Modaina

The dirges sung by the wife of Galdydos, the son of Tedros, for her brother-in-law Naseh.

Naseh, the son of Tedros, was in discord with his family. Then his family caused the Assaorta to make a raid against him. And when he was fighting the Assaorta they killed him. Naseh, however, had a friend, called Gannad, the son of adAmer, a man from Ailet. When the howler for his friend Naseh had come to him, Gannad went to recover [the booty]. And when he had reached the army, he said to them; "Show me the killer of Naseh, that ye may return safely to your country!" And the man who killed Naseh said: "Here am I!" And they attacked each other; and Gannad killed him. Thereupon he also recovered the cattle from all the raiders. And when he had returned he gave the cattle to thefamily of Naseh. And the wife of the brother of Naseh sang of him this dirge, praising also his friend Gannad.



The friend of Gannad wad Amer is not a friend of goat-herds.
He went out from Mota, to fulfil the revenge.
His legs were thrown rapidly, his brave heart burnt hotter than they.
Why do the Bet-Sahaqan say: "Ab-Dafla did not attack"? *1
The friend of Gannad wad Amer is not a forsaken friend.
The strong one went out from Mota to fulfil the revenge.
Observe him well, standing in front of him,
Whether he falls himself, or conquers the raiders !
The rhinoceros blocks the rivers the people stay away eight days.
Of the shields give him the him, the manly rebel, strongest,

Because the woman was singing all the time of Naseh,his family, who had caused Naseh to be killed, said to her: "Thou hast driven us out of our senses! Be silent! We mourn for him with our hearts ; mourn thou for him with thy heart." The woman, however, sang his dirge again, in this way.

Why should he have died, having so many friends? *2
They used to drink milk from and to eat from his barley, his cows *3
Not for a husband? A woman mourns for a beit of beads! *4
For bewailing a husband nobody has been killed that I know. *5
But lest i wail, i fear Ab-Daskabat and his fellows. *6







*1: The Bet-Sahaqan say: "Naseh Ab-Dafla did not attack, he was killed fleeing;" but this is not true.
*2 : The original has here the phtralis majestatis. The second half reads "if they acquired so many;" the verb is ordinarily used of acquiring animals, but here the men are meant who now say that they were Naseh's friends. -
*3 : The second half literally "and a large polenta of his roasted barley."
*4: If women deplore a lost beit of beads, should they not all the more bewail a lost husband?

*5: Literally "I have not heard that they have killed for this [reason, viz.] 'thou hast bewailed thy husband'."

*6: Ab- Daskabat was one of them who tried to keep her from wailing.