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THE 
 
 B AGH O B AH AE; 
 
 THE GAEDEN AND THE SPEING: 
 
 THE ADYENTURES OF KING AZAD BAKHT AND 
 THE FOUR DARWESHES: 
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED PROM THE URDU OF MIR AMMAN, OP DIHLI : 
 
 WITH COPIOUS EXPLANATORY NOTES, AND AN INTRODUCTOET PREFACE, 
 
 EDWARD B. EASTWICK, F.R.S., M.R.A.S., 
 
 OP MRRTON COLLEGE, OXFORD: MEMBER OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETIES OP PARIS AND BOMBAY; 
 AND FROFEtJSOR OF URDU, AND LIBRARIAN, IN THE EAST INDIA COLLEGE AT HAILETBURY, 
 
 II & |fl . ^kdim 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Wm. H. ALLEN & Co., 13, WATERLOO PLACE, S.W. 
 
 1877. 
 
 s 
 
K^5^3. 
 
 ^3 
 
 HERTFORD : 
 
 PRINTED BY STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS. 
 
TO 
 
 WILLIAM BUTTEEWORTH BAYLET, ESQ., 
 
 A BIEECTOR OF THE HONOTTEABIE EAST INDIA COMPANY, AND 
 SOMETIME GOTBENOE-GENEEAL OE INDIA. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 I feel the more satisfaction in being permitted 
 to dedicate this Translation to you, because I thus inscribe 
 my book to one illustrious, not only for his conduct of 
 great aflfairs, but for his profound knowledge of the lan- 
 guage of Hindustan. Trusting that my work, which is the 
 fruit of an attentive study of the original for many years, 
 may stand the test of the most penetrating scrutiny, 
 
 I am. 
 
 Sir, 
 Faithfully and respectfully yours. 
 
 EDWAKD B. EASTWICK. 
 
 East India Cohege, 
 
 January 16th, 1852. 
 
PEEFACE 
 
 ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 The tale of the Four Darweshes has now become a work of 
 so much general interest — inasmuch as it is the book in 
 which every officer in India, civil or military, must undergo 
 an examination — that no apology seems requisite for present- 
 ing the public, for the first time, with a translation of it. I say 
 for the first time, for the version by Lewis Ferdinand Smith, 
 which appeared in the days of Lord Minto's Grovernor-Greneral- 
 ship, and has latelj' been re-edited by Professor Forbes, is not a 
 translation, but a paraphrase. In it all the difficult expressions 
 are passed over, pede sicco, and some passages, according to Mr. 
 Smith's own statement, are altered to give an air of greater 
 probability to the whole. Moreover, the fragments of poetry 
 with which the tales are interspersed, are rendered in such a 
 doleful and dissonant manner, that no amount of compassion 
 could induce the general reader to harass his feelings by 
 perusing more than one line. It is to be regretted, indeed, 
 that Professor Forbes, instead of confining himself to the re- 
 
VI PREFACE BY THE TRANSLATOR. 
 
 touching the stories of the first and second darweshes, had not 
 rather favoured us with a new translation. As, however, that 
 has not been done, I feel that I have had a clear field ; and if 
 I have failed, it is from my own carelessness, and not from the 
 superior prowess of a rival. Lest, however, what I have said 
 of Mr. Smith's version, should seem to be a prelude to self- 
 eulogy, I must at once distinctly state what I have aimed at in 
 the present translation, in order that the reader may be satisfied 
 of the humility of my pretensions, I must inform him that I 
 have not aspired to write an elegant or an amusing book, but 
 one that shall be useful to the student, by conveying the exact 
 sense of the original. In that I hope I have succeeded, and 
 that the beginner will now have the means of assuring himself, 
 after a proper use of the dictionary, that he has arrived at the 
 true meaning of the author. I am not one of those who would 
 discard the use of translations in studying a language. On the 
 contrary, I think they may greatly facilitate the learner's pro- 
 gress, provided that reference is made to them as a dernier 
 ressort, after attacking a difficulty in the legitimate way with 
 dictionary and grammar. In this way translations may supply 
 the place of a teacher, who cannot always be at hand. More- 
 over, by perusing them one may get a general idea of the 
 whole story, which, in Oriental works, guiltless as they often 
 are of any division into chapters, or index of contents, is a 
 matter of some difficulty. 
 
 After these preliminary remarks, it seems requisite to say a 
 few words on the book itself, and its various authors or transla- 
 tors. First, then, it must be observed that the " Bagh o Bahar " 
 is not an original work, but an Urdu translation, by Mir Amman, 
 
PREFACE BY THE TRANSLATOR. Vll 
 
 of the Persian romance, entitled " Kissah-i Chahar Darwesh," 
 or " Story of the Four Darweshes," composed by the celebrated 
 poet, Amir Khusrau, of Delhi. Of him we shall speak anon ; 
 but first as to his translator. Mir Amman has given us in his 
 preface to the "Bagh o Bahar," a brief narrative of himself, 
 from which we learn that his family resided for some centuries 
 at Delhi, where they held a Jaglr, or grant of land in free 
 tenure, under the Mughal emperors, and were subsequently 
 involved in the ruin of the house of Timur. Their Jaglr was 
 seized by Suraj Mai, the founder of the principality of Bhartpur, 
 and their houses plundered by Ahmad Shah, King of Kabul, 
 when he invaded India. Mir Amman himself, after various 
 vicissitudes, arrived in Calcutta, a destitute wanderer, where 
 his good fortune introduced him, a.d. 1801, to Dr. Gilchrist, 
 Professor of Urdu, in the College of Fort William. The Urdu 
 language was just then beginning to be studied by Europeans, 
 and it was desirable to supply the want of original works 
 in that dialect, by translations from other languages. Mir 
 Amman was commissioned to translate the amusing romance of 
 "The Four Darweshes," a duty which he performed with re- 
 markable elegance and success, and in a style very superior to a 
 former version made by Ata Husain Khan, entitled " Nau tarz-i 
 murassa," " The New Gold-embroidered Fashion," which was too 
 thickly inlaid with Arabic and Persian. It must, however, be 
 remembered that, in a language till then almost unwritten, the 
 grammatical canons were not likely to be fixed with that rigour 
 which the iron hand of centuries imposes. We accordingly find 
 in the " Bagh o Bahar," notwithstanding its other' excellences, 
 many instances of what would now be considered bad grammar, 
 
Till PREFACE BY THE TRANSLATOK. 
 
 and which the most ordinary munshi would reprobate. Thus at 
 p. 8, 1. 15 ; p. 22, 1. 17 ; p. 120, 1. 19 ; p. 144, 1. 14 ; p. 147, 1. 
 3 ; p. 151, 1. 11 ; and at p. 161, 1, 16 (of Forbes' edition), we 
 have Hj wuh, for the plural ,~__j ve. Again, at p. 145, 1. 17, 
 we have ~^_ yih for ^, ye ; and at p. 162, 1. 13, we have -;-» yih 
 agreeing with a plural substantive ; and at p. 44, 1. 14, ^ij=>- 
 jin ne is very flagrantly made the antecedent to the relative 
 ij wuh. We find also some grave faults in the collocation of 
 words, especially in making the genitive foUow the noun on 
 which it depends, instead of preceding it. Thus, at p. 6, 1. 17, 
 "we have i ^L; S <iij\ c^-JiJis- hakikat urdu ki zabdn kl, 
 instead of Li^^iUb- ^ ^\i\ ^S }'^)\ urdu kl zabdn kl hakikat. 
 Again, at p. 11, 1. 13, occurs ^ L^c jj ^.c arzl had amall 
 kl, instead of -«j-c S lA-*^ J^ ^'^^ amall ki arzl. At p. 63, 1. 
 14, we have the nominative used for the genitive by a vulgarism, 
 ^^ j\jy^\ ,.yj yih ummedwdr huh, instead of ^^ j\.s^\ l^ ijmS 
 is kd ummedwdr huh, " I am hopeful of this." At p. 30, 1. 2, 
 we have the postposition ,_^b pas, without the intervention of 
 ^ ke, joined directly to a substantive, which is very inelegant. 
 Several sentences of pure Persian also occur, which glitter 
 like a ijurpiireus pannus, amidst the homely Hindustani with 
 which they are surrounded. Thus, at p. 161, 1. 6, we have 
 _r-^. -V^ (iri^ J^ "'^ "* ^^*^ hihtar ? " What is better than 
 this ? " which might have as easily been rendered by the 
 Urdu J^, \^ c^ i^\ is se kyd bihtar ? Add to this, that 
 occasionally sentences of great length occur, which are quite 
 repugnant to the character of the Urdu language, whose 
 nature is to break up long sentences into a number of 
 shorter ones. Thus, at p. 42, 1. 5, we have a sentence of five 
 
PREFACE BY THE TRANSLATOE. IX 
 
 lines, over which prodigy the author has fallen prostrate, 
 enveloped in the dust of unintelligibility. In spite of these 
 faults, however, against which it is right to warn the student, 
 we must pronounce the " Bagh o Bahar " to be the most 
 finished specimen of the Urdu language that has yet appeared. 
 Still we must remember that the language is but yet in its 
 infancy, and as it has originated from a similar fusion of 
 tongues to that which has given birth to the English, so we 
 may predict that it will, like that noble vehicle of thought, 
 grasp the combined beauties of the several members of which 
 it is composed, and be one day adorned with as large a number 
 of masterpieces of prose and song. 
 
 To return to Mir Amman, we have only to observe that he 
 subsequently translated the " Akhlak-i MuhsinI " of Husain 
 Vaiz Kashifi into Urdii, giving his translation the name of 
 " Granj-i KhubT," or " Treasury of Excellence." He also com- 
 posed a variety of poems, of no remarkable merit. The name 
 which he has chosen for his translation of " The Four Dar- 
 weshes" is simply a chronological one, to denote the year in 
 which he concluded his labours. Thus, according to the Arabic 
 system — 
 
 <-j = 2 
 
 \ = 1 
 
 ^ = 1000 
 
 J = 6 
 
 (-J = 2 
 
 a = 5 
 
 \ = 1 
 
 , = 200 = 1217 A.H. = 1802 A.D. 
 
PREFACE BY THE TRANSLATOR. 
 
 As has been before observed, the story was originally written 
 in Persian, and entitled, jLijjCi j\.^ i2i Kissah-i Chahar 
 Darwesh, "Story of the Four Darweshes." The author was 
 Abii-l Hasan Khusrau, or Khusrii, as some write it (the word 
 from which we have made our Chosroes), one of the greatest 
 poets that ever appeared in Hindustan. On account of the 
 sweetness of his style, he was called (smile not, reader !) the 
 J0Ji> ^jla Tidi-i Sind, "Parrot of Hindustan." In this un- 
 poetical country we might prefer to call him the " Nightingale 
 of the East," and such, indeed, he was. His grandfather, who 
 bore the name of Turk, came to Hindustan from Ma-wara-u'n- 
 nahr, or Transoxiana, in the time of Jangiz Khan. He died 
 at Delhi, leaving a son called Amir Mahmud, or, according to 
 others, Saif-u'd-din, who was high in the favour of the Emperor 
 Taglak Shah, and perished in battle against the infidels, or, in 
 other words, the Hindiis. His son Amir Khusrau succeeded 
 to the royal favour, and enjoyed the confidence and patronage 
 of seven successive Emperors of Delhi. He seems to have de- 
 voted himself to the composition of poetry, in which he became 
 so famous that it is said that the illustrious SadI, the prince of 
 Persian bards, visited Hindustan, for the sole purpose of seeing 
 him. We are told tliat he was the author of ninety-eight 
 works, of which by far the greater part are lost. Of those 
 which remain, his <Uu,«ji- Khumsah, or " Five Metrical 
 Romances," and his ^^^ AJ Nith Sipahr, or " The Nine 
 Heavens," which is a panegyric on the Emperor Muhammad 
 Taglak Shah ; as well as his JLijj^J^^ 1^ Kissah-i Chahar 
 DarwcsJi, or "Romance of the Four Darweshes," will be 
 found in the Ouseley Collection of MSS., now deposited in the 
 
PREFACE BY THE TRANSLATOR. xi 
 
 Bodleian Library at Oxford. The names of the above-mentioned 
 five_ romances are — 
 
 1. j\^ji\ jlk» Matla-ti 'l-Anvar, "The Dawn of Light." 
 
 2. ij^^^i \j^.ji^ Shlrln ica Khusrau, "The Loves of Khusraii," 
 or_Chosroes, " and Shlrin," or Irene, daughter of the Emperor 
 Maurice. 
 
 3. l.:u^.^^^^ l:;-,Aa EaM Bihisht, " The Eight Paradises." 
 
 4. JjU J i^y^ Majnun ua Lailq, " The Loves of the Arab 
 Majnun and Laila." 
 
 5. jS-S^ *ijT Alnah-i 8ikandar, " The Mirror of Alexander." 
 This list will shew that Am!r Kh usrau selected the same 
 
 themes for his Muse as Nazami, and, in the opinion of so com- 
 petent a judge as Husain Vaiz Kashifl, he is not excelled by 
 him. 
 
 Khusrau (as we learn from Mir Amman's preface, p. 4 of 
 this translation) composed his " Romance of the Four Dar- 
 weshes," in order to amuse the sick bed of his spiritual precep- 
 tor, the renowned saint, Nizam u'd-din Auliya Zarl Zarbakhsh, 
 or, as he is otherwise called, Shakar Ganj Shah, " The Honeyed 
 King." However we sceptics may doubt the efficacy of such a 
 remedy, certain it is that the holy man recovered in a few days 
 after the receipt of the romance, and derived such pleasure from 
 hearing it that he pronounced the blessing of perpetual spring 
 on the constitutions of all future listeners. Shortly after this 
 benediction the saintly Nizamu'd-din departed this life, and 
 his loss left Kh usrau so inconsolable that he did not long sur- 
 vive him. He died at Delhi, a.h. 715 = a. d. 1315. 
 
 It only remains to observe that a very good notion of the 
 " Bilgh o Bahiir," as well as of UrdQ literature generally, will 
 
XU PREFACE BY THE TEANSLA.TOE. 
 
 be found in the " Calcutta Eeview," No. VIII. Art. I. Of tte 
 five stories which make up the " Romance," the palm is there 
 very justly given to the Tale of King Azad-Bakht, which bears 
 a strong similarity to some of the stories in the " Arabian 
 Nights' Entertainments," to which it is not inferior in interest. 
 
 Besides the advantage which a perusal of the "Bagh o Bahar" 
 offers to students as regards improvement in the language, it 
 will also furnish much useful information as to the manners, 
 habits, and feelings of the natives of Hindustan. Though the 
 work of which it is a translation was written five centuries 
 ago, such is the stereotyped character of Orientals, that it 
 affords even at this day a most vivid picture of Eastern life. 
 
 In conclusion, I may say, that if the reader receives but 
 the one-twentieth part of the gratification in perusing this 
 "Translation," that I have had in making it, I shall be more 
 than satisfied, and he will be content. 
 
 East India College, December, 1851. 
 
BAGH BAHAR 
 
 PEEFACE, 
 
 IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL AND COMPASSIONATE GOD ! • 
 
 God be praised ! what a Creator is He ! who, from a handful 
 of earth, has created forms and figures, how various, of (mere) 
 clay. Though there be (but) two colours, one white, one black, 
 and though He has giyen to all the same nose, ears, hands, and 
 feet. He has, nerertheless, created shapes each distinct from the 
 other, and of various kinds, so that the form and fashion of one 
 agrees not with the shape and appearance of another. Among 
 tens of millions of created things, whichever you desire to recog- 
 nise you can. The sky is (but) a globule of the ocean of His 
 unity, and the earth a watery bubble ; ^ but the marvel is this, 
 that the ocean rolls thousands of billows, yet it cannot so much 
 as disorder one of His hairs.^ In praise of Him whose power 
 and might is such, the tongue of man is, as you may say, dumb. 
 
 ' All Muhammadan ■writings begin in the same manner, with an address to the 
 Deity, glorification of the Prophet, and praise of the person to whom the work is 
 dedicated. 
 
 2 Here tu)l:ij and L.Li are identical in meaning, but in order to ¥ary the ex- 
 pression, I have slightly altered the signification of the former. 
 
 ' I cannot help thinking that in this extraordinary expression there is an attempt 
 at an equivoque of which the Orientals are so fond. Ix-J (Jb bal bVca means "a 
 disordered hair;" ^^ <]" icil bhlga would mean "wet hair," which would be 
 suitable enough with reference to the thousand surges. The English reader must not 
 consider such attempts at punning (wretched as they are) to be repugnant to Eastern 
 
 taste. 
 
 1 
 
'Z BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 Though he should speak, what caa he say? better is it thus, 
 that on a subject on which he is unable to utter a word he 
 should remain silent. 
 
 From heaven, lo ! to earth, whose things these are ; 
 His praise though I would write, — what power is there ? 
 When (e'en) the Prophet said, " I comprehend him not." 
 Great dolt is he who would pretend to this ! 
 Night and day, onward moving, sun and moon survey His work. 
 Yea ! each individual creature's form is an astonished eye ! ^ 
 He who no second ' has, nor like, nor e'er will have ; 
 All suitable is Godhead to this peerless One. 
 Thus much I know that He our maker and preserver is, 
 In every way on me is (shown) His favour and beneficence. 
 And blessing be on His friend, for whose sake he created earth 
 and heaven, and (to whom) he gave the dignity of the prophetic 
 office. 
 
 A Light of God was Mustafa's " pure frame. 
 Whence 'tis well known no shadow from it came.' 
 Where mine the {Jit. so great) power his praises to rehearse ? 
 Tet this the rule, and custom prompts my verse. 
 And blessing and peace be on the twelve Imams ^ who are his 
 progeny. 
 
 Be ended here the praise to God and Ahmad' due ; 
 I now commence the theme I hold in view : 
 God ! for sake of thy own Prophet's progeny, 
 Make this my speech approved by low and high. 
 
 * i.e. All things survey the glorious works of God Tvith astonishment. 
 
 = This is exactly the Horatian " Xec viget quidquam simile aut secundum." 
 Cmm. 1. I. 12. 
 
 ° A name of Muhammad; "chosen," "selected," from -L« the best part of a 
 thing. ~ 
 
 ' The faithful have a tradition that their Prophet Tvas shadowless. 
 
 * The twelve Imams were, according to the Shiahs: — 1. All son-in-law of 
 Muhammad. 2. Hasan, his eldest son. 3. Husaiu, his younger son. 4. All 
 Zaiiiu'l-abidin, eldest son of Husain. 6. Muhammad Bukir, son of Zaiuu'l-lbidln. 
 6. Jafar Sfidilf, son of Bukir. 7. JIusS, son of Jafar. 8. All Eiz;l, son of Musa. 
 9. Abu Jafar Muhammad, son of Riza. 10. All AskarI,»son of the above. 11. 
 IJasnn Askari, sou of the above. The 12th will be Mahdl, who is yet to appear. 
 
 » Ahmad, a name of the Prophet, and equivalent to Muhammad, as signifying 
 "most praised." 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The origin of this composition is, that in the year one 
 thousand two hundred and fifteen of the Hijrah,'" and eighteen 
 hundred and one of the Christian ^ra, corresponding to the 
 year one thousand two hundred and seven of the Fasli ^ra," 
 in the Government of the Most Noble of Nobles the Marquess 
 of Wellesley, G-overnor General, and Lord Mornington,'^ (in 
 whose praise the understanding is lost and the intellect confused. 
 God has assembled in his person all the qualities which rulers 
 ought to have. In short, it was the good fortune of this realm 
 that such a Governor honoured it with his presence, from the 
 blessing of whose footsteps a world has derived repose. No 
 one has the power to commit violence on another ; — the tiger '^ 
 and the goat drink water at the same descent to the river ; — 
 all the poor utter benedictions, and find the means of supporting 
 life) philosophical inquiry extended. The illustrious (English) 
 gentlemen imbibed the desire of becoming acquainted with the 
 Urdu language,'* and holding discourse with the natives of 
 Hindiistan, and (so) transacting civil matters with a perfect 
 understanding (of what they did) ; wherefore in this same year 
 several books were compiled according to order. 
 
 In the service of those gentlemen who are wise and able to 
 speak the Hindustani language, I make representation that 
 this story of the Four Darweshes was in the beginning com- 
 posed by Amir Khusrau,''^ of Dilll, on the occasion of his 
 Holiness Nizamu'd-din Auliya Zari Zarbakhsh (who was his 
 
 '» Tlie Hijrali, or Flight of Jluljammad, dates from the 16th of July, a.d, 622. 
 
 " The Fasli, or Revenue Mm of Upper India, dates from a.d. 692J ; that of 
 Southern India from a.d. 590. 
 
 '2 The arrangement of these titles shews the indistinct notion the natives have of 
 their meaning. 
 
 " The word .--i) shJr in Hindustan means tiger more often than lion. Shir 
 Afkan was so named for his prowess in sla)ing an animal of the former species. 
 
 '* The reason why Hindustani is called Urdu will appear presently. 
 
 " Or Khusru, in which case it is compounded of ij^y=- pleasing, jj face. As I 
 have written it the name is from iPy^ pleasantly, ^1^ to go. This personage is 
 supposed to have heen born at Gazna, a.h. 630= a.d. 1232-3, and by some in a.h. 
 634=A.D. 1236, at Badama town, in the province of Dilll, where he resided. He 
 died A.H. 725= A.D. 1325, and was buried at Dilli, close to the court of Kutbu'd-dln. 
 
4 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 spiritual adviser,^^ and whose shrine" is at Dilll, three kos'* from 
 the Castle outside the Red Gate, before the Mitiya Grate, near 
 the Eed House) falling sick (Jit. his temperament was ailing). 
 Then, in order to amuse the mind of his spiritual preceptor. 
 Amir Khusrau used continually to recite this story, and wait on 
 him during his sickness. After some days God restored hinii 
 to health. Then he, on the day of (taking) the bath of con- 
 valescence, pronounced this blessing, — ^that whoever should hear 
 this Story should, through the grace of God, continue in health ; 
 and since then this Tale has been currently known in the Persian 
 language. 
 
 Now my patron, the courteous gentleman, John Gilchrist, 
 who rightly appreciates men of merit (so long as the Ganga and 
 Jamuna flow, may his good fortune always increase !), of his 
 good favour commanded, saying, — translate this Story into the 
 pure Hindustani colloquial dialect, which the Urdu people, 
 Hindus, Musalman, women, men, boys and girls, high and 
 low, speak and use among themselves. According to the order 
 of his Highness, I also began to write in this same style, just 
 as one converses. 
 
 In the first place, this sinful and criminal person, Mir Amman 
 of Dilli, will relate his own circumstances, as follows : — 3ily 
 ancestors, from the reign of the Emperor Humayun,^^ continued 
 performing devoted service in the retinue of each successive 
 Emperor, generation after generation ; while he (the prince) 
 also with fostering eye, remained displaying towards them that 
 appreciation of their merit which was fitting. Having exalted 
 them by the bestowal of grants of land, and dignities, and 
 ofiices, he made them to abound and be happy; and with bis 
 august tongue pronounced them his hereditary servants, born in 
 his bouse, and his ancient ofiicers; moreover, this title is en- 
 rolled in the royal register. When vicissitude befel this house 
 
 " The^ pir is a sort of living Saiut, to whom offerings of all kinds ai-e presented, 
 and whoso name, advice or intercession is invoked in perilous conjunctures. 
 '' The mosque near which he was buried. 
 
 . " U^r '''"' ^ ™^^™i'^ ^h.w\ varies in different provbces, but may be reckoned at 
 two miles. 
 
 ^' Sou of Baber, began to reign a.d. 1530. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 (througt which house all other houses flourished) as is manifest : 
 (why explain what is evident ?) then Siiraj Mai the Jat ^^ seized 
 on the district which had been conferred (on my ancestors), and 
 Ahmad Shah Durrani ^^ plundered their household property. 
 After undergoing ruin such as this, I became an exile from 
 this city (which was my native country and birth-place, and 
 in which very place my navel-string is buried) ; and that ship 
 (whose helmsman was the king) foundered. I began to be 
 submerged in the sea of friendliness — to the sinking man the 
 support of a straw appears {lit, is) a great matter. For some 
 j'ears I found rest in the city of AzTmabad, with indifferent 
 fortune {lit. something succeeded, something failed). At length 
 thence also my feet were withdrawn (lit. were torn up), fortune 
 did not favour me ; I left my family and having embarked 
 alone in a vessel, contrived to support myself as far as {lit. 
 arrived by the force of water and grain at) the most illustrious 
 of cities, Calcutta. Some time passed without employment. By 
 chance the ISTawwab Dilawar Khan sent for me, and appointed 
 me to the tuition of his younger brother, Mir Muhammad Kazim 
 Khan. I stayed there almost two years, but did not see there 
 the means of maintaining myself. Then, through the medium 
 of Munshi Mir Bahadur Ali, I obtained an introduction to the 
 presence of the valiant gentleman, John Gilchrist (may his good 
 fortune endure !). At length (then) by the aid of fortune, I 
 grasped the skirt of one so magnanimous. Prosperous days 
 must come ; and if not, this at least is a blessing,^^ that I have 
 a morsel to eat, and sleep at my ease {lit. stretch out my feet 
 and sleep), and in my house ten persons — small and great — find 
 a subsistence, and utter prayers for blessing on that appreciator 
 of merit — may Grod accept them ! {i.e. the prayers). 
 
 I have heard from the mouths of my ancestors, an account of 
 the Urdu language, as follows. The city of Dilli,^^ in the opinion 
 
 '0 The prince of Bhartpiur. 
 
 ^' The Afghan king who mounted the throne of Kabul after the death of Nadir, 
 A.D. 1747. 
 
 22 KJL i-fn'-'' Ghanmat is a word for which we have no exact equivalent. It does 
 not exactly mean a Messing, though so rendered in the dictionaries ; but rather, " a 
 piece of luck ;" " an unlooked-for piece of good fortune." 
 
 23 Anglice, Delhi. 
 
6 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 of the Hindus, has existed through the four ages :^* their kings 
 and people were dwelling (there) from old time and speaking 
 their own language. A thousand years ago commenced the rule 
 of the Musalman ; Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznl came ; afterwards 
 reigned the dynasties of Ghor ^'^ and Lodl. Through this inter- 
 course, the languages of the Hindus and Musalman became 
 somewhat mixed. At length Amir Timiir ^^ (in whose family 
 the imperial name and descent stiU continues) took Hindiistan. 
 By his arrival and stay, the bazar of the army was introduced 
 into the city, whence the city bazar was called Urdii.^' After- 
 wards, the Emperor Humayun,^^ being driven to great straits at 
 the hands of the Pathans, went into Persia.^^ At length having 
 returned from thence he chastised his surviving enemies.^" No 
 rebel remained to set on foot sedition or rebellion. 
 
 When the Emperor Akbar^' mounted the throne, then from 
 fvarious) countries, from the four quarters, all the tribes having 
 heard of the appreciation of merit and the munificence of this 
 incomparable family, came and assembled in the royal presence ; 
 but the speech and dialect of each was different. From their 
 being collected together, and owing to the trade traffic and 
 intercourse which they carried on with one another, a single 
 language, that of the TJrdu, became established. When his 
 Majesty Shah Jahan,'^ Lord of the conjunction (of the two 
 beneficent planets Jupiter and Yenus), caused the royal palace 
 and the principal masjid^^ and the ramparts of the city to be 
 
 *i According to the Hindus, there are four ages : the Satya, Treta, Dwapur, and 
 Kali ; in which last we are now living. Dilll therefore, in their opinion, is as old 
 as the world. 
 
