"Sa‘d-iláh and his sons, Benú Marthadim, have endowed Il-Maḳah of Hirrán with this tablet, because Il-Maḳah, lord of Awwám Dhú-‘Irán Alú, has favourably heard the prayer addressed to him, and has consequently heard the Benú Marthadim when they offered the first-fruits of their fertile lands of Arhaḳim in the presence of Il-Maḳah of Hirrán, and Il-Maḳah of Hirrán has favourably heard the prayer addressed to him that he would protect the plains and meadows and this tribe in their habitations, in consideration of the frequent gifts throughout the year; and truly his (Sa‘d-iláh's) sons will descend to Arhaḳim, and they will indeed sacrifice in the two shrines of ‘Athtor and Shamsim, and there shall be a sacrifice in Hirrán--both in order that Il-Maḳah may afford protection to those fields of Bin Marthadim as well as that he may favourably listen--and in the sanctuary of Il-Maḳah of Ḥarwat, and therefore may he keep them in safety according to the sign in which Sa‘d-iláh was instructed, the sign which he saw in the sanctuary of Il-Maḳah of Na‘mán; and as for Il-Maḳah of Hirrán, he has protected those fertile lands of Arhaḳim from hail and from all misfortune (_or_, from cold and from all extreme heat)."[38] In concluding this very inadequate account of the South Arabic inscriptions I must claim the indulgence of my readers, who are aware how difficult it is to write clearly and accurately upon any subject without first-hand knowledge, in particular when the results of previous research are continually being transformed by new workers in the same field. [Sidenote: Literary sources.] [Sidenote: Hamdání († 945 A.D.).] Fortunately we possess a considerable literary supplement to these somewhat austere and meagre remains. Our knowledge of South Arabian geography, antiquities, and legendary history is largely derived from the works of two natives of Yemen, who were filled with enthusiasm for its ancient glories, and whose writings, though different as fact and fable, are from the present point of view equally instructive--Ḥasan b. Aḥmad al-Hamdání and Nashwán b. Sa‘íd al-Ḥimyarí. Besides an excellent geography of Arabia (_Ṣifatu Jazírat al-‘Arab_), which has been edited by D. H. Müller, Hamdání left a great work on the history and antiquities of Yemen, entitled _al-Iklíl_ ('The Crown'), and divided into ten books under the following heads:--[39] Book I. _Compendium of the beginning and origins of genealogy._ Book II. _Genealogy of the descendants of al-Hamaysa‘ b. Ḥimyar._ Book III. _Concerning the pre-eminent qualities of Qaḥṭán._ Book IV. _Concerning the first period of history down to the reign of Tubba‘ Abú Karib._ Book V. _Concerning the middle period from the accession of As‘ad Tubba‘ to the reign of Dhú Nuwás._ Book VI. _Concerning the last period down to the rise of Islam._ Book VII. _Criticism of false traditions and absurd legends._