذْ أَرَحْتنَا مِنْ هَذَا الْخَبِيثِ. مُلْكُ ذِي نُوَاسٍ فَمَلَّكُوهُ، وَاجْتَمَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ حِمْيَرُ وَقَبَائِلُ الْيَمَنِ، فَكَانَ آخِرَ مُلُوكِ حِمْيَرَ، وَهُوَ صَاحِبُ الْأُخْدُودِ، وَتَسَمَّى يُوسُفَ، فَأَقَامَ فِي مُلْكِهِ زَمَانًا.
Translation
✧ And the leap of Khaynaʿah Dhu Shanatir to the kingship of Yemen, his assumption of kingship, something of his conduct, then his killing. So a man of Ḥimyar who was not from the royal houses leaped upon them, called Lakhunayʿah Yanuf, Dhu Shanatir. He killed their nobles and toyed with the houses of the royal family among them. A poet of Ḥimyar said about al-Khunaiʿah: Ḥimyar, to al-Khunaiʿah: You kill its sons and banish its chiefs, And with its own hands it builds for itself abasement. Ḥimyar destroys its world by the recklessness of its minds; And what it has lost of its religion is even more. Thus are the generations; is that through its wrongdoing And its excess? It brings evils and so loses. Al-Khunayʿah was a dissolute man who practiced the deed of the people of Lūṭ. He would send for a boy from the sons of the kings and have intercourse with him in a chamber he had made for that, so that he would not rule after that. Then he would emerge from that chamber to his guards and those of his army who were present, having taken a toothstick and put it in his mouth, that is to inform them that he had finished with him. Until he sent to Zurʿah Dhu Nuwās b. Tibbān Asʿad, brother of Ḥassān. He had been a small child when Ḥassān was killed, then had grown into a handsome, comely youth of good presence and intelligence. When his messenger came to him, he knew what he wanted from him, so he took a fine iron knife and hid it between his foot and his sandal, then came to him. When he was alone with him, he jumped at him, and Dhu Nuwās wrestled with him and stabbed him until he killed him. Then he cut off his head and placed it in the window from which he used to look out, and put his toothstick in its mouth. Then he went out to the people, and they said to him: “O Dhu Nuwās, is it fresh or dry?” He said: “Ask Nukhmās: Is Dhu Nuwās fresh? Fresh, no harm.” Ibn Hishām said: This is the speech of Ḥimyar, and Nukhmās means the head. They looked at the window and behold, the head of Lakhunayʿah was cut off. So they went out in pursuit of Dhu Nuwās until they caught up with him and said: “No one but you ought to rule us, since you have relieved us of this vile one.” The kingship of Dhu Nuwās. So they made him king, and Ḥimyar and the tribes of Yemen gathered around him. He was the last of the kings of Ḥimyar, and he is the man of the trench. He named himself Yūsuf, and he remained in his kingship for a time.
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