 '5 Muhammad Ghor! mounted the throne of Ghazui, and part of India, a.d. 
 1202. Beloli, the first king of the house of Lodi, began to reign a.d. 1464. 
 
 *° TImur invaded Hindustan a.d. 1327. 
 
 ^' Urdu, a Tartar word signifying camp ; Urdu zaban, " camp language." 
 
 26 Humayun, sou of Baber, mounted the throne a.d. 1530, and fled to Persia 
 A.D. 1542, recovered Hindustan a.d. 165-1, from the Pathans or Afghans. 
 
 ^^ Ul-^/j tvilayat, properly " a country," but the term is now generally applied to 
 Persia or England. 
 
 ^^ uJ'^^'»^i'**'»«'*<^<'M. In the Calcutta Eeview, vol. iv. p. 321, is a strange 
 rendering of this word, where it appears as a proper name— the Piismand races ! .' 
 
 " Akbar, son of Humayun, mounted the throne of HindDstSn a.d. 1656. 
 
 '^ Shah Jahan, third sou of Jahangu', mounted the throne a.d. 1627. 
 
 '^ Antflici, Mosque. 
 
PREFACE. I 
 
 erected, and jewels to be set in the peacock throne ; and having 
 set up on poles a tent like a mass of clouds (in extent), caused 
 it to be drawn tight with cords, and the Wawwab All Mardan 
 Khan brought (thither) the canal, then the Emperor being 
 pleased, commanded a feast, and made the city the seat of his 
 empire. From that time it became known as Shah Jahanabad 
 (although Dilli is a distinct place, that is called the old city and 
 this the new), and he gave to its bazar the lofty title of the 
 Urdu (or camp). 
 
 From the reign of Amir Timur to that of Muhammad Shah,^* 
 and moreover to that of Ahmad Shah,^^ and Alamgir the 
 Second,^^ the kingdom was regularly handed down generation 
 after generation. At length the Urdu language, being con- 
 tinually purified, became (by degrees) so pure, that the tongue 
 of no city can compare with it.'^ But a fair aj^preciator of 
 merit is required to decide this point, to which end Grod has 
 now, after a long interval, created a wise gentleman, of critical 
 acumen, like John Gilchrist, who, by his own discernment, and 
 creative genius, and research, and labour, has compiled books 
 of rules. By reason of which the Hindiistani language has 
 become current in the various countries (of India), and its 
 symmetry has been augmented afresh. Otherwise, no one 
 thinks ill of his own turband,^® and speech, and gait. If you 
 ask a clown, he finds fault with the inhabitants of the city, and 
 thinks himself best of all. "Well, the wise themselves know 
 how it is (i.e. what need of dwelling on this further ?). When 
 Ahmad Shah Abdall came from Kabul and plundered the city 
 (Dilll), Shah Alam^^ was in the Eastern provinces, and no heir 
 or master of the kingdom remained : the city was without a 
 
 ^ Muhammad Shall, grandson of Bahadur Shah, which latter was the second son 
 of Aurangzib, mounted the throne of Dill! a.d. 1718. 
 
 ^^ A^mad Shah succeeded his father Muhammad Shah a.d. 1747. 
 
 ^ Alamgir the Second, who was the grandson of Bahadui' Shah, mounted the 
 throne a.d. 1753. 
 
 ^ u\^ jXj A metaphor, taken from the encounter of rams. 
 
 '8 The natives are very nice in their manner of tying the turband, which is as 
 great an art, and as justly valued, as that of the neckcloth with us. 
 
 '8 Shah Alam began to reign a.d. 1761, and a little before this time the Afghans, 
 under A^mad Shah, repeatedly plundered Dilli, and massacred the inhabitants. 
 
8 BAGH O BAHAK. 
 
 head. It is true the city flourished from the prosperous fortune 
 of the empire ; all of a sudden ruin fell upon it. Its great men 
 were scattered/" and fled wherever they could find refuge.*^ By 
 associating with the inhabitants of the countries into which they 
 came, a difierence arose in their dialect ; and there are many 
 who from some cause or other went into DiUl and abode 
 there for ten or five years, — ^how far wiU. they, too, be able to 
 speak ? here and there they will undoubtedly commit blunders. 
 But the person who, having endured all disasters, has remained 
 (immoveable) like a brick of Dilll, and ten or five generations 
 of whose ancestors have passed their lives in this very city, 
 and who has attended the Darbars (audience-chambers) of the 
 nobles, and the fairs, and assemblages of the people, and their 
 marriage-feasts,*^ and the processions of the Saint Shah Madar,*' 
 has walked about for amusement, and to witness spectacles, and 
 has perambulated the streets of that city for a length of time, 
 and after quitting it has carefully preserved his language ; his 
 manner of speaking will undoubtedly be correct. And this 
 humble individual, too (having done all that has been said 
 above), after visiting every city and seeing what was to be seen, 
 has arrived at this place. 
 
 <» Literally, " became I somewhere, you somewhere." 
 
 *' Literally, " wherever there was room for their horns." 
 
 ^^ tTrs is also a festival held in honour of saints. 
 
 " Shah Ba(^ u'd-din, or Zindah Shah Madar, of Syria, was a great Wall, or 
 Saint. He lived to a great age,— nay, some think him stUl living, whence his 
 name Zindah. He came to India, residing at MaJAanpur, where his tomb now is. 
 The fair held in his honour on the 17th of Jamadu'l awwal, is attended by a miUiou 
 of people, hut women cannot enter his mausoleum. Vidt Kanun-i Islum, p. 241. 
 
BEGINNING OF THE STORY. 
 
 BEGINNIlSre OF THE STORY. 
 
 I NOW commence the story, give ear a little, listen and bestow 
 an impartial judgment. In the .adventures of the Four Dar- 
 weshes, it has thus been written, and the narrator has thus 
 related, that there was formerly in the kingdom of Eum** an 
 emperor, in whose person was (united) the justice of Nushlr- 
 wan,*5 and the generosity of Hatim.^"' His name was Azad- 
 bakht,*'' and the city of Kustuntuniyah (which they call 
 Istambol) was his capital. In his time the people were 
 numerous ; the treasury full ; the army contented ; the poor at 
 ease were passing their time with such comfort, and living so 
 happily, that in the house of each the day was as the festival of 
 Id,^8 and the night as the Shab-i barat ;^3 and all the thieves. 
 
 " Eum, Turkey or Eumelia. 
 
 ^5 NusMrwan (sweet-flowing) was the 20th King of the 4th djTiasty of Persia, 
 i.e. the Sassanides or Khusravians. He was contemporary with Justin and Jus- 
 tinian, and in his reign Muhammad was born, a.d. 578. 
 
 *" Hatim Tal was an illustrious Ai-ab, who lived one generation before Mu- 
 hammad, and was celebrated for his munificence. 
 
 " Literally, " free fortune." 
 
 *^ Id signifies any solemn feast, but it is especially applied to the five annual feasts 
 of the Musalman, viz., two principal ones, which are both ^i and i •• ."... (com- 
 manded by God and the Prophet), the Eamazan-id or Id-u'l fitr, and the Bakar-id, 
 and three inferior, or i •• . ..... (commanded only by the Prophet). These are Mu- 
 
 harram, Akhiri chahar shambah, and Shab-i barat. The first corresponds to our 
 Easter, and is held on the 1st of Shawwill, the 10th month, after the fast of Eama- 
 zan, which answers to our Lent. Fide Kanun-i Islam, p. 261. The second, 
 Bakar-id or Kurban, or Id-u'z-zuba, is held on the 9th of the 1st month, Zi hijjah, 
 in honour of Abraham's offering up Ismail. The Id of the Muharram was observed 
 before Muhammad, and tiU 46 a.h., when it was changed to a fast for Husain and 
 ^asan. The Akhiri chahar shambah is on the last Wednesday of the 2nd month, 
 Safar, on which day the Prophet had a luU in his last illness. 
 
 *^ The Shab-i barat is held on the 14th of the 8th month, Shaban, when God 
 records the actions of men for the ensuing year. Hence Shab-i barat or Night of 
 Eecord. The night of the 14th is passed in mirth, and especially in the discharge 
 of fireworks. 
 
10 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 pickpockets, early pilferers, petty larceners, and sharpers that 
 there were, all these he annihilated and did not leave the name 
 or trace of them in all his kingdom. All the night the doors 
 of the houses remained unclosed, and the shops of the bazar 
 continued open. "Wayfaring people and travellers proceeded on 
 their way tossing up gold in the forest and in the plain ; no one 
 was asking them, saying, how many teeth are there in your 
 mouth ? and whither go ye ? ^^ under the rule of that king were 
 thousands of cities, and several Sultans paid him tribute. Not- 
 withstanding so great an empire he did not suffer his heart to 
 neglect for one moment the remembrance and the worship of 
 God. All worldly enjoj^nents which he could desire, were in his 
 possession, but a son, which is the fruit of life, was not in the 
 garden of his destiny. On this account, he was for the most part 
 remaining sad, and after prayers at the five appointed times,^^ he 
 was addressing the bountiful God thus : " God ! Thou of thy 
 favour hast bestowed on me, weak being that I am, everything, 
 but hast alone not given me a lamp of this dark house. This one 
 regret remains in my mind, that there is none to take my name 
 or give me water '^^ at the last moment ; and in thy secret 
 treasury everj^thing is to be found. Bestow on me a living son, 
 then my name and the ensign of this empire will remain firm." 
 In the same hope the life of the king reached forty years. 
 One day, having performed his devotions in the palace of 
 mirrors, he had remained reading his daily portion of the 
 Kur'an. All of a sudden, as he turned his attention towards 
 a mirror, a white hair appeared in his whiskers, which remained 
 glittering like a thread of brocade. Having seen it, the eyes 
 of the king were suffused with tears, and he heaved a cold sigh. 
 Again he reflected in his heart as follows : " Alas ! thou hast to 
 no purpose wasted so much of thy life, and in the lust of this 
 
 '" Briefly, " tliey were not meddled -witli.'' 
 
 '1 The Muhammadans have five times enjoined for daily prayer, which are i<oJ, 
 or of divine appointment. 1. Namaz-i fajr, from dawn to sunrise. 2. Zuhr, mid- 
 day prayer between one and thi-ee p.m. 3. Asr, fi'om four to sunset. 4. Maghrib, 
 at sunset, or six p.m. 6. Aisliab, between eight aud midnight. 
 
 " Dying people usually ask for water, and it is the son's duty to give it. Of a 
 very sudden death it is said, " He did not even ask for water." 
 
BEGINNING OF THE STORY. 11 
 
 world hast turned a world upside down. How wilt thou now 
 be benefited by the vast territories thou hast subdued ? At last 
 some other person will dissipate all this wealth and property. 
 To thee, indeed, the messenger of death has already arrived. 
 Even if thou shouldst live some days, then the strength of thy 
 body will decrease ; whence this is apparent, that in my destiny 
 it was not written that an heir to my canopy '^^ and throne 
 should be born. At length, one day, I must die, and abandon 
 everything. "Wherefore this is better, that I of my own accord 
 should relinquish them, and pass the rest of my life in the 
 recollection of my creator." 
 
 Having fixed this thing in his heart, he went into the lower 
 garden and, after dismissing all his courtiers, said : " From to- 
 day let none approach me ; let all continue to come and go in 
 the public half-of-audience, and remain attentively engaged in 
 their duties." Having said this, he himself went into an apart- 
 ment and sate down, and having spread his prayer-carpet, oc- 
 cupied himself with his devotions. He had no employment but 
 weeping and sighing. In this same manner Azad-bakht passed 
 some days. At evening, at the time of breaking his fast, he 
 was eating a date and drinking three gulps of water, and all 
 day and night he remained stretched out on the place of prayer. 
 Rumours of these circumstances spread abroad ; by degrees the 
 intelligence was diffused through the whole country, that the 
 king, having withdrawn his hand from the government, had 
 made choice of seclusion. On all sides enemies and rebels 
 raised their heads and advanced beyond their own territories. 
 Whoever had a mind, encroached on the kingdom and made 
 preparations for revolt. Wherever there were governors, a 
 vast disorder arose in their governments. From every province 
 representations of mal-administration arrived at Court. All 
 the courtiers and nobles assembled, and began to take counsel 
 and deliberate. At last this decision was resolved on, to the 
 effect that the Nawwab Vazlr was a man of understanding and 
 
 53 Tjie ."^«^ ehhattar, or umbrella, here translated " canopy," is, in the East, as 
 is well known, the ensign of royalty, insomuch that a Eaja is called Chhattar-pati, 
 " Lord of the umbrella." 
 
12 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 wisdom, as well as the intimate friend and confidante of tlie 
 king, and in rank, too, superior to all ; to his presence they 
 would go and see what he thought right and said. All the 
 grandees and nobles came to the Vazir and said, " The state of 
 the king is this, and that the condition of the kingdom. If a 
 little more neglect is shown, then the territories which have 
 been acquired with so much toil will be gratuitously lost, and to 
 recover them wUl be a matter of great difficulty," The Vazir 
 was an old man, long in office, loyal, and a man of under- 
 standing ; his name also was Khiradmand (Wise), a name 
 significant of his character. He said, " Although the king has 
 forbidden us to approach his presence, still do ye come ; I also 
 wiU proceed thither. God grant that it may please the king to 
 summon us before him." Having said this, he took all with 
 him as far as the public hall-of-audience, and having left them 
 there, he himself came to the private hall, and sent by the hand 
 of a eunuch to represent in the service of a king, saying, 
 " This aged slave is present ! for some daj's he has not seen the 
 world-adorning beauty. I am in hopes that having beheld (the 
 king) for a single interview, I may kiss his feet, then I shall be 
 satisfied." The king heard this representation of the Vazir, 
 and inasmuch as he was acquainted with his long service, and 
 loyalty, and sagacity, and devotion, and generally followed his 
 advice ; he said, after reflection, " Call in Khiradmand." At 
 length, when permission had been accorded, the Vazir entered 
 the presence, performed his respects, and remained standing 
 with his arms folded. He saw then that the king's appearance 
 had become a strange one, for from excessive weeping and 
 emaciation, hollow circles had formed round his eyes,^ and his 
 face had become yellow. Kh iradmand could not restrain him- 
 self ; he ran involuntarily and threw himself at his feet. The 
 king, with his hand, raised his head, and said, " There ! ^ you 
 have seen me ! are you satisfied ? Now go ! trouble me no 
 more ; do you administer the government." Khiradmand, 
 
 '* Briefly, " his eyes were simk." 
 
 »' ji lo, the 2iid p. pi. imper. of UJ lena, to take, is here used as an interjection, 
 meaning, " enough," or " there ! " 
 
BEGINNING OF THE STORY. 13 
 
 having heard, wept bitterly,''^ and made representation, " By 
 your Majesty's bounty, and through your safety, empire is 
 always attainable by your slave ;^^ but from this sudden seclusion 
 of the Asylum of the "World in this manner, ruin has fallen 
 upon the whole kingdom, and the end of this is not good. 
 What thought is this which has entered the august mind ? If 
 you will be pleased to make this hereditary servant, born in 
 your house, the confidante of this secret, then it is better. 
 Whatever enters the imperfect understanding (of your slave) he 
 will represent. These dignities have been bestowed upon your 
 slaves on account of this very day, that the king should enjoy 
 pleasure and ease, and that those who have been nourished by 
 your salt should remain in deliberation regarding the kingdom. 
 On what day will the slaves of the king be of use, save when 
 (may Grod not will it to come to pass !) anxiety attaches itself 
 to the august mind ? " The king said, " Thou speakest truth, 
 but that anxiety which is within my heart is beyond counsel. 
 
 " Hear, Khiradmand ! all my life has passed in this same 
 headache of acquiring territory. Now I have reached this 
 period of life, for the future, death remains ; and from this, too, 
 the message has come, since my black hair has become white. 
 So is the proverb, ' Having slept all night, will they not wake 
 even now when it is morning?' As yet a son has not been 
 born, which would have satisfied me. On this account my 
 heart has become very sad, and I have sate down abandon- 
 ing everything. Whoever chooses, let him take territory or 
 wealth ; it is of no use to me ; moreover, I hold this resolve for 
 some future day, to abandon everything and issue forth into the 
 forests and mountains, and not shew my face to any one, and 
 in this same manner bring to an end this life of a few days. If 
 any place has taken my fancy, then I will seat myself there 
 and perform my devotions to my God. Perhaps the end will be 
 fortunate, and as for the world, I have had ample experience of 
 it ; I have discovered no enjoyment in it." Having said thus 
 much, and having heaved a sigh, the king became silent. 
 
 ^s Literally, "gnashing his teeth." 
 
 5' In other words, " the royal safety is as good as a kingdom.'' 
 
14 
 
 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 Khiradmand was the Vazir of his father. From the time 
 that this (monarch) was prince he was maintaining a friendship 
 with him ; he was, moreover, wise and well disposed. He 
 began to say, " It is never proper to be vdthout hope from the 
 majesty of God. He who by a single command created eighteen 
 thousand worlds, for him what great matter is it to bestow on 
 j^ou offspring ? Point of adoration of the world ! ^ remove 
 from your heart this vain idea ; otherwise the whole world will 
 be involved in confusion, and this empire (with what repeated 
 toil and labour did not your ancestors and you acquire it !) wiU 
 in a moment pass from your hands, and through neglect the 
 country wiU become desolate. Dishonour (which God forbid) 
 will be incurred. Regarding this, moreover, inquiry must be 
 made at the day of resurrection, as follows : ' Having made 
 thee a king, I had delivered over to thy charge my servants, 
 thou didst despair of my mercy, and harassed and afflicted thy 
 subjects.' What answer will you give to this question ? 
 Moreover, the worship of God too will on that day be un- 
 availing, for this reason, that the heart of man is the house of 
 God, and kings will be examined solely as to justice. Pardon 
 the disrespect of your slave, to go forth from the house and to 
 wander from forest to forest is the business of Jogis ^^ and 
 Fakirs,^" not that of kings. Do you pursue that employment 
 which is suitable to you ; ^^ the remembrance and worship of 
 God is not dependent on forests and mountains. Your Majesty 
 will have heard this couplet : 
 
 Though Grod is near, he seeks him iu the wild. 
 
 They cry him in the town while (sleeps) in arms the child ! 
 
 If you will listen unbiassed, and accept the representation of 
 this devoted servant, then it is better thus, that the Asylum of 
 the World should direct his mind every moment and instant 
 
 ^' The Kiblah is the point to which the Jews, Christians, and Muhammadans 
 turn in prayer. "With the two former it is in Jerusalem ; with the latter, Jlakkah 
 (Mecca). 
 
 5' The Jogi is a Hindu ascetic, who passes his life in contemplation and penance. 
 
 ^^ The Fakir is a Muljammadan devotee, ^ 
 
 «' It is not improbable that a pun is here intended upon IS,;*- Jooa, " lit,'' and 
 iji •;>- jo</7, " an ascetic. 
 
BEGINNING OP THE STORY. 15 
 
 towards his God, and seek a blessing from him. From this 
 Court no one is excluded. By day let your Majesty attend to 
 the government of the country and the administration of justice 
 to the poor ; thus the servants of God**^ will remain in security 
 and ease under the shadow of your fortunate skirt. And at 
 night be pleased to perform your devotions, and oifering humble 
 supplications, mingled with blessings to the pure spirit of the 
 prophet, call in the aid of Darweshes, recluses, and men re- 
 signed to God. Be pleased also to bestow daily stipends on 
 orphans, captives, those with large families, the indigent, and 
 widows. By the blessing of such good deeds and virtuous in- 
 tentions, if God wills, there is strong hope that the desires and 
 wishes of your heart will all be accomplished, and that longing 
 on account of which the august mind has been disturbed, will 
 be gratified, and happiness will be restored to the exalted 
 breast. Fix your eyes upon the bounty of the All-provider, 
 for he in one instant performs what he wishes." At length, by 
 such representations of the Yazlr Khiradmand, confidence was 
 restored to the heart of Azad-bakht. He said, " Well ! what 
 thou sayest is right ; let us try this, too. For the rest, what- 
 ever is the will of God, that will be accomplished." 
 
 When the heart of the king was comforted, he then inquired 
 of the Vazir, saying, "What are all the other nobles and 
 counsellors doing ? and how are they ? " He represented : 
 " All the pillars of the state are oflering prayers for the life 
 and property of the Point of Adoration of the World. All 
 have been distressed and confounded by the inquietude of your 
 Majesty. If you would be pleased to show your auspicious 
 beauty, then the minds of all would be put at ease. Moreover 
 they are at this time present in the public hall-of-audience." 
 Having heard this, the king gave commandment, saying, " If 
 it please the Most High God, I will to-morrow hold a Court ; 
 announce it to all ; let them be in attendance." Khiradmand 
 having heard this promise, was pleased, and having raised both 
 his hands, invoked a blessing, saying, " As long as this earth 
 and sky keep their place, may your crown and throne remain 
 
 «2 That is, "the people." 
 
16 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 firm ! " And having taken leave from the presence, lie came 
 forth much pleased, and repeated this good intelligence to the 
 nobles. All the nobles departed with laughter and merriment 
 to their homes. Joy was diffused throughout the city. The 
 people and commonalty rejoiced, saying,^ "To-morrow the 
 king wUl hold a public Court." In the morning, all the slaves 
 born in the house, high and low, and the pillars of the state, 
 small and gi-eat, came and stood each in his own place and 
 rank, and remained expecting the splendour of royalty. 
 
 When a watch ^ of the day had passed, all of a sudden the 
 curtain rose, and the king, having come forward, seated himself 
 on the royal throne. Glad music began to sound in the guard- 
 house. All presented their congratulatory offerings, and per- 
 formed their bows ^ and obeisances in the place of audience. 
 Each, according to his dignity and station, received promotion ; 
 the hearts of all were pleased and tranquillized. When two 
 watches had passed, the king having arisen (from his throne), 
 entered the inner apartments of the palace, and having partaken 
 of choice refreshments, reposed in his sleeping-apartment. From 
 that day the king made this (his) fixed custom, always in the 
 morning to hold a court, and at the third watch to employ 
 himself in reading, or to repeat the daUy portion of the 
 Kur'an, and having expressed his repentance, and sought for 
 forgiveness in the Court of God, to supplicate for the blessing 
 which he desired. One day he saw it written in a book also, 
 that if grief or anxiety was so infixed in any one that no 
 remedy could be devised for it, then it was right to submit it to 
 Providence ; and that the sufferer himself should betake him- 
 self to the cemetery, and bestow on them^^ blessing for the 
 
 ^3 i^ fcih, signifies "tliat," but I have, vrhen it introduces -words spoken, inrariably 
 translated it " saying." 
 
 ** -*^^rVi P''^""'> °'-' " wateli," is three houi-s, and the day commences at six a.m. 
 
 ^ The ijMJjt^ kornish, is a half -bow, Tvith one hand to the head; the *«L.J 
 tadim, is a complete bow, with both hands down, and more humble than the 
 "Icornish." 
 
 «" On whom? the dead? or the Prophet P— Pi!cM»t «i wis. Or is A \ ((Hi(-o, here 
 used ungrammatically for ^ ,^\ apne la' in, which follows just after r The form 
 of the Durud is, " God ! grant blessing, prosperity, and peace to Muhammad and 
 his posterity." Sec Kanun-i Islam, p. 316, note. 
 
BEGINNING OF THE STORY. 17 
 
 sake of the Spirit of the Prophet ; and considering himself as 
 nothing, awaken his heart from this worldly carelessness, and 
 weep at the warnings set before him, and survey the omnipo- 
 tence of God, reflecting that, " before me, what Lords of 
 dominion and wealth have been born on this earth ! but the sky 
 having involved all in its revolution, has mingled them with 
 the dust." This is the proverb : 
 
 Kabira " wept when he beheld the circling mill-stone roll ; 
 
 Of that which passes 'twixt the stones, nought goes forth whole ! 
 
 Now, if you look, no trace remains of them but a heap of 
 earth ; and having left all their worldly wealth, their families, 
 their children and posteritj^ acquaintances and friends, servants 
 and attendants, elephants and horses, they are lying alone. All 
 this was of no avail to them. Moreover, no one now knows 
 even their names, or who they were ; and their circumstances 
 within the tomb are unknown, — whether worms, ants great and 
 small, and snakes, have devoured them ; or what has happened 
 to them, and how they have fared with God. Having meditated 
 on these matters in his heart, let him consider the whole world 
 as the sport of a comedy.^ Then the bud of his heart will 
 always remain blooming — in any state it will not fade. When 
 the king had perused this admonition in a book, he remembered 
 the words of the Yazir Khiradmand, and he found that both 
 were in unison. He was eager to act accordingly ; but he 
 thought that to mount his horse, and, accompanied by a 
 multitude of attendants, to go and move about after the manner 
 of kings, would be unfitting. " It is better thus to change my 
 apparel, and make a practice of going by night alone to the 
 tombs, or into the service of some recluse, a man of God, and 
 keep vigil during the night. Perhaps by the intervention 
 of these men my desire in this world and my salvation in 
 
 8' Kabira liTed in the reign of Sikandar Shah. LodI, from a.d. 1488 to a.d. 
 1516. He was a simple weaTer of Benares, where he was hm-ied. He was, 
 however, a great religions reformer ; and Xanak, fonnder of the sect of Sikhs, now 
 so famous, derived his doctrines fi-om his works. His principal dogma was the 
 Unit)' of God and contempt of caste. 
 
 '^ That is, " a mere passing pageant." 
 
18 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 the next may be attained." Having resolved on this in his 
 heart, one day^^ at night he put on coarse soiled clothes, and 
 having taken some rupees and pieces™ of gold, he sQently 
 issued from the royal castle, and took the road to the plain. 
 Proceeding on, he arrived in a cemetery, and continued recit- 
 ing with much fervency the benediction called Durud. And 
 at that time a furious wind was blowing ; indeed, you might 
 rather call it a tempest. All of a sudden from a distance 
 there appeared 4;o the king the semblance of a torch, which 
 showed brightly like the morning star. He reflected in his 
 heart that in that tempestuous and gloomy night this light 
 was not devoid of a mysterious significance. " Either it is a 
 talisman, for if you sprinkle in a lamp round the wick alum 
 and brimstone, then, however strong the wind that blows, the 
 lamp will not be extinguished ; or it is the lamp of some saint 
 which is burning ; — be it what it may, I must go and look. 
 Perhaps from the light of this candle the lamp of my house 
 also may be kindled, and the wish of my heart be attained." 
 Having formed this resolve, he went in that direction. TThen 
 he came near he beheld then four indigent fakirs, with the 
 garment ''' belonging to their profession cast round their necks, 
 and their heads resting on their knees ; (in which position) they 
 sate silent, in a state of insensibility. And their condition was 
 like that of a traveller separated from his country and tribe, 
 who remains at his wits' ends, being overtaken with the grief 
 and affliction of friendlessness and poverty. In this same 
 manner, these four remained like pictures on a wall, and a lamp 
 placed upon a stone continued to give a faint light. The wind 
 never reached it ; the sky, as you might say, had become its 
 lantern, so safely it burned. 
 
 I" " One day, at night," is a common expression. Oriental writers see no im- 
 propriety in it, asjjj roz, day, is here token for tbe t-n-cnty-t'our hours. 
 '" The " ashrati," here translated " piece of gold," is worth II. Us. S,t 
 " The i^j6 kafnt, is a cloth about fifteen feet long and ■■ yard wide. In the 
 centre of it's breadth is a slit, through which the bend passes, and a collar is there 
 sowed on. Ouo third hangs behind, reaching to the calf of the leg, the rest before. 
 The superfluous length is tucked up by the belt, and forms a bag for receiving alms. 
 
BEGINNING OF THE STORY. 19 
 
 Azad-bakht, as soon as he beheld it, felt convinced that 
 assuredly his wish would come to pass, by the blessing of the 
 footsteps of these men of God ; and the dry tree of his hope 
 becoming verdant, by their favour would bear fruit. Having 
 gone into their presence, he would recount his story, and join 
 their company. Perhaps, having taken compassion upon him, 
 they would offer prayers, which would be accepted with the 
 Almighty.'''^ Having formed this intention, he was about to 
 step forward, At that moment his understanding warned him, 
 saying, " 0, devoid of judgment ! act not with precipitation ; 
 pause ^ a little. How knowest thou who these are ? and whence 
 they have come, and whither they are going? How can we 
 tell whether they are Devs''* or Ghuls''^ of the waste ? who, 
 having assumed the forms of men, have met and sate down to- 
 gether. In any case, to be precipitate, and to go among them 
 and disturb them, is not good. I must now conceal myself in 
 a corner, and learn the circumstances of these Darweshes." At 
 length the king did this very thing — he went silently into a 
 corner of that place and sate down, so that none perceived the 
 sound of his footsteps in approaching. He directed his attention 
 towards them, saying, " Let us see what communication they 
 hold with one another." By chance one of the Fakirs 
 sneezed. He thanked God.'^'s The three other Kalandars''^ 
 started up at (the sound of) his voice, and trimmed"^ the lamp. 
 
 " Literally, " the Being who has no wants." 
 
 " Literally, " take a look." 
 
 '* The Devs are malignant spirits, created many thousand years before Adam, and 
 ruled over by Jan bin Jan, and afterwards by Iblis. 
 
 '5 The Ghul is a kind of sylvan da3mon, who devours travellers. 
 
 's After sneezing, it is proper to say, " Alhamdu'l iUah," " Praise to God," and 
 to reply with " Barak Allah," " God prosper you !" or some such words, Kanun-i 
 Islam, p. 420. 
 
 " A Kalandar is a sort of Fakir, living at a takiyah or straw-hut outside the town, 
 
 and supported by alms. Some have wives, some not. Some are p j->J , > beshara, 
 
 " without law," some t^ VJ ba ahara, " with law." 
 
 " U UuS I ithsana, in Shakespear's Dictionary is said to mean, " to extinguish a 
 lamp," but the word has manifestly an opposite meaning here. Forbes has omitted 
 the word altogether. " Aliquando bonus dormitat Homerus." 
 
20 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 The light™ then was bright. Each on his own bed filled his 
 hukkah and began to smoke. One of those hermits^ said, " 
 friends, partners of woe, and companions in wandering over the 
 world ! we four persons, by the revolution of the sky, and the 
 interchange of night and day, have wandered for a length of 
 time from door to door with dust upon our heads.*^ Praise be 
 to God ! that by the aid of fortune, and the assistance of fate, 
 we have to-day met together in this place, and the events of to- 
 morrow are unknown as to what wUl occur, whether we shall 
 keep the same road or be separated. The night is very long.^ 
 From now to continue stretched out sleeping is not good. 
 Wherefore this is better that each should recount his own 
 history, according to the distress that has befallen him in this 
 world (provided that there be not a kauri's*^ worth of false- 
 hood in it). Then the night wiU pass in conversing. When a 
 little of the night is left then we wiU cast ourselves down to 
 sleep." All replied, " Spiritual Guide ! to whatsoever you 
 command we have assented. First do you yourself be pleased 
 to commence your adventures which you have seen, then we 
 shall be edified." 
 
 " 1—--^^ t^'Pi is in all the dictionaries given as feminine, to the manifest neglect 
 of this passage. In the Calcutta edition the reading is y - ■ ' tTp, which is probably 
 only a mispronunciation of ^\x( dip. 
 
 «" The Azad is a kind of hermit "be-shara" or unobservant of the law, who 
 shaves every part of his body, and practises celibacy. He omits the reading of daily 
 prayers ; subsists on alms, to the quality of which he is Indifferent. He has no 
 fixed abode, but wanders from place to place. Vide Kanun-i Islam, p. 297. 
 
 ^' That is, " in distress." 
 
 *2 Literally, "is a great mountain," i.e. " tedious or long." 
 
 85 A kauri is a small shell (cyprea moneta) used as money. From 80 to 100 = 
 1 pice = one half -penny. 
 
TRAVELS or THE FIRST DARWESH. 21 
 
 TRAVELS OF THE FIEST DARWESH. 
 
 The first Darwesh knelt down on his knees, with his feet under 
 him, and began to narrate as follows the story of his travels. 
 O servants of Grod ! s* be attentive here a little, and listen to 
 the history of this distressed^^ person. 
 
 To this my tale awhile attend and hear ! 
 How Heaven has brought on me reverses, hear ! 
 Whate'er the hardships that have fall'n on me, 
 Those I'll relate, throughout attentive be ! 
 
 Friends ! my birth-place and the land of my ancestors is 
 the country of Yaman (Arabia Felix). The father of this 
 humble person was a prince of traders,^^ a great merchant, by 
 name Khwajah Ahmad. At that time no banker or merchant 
 equalled him. In most cities he had warehouses and agents 
 established for the sake of buying and selling, and in his house 
 were to be found hundreds of thousands of rupees in cash and 
 merchandise of divers countries. Two children were born in 
 his house ; one, indeed this very fakir, who, clad in the kafnl 
 (or fakir's garb), and the saill or necklace of coloured threads,^'' 
 stands, and is speaking in the presence of (you) spiritual guides. 
 The other was a sister, whom my father ^^ in his lifetime had 
 
 '* A1JiJ«.>*.< mabud 'allah, properly means "Adorable God!" but here it is 
 probably a lapsus for *1 J«-*.^, mabudd, and as two " alifs'' came together one was 
 by an error omitted. 
 
 8' Literally, " one without head and feet.' ' 
 
 ^^ Perhaps this might be taken as part of the name, which would then be 
 Maliku't-tujjar Khwajah Ahmad. 
 
 " The " sail! " is emblematic of the dress of those who turned fakirs through 
 grief for Hasan and Uusain. With them it was made of hair. Kanun-i Islam, 
 p. 188. Shakespear pronoimces it "sell"- the Kanun-i Islam and Forbes' text 
 make it " saill." Forbes' Voc, " selT " ! ! 
 
 88 Literally, " place of the Kiblah," or point to which the face is turned in 
 prayer,— a respectful title. 
 
22 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 given in marriage to a mercliant's son of another city. She 
 was living in her father-in-law's house. In brief, what limit is 
 there to the fondness and indulgence of one who has so much 
 wealth and but one boy ? I, the fakir, was brought up with 
 much tenderness under the shade of my parents, and began to 
 learn reading and writing, the profession and science of a 
 soldier, and the ledger and accounts of mercantile business. 
 Up to fourteen years (my life) passed in much happiness and 
 freedom from care, no worldly anxiety entered my mind. All 
 of a sudden, in one and the same year, by the Divine decree, 
 both my parents died. 
 
 My grief was of an extraordinary kind, which I cannot 
 describe. All at once I became an orphan. No elder or 
 superior remained over my head. From this sudden calamity I 
 remained weeping night and day. I entirely left off eating and 
 drinking. Forty days somehow or other passed away. On the 
 fortieth day my own relations, and strangers small and great, 
 assembled. When the Fatihah*^ had been concluded, all 
 fastened on the fakir {i.e. on me) the turban of his father, and 
 admonished him (as follows) : " In the world the parents of all 
 (men) have continued and continue to die, and you too must 
 one day die ; have patience therefore ; make an inspection of 
 your house ; now in the place of your father you have become 
 the head ; be on the alert in your business and proceedings." 
 Having given me consolation they took leave. All the agents, 
 managers, servants, and attendants that there were, came and 
 were present ; they presented offerings and said, " Be pleased 
 to survey with your auspicious glance, the storehouse of treasure 
 and goods." When my sight all at once fell on that countless 
 
 89 The Fatihah is the offering of prayers h God for the remission of sia and 
 acceptance into heaven of him in whose name it is desired. It consists in savin", 
 " For such or such a one I offer this prayer," and then, repeating the first chapter 
 of the Ku'run, " Praise be to God, the Lord of all creatures, the most merciful, the 
 king of the day of judgment. Thee do we worship, and of Thee do we beg assist- 
 ance. Direct us in the right way, in the way of those to whom Thou hast been 
 gracious; not of those against whom Thou art incensed, nor of those who '^o 
 astray." It is called the Futil.iah chapter, and is followed, when read for the dea^d, 
 by the Ulth chapter, called Kulh uUah. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 23 
 
 wealth, my eyes were .opened. I gave orders for the prepara- 
 tion of the public hall-of- audience. The carpet-spreaders 
 having spread the carpets, fastened up costly curtains and 
 screens, and engaged as servants excellent and handsome 
 personal attendants. At my expense they caused to be made 
 for them splendid garments. I, the fakir, sate down on an 
 ottoman, propped up with pillows. A set of men, all of the 
 same class, fops, coxcombs, parasites, false flatterers, came, 
 formed my acquaintance, and became my companions. I began 
 to remain in their society during the eight watches. They 
 spake of all sorts of matters, chattering with tales of this and 
 that, and were saying, " In this season of youth, be pleased to 
 extract the wine of the ' ketaki,' ^^ or of the rose. Send for 
 delicate mistresses, and with them drink and make merry." 
 
 In short, the tempter of man is man. From continually 
 speaking and hearing, my nature also was led astray. I began 
 to discuss wine, the dance, and gaming. After that the time 
 arrived that I forgot my business as a merchant, and employed 
 myself in debauchery, and in raising money on loan. My 
 servants and companions, when they perceived this careless- 
 ness, made away with whatever fell into the hands of each. 
 You may say they plundered me of it. I had no information 
 as to how much money was spent, whence it came, or whither 
 it went ! Property that is got for nothing, the heart has no 
 mercy on it. To meet this vast expenditure, had I had the 
 treasure of Karun,^' even then it would not have sufficed. In 
 the space of a few years my state became all of a sudden such, 
 that I had nothing left but my hat and a girdle for my loins. 
 My friends and acquaintances, who were eating the bread I had 
 bitten,^'^ and in every word spoke of sacrificing ^^ for me a 
 spoonful of their own blood, vanished.^' Moreover, if I met or 
 encountered them anywhere in the road, or by the way, they 
 averted their eyes, and turned away their faces ; and my 
 
 * The " Pandanus odoratissimus." 
 
 " Karun is the Croesiis of Indian writers. He is by some said to have been 
 Korah, the cousin of Moses. 
 "'■' Proverbial phrases, expressive of devoted attachment. 
 »' Literally, " became camphor," because that substance quickly evaporates. 
 
24 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 servants and attendants, body- servants, huntsmen, targeteers, 
 matchlock-men, men attired after the device of Sabit Khan, all 
 forsook me and held aloof. Not a single inquirer was left to 
 ask me, "What has your condition become? No companion 
 remained to me, but grief and regret. Now a quarter of a 
 farthing's ^ worth of parched grain was not obtainable for me 
 to chew and drink water. After enduring two or three severe 
 fasts, I was unable to support the violence of my hunger. 
 Having no resource, I cast the veil of shamelessness over my 
 face, and made the resolve of going to my sister. But this 
 scruple was rising in my heart, that after the decease of my 
 father I had had no friendly communication with my sister, nor 
 even written to her a mere letter ; nay, two letters or so of con- 
 dolence and afifection, which she had written, I, ia this waking ^ 
 dream, had not even answered. From this sense of shame my 
 mind, indeed, was unwilling, but I saw no other resting-place 
 but her house. Somehow or other, on foot, empty-handed, and 
 with great '^ difficulty, after a thousand labours, I travelled over 
 the few stages, reached the city of my sister, and arrived at her 
 abode. That uterine sister, when she saw this my state, 
 having taken my calamities ^' upon her, and embraced my neck, 
 wept much. She offered'"^ for me oil, vetches (the Phaseohis 
 
 '* The Damrl is the one-eighth of ■ pice, and one pice = two farthings. Ac- 
 cording to the Kanun-i Islam, four damn = one paisS. Vide Glossary. 
 
 ^' Literally, " sleep of a hare," hecause the hare is said to sleep with its eyes open. 
 
 '« Literally, "stumbling and falling." The Persian ^,L^j .,bil M/ilanoMra"- 
 
 *" LJ ,.,-o5b bala'm lena, or taking another's evils on oneself, is a form of 
 blessing. The ceremony is performed by drawing the hands over the head of the 
 person blessed, and cracking one's fingers on one's own temples. It is only practised 
 by women. Kanun-i Islim, p. 92, note. 
 
 ^ The Sadkah, or propitiatory oflfering, is had recourse to for the removal of 
 disease. There are several ways. They take ^Ji!S kultJ, " glycine tomeutosa " or 
 JIadras horse -gram (Shakespear has only j[_jfiii kulthJ, which he renders 
 "dolichos bi-florus"); i^^y mung, "phaseo'lus radiatus'' (Linn.), "phaseolus 
 aureus" (Eoxb.), green gram or rayed kidney-bean ; Jjjl ar"<^, "ptaseolus mungo," 
 or black gram; (Jj tal, "sesamum orientale or giugilie oil seed," etc., put into 
 separate baskets, and place on the contents of one of them a cup filled with oil, into 
 which they look as into a mii-ror, and drop a copper coin or two, and give them to the 
 poor. There arc three other methods of performing the ceremony. .Sif Kanun-i 
 Islam, p. 96, Olossary. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 25 
 
 radiatus), and copper ^^ coins, and began to say, " Although my 
 heart is greatly delighted at (our) meeting ; but, brother ! what 
 state is this to which you have come ? " I was unable to give 
 her any answer. My eyes filled with tears, and I remained 
 silent. My sister having caused a rich robe to be quickly sewed 
 for me, sent me into the warm bath. After bathing and wash- 
 ing, I put on those clothes. She assigned me a good abode, 
 handsomely furnished, near herself, for my residence. In the 
 morning she ordered and caused me to partake, in her presence, 
 of various delicious dainties, as sharbat 1°° and almond cakes, 
 halwa 1" of sohan, pistachio nuts, kernels, for breakfast ; and at 
 the third watch (three p.m.) fruits dried and fresh, and of 
 various kinds ; and twice during the twenty-four hours pulao,i°2 
 leavened bread, broiled flesh, kababs.^"^ In every way she 
 consoled and took care of me. After such distress, when I 
 obtained this comfort, I ofiered thousands and thousands of 
 thanksgivings at the shrine of God. Some months passed in 
 this cessation from employment, and I did not step beyond that 
 retirement. 
 
 One day that sister, who was cherishing me as a mother, 
 began to say, " brother ! thou art the pupil of my eye, and 
 the token of the dead clay of my parents. By thy arrival my 
 liver 1"* has been refreshed. When I look upon thee I am 
 gladdened. Thou hast made me joyful, '"^ but Grod has made men 
 
 '' The Tata is a copper coin = two pixie. 
 
 ""• Sharbat, sugar and water, eau sucree, with sometimes aniseed or cardamoms. 
 "" 1 Jl&- halwa, is a sweet cake, made of two pounds of flour fried in one pound 
 
 of clarified hutter, and five or six pounds of syrup, three tolas of cocoa-nut kernel, one 
 tola of spices, viz., cinnamon one stick, ten cloves, ten cardamoms, and a little aniseed. 
 Mix over a fire. Kanun-i Islam, Appendix, p, 40. 
 
 '"^ The Pulao is a dish of rice and meat, for which there are various receipts. 
 Vide Kanun-i Islam, Appendix, p. 37. 
 
 '"3 The Kaliyah is broiled meat dressed with anything, and usually eaten with 
 pulao. The Kabab is meat cut into squares or thin lengths, dried in the sun, and 
 roasted on live coals or fire, with clarified butter. Kanun-i Islam, Appendix, p. 34. 
 
 '"* The Orientals assign to the liver those sensations which we refer to the heart, 
 such as joy, grief, anger, etc. 
 
 '05 Another play on words. (jUJ nihal, which here signifies "joyful," means 
 also " a young plant," and is chosen with reference to the ? V p V ^''Sk i^sk, which 
 precedes, here meaning "glad," but being the reduplication of a word signifying 
 " a garden." 
 
26 
 
 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 for the purpose of gaining a subsistence ! It befits thee not to 
 remain seated in the house. The man who idly broods at home, 
 on him the people of the world vent sarcasms and reproaches ; 
 and especially the inhabitants of this city, small and great, wiU 
 say with reference to your causeless ^"^ stay, 'After destroying and 
 consuming the wealth and substance of his father, he has come 
 and fallen on the pittance of his sister's husband.' This is a 
 great disgrace and cause of ridicule to me and you, and a means 
 of discredit attaching to the name of our parents. Else I 
 would make shoes of my skin, and cause you to put them on,'*"' 
 and would place and keep you in my heart (literally, ' liver '). 
 Now this is my advice. Resolve on (taking) a journey. God 
 willing, the times wiU. change, and in place of this distress and 
 poverty, contentment and pleasure wiU be obtained." Having 
 heard this speech, my pride, too, was roused. I assented to her 
 advice, and replied, " Very good ! you are now in the place of 
 my mother, what you say that I will do." Having obtained 
 this my consent, she entered the house, and having caused to 
 be brought by the hands of her maids and female slaves fifty 
 purses *"* of gold coins, she brought and placed them before me, 
 and said, " A caravan of merchants is going to Damascus. Do 
 you purchase with these rupees goods for traffic. Commit them 
 to the charge of some merchant of integrity, and cause him to 
 write for you a full receipt, and do you yourself set out for 
 Damascus. "When you have safely arrived there, settle your 
 accounts, and take back your money, with the profit (accruing 
 to you), or sell (the goods) yourself." I took that money and 
 went to the bazar. Having purchased merchandise, I entrusted 
 it to an eminent merchant. I satisfied my mind as to the 
 papers.'*" The merchant embarked in a ship and set out by 
 way of the sea. I (the fakir) made preparations for proceeding 
 by land. When I was about to take leave, my sister presented 
 
 i"" This translation gives the better sense. According to the collocation it is 
 rather " will causelessly say." 
 
 '"' A proYcrbial expression for extreme devotedness. 
 108 The Tora is a purse or bag containing 1,000 rupees. 
 '"* Literally, " writing and reading," 
 
TEAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 27 
 
 me with a costly vest, covering the body from head to foot, and 
 a horse with jewelled housings, and having filled a canteen with 
 sweetmeats, suspended it from the pommel of my saddle, and 
 caused a leathern bottle of water to be fastened in the cords 
 (attached to the saddle for suspending game). She tied on my 
 arm the rupi of the protecting Imam,"" and having made a 
 mark on my forehead with curds, gulping down her tears, she 
 said, " Set forward ! I have entrusted thee to Grod ; as you are 
 departing turning your back, in the same manner, quickly shew 
 (again) your face." I, having recited the fatihah"^ for the 
 living, said, " Of you also God is the protector. I have ac- 
 cepted (your good wishes)." Having gone forth thence I 
 mounted my horse, and having placed my reliance on God, 
 making two marches in one, I arrived in Damascus. 
 
 In short, when I reached the gate of the city much of the 
 night had passed. The gatekeepers and guard had closed the 
 gate. I besought them much, (saying), " I am a traveller. I 
 come from a distance, having made a hurried journey ; if you 
 will open one of the folding doors, I will enter the city and 
 obtain the refreshment of corn and grass." They answered me 
 surlily from within, " At this time it is forbidden to open the 
 gate; why come you when the night is so far advanced?" 
 When I heard a flat refusal from them, I dismounted from my 
 horse under the wall of the rampart, and having spread out 
 my saddle-cloth, sate down. To keep myself awake I began to 
 walk up and down. At the time when half the night was on 
 this side and half on that it became still. "What do I see (then) 
 but that a box is being let down from the wall of the fort. 
 Having seen this, I was astonished, saying, "What spell is 
 this ? Perhaps God, having taken pity on my distress and 
 perplexity, has bestowed (somewhat) on me from his secret 
 
 11" On undertaking a journey, or when misfortune befalls a person, they tie up a 
 pice, a quarter or hall rupT, or a metallio ring, called a ChhaUa, in a bit of cloth 
 dyed yellow with turmeric, in the name of Imam IZamin, and wear it on the left 
 upper ai-m. On arriTal, this coia is used to purchase food for holy men. 
 
 '" The ^<^ Jjsi^lj /oWAfflA-4 Mw, is for the living, in contra-distinction to other 
 fatihabs, which are for the dead. 
 
28 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 treasury." When the box rested on the ground, I went up to 
 it filled with fear. I saw then that it was a chest of wood. I 
 opened it greedily. A beautiful lady, a woman of lovely 
 aippearance, at sight of whom my senses departed, lay writhing 
 there with closed eyes, wounded, and steeped in blood. Slowly 
 her lips moTed, and these words proceeded from her mouth, " 
 faithless wretch! unjust and cruel one! was this, forsooth, 
 that thou hast done, the return for this kindness and friendship ! 
 Well, inflict one more blow. I have committed to God the 
 decision of what is just between me and thee." Having said 
 this, in the same state of insensibility she drew the corner of her 
 shawl over her face ; '^^ she did not direct her attention to me. 
 
 I, the fakir, having seen her, and heard these words, became 
 sad.i'^ It entered my mind, " What shameless tyrant, and for 
 what cause, has wounded so delicate a beauty ? what came into 
 his heart ? and why did he direct his hand against her ? In 
 her heart, indeed, affection still remains, that in this agony of 
 death she recalls him to mind." I had continued saying this to 
 myself; the sound reached her ears. For a moment (literally, 
 " one time ") she withdrew the cloth from her face and looked at 
 me. When our glances encountered, a faintness came over me, 
 and my heart grew dark. With an eflbrt I supported myself, 
 (and) taking courage, inquired, "Tell the truth, who are you, 
 and what is this that has happened ? If you will explain it, 
 then my heart will be comforted." Having heard this, though 
 she had not the power to talk, she (nevertheless) said, softlj', 
 " Thanks ! my state is such as it is through wounds. What 
 dirt shall I utter ? I am the guest of a few moments ; when 
 my life departs, then, for God's sake, be generous, and be 
 pleased to bury me, wretched, somewhere in this very chest. 
 Then I shall find release from the tongues of both those who 
 speak well of me and those who speak ill, and thou wilt receive 
 the reward of thy good deed." Having said thus much she 
 became silent. 
 
 "' The Dupattah (literally, " two breadths ") is a cloth thrown loosely over the 
 shoulders. It should have a seam in its centre to indicate its being of two breadths, 
 whence the name ; but vulgarly the name is applied to any cloth thus worn. 
 
 '" A play on words, sun-kar " having heard," sun hua " was sad." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 29 
 
 It being night I could devise nothing. I lifted up the chest 
 and brought it near me, and began to count the hours, saying, 
 " When will this long night be ended ! that having gone with 
 morning into the city, I may procure, to the utmost of my 
 ability, whatever remedy there may be for her." That short 
 remainder of the night was so tedious (literally, " such a 
 mountain"), that my heart was in perplexity. At length, 
 when, as I continued invoking the name of God, the morn drew 
 near, the cock crew, and the voices of men began to reach me. 
 I, having repeated the morning prayer, bound the chest on my 
 saddle bags. The instant the door of the city was opened I 
 entered. I began to inquire of every person and shopkeeper 
 for a house to let. Seeking on, I engaged a new, handsome, 
 and spacious mansion, and went and alighted there. First, I 
 removed the fair one from the chest, and having made a soft 
 bed on flocks of cotton, I layed her down in a corner, and 
 having left there a person on whom I could depend, I went out 
 in search of a surgeon. I was going about inquiring of every 
 one, saying, " Who is a skilful surgeon in this city, and where 
 does he live ?" A person said, " There is a barber, who has no 
 equal in the profession of surgery and science of medicine, and 
 who is very perfect in this business. If you were to take a dead 
 man to him, he would, with Grod's permission, devise such 
 means that all at once even he would rise up alive. He lives in 
 this quarter of the city, and his name is Isa." 
 
 Having heard this gratifying intelligence, I went on eagerly 
 (literally, "involuntarily"). Continuing to search, I arrived, 
 according to the direction, at his door. I saw a man with a 
 white beard seated at the portico, and several persons pounding 
 something in order to prepare an ointment. I, to flatter him, 
 made him a respectful salutation, and said, "I am come, having 
 heard of your name and virtues. What has happened is this, 
 that I left my country to trade ; through afiection I took my 
 wife with me. When I arrived near this city I was still at a 
 little distance when evening fell. I did not think it right to 
 travel at night in an unknown country. I alighted in the plain 
 under a tree. At the last watch I was attacked by robbers ; 
 whatever goods they found they carried ofi'. Through the 
 greedy desire of her ornaments they wounded the lady also. I 
 
30 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 could do nothing — what remained of the night I got through 
 somehow or other ; as soon as it dawned I came into the city 
 and hired a house. Having left her there I have come hasten- 
 ing to you. Grod has given you this perfect skill ; shew kind- 
 ness to this traveller ; be pleased to honour my poor house by 
 going thither. Examine her ; if she survives, then great will 
 be your renown, and I will be your slave all my life." The 
 surgeon, Isa, was very tender-hearted and pious. He took pity 
 on my humble words, and came with me to that house. On 
 seeing the wounds, he comforted me (and) said, " By the grace 
 of God the wounds of this lady will be healed in forty days, 
 (and) I will cause her to take the bath of convalescence. 
 
 In short, that man of God having washed all the wounds 
 with the water of the Nim tree (Melia Azadirachta) cleansed 
 them. Those that he found proper to be stitched he sewed up. 
 On some of the rest of the wounds he placed bandages, taking 
 out a little box from his pocket ; and on others he spread 
 plaster, and bound them up with a fillet, and said, with much 
 kindness, "I will come twice (a day, i.e. 'morning and evening ')■ 
 Do thou remain watchful ; let her not move in such a way that 
 the stitches should burst. For food, pour into her throat some 
 chicken-broth, and give her frequently the juice of the musk- 
 willow with rose-water to keep up her strength." Having said 
 this, he requested leave to depart. I expressed my deep obli- 
 gation to him, and having joined my hands, said, " From the 
 consolation you have given me my life also is saved ; otherwise 
 I saw nothing before me but death. May God keep you in 
 safety!" Having presented him with extract'!^ of roses and 
 betel, I waited on that fairy ^^* night and day. I forbade myself 
 rest."'^ At the shrine of God I was daily imploring the blessing 
 of her recovery. 
 
 It chanced that that merchant also arrived and delivered to 
 
 "'' It is the custom ivith Indians, on the departui-e of a visitor, to sprinkle him 
 with atr, and present him with some betel-leaf. 
 
 '" Pari -the "Teri" of "Lalah Eukh," or AuglieS, " Lalla Eookh." From 
 " pari " comes our " fairy." 
 
 "' A play on words, being, literally, " I made Ai-am" or "rest," Ijaram 
 
 " unlawful." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 31 
 
 me the goods that I had entrusted to -him. I sold them for 
 more or less (i.e., for what I could get), and began to lay out 
 money in medicines and remedies. That surgeon was always 
 coming and going. In a short space of time all the wounds 
 were filled, and formed granulations. After some days she took 
 the bath of conyalescence. The delight I experienced was of 
 an extraordinary description. I placed before the barber Isa a 
 robe of honour and pieces of gold, and having spread a costly 
 carpet for that fairy, seated her on an ottoman. I distributed 
 much alms to the poor. On that day, the empire of the seven 
 regions of the earth, as you might say, came into the possession 
 of this fakir, and the complexion of that fairy brightened up to 
 such a degree from her recovery, that her face began to shine 
 like the sun, and to beam forth like pure gold. The sight had 
 no power to rest upon her beauty. I waited on her commands 
 with the utmost devotion ; ^'^ whatever she directed, that I did. 
 She, in the haughtiness of her beauty and the pride of her 
 power, if at times she looked towards me, used to say, " Take 
 care ! if thou desirest to please me, then never utter a word as 
 to what concerns me. What I say, that continue to do without 
 excuse ; do not interfere in anything ; otherwise thou wilt re- 
 pent." From her manner it was apparent that she undoubtedly 
 considered what was due to me for the attention and respect I 
 showed her. I, too, did nothing without her permission. I per- 
 formed her orders with entire devotion."^ 
 
 A long interval passed in this loving confidence. Whatever 
 she commissioned, that I brought immediately and laid before 
 her. Whatever property and cash I possessed, principal and 
 profit, was all expended. In that foreign country, who would 
 trust me, so that I might carry on matters by borrowing and 
 (incurring) debt ? At last I began to be distressed for my daily 
 expenses. From this my heart became much perplexed. I 
 became emaciated with anxiety. My complexion turned sallow, 
 but to whom could I speak ? What my heart sufiered, that it 
 sufiered. The sufferings of a Darwesh are (known) to the 
 heart of a Darwesh. One day that fairy having, through her 
 
 Literally, " with my head and eyes.'' 
 
32 
 
 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 quickness, discerned (this), said, "0 such a one!^" the obligation 
 of thy attentions is indelibly''^ engraved on my mind, but at 
 this moment I am unable to requite thee for them. If anything 
 is required for necessary expenses, have no anxiety in thy heart 
 — ^bring me a piece of paper, and an inkstand and pen." I 
 then perceived that she was a princess of some country, in that 
 she spoke with such pride and haughtiness. I at once placed a 
 writing-case^'^ before her. That lady wrote a mandate with 
 her own hand, delivered it to me, and said, " Near the Fort is 
 a building with three arches. There, in that street, is a rather 
 large house. The name of the owner of it is Sidl Bahar : go 
 there and convey this note." I, the fakir, in accordance with 
 her commands, according to that same name and direction, went 
 and arrived at the desired place. I sent information of the cir- 
 cumstance of the note, by means of a porter. Thereupon, 
 immediately on hearing of it, an Abyssinian, young and good- 
 looking, wearing an elegant turban, came forth. Though his 
 colour was dark, yet he was, as you might say, all filled with 
 salt.i^" He took the letter from my hand, said nothing, and 
 asked nothing. He retraced his steps just as he came, and went 
 in again. After a short interval he came out, having placed on 
 the heads of slaves eleven trays sealed up, with purse-covers of 
 brocade thrown over them. He said, " Go with this young man, 
 and convey the (square) trays." I also took leave, after saluting 
 him, and brought them to my house. The men I dismissed 
 outside the door. The trays I carried into the presence of that 
 fairy just as I had received them. "When she saw them, she 
 said, " Take those eleven bags of gold pieces, and disburse from 
 them. God is the provider." I, the fakir, having taken that 
 cash, began to expend it in necessary outlay : though I was 
 gratified, still this inquietude remained (which led me to ex- 
 claim), " God ! what state of things is this ? that a stranger, 
 with whom I am entirely unacquauited, has consigned to me 
 
 1" A familiar expression, half contemptuous, half kind, like " thingumy," " old 
 fellow." 
 
 "^ Literally, " carved on stone." 
 
 •" Literally, "penholder." 
 
 120 That is, "he was piquant-looking, nracious, and sprightly." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIEST DARWESH. 33 
 
 without question or inquiry so vast a sum on (receipt of) a mere 
 scrap of paper. If I would inquire this secret of the lady (then 
 I must recollect) that she from the very first forbade me." 
 Through fear I could not utter a word. 
 
 After eight days, that fair one, addressing me, said, "God 
 Most High has bestowed on man the garb of humanity, which 
 can neither burst nor become soiled. Although old clothes 
 make no difference in his quality as a man, yet externall}'' he 
 does not find credit in the eyes of the people of Grod. Take 
 with thee two purses of gold pieces, and go into the centre of 
 the market, where the four roads meet, to the shop of the 
 merchant Yusuf, and having purchased some valuable jewels 
 and two magnificent dresses, return." I immediatelj^ mounted 
 and went to the shop. I saw there a handsome youth, dressed 
 in a yellow suit of clothes, and seated on a cushion ; and such 
 was his beauty that a multitude was standing from his shop as 
 far as the bazar, to look at him. I, the fakir, with the greatest 
 eagerness approached him, and having made the salutation 
 " Peace be to thee ! " sate down, and asked for the things I 
 wanted. My speech was not like that of the inhabitants of 
 that city. That youth said with cordiality, "Whatever jour 
 honour requires, is all ready ; but be pleased to tell me this — 
 from what country have you come ? or what is the cause of 
 your stay in this foreign city? If you will be pleased to 
 acquaint me with these circumstances, then it will be in ac- 
 cordance with (literally, ' not far from ') kind feeling." For 
 me to disclose my story, was not desirable. Having framed 
 some tale, and taken the jewels and dresses, I gave the price 
 of them and requested leave to depart. The youth was annoyed, 
 and said, " Sir ! if you intended to act with such coldness, 
 what necessity was there for making friends at first with such 
 warmth ? With gentlemen great regard is had to the offer of 
 a salutation." He spoke with such taste and grace, that my 
 heart was involuntarily conciliated, and I thought it not agree- 
 able to politeness to get up from thence in an unfriendly manner. 
 For his sake I again sate down, and said, " Your commands are 
 upon my head and eyes. I am at your service " (literally " I am 
 present"). He was much gratified by my saying thus much, and 
 began to say, smiling, " If you would be pleased to honour my 
 
 3 
 
34 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 poor house this day, then, by your favour, we would assemble a 
 party of pleasure, and amuse ourselves for two or four hours ; 
 and, seated together, we will employ ourselves in eating and 
 drinking." I had never left that fairy by herself. I remem- 
 bered her solitariness, and proffered sundry excuses ; but the 
 youth would in no wise admit them. At length, having taken 
 a promise from me that I would return, after conveying those 
 things, and having made me take an oath, he allowed me to go. 
 I rose from the shop, and conveyed the jewels and dresses into 
 the presence of that fairy. She inquired the price of the jewels, 
 and what related to the jeweller. I informed her of all the cir- 
 cumstances of the purchase, and of his insisting on entertaining 
 me. She began to say, " It is incumbent on a man to fulfil his 
 engagement. Leave me under the protection of God, and keep 
 your promise. To accept of an entertainment is a traditionary 
 precept of the Prophet." '^' I then said, " My heart is unwilling 
 to go and leave you alone — j^et your order is so. Having no 
 resource, I go — until I return, my heart will be fixed here." 
 Having said this, I returned to the shop of the jeweller. He, 
 seated on a stool, was waiting for me. As soon as he saw me, 
 he said, " Come, kind friend ! you have kept me waiting a long 
 time." 
 
 Forthwith he arose, took my hand, and went on. Proceeding 
 onwards, he conducted me into a garden. This garden was 
 of great beauty. In reservoirs and rivulets, fountains were 
 springing up. Fruits of various kinds were growing there — 
 each tree was bending under the weight. Birds of various kinds 
 seated upon them continued warbling, and in every elevated 
 place '2^ fair carpets had been spread. There, on the brink of a 
 stream, was a summer-house, into which he went and sat down. 
 
 "' iC^i-j sunnat, the traditions of Muhammad, which by the orthodox Musalman 
 (thence called " Sunnis") are considered as a supplement to the Ku'ran, and of nearly 
 equal authority. They are, however, rejected as apociyphal by the Shiahs. K3nun-i 
 Islam, Gloss. 
 
 i« "Allshan" generally means "magnificent," "dignified," as, (^,\jILJU .,Lo-L; 
 fihibnti-i allshan "the dignified gentlemen"; i.e. "European oflioei-s.'' Here, 
 however, it seems to mean " elevated," a siguification most rai-e. But no building 
 has been spoken of, of which " makuu '' might be an apartment. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 3o 
 
 After a moment, he himself rose and went out. He returned, 
 having put on another and a becoming dress. When I saw it, 
 I said, " Praise be to Grod ! far be the evil eye ! " Having 
 heard this he smiled and said, " It is fit that your honour, too, 
 should change your dress." For his sake I, too, changed my 
 clothes. The youth had prepared the entertainment with great 
 elegance, and had brought there all the paraphernalia that 
 were requisite for making merry. And having formed a 
 warm intimacy with me, the fakir, he began to address me in 
 an impassioned way. Meanwhile the cupbearer waited on us 
 with a flagon and cup of crystal, and having brought relishes 
 of various kinds, set them down. He set in order the salt- 
 cellars, — the wine began to circulate. "When it came to the 
 time of the second or fourth cup, four beardless j'^ouths of great 
 beauty, with flowing ringlets, came into the assembly and began 
 to play and sing. Such was their beauty and such the harmony, 
 that had Tan Sen^^^ been there at that time, he would have 
 forgotten his tune,^^* and Baijubaora^^* would have gone mad. 
 In this delightful moment the eyes of the young man all of a 
 sudden filled with tears. Two or three drops involuntarily fell 
 from him, and he said to me, the fakir, " Now between me and 
 you a friendship of the soul is formed ; to conceal, therefore, 
 the secrets of the heart from friends is, in no religion, (con- 
 sidered) right. I am about to tell you without ceremony a 
 thing in the confidence of friendship. If you will permit me 
 (literally, give orders), I will summon my mistress into this 
 assembly and comfort my heart ; separated from her, my heart 
 is not at ease." 
 
 He spoke this with such fervour, that, without having seen 
 her, my heart also longed (to behold her). I said, " Your 
 gratification is to me indispensable — what is better than this ? 
 Be pleased to make no delay. It is true, nothing seems good 
 without one's mistress." The young man made a sign towards a 
 lattice. Immediately a woman of the blackest complexion, like 
 
 123 11 Xan Sen " — a celebrated musican of the time of Akbar. 
 ^-'' A play on words, "Tu,n Sen" being the man's name, ani tan, "tune," and 
 baora and iaola both signifying " mad." 
 
36 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 a she-devil, at sight of whom a man would die prematurely, 
 came towards the youth and sate down near him. I, the fakir, 
 was affrighted at the sight of her. I said, in my heart, " Is 
 this monster (lit. calamity) the beloved one of such a fairy-born 
 youth, and is it of her that he has uttered such praise, and 
 for her that he has evinced such desire ?"i^ I recited the 
 deprecatory formula, " There is no power nor virtue but in 
 God," and remained silent. In the same state for three days 
 and nights the company remained assembled (enjoying) wine, 
 music, and conviviality. On the fourth night I was over- 
 powered by intoxication and sleep. Involuntarily I fell asleep 
 in the slumber of forgetfulness. When the morning came that 
 youth awoke me. Having caused me to drink some cups of 
 a beverage proper for dispelling intoxication, he said to his 
 mistress, " Now it is not right to trouble our guest any longer." 
 Both taking hands, arose.'^^ I asked leave to depart ; he 
 readily allowed me to go. I then quickly put on my former 
 clothes and took the wa}' home, and having entered the presence 
 of the fairy, waited on her. However, such an occurrence had 
 never happened as that I should leave her alone and stay out 
 the night anywhere. I was much ashamed at that three days' 
 absence, and made excuses, and related the whole story of the 
 entertainment, and of his not permitting me to go. She was 
 well acquainted with the world. She smiled and said, " What 
 does it matter if thou hast stopped to oblige a friend ? I have 
 pardoned thee — what fault hast thou committed ? When a man 
 goes to any one's house, then he returns at his pleasure, but 
 will you keep quiet after receiving (literally, ' eating and 
 drinking ' ) these unretumed civilities, or will you return 
 them ? Xow this is incumbent on you, to go and bring that 
 merchant's son with you, and entertain him twice as well, and 
 have no anxiety about the (necessary) furniture. By the favour 
 of God all the requisites shall be got ready in one moment, and 
 
 '" 'With deference to ifir Amman, this is bad grammar. It should be— k^-^ 
 LJ yblb jL-.ijl L..'l ^J, •— i'rV' ^\ i >•'« *' itiii tan/ iark, uiiu 
 ishtiiittk zjihir tdija. 
 
 '■" This might also be rendered ■' having grasped both my hands, they arose." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 37 
 
 the party of entertainment shall be well adorned." I, according 
 to her order, went to the jeweller and said, " I have obeyed your 
 wishes with my head and eyes ; now do you also in a friendly 
 way accept my petition." He said, " I am ready with my heart 
 and soul." 
 
 I then said, " If you will condescendingly come to the house 
 of this (your) slave, it will be an especial favouring of the poor." 
 The youth made many excuses and evasions, but I did not cease 
 to urge him until he consented. I took him along with myself 
 to my house. But on the road I was proceeding pondering this 
 very thing, saying to myself, " Had I the power to-day, I would 
 shew him such attention that he would be pleased. Now I am 
 taking him along with me, let us see what occurs." In this 
 same dilemma I arrived near the house — then what do I see ? 
 A bustle is going on at the door. The streets have been swept 
 and sprinkled. Pursuivants and mace-bearers are standing 
 there. I was amazed, but knowing it to be my own house, 
 I stepped in. I saw then, throughout the mansion, costly 
 carpets fit for each apartment spread in each place, and 
 cushions set. Betel-boxes,^^'' vials for sprinkling rose-water, 
 and others for holding Itr, spittoons, flower-pots, pots of nar- 
 cissus, were placed in order. In the recesses are ranged various 
 kinds of orange-trees and flowers of divers hues. On one side 
 is the lustre of lamps in frames of variegated talc. On the 
 other side, shrubs ^^* and cypresses and lotus-plants are shining. 
 And throughout the hall and the balconies, candles white as 
 camphor '^^ are placed on gilt candlesticks, and jewelled shades 
 
 '2' The Pandan ia a box of gold, silver, copper, or brass, for holding betel or its 
 appendages. The Gulabpash is a bottle of glass, gold, or silver, out of which rose- 
 water is sprinkled. The Itrdan is a vial for containing itr. The Pikdan or spittoon 
 is of gold, silver, copper, brass, etc. Kanun-i Islam, p. 120. 
 
 ''8 The readiiig in the text is little better than nonsense. It should be either, 
 
 .,,«& i^^fj J Jj^ }!^ )}' jW^" J^T "'"' ^"''^ Jcanwal hi ravishm hain, 
 "shrubs and avenues of the cypress and lotus;" or with the ,,1 «m)- omitted — 
 1^^ ,,j^i 1 ^_ jj)^ « f~J J '#^ yA5r saro kanwal lie roshan hain, " shrubs of the 
 cypress and lotus are bright." 
 
 '" iCiiilS* kafurl, in Forbes' vocabulary, is rendered "made of camphor,'' a 
 meaning here inadmissible. 
 
38 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 are placed over them. All persons are ready in their respec- 
 tive offices. In the kitchen, pots remained clattering; in the 
 room for cooling water, there was the same preparation. Water- 
 pots entirely new were placed on silver stands with percolators 
 attached and covered with vessels for hot water.^^ Further on 
 were set, on a bench, spoons, metal bowls, with salvers and 
 covers. Adjoining, were narrow-mouthed vessels of ice, and 
 flagons were moved briskly in saltpetre.^^^ 
 
 In short, all the furniture befitting royalty was there, and 
 dancing girls, actors, dancing boys dressed as girls, singers, 
 performers on the SarangI or Tamburah or Dholak, clothed in 
 handsome dresses, were present, playing in concert with their 
 instruments. I conducted the youth to an ottoman, where I 
 seated him ; and was in my heart perplexed, saying, " God ! 
 in so short an interval how were all these preparations made ? " 
 I went about looking on every side, but nowhere found a trace 
 of that fairy. In this same search I all at once came out in 
 the direction of the kitchen. I beheld in an apartment there, 
 that delicate lady, with a shirt on her neck, slippers on her 
 feet, and wearing on her head a white handkerchief, simple, 
 nude, divested of her ornaments. 
 
 She wants no ornaments to whom God has beauty given ; 
 Behold how fair the unadorned moon (in heaven). 
 
 She continued engaged in superintending the banquet, and 
 in giving injunctions as to each dish, saying, " Take care that 
 it is well-flavoured, and that the gravy, seasoning, and smell is 
 correct." In this laborious occupation, that rose-Hke form was 
 all bathed in perspiration.'^^ 
 
 '30 An intolerable absurdity ; yet this is the only meaning given in the dictionary. 
 Is it not rather likely that \j^^ bujhra = Ijsju hadhnU, "a drinking vessel with 
 a spout to it"? 
 
 131 
 
 Literally, " flagons of saltpetre," which gives no sense ; unless the i ,wi shorah, 
 be here for n^^^ abslm-ah, or ^j^, afshurah, lemonade made with the juice 
 of pomegranates, quinces, lemons, etc., for which see KanCin-i Islam, Appendix 
 p. 41. Bottles of wine are cooled, in India, hy being briskly moved round in water 
 m which saltpetre has been diesolvod, 
 "2 Literally, "was sweat, sweat." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 39 
 
 I -went up to ker and expressed my devotion for her, and 
 after extolling her cleverness and skill, began to utter bene- 
 dictions. "When she heard this flattery, she frowned ^^^ and 
 said, " Sundry things are done by human beings, which an 
 angel has not the power to do.'^^ What have I done of such 
 a nature that you are so astounded ? Enough ! Long speeches 
 do not please me. Come now ! tell me what sort of politeness 
 is this, to leave your guest seated by himself, and go wandering 
 about in this place and that ? What will he be saying in his 
 own mind ? Gro quickly ! take your seat among the company, 
 and pay attention to your visitor, and having sent for his 
 mistress also, cause her to sit beside him." I''^'' immediately 
 went to the young man and began to display a warm regard 
 for him. Meanwhile two beautiful slaves, holding in their 
 hands a flagon and a jewelled cup, came before us and began 
 to supply us with wine. Hereupon I said to that youth, " I 
 am in all respects your sincere friend and servant. It is 
 better '^^ that that beautiful lady towards whom your heart 
 is inclined, should honour us with her presence ; then, indeed, 
 it will be highly delightful.^^'' If you command, then a person 
 shall go to call her." On hearing this, he was pleased and 
 said, "Very good! this time you have spoken the thought '^^ 
 of my heart." I despatched a eunuch (for her). When the 
 night was half spent, that hag,^^^ borne on a splendid sedan with 
 two poles, arrived like a sudden calamity. 
 
 I, having no resource, in order to please my guest, went out 
 to meet her, and with extreme cordiality conducted her in, and 
 seated her beside the youth. The young man, on beholding 
 
 •'' Literally, " mounted a frown." 
 
 121 That is " are too gross and material for spiritual beings, to which you compare 
 me." 
 
 '3s Xhe narrator of the story generaDy styles himself " the fakir," as in this 
 place ; but iustead of this oblique form, the pronoun of the first person is used in the 
 translation, as more suitable to the English idiom. 
 
 136 Or as we say, " best." In this phrase the comparative is used in Persian for 
 our superlative. 
 
 1" Literally, " a great thiug." 
 
 138 Literally, "thing" or "word." 
 
 139 Mj ■•:=.- ehurail, is, properly, the ghost of a woman deceased in pregnancy. 
 
40 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 her, was as delighted as if he had obtained all the good things 
 in the world. That she-devil, too, clung round the neck of that 
 fairy-born youth ; in real truth, the sight was as when an 
 eclipse happens to the moon of the fourteenth night. All the 
 persons who were in the assembly began to press their fingers 
 with their teeth,'*" saying, " "What ! has some calamitous in- 
 fluence overpowered this youth ? " The gaze of all was turned 
 in that same direction. Forgetting the spectacle of the enter- 
 tainment, they began to look at the spectacle of his doings. 
 One person said, aside, "Friends! there is a contrariety 
 between love and reason. Whatever is incongruous to reason, 
 this infidel love is sure to display. Look at Laila with the 
 eyes of Majnun." '" All responded, "It is true! it is just as 
 you say." 
 
 I, according to the order I had received, remained in at- 
 tendance on my guests ; but although the youth pressed me 
 to partake of the goblet and the viands, I, through fear of that 
 fairy, was not giving my mind to the repast or the spectacle ; 
 and, excusing myself on the ground of my duties as a host, 
 did not partake. In this same waj' three nights and days were 
 spent. On the fourth night that youth, having called me to 
 him, very aflectionately began to say, " TVe, too, will now take 
 leave ; for your sake I have left all my business and waited in 
 j'our service for three daj-s. Do j-ou also, then, sit beside me 
 for a moment and gratify my heart." I reflected in my mind 
 that if at this time I did not assent to what he said, he would 
 be hurt, and I felt it necessary to oblige a new friend, and one 
 who was my guest. I then said this, " I desire to obey your 
 commands, for a command is before manners.'*- On hearing 
 
 "» A Persian phrase expressive of astonishment. In the native piotnre-illustrations 
 of the " Shah-nfimah," the spectators of Eustam's combats with demons, are repre- 
 sented as thus expressing their wonderment. 
 
 I" "Majniin" or "distracted" is the name of an Arabian lover, who was 
 enamom-ed of one Lail^, perhaps so called from her dark complexion, that word 
 signifying in Arabic " night." She had no pretensions to beauty, but he was madly 
 infatuated with her. Sec " Gulistan," chap. v. story 19. Their loves have been 
 sung by Nijuml and others, and have passed into a proverb. 
 
 1" The meaning of this proverb seems to be here, " Good manners would keep me 
 waiting on you a^ my guest, but since you command it, I will join you iu the 
 repast." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 41 
 
 this, the youth presented me with a cup, and I quaffed it. The 
 wine then circulated so incessantly, that in a brief space of 
 time all the persons assembled, being intoxicated, were deprived 
 of their senses, and I, too, became insensible. 
 
 "When it was morning, and the sun had risen two spears' 
 length, I opened my eyes. Then I beheld that neither those 
 preparations nor that assembly were there, nor that lady ; only 
 the empty house was left ; but in one corner was set a rough 
 woollen cloth wrapped up. When I opened that and looked, 
 then (I beheld) the young man and his mistress, both with 
 their heads severed, lying there. On seeing this their state, my 
 senses departed. My reason was of no use to me (to discover) 
 what this was or what had happened. Through perplexity I 
 continued staring about me in every direction. Meanwhile an 
 eunuch, whom I had observed [employed] in the business of 
 the entertainment, shewed himself. I felt somewhat encouraged 
 at the sight of him, and inquired the details of this occurrence. 
 He replied, " "What wilt thou gain by inquiry into this matter 
 respecting which thou hast asked?" I, too, reflected in my 
 mind to this effect — "He, in fact, speaks the truth." Then, 
 after meditating for a little, I said, " Well ! do not tell me. 
 However, explain this, at least — In what place is that beautiful 
 lady?" He then said, "Assuredly, what I know that I will 
 relate. But for an intelligent man like you to indulge eagerly 
 in a wine-party after a friendship of two days, without per- 
 mission of her Highness, showing no respect or ceremony 
 towards her — what is the meaning of this ? " 
 
 I was much ashamed at my misconduct, and at his reproof ; 
 my tongue found no utterance besides this word, " Of a truth, 
 now indeed I have done wrong; be pleased to pardon my 
 fault." At length the eunuch, becoming friendly, pointed out 
 to me the direction of the abode of that fairy, and sent me 
 away. He hiniself tarried behind to look after ^^^ the burial 
 and interment of those two mutilated bodies. I was (thus) 
 freed from the suspicion of that wicked deed, and was absorbed 
 
 ^" Literally, " in the thought." 
 
42 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 in the desire of rejoining that lady. "With much difficulty/** 
 searching on, I arrived, in the evening, in the street to which 
 I had been directed, and passed the whole night in a state of 
 great agitation in a corner near the door. No sound of any 
 one's movements reached me,"' nor was there any one who 
 inquired what I was doing. In that same friendless state, the 
 morning dawned on me. When the sun arose, that moon-faced 
 beauty began to look towards me from the window of an upper 
 apartment of the house. The kind of pleasure which I then 
 experienced my heart alone knows. I returned thanks to God. 
 
 MeanwhUe an eunuch came to me and said, " Go and seat 
 thyself in this mosque ; perhaps thy desire may be then 
 fulfilled, and thou mayest obtain the wish of thy heart." By 
 his command I rose up thence, and went and stopped in the 
 mosque. My eyes, however, were fixed upon the door, and I 
 said to myself,'*^ " Let us see what is disclosed from the curtain 
 of the future." As one who fasts, expects through the whole 
 day the time of evening, so I, too, passed that whole day in 
 similar inquietude. At length, somehow or other, evening 
 came and day removed like a mountain from my breast. All 
 at once, the same eunuch who had given me the direction of 
 the lady's house entered the mosque. After performing his 
 evening prayers, that compassionate person, who was the con- 
 fidante of all our love-affair, approached me, and after much 
 encouragement, took me by the hand, and led me with him. 
 Proceeding on, he caused me to be seated in a little garden and 
 said, "Remain here until your wish is accomplished," and he 
 himself took leave and went, perhaps, to relate my circum- 
 stances in the presence. I remained looking at the beauty of 
 the flowers of that garden, and the fair moonlight, and the 
 spectacle of the fountains springing up in the reservoirs and 
 streamlets (as copiously as in) the months of Siiwan and 
 
 '" Literally, "stumbling and falling." 
 
 "5 lu Urdu the negative goes to the verb—" any sound did not," instead of our 
 " no sound did." 
 
 '*" For these words we have in the original only a^ ii'A, "that" or "saying 
 that." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 43 
 
 Bhadon.i*'' But when I beteld the flowers, then the thought 
 of that rose-formed one was returning to me ; when my eyes 
 fell on the moon — then I was recalling to mind the countenance 
 of that moon-faced beauty. All this splendour, without her, 
 was a thorn in my eyes. At length God rendered her heart 
 kindly-disposed to me. After a short interval that fairy, 
 covered from head to foot with pearls, advanced from the door 
 into the avenue, and stood there adorned like the moon of the 
 fourteenth night, wearing on the upper part of her body a gown 
 with a flounce of brocade, to which was stitched a border of 
 pearls, and round her head a mantle which had a fringe, a 
 hem,i*® a waving pattern, and bells attached.^*^ By her arrival 
 that garden and the heart of this fakir derived fresh life. For 
 a moment she paced up and down^*^" and seated herself, sup- 
 ported by pillows, on a cushion embroidered with gold. I ran 
 up, and as the moth circles round the candle, walked round her 
 in token of devotion, then, joining my hands, stood in the 
 attitude of a slave. On this, the same eunuch began to speak 
 on my behalf, and entreat for me. I said to him, " This slave 
 is guilty and has erred, let the punishment be inflicted which ■ 
 is due to my fault." The lady, inasmuch as she was displeased, 
 said haughtily, "As to this person, the best thing now is, that 
 he should take a hundred bags of a thousand gold pieces each, 
 pack up his goods, and depart to his own country." 
 
 On hearing this speech, I was petrified, ^^^ and was dried up, 
 so that if any one had cut my body, not a drop of blood would 
 have issued; and the whole world began to grow dark before 
 ray eyes, and a sigh of despair involuntarily escaped from my 
 breast. Tears also began to fall. At that time I had none left 
 
 '*' " Sawan" is the name of the fourth Hindu month (July — August); " Bhadoii," 
 of -the fifth (August — Septemher). Buring these months the rains are at their 
 height. The ^ fo may he rendered, " as in." 
 
 148 The Aj pallu, is a hem of gold or silver thread. 
 
 '*' This is, perhaps, the longest and most involved sentence in the whole book, and 
 its clumsiness shews how repugnant the genius of the language is to sentences of such 
 a length. 
 
 15° This may also be rendered " she surveyed the scenery in this and that direction." 
 
 isi Literally " became wood." 
 
44 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 to rely upon but God. In utter despair I said, " Well, please 
 to consider a little in your heart. Had I, luckless wretch, been 
 desirous of this world's goods, I should not then have expended 
 my life and property for your Highness. What! have the 
 rights of service and devotion all at once been banished from 
 the world, that you shew such want of kindness to me, unfor- 
 tunate creature that I am ? WeU, now life itself is no longer 
 of any use to me. Owing to the neglect of their fair mistresses, 
 helpless and half-expiring lovers find existence insupportable." 
 
 Hearing this, she was incensed and, frowning, said angrily, 
 " How nice ! You are my lover, are you ? the frog has caught 
 cold, has it ? O blockhead ! it is a vain thought to speak words 
 too high for your place.'^ A little mouth and big words '^ 
 (are not suited). Enough ! be silent ; cease this unprofitable 
 discourse. Had any one else committed this breach of decorum, 
 I swear by the Almighty I would have caused him to be cut 
 into gobbets, and have distributed (his flesh) to the kites : but 
 what can I do ? your services return to my recollection. Now 
 the most advantageous plan is this, for you to depart ; it was 
 in your destiny to subsist '^ thus long in my dominions." I 
 then, weeping and sobbing, said, "If this be written in my 
 destiny that I should not obtain the desire of my heart, and 
 should wander about in forests and mountains, dashing my head 
 (against the rock), then am I helpless." These words, too, 
 annoyed her, and she began to say, " These disgusting expres- 
 sions of endearment, and this enigmatical discourse, please me 
 not. Go and address these inuendoes to those whom they 
 befit." Then in the same angry temper she arose and entered 
 her palace. I made many humble entreaties,''^ but she paid 
 no attention to me. Having no resource, I too came forth from 
 that place despairing and hopeless. 
 
 In short, for fortj'^ days this same state of things continued. 
 When I was sick of wandering through the streets of the 
 
 '" Literally " stomach." 
 
 '" A proverb used of those who talk big, or aim at something beyond their rank. 
 
 '*' Literally "the grain and water of your destiny was thus long," etc. 
 
 "5 Literally, " dashed my head much." 
 
TKAVELS OF THE FIKST DARWESH. 45 
 
 city, I issued forth into the jungle. "When I returned with 
 melancholy thence, I again entered the city like one distraught. 
 I neither ate by day nor slept at night. Like the washerman's 
 dog, I had no rest at home or at the steps down to the river.'^^ 
 The life of man is supported by eating and drinking. Man is 
 a creature that subsists on grain. No strength at all was left 
 in my body. Having become a cripple, I went and fell down 
 under the wall of that mosque, when one day that same eunuch 
 came to repeat the Friday's prayers. He passed by me. I 
 remained repeating this poetry, but in a low voice through 
 weakness : 
 
 From this heart's grief may death or patience reach my heart, 
 "Whate'er be written in my fate, God ! that quick impart. 
 
 Although my external appearance had become altogether 
 changed, and my countenance had assumed such a look that 
 even those who had seen me before could not have recognized 
 me as the same person, — that eunuch, however, hearing a 
 piteous voice, turned towards me. After surveying me with 
 attention, he uttered an exclamation of sorrowful astonish- 
 ment,'^^ and addressed me compassionately : " This is the con- 
 dition, then, to which you have at last brought yourself." I 
 said, " Now indeed, what has happened, has happened. I was 
 ready with my property, (with equal readiness I have) devoted 
 my life also (for her). Thus alone could she be gratified- — then 
 what. can I do?" 
 
 Having heard this, he left a servant with me and entered 
 the mosque. When, after finishing his prayers and (hearing) 
 the sermon,'^ he had come out, he placed me in a litter, and 
 taking me along with him into the presence of that neglectful 
 fairy, seated me on the outside of a screen. Although nothing 
 of my former appearance remained, still it had happened that 
 
 166 j^ proverb applied to unquiet persons. 
 
 '" LS if^yMi] afsos kiya, signifies also " to lament," but here it is requisite to 
 render it by the above somewhat lengthy expression, 
 
 15' The Khutbah is preached every Friday, and, as -with us, follows divine service. 
 In it the preacher blesses Muhammad, his successors, and the reigning monarch of 
 the country. 
 
46 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 I had lived with her both night and day for a considerable 
 period (and she must have known me therefore), but inten- 
 tionally pretending that she did not recognize me, she began 
 to inquire of the eunuch, " Who is this ? " That gentleman 
 said, "This is the same unfortunate, ill-fated person who fell 
 under your Highness's displeasure and incurred your reproof. 
 From this very cause, his appearance is thus altered. He is 
 consumed with the fire of love. Though he quenches it with 
 the water of his tears, it nevertheless breaks out with redoubled 
 violence. Nothing is gained, but rather through shame for 
 his error he is perishing." The lady said, jestingly, "Why 
 tallest thou these idle tales ? It is many days since my scouts 
 brought me intelligence of his safe arrival in his own countrj-. 
 God knows who this person is and of whom thou art talking ! " 
 At that moment the eunuch joined his hands and said respect- 
 fully, " If my life be granted to me, I will make a representa- 
 tion." She said, " Speak on ! Thy life is granted to thee." 
 The eunuch said, "Your Highness can truly appreciate. For 
 God's sake cause the screen to be removed from between you, 
 and recognize him, and take pity on his friendless state. 
 Ingratitude is not good. He now deserves whatever pity you 
 may be pleased to shew to his condition. To say more would 
 be to transgress the limits of respect. Whatever occurs to 
 j'our royal mind, that and that alone is best." 
 
 She smiled at these words and said, " Well ! who waits I ^'^ 
 place this person in the hospital. When he shall have recovered, 
 his circumstances shall be investigated." The eunuch said, " If 
 you would be pleased with your own royal hand to sprinkle 
 rose-water upon him, and would condescend to say something 
 to him, then he would be encouraged to hope for life. Despair 
 is a bad thing. The world is supported by hope." Even to 
 this, that fairy returned no answer. Hearing this dialoijue (as 
 I had grown weary of life i"") I feai-lessly exclaimed, " Xow my 
 
 i»9 This might also be rendered, "'mioever he may be," etc.; the trnuslation 
 given above, however, is most likely the correct one. 
 
 '«" After these words there is a full stop in Forbes' edition, but instead of it the 
 
 sentence shmild be put into a parenthesis, as it is only the reason for CJ'^X' 
 
 l^Jl (JjJ nidhaj-ak bol utha. 
 
TRAA'ELS OF THE FIEST DARWESH. 47 
 
 heart wishes not for life on these terms. I have already my 
 feet in the grave.'^^ Death must come some day, and, as for 
 my cure, it is in the hands of the princess — let her perform 
 it or not, she knows best (what to do)." At length the turner 
 of hearts softened the heart of that hard-hearted one. She 
 became kind, and said, " Summon the royal physicians quickly." 
 The doctors forthwith came and assembled. They inspected 
 my pulse and urine, and deliberated long. At length they 
 decided in their prognosis as follows : — " This person is in love 
 with some one. There is no remedy for him, except in union 
 with his mistress. As soon as he obtains her, he will be restored 
 to health." "When the physicians also had pronounced this to 
 be my disease, the princess said, " Conduct this youth to the 
 warm bath, wash him, array him in a handsome robe, and 
 bring him into my presence." They immediately led me out, 
 and having caused me to take the bath, dressed me in good 
 clothes, and brought me into the presence of that lady. Then 
 that delicate fair one said, with emotion, " Thou hast, without 
 cause, brought reproach and disgrace upon me, without my 
 giving any reason for it, now what else dost thou purpose to 
 do ? Distinctly state what is in thy heart." 
 
 fakirs ! at that time such waS my condition, that I had 
 almost died of joy. Through delight I swelled so that my 
 clothes could not contain me,^^^ and my appearance changed. 
 I returned thanks to Grod, and said to her, "At this moment 
 your Highness has fully accomplished all that could be done by 
 the phjrsicians, for by one word you have re-animated a dead 
 person, such as I was. Behold, then, the difference which has 
 arisen in my state between that time and this ! " With these 
 words I walked three times round her, and coming in front 
 of her, stood up and said, "Your Highness commands that I 
 should tell you what I have in my heart. Your slave then 
 regards this as more precious than the sovereignty of the seven 
 regions of the earth, that you would condescend to accept this 
 humble person, and grant me exaltation by permitting me to 
 
 ■6' I have not translated the IxiJ] latka, which signifies " dangling." 
 ^62 A proverbial expression, equivalent to our " bursting with Joy." 
 
48 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 kiss your feet." For a moment, after hearing this, she was 
 plunged in thought ; then, with a side-long look, she said, " Sit 
 down ! you have done me such service and evinced such fidelity, 
 that whatever you say is agreeable to me and engraven on my 
 heart also. Well, I accept you." 
 
 On the same day, in a happy moment and during an auspicious 
 conjunction of the planets, the KazI read the marriage-service.^^ 
 After such distress and disaster, God showed me this day when 
 I obtained the wish of my heart. But the desire my heart 
 cherished of lying with that lady was equalled by the in- 
 quietude I felt to become acquainted with the wonderful cir- 
 cumstances (which had occurred). I said to myself, "Up to 
 to-day I have no idea who this lady is, and who that dark good- 
 looking Abyssinian was who, on the receipt of a scrap of paper, 
 entrusted to me so many bags of gold coins ? or how, after but 
 three hours' preparation, a banquet was got ready suitable for 
 kings ; and why those two innocent persons were put to death 
 at the entertainment ; and what was the cause of the lady's 
 anger and unkindness to me, notwithstanding all my services 
 and endurance of her whims ; and why all at once she has thus 
 exalted this weak individual." In short, for this Tery reason, 
 after the customary ceremonies which attend the tying of the 
 nuptial knot, for eight days, in spite of my desire, I forbore 
 from consummating my marriage. I slept with the lady at 
 night, but at daybreak I rose just as I had lain down. 
 
 One day, in order to bathe, I said to the female domestics, 
 "Warm a little water that I may wash." The princess smUed 
 and said, " For what purpose warm water ?" I remained 
 silent, but that fairy was astonished at my conduct. Moreover, 
 she shewed by her countenance that she was vexed to such a 
 degree, that one day she said, " You, too, are a strange man. 
 You are either so hot or so cold,— what do they call this ? If 
 you had not the power, then why did you form such a vain 
 desire?" I then said, without hesitation, "0 my life! we 
 must have justice. A man has a right to obtain justice." She 
 said, "What justice remains to be done? Whatever was to be 
 
 "=3 For a description of the mamngo-rites see Kunuu-i Isllni, p. S3. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIEST DAKWESH. 49 
 
 done, has been done." I replied, " In truth my great wish and 
 desire was this very thing which I have obtained ; but my 
 heart is kept in doubt, and by doubtfulness a man's mind is 
 disturbed; whence nothing can be done — he is thrust out of 
 his powers as a man. I had determined in my heart that after 
 marriage (which was the true delight ^^ of my heart) I would 
 inquire of your Highness sundry matters (which I cannot 
 comprehend, and which are hidden from me), which, if I hear 
 explained by your royal tongue, then my heart will be com- 
 forted." That fairy frowned and said, "How good! have you 
 already forgotten ? Remember that I have repeatedly warned 
 you not to interfere in my matters, and oppose in nothing. 
 How, is it proper to shew this unwonted disrespect?" I 
 laughed and said, " Just as you allow other disrespectful actions 
 to stand excused, suffer this also." The fairy changed coun- 
 tenance, and, falling into a passion, became like a whirlwind 
 of fire, and said, " Now thou hast become too bold ! Gro ! mind 
 thine one business ! what advantage will result to thee from 
 these matters ? " I said, " The shame which attaches to our 
 bodies is the greatest in the world, but one has even these 
 secrets revealed to him. Now when you bring your mind to 
 allow even of such a thing, what other secret requires to be 
 concealed ? " 
 
 By this allusion that fairy, having, with her natural quick- 
 ness, comprehended the matter, began to say, " This is true, but 
 my heart experiences this inquietude, lest, if the secret of this 
 wretched person ^^^ should be disclosed, a great calamity should 
 result." I said, "What discourse is this? Let not your heart 
 entertain this thought of your slave, and with a mind at ease 
 relate all the circumstances which have occurred. Never — 
 never shall my tongue produce them from my heart; what 
 possibility is there of their reaching any one's ears ? " "When 
 she saw that there was no escape except by telling me,i^^ then, 
 having no resource, she said, "There are many disadvantages 
 
 i«* A play on words, the -word signifying " delight," implying also " marriage." 
 1^5 Literally, " one -without feet." 
 ^<^^ Literally, " this dear person." 
 
50 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 in repeating these things ; thou, whether I would or not, hast 
 pressed me. Well ! thy interests are dear to me. For this 
 cause I will relate my history. It is necessary for thee to keep 
 it secret. Take care ! " 
 
 In short, after many injunctions, she began to say, "I, 
 unhappy, am the daughter of the Sultan of Damascus, and he 
 is a great king among kings. Except myself, he had in his 
 family neither boy nor girl. From the day of my birth I was 
 brought up under the shadow of my parents with tenderness 
 and indulgence, and in pleasure and contentment. "When I 
 became intelligent, I then gave my miad to beautiful persons 
 and delicate girls. Accordingly, very lovely fairy-born play- 
 mates, daughters of the nobility, remained with me as com- 
 panions, and beautiful attendants and handmaids of the same 
 age as myself waited upon me. I continually witnessed the 
 spectacle of dancing, music, and festivity. I had no intercourse 
 with the world, either for good or ill. Surveying my state, so 
 free from care, nothing but thanks to God issued from my lips. 
 
 " It chanced that my mind of itself became so sad that I 
 took pleasure in no one's companionship, nor were the parties 
 of pleasure pleasant to me. My temper became like that of a 
 deranged person — my heart dejected and iU at ease. No one's 
 appearance gratified me, nor did my mind desire conversation. 
 Seeing this my state, my nurses ^^'' were all overwhelmed with 
 anxiety, and began to throw themselves at my feet. This same 
 eunuch had been from of old my faithful confidante and partner 
 of my secrets. Nothing had been hid from him. Seeing my 
 distracted state, he said, ' If the Princess will drink a little 
 sharbat made from the cannabis satira,^^ then it is probable 
 that your temper will recover its former equilibrium, and ease 
 of mind will return.' From his speaking to me in this manner. 
 
 "' In the text four kinds of nurses are enumerated— the ^j}j i/ii'f, 1 JJ dado, 
 Ji^Jif~ (f'hochho, and l>Jl angZi. In the Kanun-i IsUini (Glossary, p. 66), the 
 names of the four kmds slightly differ. Dada and anga do not there occur. i)a'i 
 seems to be the wet-nurse ; chhochho the dry ; and dadii and anga, nursemaids. 
 
 "s This extract of hemp is called " bhang," and is very intoxicating, or, rather, 
 exhilarating. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIKST DAEWESH. 51 
 
 I too felt desirous (to taste it). I then ordered him to bring 
 it quickly. 
 
 "The eunuch went out, and having carefully prepared a 
 flagon of that same drink, iced it, and caused it to be brought 
 to me by the hand of a boy. I drank it, and experienced just 
 the beneficial effects which he had represented. I instantly 
 bestowed on the eunuch a sumptuous robe in requital of that 
 service, and directed him to send to me a cup of it always at the 
 same hour. From that day this became the fixed custom, that 
 the eunuch caused a cup to be conveyed to me by the hands of 
 the same boy, and I, your handmaid, quaffed it. When its 
 intoxicating influence took possession of me, then in its whirl I 
 was amusing my mind by playing and jesting with that boJ^ 
 He, too, when he had lost his shyness, began tO' address to me 
 choice and sweet expressions, and to relate marvellous stories. 
 Moreover he began to give vent to sighs and exclamations. 
 His form, indeed, was graceful and worthy notice ; my heart 
 involuntarily grew fond of him. Owing to my passionate 
 fondness for him, and the delight I took in his playfulness, I 
 began to bestow on him daily gifts and rewards. That un- 
 fortunate, however, made a practice of coming into my presence 
 with the same clothes that he always had been in the habit of 
 wearing, nay, those garments, moreover, became soiled and filthy. 
 
 " One day, I said to him inquiringly, ' Thou hast received 
 from the imperial bounty so much, and yet thou hast left thy 
 person just in the same state it was at first. What is the 
 reason of this ? Where hast thou expended those rupees ? or 
 hast thou hoarded them up ? ' When the boy heard those 
 words of encouragement, and found me inquiring into his 
 condition, he began to say, with eyes suffused with tears, 'AH 
 that your Highness bestowed on this slave, my master has 
 taken; he has not left me one farthing, whence should I get 
 other clothes made, to dress in when I enter your presence ? I 
 am not to blame in this; I have no alternative.' At this 
 humble speech of his, I felt pity for him, and immediately' 
 gave orders to the eunuch saying, 'From to-day educate this 
 boy under your own eye,^^^ and cause good clothes to be made 
 
 "5 Literally, "in your own society." 
 
52 BAGH BAHAB. 
 
 for him, and dress him in them, and do not suffer him to 
 indulge in idle play and romping with the male slaves. More- 
 over, my pleasure is, that he should learn manners suitable for 
 the royal service, and wait upon me.' The eunuch acted in 
 obedience to my command, and seeing the way in which my 
 inclination turned, began to take an especial care of him. In a 
 few days, owing to his now enjoying easy life and being well- 
 fed, his complexion and fiUing-out wonderfully improved ™ and 
 he, as it were, cast his slough. Though I kept a guard over 
 my heart, still the person of that caitiff"^ so impressed itself 
 on my mind that my soul through tenderness for him desired 
 nought but this, to place him in my heart, and not to suffer 
 him to be absent from my eyes for a moment. 
 
 "At last I admitted him among my intimate companions,"^ 
 and used to dress him in robes of honour of various kinds, and 
 jewels of divers colours, and gaze upon him. At length, his 
 being near me became a solace to my eyes and a source of 
 comfort to my heart. Every moment was spent in encouraging 
 him. Things at last came to this point with me, that if for a 
 moment he left me for some necessary purpose, I felt ill at 
 ease. After some years he reached the age of puberty. His 
 young moustache began to grow. His stature reached its full 
 size. The gate-keepers then, outside, began to talk about 
 him. The porters, and men stationed to purchase goods at 
 the women's apartments,"' the Mewaras,'^"^ the relief-guard, 
 and the pursuivants and mace-bearers, began to oppose his 
 
 '"" Literally, " became eomething of sometlimg." ,i. i raii^mi, here translated 
 " fllKng-out," signifies generally, "grease," and hence, " stoutness," " sleekness." 
 
 '■" Literally, "infidel," but here merely an abusive term, like "miscreant," 
 " caitiff." 
 
 '"■- The ^l«=^ l^^ imifahiban of princes are their favourites, confidential advisers, 
 those who have the eiiirA: 
 
 '" The -word u, . rawatina is rendered by this long periphrasis of nine -n-oi-ds. 
 
 1" The -word y^y^ meivm-a, in Forbes' vocabulary, is rendered, "a kind of 
 attendant," which explains nothing. In Shakespear's dictionary it is said to be the 
 name of a robbing tribe of Mowfit. Thcso robbers are used oven under om- Govern- 
 ment and by our officers, as house-guai-ds, 0.g. the KamQsIs in Bombay. 
 
TRAVELS or THE FIRST DARWESH. 53 
 
 entering the seraglio. At length his visits were stopped. I 
 indeed was restless without him. One moment seemed a 
 mountain.1^5 When I heard these tidings of despair, I felt 
 as much consternation as though the direst calamity ^^^ had 
 befallen me, and my condition was such that I could neither 
 utter a word nor continue without him. I had no power to 
 effect anything. (I exclaimed,) ' My God ! what shall I do ? ' 
 My perturbation was excessive. Owing to my disquietude 
 I sent for the eunuch (who was my confidante), and said, 
 ' I wish to take care of the boy. At present, the plan to be 
 adopted is, that you should give him a thousand pieces of gold 
 as capital, and make him open a jeweller's shop in the centre 
 bazar, whereby he will be able to trade, and with the profits 
 pass his life in ease. And for his residence cause a handsome 
 mansion to be built for him near my palace. Purchase the 
 necessary slaves and attendants, fix their monthly salaries, and 
 place them in his service, that he may not want for comfort 
 in any way.' The eunuch made all the preparations for his 
 residence and his business as a jeweller and trader. In a short 
 time his shop made such a splendid and conspicuous appearance 
 that all the sumptuous robes and costly jewels which were 
 required for the use of the king or his nobles ^^ were procured 
 at no other house but his. By degrees he laid in such a stock 
 that whatever rarities from whatsoever country were required, 
 were to be found there. In comparison with his, all the 
 jewellers' business was suspended. In a word no one was able 
 to compare with him in this city,^''^ nay, there was no such 
 jeweller in any country. 
 
 " In this same traffic he indeed gained lakhs of rupees, but 
 his separation from me began to make daily inroads in my 
 
 "^ That is, " of prodigious length." A similar expression occurs, p. 29, 1. 6, j.r. 
 
 "' Literally, " the day of resurrection," and hence used for anything surprising 
 and terrible. 
 
 '" ju »»j aarkar is here pleonastic. It is merely introduced honorifically when 
 speaking of great personages. 
 
 "8 By a lapsus of Mir Amman, or of the transcriber, we find in the text, "in that 
 city," which does not suit the speaker, who was living in the city at the time. 
 
54 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 frame. No device succeeded for me to console my heart by a 
 sight of him. At length I summoned that same experienced 
 eunuch for a consultation, and said to him, 'No such plan 
 succeeds that I should behold his form ^^ for a little, and tran- 
 quillize my heart. There is however this method, for you to 
 cause a subterraneous passage to be dug from his house and 
 unite it with my palace.' Upon my giving the command, such 
 a tunnel was prepared in a few days, and when evening came 
 the eunuch brought in the youth by that passage in profoimd 
 silence. The whole night was passed in wine, feasting, and 
 merriment. I obtained repose by meeting him ; he was grati- 
 fied by seeing me. When the morning-star arose and the 
 Mu'azzin proclaimed the summons to prayer, the eunuch con- 
 veyed the youth by the same way to his house. Beside the 
 eunuch and two nurses who had given me suck and brought me 
 up, no fourth person was acquainted with the matter. 
 
 " A long interval passed in this manner. One day this in- 
 cident occurred. The eunuch, according to custom, had gone to 
 call him, and saw the youth sitting silent like one absorbed in 
 thought. The eunuch inquired of him if he was well, and why 
 he was so sad to-day ? and bade him come, for he was sent for 
 to the presence. He returned no answer at all. He never 
 moved his tongue.^*" The eunuch returned alone and disap- 
 pointed, ^^^ and related how he found him. That the devil might 
 bring me to ruin, my heart did not even then forget its love 
 for him. Had I known that my love and affection for such a 
 traitor and ingrate would in the end bring me to disgrace and 
 dishonour, and stain my character and fame, I would that very 
 moment have abandoned the affair and repented of it. I would 
 never have mentioned his name again, nor given my heart to 
 that shameless one. But it was to be thus. I took no notice, 
 therefore, of his not coming, looking on it as merely the coquetry 
 
 '" A play on words, tlie same -word, CUjya furat, being used to express " plan " 
 and " form." 
 
 "" Or as we say, " never opened his lips." 
 
 "^;*J ~\^ L) liJI apna sa muilh lekar. Literally: " taking a face like his 
 own," a strange expression. We use just the reverse, " out of countenance." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 55 
 
 of lovers. 1^^ Of this the result which I have now experienced 
 is, that thou, too, though no eye-witness, hast become acquainted 
 with this story. Else, how great the difference between me and 
 you ! 1^^ Well ! what has happened has happened. I overlooked 
 the perverseness of that ass, and twice sent a message by the 
 eunuch, saying, 'If thou wilt not come to me, I somehow or 
 other will come to thee ; but my coming will be highly in- 
 decorous, and fraught with danger, i^* If this secret be divulged, 
 then it wiU be very bad for thee. Then do not act so that the 
 result can be nothing but disgrace. This is best, that thou 
 come quickly, otherwise consider me already arrived.' When I 
 had despatched this message, and he saw that my loving desire 
 of him was excessive, he came with an affected coquettish 
 manner, dressing himself so as to look as miserable as possible. 
 
 " When he had seated himself beside me, I asked him, ' What 
 is the cause of thy backwardness and ill-humour to-day ? Thou 
 hast never shewn so much petulance and boldness, but always 
 presented thyself without excuse.' He then said, ' I, nameless 
 and humble individual, by the favour of your Highness, and by 
 reason of your august protection, have reached this affluence. 
 My life has been spent in much ease. I offer my prayers for 
 the life and fortune of your Highness. This fault has been 
 committed by this guilty person, in the confident expectation 
 that the Princess will pardon me. I hope for your forgiveness.' 
 I indeed loved him with my heart and soul. I believed his 
 hypocritical speeches, and did not observe his villany. On 
 the contrary, I again asked him encouragingly, 'What such 
 grievous embarrassment has befallen thee, that thou hast con- 
 tinued so pensive ? relate it. We shall devise some remedy for 
 it also.' 
 
 " In short, he replied in his usual cringing way, ' All things 
 
 182 Instead of ^ijiyux^ mashukon,a, word applicable only to females, we should 
 have expected ijJLilc ashikon here. Is this a lapsus of Mir Amman's laaking ? 
 
 '83 Lit. : " I where ? and thou where ? " The speaker being a princess, and the 
 person addressed a merchant. 
 
 184 I jiave been unable to express c:^£»-LJ' kaiahat, but by this periphrasis of 
 five words. 
 
56 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 are difficult to me ; in the presence of your Highness all become 
 easy.' At length, from the tenor of his discourse and conver- 
 sation, this became apparent, that there was a lofty edifice, and 
 a garden of great verdure with reservoirs, lakes, and wells of 
 solid masonry near his house in the centre ^^ of the city, to bo 
 sold, and along with the garden, a female slave also, a singing- 
 girl, who possessed a very fine taste for music. The two, how- 
 ever, were to be sold together, not the garden alone; like a 
 cat on the neck of a camel. Whoever took the garden, was also 
 to pay the price of the female slave. And this was the wonder, 
 that the price of the garden was five thousand rupees, and the 
 sum demanded for the slave-girl five hundred thousand. The 
 youth '^^ represented that he could not at present raise so large 
 a sum. I found that his heart was altogether absorbed ^^ in 
 the eager desire of purchasing those things, and that it was on 
 this very account that his head was disturbed and his mind 
 distracted. Although he was sitting in my presence, still his 
 countenance was sad and his mind dejected. To cheer him up 
 was to me a matter of hourly and momentary necessity. I 
 instantly commanded the eunuch saying, ' To-morrow morning 
 pay the price of that garden and slave-girl, and cause a title- 
 deed for the garden and a receipt for the slave-girl to be written 
 out, and hand them over to this person, and pay the cost-money 
 to the owner out of the imperial treasury.' 
 
 "Immediately on hearing this permission the youth made 
 obeisance to me, and his countenance recovered its usual ap- 
 pearance.^^ The whole night was spent in laughing and 
 merriment, in the very same manner as it had been always 
 wont to pass. As soon as it dawned, he took his leave. The 
 
 185 Literally: "navel." 
 
 188 AH the description of the garden and slave-girl, to the close of this sentence, is 
 given in the direct form, but it is requisite to use the oblique form in English. 
 '" Literally, " without choice." 
 "8 I hazard this translation, notwithstanding that the dictionaries give only 
 
 "tears" as the English of (J!-~^J^ rohaf, which they derive from I)., roito, 
 "to weep.'' I cannot think this meaning applicable, and would derive it from 
 jj ru " face." If this be regarded as inadmissible, the sense will be, " he wept 
 with joy." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 57 
 
 eunuch, as he was ordered, purchased the garden and female 
 slave, and gave them to him. Afterwards the youth, according 
 to custom, was coming and going at night. One day in the 
 season of spring, when the place, too, was pleasant to the heart, 
 the clouds were circling round, small drops of rain were falling, 
 and the lightning also was flashing, ^^^ and a soft, soft breeze 
 was blowing. In short, at that moment the season was one of 
 wondrous delight. As soon as I looked upon the liquors ^^^ of 
 various colours, and the flagons arranged in the recesses, my 
 heart desired to take one draught. When I came to the second 
 or third cup, I forthwith bethought myself of that newly 
 purchased garden. I felt an intense desire to take a walk there 
 for one moment during this state of things. "When ill-fortune 
 is to happen the dog will bite you though you be mounted on a 
 camel.^^'^ Quite of my own accord ^^^ and free-will I proceeded, 
 taking a nurse along with me, by way of that subterraneous 
 passage to the abode of that youth, and thence I went on to 
 the garden. I beheld then that the beauty of that garden 
 completely equalled that of Paradise. The drops of rain which 
 had fallen on the green leaves of the trees, were like pearls set 
 in leaves of emerald; and the redness of the flowers in that 
 gloom blushed like the redness of the evening sky, while the 
 streamlets filled to the brim resembled carpets of glass, and 
 waves continued rippling. 
 
 In short, I' was walking about in that garden gazing in every 
 direction, when the day closed, and the darkness of evening 
 made its appearance. Meanwhile that youth shewed himself in 
 an avenue, and when he saw me, advanced with much respect 
 and eagerness, and, taking my hand in his, led me to a summer- 
 house with twelve doors. "When I arrived there, the appearance 
 
 1^' This description of exhilarating weather does not accord with European 
 notions. To appreciate it we must have experienced the heat of the sultry season in 
 India. 
 
 ■so literally, " bubbles." 
 
 '^' A proverb signifying that no precautions can save you from the disasters which 
 are fated to occur to you. 
 
 cJ^2j cr^^^^ baithe biiha'e, literally signifies "seated and having caused 
 to sit ; " but it has come to mean " ultro, sponte su^." 
 
58 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 of the place obliterated from my mind all the scenery of the 
 garden. The abundance of Kghts was this Cwhich I will 
 describe). In every direction cypress lanthorns, lotus lamps, 
 and lanthorns revolving by the smoke of the candles within, and 
 having on their sides figures of various animals, '^^^ and lights 
 astonishing the assembly, ^^* and shaded lights were kindled, 
 insomuch that the night of Barat,^'^ notwithstanding its moon- 
 light and its lamps, was dark in comparison with it. On one 
 side fireworks were let off, Roman candles with flowers issuing 
 forth, and fireworks resembling pomegranates, and others like 
 the Chrysanthemum Indicum, and like the Ksempferia rotunda, 
 and like pearls, and blue-lights, and rockets, and Catherine 
 wheels, and fireworks like flowers held in the hand, and 
 others like the Jasminum grandiflorum, and crackers, and stars. 
 Meanwhile the clouds parted, and the moon came forth just as 
 a mistress appears dressed in a suit of purple robes. The scene 
 was one of marvellous beauty.^^^ As soon as the moonbeams 
 were shed abroad, the young man said, 'Now come and take 
 your seat in an upper room of the garden-house.' I had 
 become so bereft of sense that whatever that wretch said, to 
 that I assented. He now led me the following dance: — He 
 took me up stairs. That building was so lofty that all the 
 houses of the city, and the lamps of the market-place, were 
 as it were the lower garden to it. I was seated in a state of 
 pleasurable emotion, with my arms round the neck of the youth. 
 
 193 This periphrasis of eighteen words is used to b'auslate the words (J \^ L/^y"' 
 fdnus-i Miiydl. 
 
 IS* All these are various kinds of devices for illumination. 
 
 1'* Shab-i Barat, which latter word signifies " Register." This is the book in 
 which all the actions which men are to perform during the ensuing year are written. 
 The feast is held on the 14th of Shaban, the eighth month, and ou the 16th God 
 records the actions. Owing to this circumstance the feast has obtained the name of 
 the Shah-i Barat, " Night of Record." It is also caUed — 2. LailatuT-mubarik, 
 " the Blessed Night." 3. Ealjmat, " Night of Mercy." 4. " Night of Discernment." 
 — Kanun-i Islam, p. 261. 
 
 ""^ ^" --C-S kaifii/at is here used in a very idiomatic sense. The meanings given 
 
 in the vocabulary of Forbes' edition are none of them applicable here. The proper 
 meaning is in some degree given by Shakespear's " deliciousness." 
 
TEAVELS OF THE FIRST DAEWESH. 59 
 
 when, meanwhile, a woman excessively ugly, with no shape or 
 comeliness, coming, as it were, out of the hearth,^^' advanced 
 holding a cup of wine in her hand. Her coming at that time 
 displeased me excessively, and from beholding her appearance, 
 horror arose in my heart. Then in confusion I inquired of the 
 youth, 'Who is this filthy monster? Whence hast thou got 
 her ? ' The youth, clasping his arms in a reverential posture, 
 said, ' This is the same female slave that was purchased along 
 with the garden, by the bounty of your Highness.' I perceived 
 that that simpleton had purchased her with extreme eagerness. 
 Perhaps (thought I) his heart is attracted to her. Suffering 
 inward vexation on this account, I remained silent, but my 
 heart from that very time became gloomy, and uneasiness 
 spread over my temper. Furthermore, that low fellow added 
 this annoyance, that he caused this strumpet to act as cup- 
 bearer. At that time I was drinking my own blood, and as, 
 when some one has enclosed in the same cage a parrot and a 
 crow, I had no means of escape, while my heart would not 
 suffer me to remain seated there. 
 
 " To make the story short, that wine was double distilled, such 
 that a man would become a beast by drinking it. She gave to 
 the youth two or four cups of the same potent liquor in suc- 
 cession, and half a cup I too, at the entreaty of that youth, 
 drank off, though as unwillingly as if it had been poison. At 
 last that shameless harlot, also becoming wanton, began to use 
 silly and indecorous gestures to that abandoned youth, and that 
 foolish boy also, losing all respect through intoxication, began 
 to commit improprieties. I was overpowered with such a sense 
 of shame that, at that time, had the earth opened, I would 
 have engulphed myself, but, through affection for him, I kept 
 silence, notwithstanding his senseless conduct. But he indeed 
 was by nature vile; he understood not my thus overlooking 
 (his behaviour). In the whirl of intoxication he drank off two 
 more cups, so that he lost what sense he had left, and swept 
 away all reverence for me from his mind. Overpowered by 
 
 ''' The meaning is, " She was as black as if she came out of the hearth " (or as we 
 should say, " black as a sweep, or as a coal "). 
 
60 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 lust, that shameless one, breaking through all decency, had 
 connexion with that female slave before my face; and that 
 goblin of a woman, too, lying beneath him in that condition, 
 began to indulge in the blandishments of love, and kisses, and 
 close embraces took place between the two. There was no 
 fidelity in that faithless man, nor shame in that shameless one 
 — as is the spirit, so is the angel.''^ My state at that time was 
 like that of a female singer, i*^ singing out of time a tuneless 
 tune. I was invoking curses on myself, and crying, 'Where- 
 fore came I here for which I have got this punishment ? ' At 
 length, how long should I endure this ? I was on fire from 
 head to foot, and began to roll upon hot coals.^"" In this angry 
 and exasperated state I started up from thence, repeating this 
 proverb, ' The bullock leapt not but the sack,^"! — did ever one 
 behold a sight like this.' ^"^ 
 
 " That drunkard perceived in his heart his own danger, 
 thinking, 'if the princess is now displeased, what will be my 
 state to-morrow ? and in the morning what disasters will result ? 
 Now it is better that I slay the princess.' Having, by the 
 advice of that harlot, made this resolve in his mind, he cast 
 his sash about his neck,^"' and came and fell at my feet, and 
 having taken off his turban from his head, began to entreat 
 and supplicate. My heart was enamoured of him. I followed 
 wherever he led me, and, like a stone for grinding moved with 
 the hand, 2"^ was in his power. "What he said, that I was doing. 
 
 "^ A prOTert somewhat resembling " An evil man, out of the evil treasure of his 
 heart, bringeth forth evil things." Matt. xii. 35. 
 
 "" The \^'^yi domni is a female of a low caste of Musalmaa called Dom, and 
 sings and plays in the company of females only, using the iustruments dhol or drum , 
 and manjire, a kind of cymbal. 
 
 ""> In plain words, " I was excessiTely disquieted." 
 
 "" The ijjS gon, is a sack for carrying grain. The Anglo-Indians, with their 
 usual happy patois, call them " gunny" bags. 
 
 »»« This proverb applies to those guilty of such insolence and audacity, as, from 
 their low position, could little have been expected from them. 
 
 '"^ This is done in token of supplication. 
 
 '"* A periphrasis of seven words to express X=«- chakkl. 
 
TKAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 61 
 
 Somehow or other, having persuaded and cajoled me,^"' he 
 caused me to be seated again, and having fiUed two or four 
 cups of the same fiery liquors, he himself drank, and gave 
 me also to drink. For one thing I was burned to a cinder ^^ 
 with anger, and next, T drank such wine. I quickly lost my 
 senses, so that I was utterly bereft of them. Then that pitiless, 
 disloyal, and stony-hearted caitiff wounded me with a sword, 
 and moreover, in his own opinion, killed me outright. At that 
 moment my eyes opened, when these words issued from my 
 mouth, ' "Well ! as I have done, so it has been done to me — • 
 but do thou save thyself from this my innocent blood. 
 
 Forbid it some tyrant should seize and arrest thee for this, 
 
 "Wash my blood from thy robe, what has been, that has been, and is. 
 
 To none make known this secret. I have not held back even 
 my life from thee.' Having again recommended him to God, 
 my spirit sank within me. I lost all sense and recollection. 
 Perhaps the butcher, thinking me dead, thrust me into the box 
 and let me down from the wall of the fort, where you saw me. 
 I wished ill to no one, but these disasters were written in my 
 destiny. The writing of fate is not to be obliterated. Because 
 of these eyes I have seen these adventures ; had my eyes not 
 found pleasure in beautiful persons, then that wretched man 
 would not have been a chain round my neck. Grod brought 
 it about that thou arrivedst there, and made thee the instru- 
 ment of my surviving, I now feel such shame in my heart, 
 that, ' after enduring these indignities, I would either not 
 survive, or I would hide my face from all ; but what can I 
 do? death is not in one's own power. God, after slaying 
 me, restored me to life. Let us see what is fated in my destiny. 
 It is evident that thy exertions and attentions were the means 
 of my being cured from such wounds. Thou hast expended 
 life and wealth in preserving me, and hast supplied me with 
 
 ^"^ The word U^iiiJ pandhlana, occurs in Forbes' vocabulary, but not in his 
 
 dictionary, nor in that of Shakespear. It is perhaps from flJTI^i!™^, as yip Jcj 
 pind parna, is "to pursue." 
 206 Literally, "roast meat." 
 
62 
 
 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 all thou possessedst. In those days, seeing thee without money, 
 and perplexed, I wrote that letter to Sidl Bahar, who was my 
 treasurer. The contents were as follows: — 'I am in health 
 and safety in such a place. Convey to my mother tidings of 
 me, unfortunate.' 
 
 "He sent with thee for thy expense those trays of money, 
 and when I sent thee to the shop of Yusuf, the merchant's 
 son, to purchase the jewels and dresses, I confidently expected 
 that as that mean person ^"^ quickly struck up an acquaintance 
 and took his seat with any one, it was probable that, regarding 
 thee also as a foreigner, he would in his affected way give yo>i 
 an invitation, and entertain thee. Which design of mine 
 succeeded. He did exactly as I had imagined in my mind. 
 When thou camest after making him a promise of returning, 
 and told me the circumstance of his (profiered) entertainment 
 and of his insisting upon it, I was pleased in my heart, think- 
 ing that when thou shouldest go and eat at his house, then, 
 if thou, too, shouldst invite him to an entertainment, he would 
 come speedily. On which account I readily gave thee leave. 
 After three days when thou camest back thence, after con- 
 cluding the entertainment, and with shame madest excuses 
 before me for thy absence, I said, in order to encourage thee, 
 ' Never mind ! when he gave thee leave then thou camest, but 
 it is not well to show that indifference to opinion as to keep 
 thyself under an obligation to another and not return it. Now 
 do thou also go and invite him, and bring him along with 
 thyself.' When thou hadst gone to his house, I then perceived 
 that there were no articles for his entertainment ready, and 
 were he to come, what could I do ? But this opportunity pre- 
 sented itself to me, in that it has been the custom of the 
 monarchs of this country from old time to remain abroad 
 eight months 2"^ in ordering their territories and transacting 
 
 207 
 
 <W-^j^>-/»J '•■'"'' hau§Uali, is rendered in Forbes' vocabulary, " unaspirin»," 
 "unambitious," a meaning altogether foreign to the sense of this passage. 
 
 208 The author here refers to the custom of the former kings of Delhi. The 
 progress may well be called lJj^ lLnLh mtilk gh-J, "taking territory," for 
 refractory chiefs wore reduced, their castles stormed, and sometimes new coniiuest* 
 were made. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIEST DARWESH. 63 
 
 their political and revenue matters, and for four months during 
 the^ rainy season they reside in the royal castle. In those days 
 the king, that is, the father of me unfortunate, had two or four 
 months ago departed to make a royal progress through his 
 territories in order to establish order in them. 
 
 " While you were bringing with you the youth, Sidl Bahar ^"^ 
 stated to the queen (who is the mother of me, impure,) what 
 had befallen me. Then I, ashamed of the error and fault I 
 had committed, went and stood before her, and related all that 
 had occurred. Although she, from her judicious foresight, and 
 maternal affection for me, had concealed the circumstance of my 
 disappearance, saying to herself, ' Grod knows what will be the 
 end of this : at present to disclose this disgraceful affair would 
 not be well,' and had (as it were,) in my place deposited and 
 hidden my fault within herself i^^" still she was in search of me. 
 When she saw me in this state, and heard all my story, she 
 wept and said, ' unfortunate (girl), deserving never to have 
 been born ! ^^^ Thou hast, with thine eyes open, and of set 
 purpose, destroyed all the honour and dignity of the imperial 
 house. A thousand pities ! and thou hast washed thine hands 
 of thine own life. Would that in thy stead I had given birth 
 to a stone, then I could have endured it with patience. Even 
 now repent. What wilt thou do ? Wilt thou live or die ? ' 
 I, with a feeling of deep shame, said, 'In the fate of me un- 
 fortunate this very thing was written, that after escaping from 
 such various calamities, I should continue to survive in this 
 dishonoured and wretched state. Than this, even death were 
 better; but though the stain ^^^ of disgrace adheres to my 
 forehead, yet I have done no such deed that dishonour should 
 
 2™ To preserve the connexion of the sentence Uib [mA aisa hu' a, "it was so," 
 or some such words, must be understood before aS kih. 
 
 ^i" In the text it is, "in her stomach." In other words, "Instead of being in 
 travail with me, she was now so with my faults." 
 
 '" Forbes translates this JsJii Ij >«« shudanl, "unfit to live," and Shakespear 
 renders it, " one from whom no good is to be expected." 
 
 "' The ICJ) tlJia is the sectarial mark made on the forehead by Hiadus. 
 
64 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 attach to the name of my parents. My present chief anguish 
 is this, that those two shameless ones should escape from my 
 power, and indulge in mutual dalliance and delights, while I 
 endure this degree of suffering at their hands. It is a shame 
 that I am unable to effect anything. My hope is this, that the 
 household steward be ordered to prepare the necessary requisites 
 for an entertainment, with the utmost elegance, in the abode 
 of this unfortunate one. Then, having summoned those two 
 wretches, on the pretence of inviting them to a feast, I will 
 give them the reward of their actions, and take my revenge. 
 As he directed his hand against me and wounded me, I, too, 
 will cut them in pieces. My heart will then be soothed, else I 
 am consumed ^^^ in the flame of this resentment, in which I shall 
 at length be burned to ashes.' 
 
 " When my mother heard this, her mental grief rendered her 
 compassionate, and she threw a veil over my faults, and gave 
 into the charge of the eunuch (who was my confidante), all 
 the things requisite for the entertainment. All the persons (I 
 required) arrived, and were present in their respective offices. 
 At evening thou earnest, bringing that man now dead, but I 
 required the presence of that foul slave also. Accordingly I 
 gave thee fresh injunctions, and summoned her too. "When 
 she also had come, and the company had assembled, all with 
 repeated draughts of wine became intoxicated and insensible, 
 and with them thou also, being intoxicated, fell down like a 
 dead person. I then gave orders to one of the female Kilmaks 
 in attendance to go and decapitate them with a sword. She ia 
 an instant drew forth her weapon, and having cut off their 
 heads on the spot, made their bodies red (with blood) . And my 
 anger against thee was caused by this, that I had given thee 
 permission to go to the entertainment, but not to rely implicitly 
 on a friendship of but two days, and make thyself an associate 
 of a drunken party. This folly of thine was assuredly dis- 
 pleasing to me, because when, after much drinkino, thou be- 
 
 '" The word L$l^^ phthia, gives the idea of a thing in the forge, in the fierce 
 flame excited by the bellows. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 65 
 
 earnest insensible, then what confidence could I have in thee as 
 a companion ? But the obligation of thy services is so fixed 
 round my neck, that, in spite of such improper actions of thine, 
 I pardon thee. Thus I have related to thee, from beginning to 
 end, my adventures. Now there is one other wish remaining 
 in my heart. Just as, to gratify thee, I have complied with all 
 thou hast said, even so do thou also perform my directions in the 
 way I shall tell you. The step advisable for the present crisis 
 is, not to continue in this city, which is good neither for me nor 
 for you. For the rest thou art master." ^^^ 
 
 O Servants of G-od ! having said thus much, the princess 
 was silent. I with my heart and soul regarded her orders as 
 taking precedence over everything, and I was entangled in 
 the net of love for her. I said, " Whatever is your royal 
 pleasure, that is best. This, your devoted servant, will perform 
 it unhesitatingly." "When the princess perceived that I was 
 altogether obedient and at her command, she said, " Send for 
 two swift and spirited coursers (which may match the wind 
 in speed) from the royal stable." I selected just such fairy- 
 born highly-mettled ^"^^ steeds, and having caused them to be 
 saddled, sent for them. When but little of the night remained, 
 the princess put on man's apparel, and, fully armed, mounted 
 one of the steeds, and I, well provided with weapons, seated 
 myself on the other, and we set off in one direction. 
 
 When the night was over, and it began to dawn, we 
 arrived on the border of a lake. We dismounted and washed 
 our hands and faces, and, taking a rapid breakfast, mounted and 
 went on. At times the princess conversed a little, and thus 
 spake, "For thy sake I have left shame, modesty, country, 
 wealth, parents, all. Forbid it that thou, too, shouldst act like 
 that faithless and cruel one." At times I was recounting some 
 chit-chat, in order to shorten the journey, and was replying to 
 her, saying, " Princess ! All men are not alike. There was 
 something wrong in the seed from which that base wretch 
 
 ''■* This may mean, " I have said my say, do as you please ; " or, " comply with 
 this one request, the rest I leave to you." 
 21* LiteraDy, " with four kidneys." 
 
 5 
 
66 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 sprang, that he committed such a deed ; and as for me, I have 
 devoted property and life in thy service, and thou hast bestowed 
 upon me every kind of exaltation. I am now your slave, though 
 not bought with money. If thou shouldest cause shoes ^^^ to be 
 made of my skin, and put them on, I would not utter a single 
 sigh." Such conversation was carried on between us, and we 
 employed ourselves in travelling night and day. At times 
 when, from fatigue, we alighted anywhere, we made prey of the 
 beasts and birds of the forests, and having slain them in the due 
 toTm,'^^'' and having taken salt from our salt-cellar, and struck 
 fire with our flints, and broiled (the flesh), we ate it, and let 
 loose our horses. They grazing on the grass and leaves, with 
 their own mouths filled their bellies. 
 
 One day we came out into such a flat and imbroken ^^ plain 
 as possessed not even the name of a habitation, and where the 
 form of man was nowhere to be seen. Even here, owing to the 
 princess being my companion, day appeared to me like the feast 
 of Id,^i^ and night like the night of Barat. As we proceeded, 
 our road was unexpectedly crossed by a river, at sight of which 
 the liver became water.^^" When, as we stood on the bank, we 
 looked about us, we found that as far as the eye could reach, 
 there was nothing but water. Neither dry land nor raft ^^^ was 
 to be seen. (We ejaculated,) " Grod ! now how shall we cross 
 this ocean ?" For a moment we stood absorbed in this thought. 
 At length this idea entered mj- mind, that I would make her 
 sit down there, and go myself in search of a boat or vessel, and 
 that until I could get the means of crossing, that lady might 
 also repose herself. I then said, " queen ! with your per- 
 
 *'^ A proverbial expression -which vre have had before at page 26, line 10. 
 '1' An animal is lawfully slain by JIuhammadans when the throat is held up, and 
 severed with the words, " Bism 'illah," " In the name of Grod." 
 '^' Literally, " flat as the palm of the haud.'' 
 
 B 
 
 '" For an explanation of Id and Barut, see page 9, note 48, and page 58, uot« 195. 
 
 '-" A most in.sipid attempt at wit. 
 
 "' The dictionaries unite these words and render them thus, Vj^' \^! t/ialbero, 
 " means of obtaining one's wishes,' ■ a most doubtful interpretation, aud not at all 
 required here. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 67 
 
 mission I will examine the ford, and way of passing this river." 
 She said, " I am much fatigued, and am suffering from hunger 
 and thirst; I will rest a little, and meantime do thou devise 
 some expedient for crossing." 
 
 At that place there was a pipal-tree (Ficus religlosa), which 
 formed such a shade that if a thousand horsemen had come, 
 they might have reposed safe from heat and rain beneath it. 
 Having seated her there, I went on and was looking in all 
 directions to find some trace of a human being on the earth, 
 or in the water. I exerted myself much, but found no such 
 vestige. At length I came back thence in despair, and found 
 that that beautiful lady was no longer under the tree.^^^ How 
 can I relate what I then experienced, for my senses departed ? 
 I became crazed and insane. ^^' At times I ascended the tree, 
 and wandered from branch to branch, from leaf to leaf. Some- 
 times I let go my hands and feet, and fell to the ground, and 
 walked (in token of devoting myself for her) round the root of 
 that tree. At times uttering shrill screams, I was bewailing my 
 helplessness. Now I rushed from east to west, now I turned 
 from north to south. In short I gave myself much fruitless 
 labour, ^^* but I discovered no trace of that unattainable jewel. 
 When all my efforts were unavailing, I then began to search in 
 all directions, weeping, and casting dust on my head. 
 
 The thought occurred to my mind that perhaps some Jin ^-'' 
 had carried off that fair one, and inflicted this injury upon me ; 
 or that some one from her own country had pursued her, and 
 finding her alone, had persuaded her, and carried ^^^ her off 
 
 ''^ The selection of the Pipal as the tree from under which the lady disappeared, 
 perhaps arose fi-om the popular notion among the Hindus that that tree is the ahode 
 of sprites and goblins. 
 
 --3 There should he a full stop here ; the text is wrongly pointed in Forbes' 
 edition. 
 
 ^■^ Literally, " I sifted much dirt." 
 
 ^-5 The Jins are the genii of oriental tales. 
 
 22^ Shakespear renders I) .ajl ubharna, by "to swell, to rise up, to overflow, to 
 unlade a cart or boat," all which meanings are altogether irrelcYant here. He also 
 makes the word of Sanskrit origin. Forbes' vocabulary makes it Hindi, and renders 
 it "to go, to depart." His dictionary makes it " to overflow." Strange contradic- 
 tions these ! 
 
68 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 again towards Syria. Distracted with, my thoughts, I cast away 
 my clothesj^^'' and, naked as at my birth, I became a fakir, and 
 from morn to night went on searching the country of Syria (for 
 her I had lost), and at night cast myself down anywhere. I 
 travelled over the whole world, but learned from none tidings 
 of my princess, nor discovered the reason of her disappearance. 
 Then it entered into my mind that since I found no trace of her 
 who was my life, to live was now odious to me. In a thick 
 forest appeared a mountain, which I then ascended, and resolved 
 to throw myself down, that my head and face being dashed 
 repeatedly against the rocks, might be crushed to pieces, by 
 which means I should escape from a grief so excessive. 
 
 Saying this in my heart, I was about to cast myself down, 
 nay my feet were already off the ground, when some one caught 
 me by the hand. MeanwhUe, my senses returned, and I then 
 beheld a horseman in green clothing, with a veil thrown over 
 his face, who addressed me, saying, "Why dost thou purpose 
 thy own death ? to despair of the grace of God is infideUty. 
 As long as there is breath, so long is there hope.^^* Now in a 
 few days three Darweshes situated ^^^ like thyself, involved in 
 an exactly similar calamity, and who have beheld similar ad- 
 ventures, will meet thee in the land of Rum, and the king of 
 that country, whose name is Azad-Bakht, to him also a grievous 
 difficulty has occurred. When he meets you four fakirs there, 
 the heart's desire and wish of each will be completely accom- 
 plished." 
 
 I seized his stirrup and kissed it, and said, " Saint of God ! 
 these few words of yours have brought consolation to my heart, 
 filled as it was with trouble ; but, for God's sake, be pleased to 
 
 '" A good instance this of the delight the Hindustanis have in jingling words. 
 c_jfJ^ wapre means nothing, and is, in fact, no word at all, but is added to jingle 
 ■"^'^ <=-J?^ iapre, and for a like reason the uo-word (JjCi U) p/iaiik, is added to 
 ' ^ • ■ (7 1 pJunk. 
 
 "" This is exactly the Lntiu proverb, " Duui epiro, spero." 
 
 ^'^ An unusual sense of cmf^ ) rakhe. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST DARWESH. 69 
 
 tell me this, who you are ? and what is your august name ? " 
 He then said, " My name is Murtaza ^'^ All, and my business is 
 this, that, whenever a difficulty occurs to any one, I relieve 
 him." Having said thus much, he disappeared from my sight. 
 At length this fakir having found solace in the good tidings of 
 my spiritual guide, who disentangled me from my perplexity, 
 set out for Constantinople. After enduring in the road the hard- 
 ships I was fated to suffer, I, by the grace of God, arrived thus 
 far, in the hope of meeting with my princess, and owing to my 
 good fortune obtained the exaltation of waiting upon you. Thus 
 our meeting with one another has taken place. We have obtained 
 the privilege of associating and discoursing with one another, it 
 now remains that we become known to, and acquainted with. 
 King Azad-Bakht. 
 
 After that we shall all five assuredly arrive at the desire 
 of our hearts. Do you also pray that it may be so, and say. 
 Amen ! Spiritual Q-uides ! such is the history of this afflicted 
 and distressed person, which I have related in the presence of 
 you Darweshes. Let us now see hereafter when this labour and 
 grief of mine will be exchanged for happiness and content- 
 ment, by meeting with the princess. 
 
 Azad-Bakht, seated silent and concealed in a corner, having 
 attentively listened to the Story of the First Darwesh, was 
 pleased. 
 
 He then began to listen to the Story of the Second Darwesh. 
 
 23" ilurtaza signifies " chosen," " approved." 
 
BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 
 
 When the turn came to the second Darwesh to relate his tale, 
 he sat down cross-legged/^^ and said, 
 
 friends ! awhile to this my tale attend, 
 Which from commencement I'll relate to th' end. 
 Hear, friends, my irremediable grief. 
 Physicians cannot heal it, nor bestow relief. 
 
 clothed in rags! this weak person is the prince of the 
 country of Fars.^°- Men skilled in every art are produced there, 
 just as "Isfahan, half the world," ^^ is a well-known proverb. 
 In the seven regions of the earth there is no country equal to 
 that region, for the star of that region is a sun, and among the 
 seven planets it is the chief luminary. The water and air of 
 that place is pleasant, and the people of clear intellect, and men 
 of taste. My father (who was the king of that country) selected 
 very illustrious and wise teachers in every science and art, to 
 instruct me from my childhood in the rules and regulations of 
 government, and appointed them as tutors; in order that, 
 having received a complete education in every branch of know- 
 ledge, I might become clever. By the grace of God, at the 
 age of fourteen years I became proficient in every science. I 
 acquired the proper manner of conversing, approved manners,"^ 
 
 ''' Literally, " on foor knees." 
 
 ''' Pars has a more limited signification than " Iran," heing the country bounded 
 on the east by Karmania, by Khuzistan on the west, the Persian Sea on the south, 
 and the desert of Naubandijiln, which separates it from Khurasan to the north. 
 Iran is the whole country of Persia, and seems to spring from the word Arya, the 
 ancient Aria. 
 
 ^" In the original " Isfahan" rhymes with " nijf jahan," " half the world." The 
 neatness of the expression is lost in English. 
 
 '^* Literally, " sitting down and rising up," 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 71 
 
 and all that is suitable and requisite for kings. And my chief 
 pleasure, by day and by night, was to be in the company of 
 clever persons, and to listen to tales of every country, and the 
 deeds of magnanimous princes and illustrious men. 
 
 One day a wise associate, who was well versed in history, 
 and acquainted with the world, began to discourse, saying, 
 " Although there is no reliance to be placed on the life of man, 
 there are, however, certain qualities such that through them, the 
 name of a man is handed down with commendation by the 
 tongues of men to the resurrection." I said, "If you would 
 enter into a detailed explanation upon these points, I too would 
 listen, and act in accordance with what you say." Then that 
 person began to relate, as follows, the story of Hatim Ta'I ^'^ : 
 — " In the time of Hatim there was a king of Arabia, whose 
 name was Naufal. He was a bitter enemy of Hatim, through 
 jealousy of his fame. Having collected a large army, he advanced 
 to give him battle. Now Hatim was one who feared Gfod, and 
 a good man. He considered that if he too should prepare for 
 war, God's creatures would be slain, and much blood would be 
 spilt, the punishment of which would be written against his 
 name. Having thus reflected, he withdrew quite alone, seeking 
 merely his personal safety, and concealed himself in the cave of 
 a mountain. When the intelligence of Hatim's disappearance 
 reached Naufal, he confiscated all his property and efiects, and 
 sent round a proclamation, saying, whoever should search for 
 and apprehend Hatim, should receive as a reward from the 
 king's government five hundred gold ashrafls. Hearing this, 
 all felt their covetousness excited, and began to search for 
 Hatim. 
 
 " One day an old man and his aged wife, accompanied by two 
 or three little children, came to break wood near the cave where 
 Hatim was concealed, and began to pick sticks from that forest. 
 The old woman said, 'Had we had good fortune, we should 
 have got a sight of Hatim somehow or other, and, having seized 
 him, have carried him to Naufal, who would then have given us 
 
 ^'^ Hatim Ta'i was an Arab, of the tribe of Tai, whence his name. He lived 
 somewhat before Muhammad, in the sixth century a.d. 
 
72 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 five hundred gold aslirafis, and we should have lived at ease, 
 and have been released from this wearisome employment.' The 
 old man said, ' What art thou chattering about ? In our 
 destiny this alone was written, that we should daily break 
 sticks, place them on our heads, and sell them in the bazar, 
 and thus provide bread and salt, or one day a tiger from 
 the forest should carry us ofi". There ! mind thy own business ! 
 Why should Hatim fall into our hands, and the king cause 
 his money to be given to us ? ' The old woman heaved a cold 
 sigh, and remained silent. 
 
 "The words of these two were overheard by Hatim. He 
 thought it far removed from magnanimity and kind feeling to 
 conceal himself, and save his own life, and not gratify the wish 
 of those two helpless individuals. It is true that the man in 
 whom there is no pity, is not human ; and he_ who feels no 
 pain (for the distressed) is a butcher. 
 
 For pity God created man ! else He 
 
 Of cherubs had no lack to bow the knee."'* 
 
 " In short, the magnanimous spirit of Hatim would not aUow 
 him to hear this with his own ears and keep silence. He 
 instantly came forth, and said to the old man, 'Dear friend! 
 I, and no other, am Hatim ; conduct me to Naufal. When he 
 beholds me, he will give to thee whatever money he has pro- 
 mised to bestow.' The old man said, ' It is true that in this 
 manner my welfare and advantage is undoubtedly secured, 
 but how will he treat thee P how is one to know that ? Should 
 he slay thee, what shall I do? I can never do this and, for 
 the sake of my own lucre, give thee into the hands of thy foe. 
 How many days shall I enjoy that wealth ? and how long 
 shall I live ? At length I shall die, then what answer shall 
 I give to God ? ' Hatim besought him much, saying, ' Take 
 me along ! I bid you do it of my own free will, and I always 
 continue in this desire, that my life and property should be 
 useful to some one — that is best.' But the old man would in 
 
 236 |_;^£\]5 (aSt, " obedience," is thus somewhat freely rendered, for the sake of 
 he rhyme. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 73 
 
 nowise consent to lead away Hatim and receive the reward. 
 At length, Hatim, having failed in all his endeavours, said, 
 ' If thou dost not take me thus, I will go of my own accord 
 to the king and say, " This old man placed me in concealment 
 in a mountain cave." ' The old man laughed and said, ' If in 
 return for kindness, we meet with ill-treatment, then (all we 
 can say is) " Fortune ! " ' During this altercation and dis- 
 cussion, more persons came up, and a crowd was formed. They 
 perceived that that very person was Hatim. They immediately 
 seized him and carried him off. The old man, too, accompanied 
 them, following in the rear, and lamenting. When they had 
 brought Hatim into the presence of Naufal, he asked, ' Who 
 seized and brought him ? ' One rascally cruel-hearted fellow 
 said, ' Who besides myself could do such a thing ? This 
 victory belongs to my name. I have set up a banner in the 
 ninth heaven.' Another swaggerer ^'^'' began to vaunt, saying, 
 ' I have for several days laboured and exposed myself in the 
 forest, and seized him, and brought him thence. Be pleased 
 to look upon my labour, and bestow what you have agreed 
 upon.' In this same manner each, from the desire of the 
 ashrafis, was saying, 'This thing was done by me.' The old 
 man, remaining silent in a corner, listened to the boastings of 
 all, and stood and wept for Hatim. When all had finished 
 recounting their valour and prowess, Hatim said to the king, 
 ' If you ask the truth, it is this. The old man, who is stand- 
 ing apart from all, brought me. If you are acquainted with 
 physiognomy, then make your observations, and fulfil what 
 you promised for my capture, since, in the whole body, the 
 tongue is the most lawful ^^ (or perfect) member. What a man 
 
 ^" i«^ly J lan-tara-m is an Arabic word compounded of ^ Ian," not," KJ' 
 tara, ""thou shalt see," J nJ, "me." How it came to mean "boasting" is 
 doubtful. Forbes, in his "dictionary, explains it, " Thou shalt never see the like 
 of me." 
 
 236 The meaning may be " that which renders a thing lawful," i.e. " prohibited," 
 or the reverse; or, that which is ^JiLs- haBl (lawful), discriminates between man 
 and beast, is the distinction between them, for to beasts all things are indifierent, to 
 man alone lawful, or the reverse. The tongue is the most lawful, or perfect member, 
 as being the greatest difference between man and beast, 
 
74 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 says that he ought to perform. Otherwise to animals also God 
 has given a tongue,^^^ then, what would be (literally, is) the 
 difference between the brute and man ? ' 
 
 "Naufal called the old wood-cutter to him, and inquired, 
 saying, 'Tell the truth. What is the real state of the case? 
 Who seized and brought Hatim ? ' That poor fellow narrated 
 truly what had happened from beginning to end, and said, 
 ' Hatim came of his own accord, for my sake.' When Xaufal 
 heard this magnanimous deed of Hatim, he was astonished, 
 (and exclaimed), ' I say Bravo ! to thy generosity — thou hast 
 not withheld even thy life ! ' He gave orders that the hands ^^^ 
 of aU those who had falsely pretended to the capture of Hatim 
 should be tied behind their backs, and that in place of the five 
 hundred ashrafis, five hundred blows with a shoe should be 
 inflicted on the heads of each, so that the life might be driven 
 out of them. Immediately the slippers began to fall crack ! 
 crack ! so that in a single moment their heads were rendered 
 bald. It is true,^^i false speaking is so great a crime, that no 
 other crime equals it. May God preserve every one from this 
 calamity ! and not impart to him a taste for lying. Many 
 people go on chattering lies, but in the time of trial they meet 
 with punishment. 
 
 " In short, having bestowed on all of them such a reward as 
 they merited, Naufal bethought himself that to entertain 
 enmity against a person like Hatim (whose bounty extended 
 to a whole world, and who grudged not his own life for the 
 sake of the needy, and who walked wholly in the way of God), 
 and to be his adversary, was far removed from a chivalrous and 
 manly spirit. He immediately grasped the hand of Hatim 
 
 8»9 Here a distinction seems to be drawn between the words ^b ; zaban and 
 •^*=f- Jiih. Both signify " tongue," but the former applies to men, and the latter 
 to animals. 
 
 "" The meaning of this singular expression Lwu.^ imV'^ ^urirfiyoM kastw, 
 seems to be " to tie the hands in such a way as to render them as useless as a fund," 
 i.e. a hand that has been cut off. 
 
 "' This is a moral reflection on the part of the author, and is singularly out of 
 place in the middle of a story. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 75 
 
 with mucli friendship and affection and said, ' "Why should 
 it not be so ? Since you are so good, why should you not be 
 so famous ? ' ^*^ He showed him courtesy and respect, and 
 seated him near himself, and his territory, and effects and 
 property, and furniture which he had seized, he immediately 
 gave up. He bestowed on him anew the chieftainship of the 
 tribe of Tai, and caused five hundred ashrafis to be bestowed 
 from his own treasury on the old man. He, uttering benedic- 
 tions, went his way." 
 
 When I had heard this story of Hatim to an end, a spirit of 
 emulation arose in my mind, and this thought passed through 
 it, that Hatim was chief only of his own tribe, and yet by the 
 single quality of generosity, he acquired such a name as was 
 renowned even to that day. (I reflected that) I was, by the 
 decree of Grod, King of all Iran,^*' and that if I remained 
 excluded from this blessing ^** it would be a great pity, — that, 
 in fact, there was nothing in the world greater than munificence, 
 for this reason, that whatever a man bestows in this world he 
 receives the reward of. it in the world to come. If he sows but 
 one grain, how great a harvest he reaps from it ! Having 
 determined this in my mind, I sent for the superintendent of 
 buildings, and ordered him to erect with all speed, outside the 
 city, a lofty edifice, with forty high and very wide doors. In a 
 short space of time just such a spacious building as my heart 
 was wishing for, was completed and made ready ; and in that 
 place, at all hours, from morning to evening, I was giving out 
 rupees and ashrafis to the indigent and friendless, and whoever 
 demanded anything, whatever it might be, I gave it to him in 
 abundance. 
 
 In short, through the forty doors the necessitous were coming 
 and taking away with them whatever they asked for. This is 
 the account of what befel one day. A fakir came in from the 
 
 2*2 This sentence is elliptical. In the text there is only, " If you are so, why 
 should you not be so ?" which is little tetter than nonsense. 
 
 24' Iran and Fars are here used indifferently for "Persia," but for the general 
 distinction between the words, vide Note 232. 
 
 2" Namely, " renown." The whole passage is ia the direct form in the original. 
 
7ft BAGH O BABIr. 
 
 opposite door and begged. I gave him an ashrafr. Again, the 
 same fakir passed through the second door and came in. He 
 asked for two ashrafis. Though I knew him to be the same 
 man, I overlooked it and gave them. In the very same way 
 he began to come in through each door,, and to increase his 
 demand by an ashrafi at a time, and I too, intentionally, 
 feigned ignorance, and gave him according to his demand. At 
 length, having come in through the fortieth door, he asked for 
 forty ashrafis, and that also I bestowed upon him. Having 
 received so much, he again pushed in through the first door, 
 and begged. I was highly displeased, and said, " Hearken ! 
 greedy one ! what sort of fakir art thou ? who art not even 
 acquainted with the three letters^** of poverty. The practice 
 of a fakir should be in accordance with these." The fakir said, 
 " Well ! Benefactor ! do you yourseK shew me (what they 
 are)." I said, "From f. comes "^fasting,' from k. 'contentment,' 
 from r. ' rigid abstinence.' He in whom these things are not is 
 no fakir. After receiving so much, consume that (thou hast), 
 and return and then receive what thou shalt ask for. This alms 
 is for removing want — not for hoarding. covetous one ! at 
 the forty doors thou hast received from one ashrafi to forty ; do 
 thou compute that sum, viz. how many ashrafis it makes by 
 way of arithmetical progression-j^*^ and even after this, avarice 
 brought thee in again by the first door. What wilt thou do 
 with all this wealth after thou hast collected it ? A fakir ought 
 to take thought but for one day. After that, God is ready for 
 the next day to provide him with a fresh subsistence. Kow 
 take shame to thyself, and make use of patience and content- 
 ment. What sort of austerity is this, that thy spiritual pre- 
 ceptor has taught thee ? " Having heard this speech from me, 
 he became incensed and insolent, and threw down on the ground 
 all he had received of me, and said, " Enough, Sir ! be not so 
 
 2" In Arabic "fakr" is "poverty," or the practice of a fakir, and consists of 
 three letters, f. k. r. with the vowel mark. In English it is impossible to preserve 
 the point of the sentence. 
 
 '*" Literally, " by turn of the sweetmeat," alluding to a game at which some one 
 bets ho will eat so many "rewrls," or sweetmeats, so many times doubled, and is 
 confounded at the amount. 
 
TEA-S'ELS O'F THE SECOND DAEWESH. 77 
 
 warm ! Take your pelf and put it by. Assume no more the 
 name of generosity. To be generous is very difficult. You 
 cannot support the weight of being generous. When will you 
 arrive at this stage ? Delhi ^^i is still far. There are three 
 letters in generous also. First act upon them, and then call 
 thyself generous." Then indeed I felt abashed and said, 
 " "Well ! kind Sir ! explain the meaning of this to me." He 
 began to say, " From s. comes (samdl) ' endurance,' and from 
 kh. {khauf-i IlaM) ' the fear of God,' and from y. {yad) ' recollec- 
 tion of one's own birth and death.' Till thou hast acquired 
 thus much, take not the name of generosity. And the dignity 
 of the generous man is this, that even if he be an evil-doer, still 
 he is the friend of Gfod. This fakir has travelled over many 
 countries, but he never saw a generous person except the 
 Princess of Basrah. God has cut out the robe of generosity 
 for that woman, and all desire the name, but do not act ac- 
 cordingly." Having heard this, I made many entreaties and 
 conjured him saying, "Pardon my fault, and take what you 
 require." He constantly refused my gifts, and departed with 
 these words, " Now if you would bestow your whole kingdom 
 upon me, I would not spit or squat upon it." He truly 
 departed, but from hearing this praise of the Princess of Basrah, 
 my heart became disquieted. I was left without repose. I now 
 felt a desire which urged me to proceed somehow or other to 
 Basrah and behold her. 
 
 Meanwhile the king died, and I ascended the throne. I 
 obtained the kingdom, but that thought did not leave me. 
 I consulted with my ministers and nobles, who were the pedes- 
 tals of the throne of my kingdom, and the pillars of the state, 
 telling them that I desired to make a journey to Basrah, that 
 they should remain diligent in the discharge of their duties, 
 and that if I survived, the duration of my journey would be 
 short, and that I would quickly return. None of them assented 
 to my departure. Having no alternative, I continued dejected, 
 One day, without addressing myself to the rest, I summoned a 
 vazir skilled in counsel, and appointed him my viceroy and 
 representative, with full powers, and created him absolute 
 
 ^*' A proverb applied to those who fall short of their mark in what they undertake. 
 
78 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 director of the State. I then put on clothes coloured with red 
 ochre, took the guise of a fakir, and set out alone for Basrah. 
 In a few days I arrived on its confines, and thenceforward I 
 began to witness the following spectacle. "Wherever I arrived 
 and halted for the night, the servants of that same queen met 
 me, and caused me to alight in a handsome abode, and supplied 
 me abundantly with all things necessary for my entertainment, 
 and with folded hands waited in my service the whole night. 
 On the next day and at the next stage the same style of 
 things was maintained. In this comfort I traversed a journey 
 which occupied months. At length I arrived in Basrah. 
 Immediately a graceful youth, handsomely attired, of good 
 disposition, and polite manners (whose intelKgence was dis- 
 cernible in his countenance), came up to me and in very sweet 
 language began to say, " I am the servant of fakirs ; I am 
 constantly engaged in this same inquiry, that whatever traveller 
 — be he a fakir or a man of the world — enters this city, shoidd 
 take the trouble of stepping into my house. There is but one 
 place for the abode of strangers here. Let your honour be 
 pleased to proceed thither and adorn that place with your 
 presence, and bestow exaltation upon me." 
 
 I inquired, " What, Sir, is your illustrious name ? " He 
 said, " They call the name of this ignoble person, Bedar 
 Bakht."^*^ Perceiving his goodness and courtesy, this humble 
 person went with him and entered his house. I saw then that 
 it was a lofty edifice, furnished with regal state. He led me 
 into a hall and caused me to be seated, and having called 
 for hot water, had my hands and feet washed, and having 
 caused the cloth to be laid, the steward arranged before me a 
 number of trays. There were four large dishes. In one was 
 YakhnI pulao ; ^^^ in the second, Korma puliio ; ^^ in the thii'd, 
 
 ^i* That is, " wakeful" — or " happy — fortune." 
 
 "" The recipe for Yakhm is as follows; — Take a pound of mutton, four or five 
 onions whole, one piece of green ginger, two dried cassia leaves, eight corns of hlack 
 pepper, twelve poimds of water ; toil these together in an earthen vessel till thi'ce or 
 four poiuids of fluid remain. Take the pot off the fire, mash the meat, etc., with the 
 liquor, and sti-ain it through a towel. Set aside this YakhuT or broth. Take rice 
 eight ounces, wash it well, and di-y it hy squeezing it firmly iu a towel, etc. Vide 
 Kanun-i Islam, p. 28, App. 6. 
 
 250 The Korma puluo is similar to the TaUinl, except that the meat is cut into 
 very thin slices. IKanun-i Islam, p. 28, App. 6, 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 79 
 
 Mutanjan pulao ; ^51 in the fourth, Kuku pulao.^^a And there 
 was one dish of zardah,^^^ and several sorts of kaliyahs and 
 meat boiled with onions, nargisi and badami, and cakes fried 
 in clarified butter, and several kinds of bread, such as that 
 called after Bakir Khan and Tunki, Shir-mal, Gao-didah and 
 
 25' The Mutanjan pulao is made with rice, meat, particularly that of kid, sugar, 
 clarified butter, and occasionally pine-apples or nuts. Kanun-i Islam, p. 28, App. 5. 
 The Mutanjan pulao, according to information received direct from India, is the 
 same as the Korma, except that the meat is venison. According to the same autho- 
 rity, the Yakhni is made of eight pounds of rice, four of butter, four of meat, all 
 boiled together ; and the recipe for the Korma is as follows : — Take a piece of meat, 
 cover it with butter and hot spices, boil it in a pot, then mix it with rice and boU it 
 over again. 
 
 ^^ The Xuku pulao is not given in the Kaniln-i Islam, but the authority already 
 quoted gives the foUowing recipe : — Boil eggs till hard, mix with rice and the gravy 
 of meat. (The wi-iter adds, " This I can confidently recommend, having tasted it.") 
 
 2S3 The dishes here mentioned are described by the same authority (a gentleman 
 in India, who kindly caused them to be aU prepared in his presence, at my request) 
 to he as follows ; — Zardah is a dish of the yolk of eggs. — For the Kaliyah, boil 
 meat with sour milk, hot spices, and butter, in a large kettle, adding sufiicient water 
 to soften the fiesh. — For the Do piyazah, boU meat in water for a long time, cutting 
 into the pot slices of onions from time to time. "When the meat is softened, throw 
 away the water ; then melt butter in another pot till it becomes clarified ; into this 
 put onions ; then put the meat into the same, with coriander, and boil the whole for 
 a short time, five or ten minutes. — The Nargisi is a biscuit like. the narcissus in 
 flavour or odour. — The Badami is flour with pounded almonds kneaded and baked. — 
 The Raughan-josh is, as the name imports, a cake fried in " ghi " — i.e. clarified 
 butter.— Bakir Khan and Tunki, according to the same informant, were two cele- 
 brated bakers. I should doubt the latter being the name of a man, but would 
 rather derive it from cf T^ tanuk, " slight." — Shir-mal, as its name denotes, is 
 bread kneaded with milk instead of water. — Gao-didah and Gao-zaban are, the 
 former small, the latter long, bread, and have their names from the fancied resem- 
 blance to the eye and tongue of a cow, as we say " bull's eyes." — Nan-i nimat are 
 very small pieces of meat fried or boiled, then pounded, then fried again in butter, 
 mixed with bread, and baked. — The Parathais thus made : Make a " chau-patti," i.e. 
 a thin cake of baked flour, spread it with butter, knead it, spread butter again, 
 repeat kneading and spreading ten or twelve times ; then bake it well, and it will 
 come out in slices thinner than paper. — Kabab kofte-ke are fried lumps of pounded 
 meat. — Kabab tikke-ke are fried balls of chopped or minced meat. The text of Forbes' 
 edition here requires to be repunctuated. There should be a stop thus — between each 
 
 dish, else nothing is more natural than to take ^ <-Xj ^ s^y '-r'V^ kabab 
 hofte-U tikke-ke together. The Murgh-ke kabab are the same as the preceding, 
 only made of fowl. — The Khaginah is undoubtedly an omelet, though my informant 
 takes it with Mui-gh-ke, and makes it " devilled fowl."— Malghubah is thus made :— 
 
80 BAGH O BAHAK. 
 
 Gao-zaban, bread mixed with meat, wafers, pounded meat, 
 minced meat and minced fowl, omelets, Malghubab, Shabdeg, 
 Dam-pukht, Hallm, Harisa, Samosah, WarakI, Kabiili, FimI, 
 Shir-i biriuj, Malal, Halwa, Faludah, Pan battha, Nimash, 
 Abshorah, Sak-i urus, almond-cakes, preserves, pickle-pots, 
 small glasses filled with curds. Having beheld these danties, 
 my spirit was filled, and when I had taken a mouthful from 
 each dish, my stomach also was filled, and then I withdrew my 
 hand from the repast. 
 
 That person was pressing me, saying, "What has your 
 honour eaten ? the dinner truly is all left, just as it was 
 brought in. Be pleased, without ceremony, to eat some 
 more." I said, " What shame is there in eating ? J^Iay God 
 keep your repasts plentiful ! I have eaten as much as I could 
 contain in my stomach, and how shall I (sufficiently) commend 
 its flavour ! for I am still licking my lips,--^ and my eructation 
 is perfumed. Enough ! now take away.-*^ When the table- 
 cloth^^^ was removed, they spread a brocaded hukkah carpet 
 
 Boil gently two kids in twenty pounds of water all night, tlen pnt in almonds, 
 pistachio nuts, dates, raisins, walnuts, etc., then boil again. — Shabdeg is meat and 
 turnips cooked together all night. — The Dam-pukht is thus made : — Boil fish, take 
 out the bones, mix it with spices and butter, then fry it ; cut open a brandule (r) 
 and haying scooped it out, place fish inside, and then fry again. There is another 
 kind of Dam-pukht. A fowl is coyered all over with paste of flour, and thus boiled. 
 The paste is taken off as soon as the fowl is sufficiently boiled. — Halim is barley 
 pudding, with milk. — Harisa is liquid jeUy. — Samosah is sandwiches toasted with 
 spices. — WarakT is the Persian name for the Paratha because it peels off, J; i"J ij i i 
 irarak ba-warak. — Kabul! is sweet-bread. — For Firm mi-y rice powdered with hot 
 mUk and a little camphor. — The Shir-i birinj is rice-pudding. — Malal is a cream. — 
 Ilalwa is a pudding of butter, flour, and milk. — Faludah is almost the same as the 
 preceding. — Pan bhatta is boiled rice kept one day in water, and boiled next dav in 
 fresh water.— Nimash is jeUy in a shape. — Abshorah is thus made :— Mix tamarinds, 
 rose-water, sugar and cold water, and cool in s;iltpetre and water. This is tamarind 
 sharbat. — Sak-i urus, or brides' legs, is a sort of double bread. — Lauzivat are almond 
 cakes. — The cm-ions inquirer into Oriental cookery may comp;u-e this list with the 
 description given in the Kanun-i Islam, p. 2S, etc., Appendix o ; but for ordinary 
 appetites this, perhaps, will be sufficient. 
 
 ''■'* Literally, " licking my tongue." 
 
 '''' It being thought unlucky to say " Take aw.ay," the expression used iustcad is, 
 " Make more." 
 
 ^"' Dastar khwun literally signifies •' the tiu-band of the table." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DAEWESH. 81 
 
 of velvet of Kashan,'^' and brought in a basin and ewer of gold, 
 and from a box made for its reception, presented me with per- 
 fumed flour of pulse to rub the body, and caused my hands to 
 be washed with warm water. Afterwards they brought in, and 
 placed before me, in a jewelled betel-box, betel-leaf prepared 
 and folded up, and encased in leaves of gold, and rolls of betel 
 and betel-nuts prepared by boiling, in boxes with four par- 
 titions, and cloves, and cardamoms, covered with leaves of 
 silver. When I called for water to drink, the person who 
 had charge of the water department came bringing a flagon 
 dipped in ice. When it was evening, candles, white as 
 camphor, and placed in shades, were lit. That friendly 
 person took his seat and conversed with me, and when a 
 watch of the night had passed, he said, " Kow be pleased 
 to repose in this bedstead, with curtains, before which a 
 screen is standing." I replied, " sir ! for us fakirs a mat, 
 or the skin of a deer, is more than enough for a bed. Grod 
 has made these things for you men of the world." 
 
 He commenced saying, " All this furniture is for darweshes ; 
 none of it is my property." At his pressing entreaty, I went 
 and lay down on the bed (which was softer even than a bed 
 of flowers). On each side of the side-frames of the bedstead 
 were pots of roses, and other flowers ranged in order, and 
 burning censers of aloes, and other perfumes. To whatever 
 side I turned, my brain was filled with fragrance. In this 
 way I fell asleep. When the morning came he brought into 
 my presence for breakfast almonds, pistachio-nuts, grapes, figs, 
 pears, pomegranates, raisins, dates, and fruit sharbats. In this 
 same manner I passed three days and nights. On the fourth 
 day, I requested leave to depart. He then joined his hands 
 and began to say, " Perhaps this guilty person has in some 
 point failed in attendance on your honour, from which cause 
 your mind is displeased ! " I was amazed and said, " For 
 God's sake what discourse is this? But the term for enter- 
 taining a guest is three days, which I have staj^ed. To remain 
 longer is not well ; and, besides, I have come out to travel. 
 
 257 Kashan, a town of Persia, in 3i° N. lat., 51° 25' E. Ion., famous for its velrets. 
 
82 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 To tarry in one place would be improper. I therefore desire 
 permission to go ; otherwise your good qualities are not of 
 such a nature that one's mind would desire to be separated 
 from them." 
 
 He then said, " As you will, but be pleased to wait for a 
 moment, that I may go into the presence of the princess and 
 make representation, and as you desire to depart [you must 
 know] that all the wearing apparel, carpets, etc., and gold and 
 silver and jewelled services for meals, which are in this house 
 for the entertainment of guests, are all your property. Measures 
 shall be taken for obeying your instructions, whatever they may 
 be, as to the mode of carrying these things with you." I re- 
 plied, " Repeat the deprecatory formula called the 'La haul ! '^^ 
 Have I become not a fakir, but a bard?^^^ Had I felt this 
 desire of lucre, then why should I have become a fakir ? What 
 is there amiss in a worldly life ? " That dear person replied, 
 " If the Queen should hear this affair, then God knows, after 
 dismissing me from her service, how she will treat me. If you 
 really feel such indifference, then fasten up all these things in a 
 room as a deposit,^^" and seal up the door. Afterwards, do with 
 them whatever you wish." 
 
 I was continuing to withhold my consent, and he, too, was 
 persisting in disregarding my excuses. (At last), having no 
 alternative, this same plan was agreed upon, to shut up all the 
 things, and put a lock upon them, which we did, and I awaited 
 my permission to depart. Meanwhile a eunuch, a confidential 
 person, with an aigrette on his head and an ornament in his ear, 
 and a sash tied round his waist, holding a golden staff of office, 
 set with jewels, in his hand, and accompanied by several respect- 
 able ^^^ attendants, filling their respective offices, approached me 
 
 "8 This is at length, <Sll L ill i'^ )1 j J^ ^ la haula wa la kutcata ilia bi-l-lahi, 
 " There is no power or goodness but in God," but they generally say, "La haul," 
 ■when they wish to deprecate anything. 
 
 2™ These are distinguished in Hindustan, as in other counb-ies, bv the exorbitant 
 value which they place on their performances. Like the old Welsh bards, they 
 chaunt the heroic deeds of warriors. 
 
 2'" Or perhaps rather, " untouched, just as they are.'' 
 
 Ml Thus we must render J^i*-» makul, according to Forbes, but I should prefer 
 making it asree with ,-Aj^_c uhdc, and translating the whole scutcuce, " and ac- 
 companied by several attendants holding suitable offices." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 83 
 
 with the state I have described.^^^ He began to address me with 
 such kindness and courtesy as I am unable to express, and 
 added, " 0, Sir ! if you will show favour and condescension, and 
 bestow ornament on the poor house of this person, who eagerly 
 desires your presence, by blessing it with your footsteps, it wiU 
 be an act in accordance with a feeling which will confer exalta- 
 tion on your slave, and will be consistent with a cherishing of 
 the poor. 
 
 " Perhaps the Princess may hear that a traveller has come 
 here, and that no one showed him politeness and courtesy. He 
 departed just as he came. God knows what calamity she may 
 bring upon me on this account, and what trouble she may cause. 
 Moreover my life even may be endangered." I did not assent to 
 these words. Then he besought me, and led me, whether I 
 would or not, into another residence (which surpassed the first 
 house). Like the same first host he gave me for three days and 
 nights, twice in the twelve hours, just such repasts, and in the 
 morning and at the third watch, sharbat and fruit for dessert, 
 and with reference to all the dishes of silver and gold, and the 
 carpets and furniture, which were there, he said to me, " You 
 are absolute master of all these ; do with them what you will." 
 
 When I heard these words, I was amazed and wished some- 
 how or other to take my departure thence and fly. The eunuch 
 remarked my countenance and said, " slave of Grod ! tell me 
 thy desire or wish, whatever it may be, and I will go into the 
 presence of the Queen and state it." I said, " Why should I, 
 in the dress of a fakir, ask for worldly wealth, that you should 
 give it me without my asking, and I refuse it ?" He then said, 
 " Desire of worldly good has departed from the minds of none, 
 just as a poet has said in this stanza : — 
 
 Ascetics have I seen who never pare their nails, and those with matted 
 
 hair, 
 [Self-torturing] Jogi with split ears, who his nude limbs with ashes 
 
 smears. 
 And hermits who ne'er break their silence dread, and Jain fakirs with 
 
 shaven head, 
 And in the forests wild of Ban Khandi, I have seen the sportive devotee. 
 
 ^'^ I have been obliged to nse these six words to translate (_^J. is. 
 
84 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 Heroes I have seen, — I tave seen the brave, the wise, the fool, and 
 
 riches' slave. 
 Those who in sorrow drew their breath, and those who passed from 
 
 birth to death. 
 Successful — ^but I've not seen those, whose mind no taint of avarice 
 
 knows." 
 When I heard this, I made answer, saying, " This is true, 
 but I have no desire for it. If you permit me, I will write and 
 deliver to you a sealed letter, containing my wish, which convey 
 into the presence of the Queen, this will be a great kindness, 
 you will have given me as it were the whole wealth of the 
 world." He said, "With my head and eyes, of course." I 
 wrote a letter, beginning with praise to God, and afterwards 
 proceeding to business, stating that "this slave of God arrived a 
 few days ago in this city, and every kind of attention has been 
 shown and is shown to me by the Government. And I have 
 found the virtues and illustrious qualities of the Queen (the 
 hearing of which has caused me this strong desire to see her) 
 four-fold greater than I had heard. Now the high officers of 
 your Majesty bid me make known my wish and inclination ; 
 wherefore I without reserve represent the wish of my heart, for 
 I am not in want of worldly wealth. I too am a king in my own 
 country. Mj^ coming hither and the labour I have undergone 
 has been entirely out of affection for your Highness. (From 
 this cause alone) I have arrived here quite alone in my present 
 condition. I now hope that by the favour of your Highness 
 this sitter in the dust may arrive at the desire of his heart — 
 thus it is fitting. For the rest, let your royal will be done. 
 But if the representation of this lowly person be not accepted, 
 he will then return in this same manner, sifting dirt and offering 
 up his afflicted life as a sacrifice, through love for j'our Highness. 
 Like Majniin and Farhad,-''' he will remain and die in the 
 forests or on the mountains." 
 
 Having written this request, I delivered it to the eunuch, and 
 he conveyed it to the Princess. After a moment he returned 
 
 203 A celebrated Persian statuary, wlio fell in lore witli Shirln, or Irene, the 
 daughter of the Emperor Maurice, and M'ife of Khusrau I'arwTz, and to please her, 
 it is said, ho dug through an immense mountain, and afterwards destroyed himself 
 for her sake by casting himself down from a rock. 
 
TKAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 85 
 
 and called me, and took me with him to the ante-chamber of 
 the palace. Having gone there, I perceived that an elderly- 
 woman, a dignified personage, wearing a profusion of orna- 
 ments, was seated on a golden chair, and several eunuchs and 
 attendants, dressed in rich apparel, were standing before her 
 with hands folded in a respectful manner. Believing her to 
 be invested with the chief power, and regarding her as a person 
 venerable for her age, I placed my hand upon my head. That 
 matron saluted me with much kindness, and addressing me 
 authoritatively, said, " Come ! be seated ! It is well you have 
 come. It was yourself, then, who has written a love-letter to 
 the Queen ? " Ashamed and silent, I held dowQ my head and 
 seated myself. 
 
 After a moment she said, " youth ! the Princess sends you 
 her compliments, and says that she has no objection to take a 
 husband, and that you have asked her in marriage, but to make 
 mention of your kingdom, and in this your condition as a fakir 
 to look upon yourself as a king, and to pride yourself upon it, 
 is very out-of-place, because in point of fact all men are the 
 same — one like another, but of course there is a superiority in 
 the religion of Islam. And [the Queen says] that for a long 
 time she has been desirous of marrying, and just as you are in- 
 different to worldly riches, so Grod most High has given to her 
 also so much wealth as to be incalculable. But there is one 
 condition — that you first complete the marriage portion, and 
 the marriage portion of the Princess is a certain thing if you 
 can do^^* it." I said, "I am in all respects ready. I will not 
 withhold my life or property — what is that thing ? Tell it, 
 that I may hear." She then said, " Wait to-day — to-morrow 
 I will tell you." I gladly assented, took leave, and came out. 
 
 The day indeed passed. When the evening came a eunuch 
 called and took me into the palace. When I had gone there, I 
 saw that the nobles, the learned men, and those eminent for 
 their piety, and their knowledge of the law, were there. I, 
 too, entered that assembly, and took my seat, when meanwhile 
 the table-cloth was spread, and viands of various kinds, sweet 
 
 26* This might also be rendered, " which yon are able to effect." 
 
86 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 and salted, were arranged. They all began to eat, and civilly 
 caused me also to partake. When the repast was finished, a 
 nurse came from the inner apartments, and said, " Where is 
 Bahrawar?^^ Call him." The pursuivants immediately brought 
 him. His appearance was very gentleman-like, and many keys 
 of silver and of gold were suspended at his girdle. Having said, 
 " Peace be to thee ! " he came and sate beside me. That same 
 nurse began to say, " Bahrawar ! do thou make a detailed 
 narration of all thou sawest," 
 
 Bahrawar began [then] to relate this story, and addressing 
 me, said, "0 dear friend ! under the government of our Princess 
 are thousands of slaves, who are deputed to carry on trade ; of 
 whom I, too, her humble and hereditary servant, am one. Com- 
 mitting to their charge merchandise to the value of hundreds of 
 thousands of rupees, she despatches them to every country. On 
 the return of each, she interrogates him in her own presence as 
 to the afiairs of that country, and listens to him. Once on a 
 time it happened that this meanest of individuals had gone to 
 traffic, and bad arrived in the city of Nimroz.^^ I observed that 
 the dress of all the inhabitants of that city was black, and that 
 lamentation and wailing went on incessantly ; thus it was mani- 
 fest that some great calamity had befallen them. It mattered 
 not of whom I inquired the cause of this ; none gave me any 
 answer. Several days passed in this wonderment. One day, as 
 soon as it was morning, all the people of the city, small and 
 great, children and aged, poor and rich, went forth. They went 
 and assembled in a plain, and the king of that country also, ac- 
 companied by all his nobles, mounted and proceeded thither, 
 whereupon all formed a regular line, and remaiaed standing. 
 
 ^^^ The meaning of this proper name is, " Fortunate," from _,J bafir, " fortune," 
 with the affix i • woi-. 
 
 2^" Nimroz, or " Half-day," was the name of a province, comprising the eastern 
 parts of Persia and Mekrun, once governed by Sam Ncriman, grandfather of Eustam. 
 It was so called because the genii, at the command of Sulaiman, chairged it from sea 
 to land in half a day, or because the Emperor of China halted there half a day. 
 Other derivations also are to be found in Eastern writei-s. Some think the city of 
 IS'Tmroz to be Baghdad, as thought to he the centre of the earth, and hence of the 
 sun's course. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DAEWESH. 87 
 
 "I too was standing among them, and was viewing this 
 spectacle, but this was evident, that they were waiting for 
 somebody. In the space of an hour a graceful and beautiful 
 youth, fifteen or sixteen years old, uttering cries and vocifera- 
 tions, the foam issuing from his mouth, and mounted on a 
 yellow bullock, advanced, holding the nose-string of the animal 
 in his hand, towards the people ; and, after dismounting from 
 his bullock, knelt down, holding in one hand the nose-string, 
 and in the other the naked sword. There was with him a rose- 
 bodied, fairy-faced youth, to whom the youth gave the thing 
 which he held in his hand. The slave took it and, beginning 
 at one end, was going on shewing it to each, but such was the 
 state of things that each who was looking at it could not refrain 
 from weeping bitterly. In this same manner, he shewed it to 
 all, and caused them to weep, and then, having passed in front 
 of all of them, he went back to his master. 
 
 " On his going back, the youth arose, cut off the head of the 
 slave with his scimitar, and, having mounted, departed in the 
 direction whence he came. All stood and gazed. When he 
 had disappeared from sight, the people returned to the city. I 
 was inquiring of every one into the circumstances of this oc- 
 currence, and moreover was tempting their cupidity with money, 
 and using flattery and entreaties, saying, 'Explain to me a 
 little who this youth is, and what action ^^'' this is that he has 
 done, and whence he came, and whither he has gone ? ' No 
 one gave me any explanation, and I could not form any con- 
 ception (of the truth). When, after seeing this wonderful 
 occurrence, I came here and stated it before the Queen, from 
 that time the Princess has continued in perplexity, and is em- 
 barrassed with regard to its investigation. Wherefore she has 
 fixed this as her marriage portion, (declaring) that whatever 
 person brings correct intelligence of this wondrous matter, the 
 Queen will accept him, and he shall be master of all her terri- 
 tories and of herself. 
 
 " You have now heard all the story. Take thought with 
 
 26' i,.l^js^ harakat, " action," is always used in a bad sense for a wrong or im- 
 proper action. 
 
88 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 yourself. If you are able to bring an account of that youth, 
 then set out for the country of Nlmroz, and take your departure 
 speedily. Otherwise decline it, and take the way to your own 
 house." ' I replied, " If God will, I shall quickly discover the 
 facts of the case from beginning to end, and return to the 
 Princess, and enjoy the completion of my wishes. And if my 
 destiny be bad, then that is irremediable, but let the Queen 
 promise this — that she will not swerve from her agreement, 
 and at the present moment an embarrassing thought remains, 
 causing inquietude in my heart. If the Queen, from a feeling 
 of condescension and kindness to me a traveller, will call me 
 into her presence, and cause me to be seated without the curtain, 
 and listen with her own ears to my representation, and favour 
 me with an answer from her own lips [lit. ' tongue '], I shall 
 then be satisfied and can do anything." This my request the 
 matron represented in the presence of that fairy-faced (Princess). 
 At length, by way of showing her appreciation of my merits, 
 she gave orders, saying, " Summon him." 
 
 The nurse again came out and took me with her into the 
 part of the palace where the Princess was. "What do I behold ? 
 There, forming a line, facing either way, female servants and 
 waiting women, and armed female attendants on the haram, 
 and Kilmaks, and Turkish, and Abyssinian, and TTzbak, and 
 Kashmlrian women, adorned with jewels, stood filling their 
 respective offices. Am I to call it the Court of Indra ? ^^ or 
 the place where the fairies alight ? A sigh of ecstacy involun- 
 tarily rose to my lips {lit. " tongue "), and my heart began to 
 palpitate ; but by a violent eifort I supported myself. I ad- 
 vanced, gazing at them and surveying the spectacle, but my 
 feet seemed to weigh each a hundred mans.^^^ AYhichever of 
 them I looked upon, my heart wished to go no further. On 
 one side a screen was let down, and a stool set with jewels was 
 spread [with a silken or velvet coverlet], as well as a chair made 
 of sandal-wood. The nurse made me a sign to sit down. I 
 
 ''«* Indra, the Hindu Jore, holds n glittering court in Swarga, where gods, 
 goddesses, and lovely dancing-nymplis are assembled. 
 *"" The ^.n man, is a weight of iO sirs or 80 lbs. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 89 
 
 seated myself on a stool, and she herself on the chair. She 
 then began to say, "Well! now what you have to say, that 
 say, relieving your mind fully." ^™ 
 
 I commenced by extolling the good qualities, the justice and 
 equity, the liberality and munificence, of the Queen. I then 
 added, " From the time that I entered the confines of this country 
 I have observed that at every stage, houses for travellers, and 
 lofty edifices are erected, and men are appointed in every capacity 
 who take care of travellers and of the indigent. I also passed 
 three days at each halting place. On the fourth day, when I 
 was about to take leave, even then no one willingly allowed my 
 departure, and all the furniture that there was in the place, as 
 chequered carpets, druggets, rugs, cool mats, carpets made at 
 Mangal-kot,^''! tapestry, ceiling cloths, screens, canopies, awn- 
 ings, bedsteads with curtains and covers, bags, quilts, counter- 
 panes, bedcords,^'^ sheets, pillows, little pillows, small pillows 
 for the cheek,^'^ cushions, bolsters, cooking pots large and small, 
 pans, kneading vessels, plates,^''* bowls, salvers, spoons, ladles, 
 skimming ladles, large spoons for serving out food, covers, 
 trays, tray-lids, tray-covers, vessels for cooling water and others 
 for hot water, flagons, basons, boxes for holding betel, perfume- 
 boxes with four compartments, flower-pots, phials for sprinkling 
 rose-water, censers for burning aloes, ewers, hand-basins,^'^ all 
 these they made over to me, saying, ' This is your property, if 
 you wish, take it with you now, otherwise shut it up in a room 
 
 ^'^ Literally, " having fiUed your mind." 
 
 "' This was a town, famous for its manufacture of carpets, iu the Bengal Presi- 
 dency, but its exact position I kuow not. 
 
 ^'^ This is the cord laced between the frame of a bed, to support the bedding. 
 
 ^■' In Forbes' vocabulary, we find <U^j (JS gal takiyah, rendered " a smaU. 
 pillow for the neck," which would make it come from )o gala, " the neck." But as 
 all pillows are for the neck, I would derive it from (jlS gal, " the cheek,'' as Shake- 
 spear also gives it. 
 
 "* On the Bombay side, instead oi ^J'Sj rikail, they use (j~iU basan, for 
 " a plate." 
 
 ^'5 Instead of ^'♦^■^ chilamchl, on the Bombay side, they use the word 
 
 ". ^ ^ ■•' 
 
 ^Ai^ ghindi, which is not in the dictionaries. 
 
90 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 and put your own seal on it. When it shall be your pleasure, 
 as you return, carry it away.' I did just so ; but tliis astonishes 
 me, that since I, a solitary fakir, met with such attention, and 
 thousands of indigent persons like myself are coming and going 
 in your dominions, then if the same style of hospitality is main- 
 tained towards each, a sum which exceeds computation would be 
 expended. Now whence comes the wealth to supply this ex- 
 penditure ? and of what nature is it ? Were it the treasure of 
 Karun,^''^ even then it would not suffice. And if you look at 
 the dominions of the Queen, as far as outward appearances go, 
 the revenue of it would not be sufficient even for the disburse- 
 ments of the kitchen — to say nothing of other expenses. If I 
 may hear an explanation of this from the Queen's tongue, I shall 
 then set out with a satisfied mind for the country of Nlnrroz, 
 and somehow or other manage to arrive there. Afterwards I 
 shall discover all the circumstances, and, provided I live, present 
 myself a second time in the service of the Queen, and obtain the 
 wish of my heart." 
 
 Having heard this, the Queen said, with her own tongue, 
 " youth ! if you have a thorough inclination to learn this 
 matter, then tarry here to-day also. At evening I will send 
 for you into my presence, and the circumstances of this unfailing 
 wealth, such as they are, without diminution or keeping back 
 anything, shall be related to you." I having obtained this 
 comfort returned to the place where I was halting, and waited 
 in expectation, saying, " When will it be evening, that mv 
 wish may be accomplished ? " Meanwhile an eunuch, bringing 
 on the heads of bearers^ several four-cornered trays with 
 coverings over them, came and presented himself and said, 
 " Her Royal Highness has sent you what remains of her own 
 repast — eat thereof." When he uncovered [the dishes], in my 
 presence, my brain was perfumed with the smell [of the food], 
 and my spirit satisfied. I ate as much as I was able. What 
 was left I took up and gave it to all of them, and sent my 
 thanks for the delicate viands. At length, when the sun. 
 
 '''" As to Kurun, vide Note 91. 
 
 "' This word lS)^. bhoi, or "bearer, is the word wliich, iu tlio Auglo-Iudian 
 patois, is pronounced " boy," and is the usual word for summoning a servant. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DAKWESH. 91 
 
 traveller of the livelong day, wearied and labouring, entered 
 his palace, and the moon, accompanied by her companions (the 
 stars), came forth and seated herself in the public hall, then 
 the nurse came and said to me, " Oome ! the Princess has 
 called for you" [lit. "remembered you"]. I went along with 
 her. She conducted me into the private apartment of the Queen. 
 Such was the illumination that the Night of Grandeur^''* had 
 no grandeur in comparison with it. A seat of cushions, em- 
 broidered with gold, was placed on a carpet of royal mag- 
 nificence. A pillow covered with gold was laid there, and 
 over it was supported, on jewelled pillars, a canopy with a 
 fringe of pearls, and before the seat were trees -of jewels, ^''^ 
 with flowers and leaves (you would have said they were as 
 natural as those produced by Omnipotence), and set^^" in beds 
 of gold ; and on both sides, on the right hand and on the left, 
 servants and courtiers stood with their hands folded in respectful 
 postures, and with their eyes turned down, and bands of dancing 
 girls and female singers, keeping their instruments in harmony, 
 were in waiting. Having beheld this state of things, and these 
 magnificent preparations, my reason did not keep its place.^^' I 
 said to the nurse, inquiringly, " By day there is this splendour, 
 and by night this display, that one ought to call the day the 
 
 festival of Id, and the night the Night of Barat.^^^ Nay, in 
 this world such a delightsome life is, I suppose, unattainable 
 even by the king of the seven regions.^*^ Does this state of 
 
 2'^ The jSi i^^-2i shab-i Ttadar, 'or jSu\ <uj lailatu'l-kadar, is the 27th 
 night of Eamazan, the ninth month. On this night all yegetahle creation adorea 
 the Deity, and the ocean becomes sweet. On this night the pious keep vigil, burning 
 frankincense, pastiles, and other lights, and proclaiming, ever and anon, the azan, or 
 call to prayer. 
 
 ''^ Such a tree was among the treasures of Shah Jahan, and reminds us also of 
 the golden plane-tree of the Persian kings. 
 
 26" This meaning is to be found in Shakespear's dictionary, but is omitted in 
 Forbes' vocabulary. 
 
 2" Strange that the King of Persia should have found anything novel in regal 
 state, but the book is full of these contradictions. 
 
 282 For an explanation of Id and Barat, vide Notes 48 and 195. 
 
 293 The Musalman divide the earth into seven regions. Is this borrowed from the 
 seven Dwipas of the Hindus? We might very well adopt it, keeping the old 
 divisions of Europe, Asia and Africa, making Australia one, Polynesia another, and 
 dividing the Americas. 
 
92 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 things always continue ? " The nurse replied, " AH the de- 
 partments under our Queen which you have seen are unceasingly 
 conducted after this same fashion. Never does any cessation 
 take place ; nay, there is rather an increase. Do j'ou sit here ; 
 the Queen has gone to another apartment. I will go and 
 inform her." 
 
 The nurse, with these words, departed, and retraced her steps, 
 saying, "Proceed into the presence." Immediately that I entered 
 that apartment, I was struck with amazement. I could not per- 
 ceive where the door was, or the wall, for this reason, that 
 mirrors from Halab [Aleppo], of the height of a man, were 
 placed on all sides, and their frames^* were studded with 
 diamonds and pearls. The reflection of one was re-reflected by 
 another, whence it appeared that the whole apartment was 
 made of jewels. On one side a curtain was let down, behind 
 which the Queen was seated. The nurse took her seat close 
 to the curtain and told me also to sit down. Then, by com- 
 mand of the Queen, the nurse began to discourse in the following 
 manner, saying, " Hearken ! O wise youth ! The sultan of this 
 realm was a great king. In his house were born seven daughters. 
 One day the King commanded a feast, and these seven girls 
 having adorned themselves with sixteen ornaments and twelve 
 other kinds of trinkets, and strung each separate hair of their 
 heads with elephant pearls,^' were standing in the presence of 
 the King. Something passed through the mind of the King, 
 whereupon he looked towards his daughters and said, ' Were 
 your father not a king, and had you been born in the house of 
 some poor man, who then would have called you princesses and 
 queens ? Thank God that you have the title of princesses. 
 All this good-fortune of yours is owing to me ' [/iY., ' to m}' 
 breath ']. 
 
 " Six of the girls said unanimously, ' "What the Asylum of the 
 
 '8* In spite of this passage, the dictionaries have omitted to give the meanins; 
 "frame," under jl->J pardaz, though it is not only ■■ book-meaning, but a con- 
 versational one also. 
 
 ''"' The Hindus have an idea that the finest peai-ls are found in the heads of 
 elephants. 
 
TRA-S'ELS OF THE SECOND DAKWESH. 93 
 
 world says, is true, and our welfare is dependent entirely on 
 Your Majesty's safety.' But this Queen of the world was 
 younger than all her sisters, yet in understanding and quick- 
 ness she was, even at that age, as you might say, older than all 
 of them. She stood silent, and did not join in this speech of 
 her sisters, because it was an avowal ^^^ of infidelity. The King 
 looked towards her with an angry glance, and said, ' How now, 
 lady ? you have said nothing — what is the meaning of this ? ' 
 Then the Queen, having bound her two hands with her hand- 
 kerchief, made a humble petition, saying, 'If I shall obtain 
 security for my life, and if my fault be pardoned, then this 
 handmaid will represent the thought of her heart.' The com- 
 mand was pronounced, ' Speak ! what dost thou say ? ' Then 
 the Queen said, '0 point ^^ to which the world turns in prayer! 
 Your Majesty has heard that true words are bitter ; wherefore I 
 now wash my hands of my life in making the statement I do, 
 and whatever the Writer has recorded in my destiny, of that 
 there is no efiacer — in nowise can it be altered. 
 
 In worship vain with oft-repeated tread ^'' 
 Go rub your feet, or meekly bow the head ; 
 Engraven on your forehead is your fate — 
 Its writing none shall thence obliterate. 
 
 That Supreme Lord who made you a King, the same has also 
 caused me to be called a Princess. In the laboratory of his 
 omnipotence, the will of no creature has any influence. Your 
 Majesty is my benefactor, and the object of my reverence and 
 
 2fs The <ui^ kalimah is the Musalman creed. It is, Jl4.s^ j (d!l V\ ill ^ 
 <dll Afj\\ la ilaha iUa'llah wa Muhmnmadu' r-rasulu' llah, "There is no God 
 but God, and Muhammad is His prophet." It is here used by a catachresis for the 
 confession of infidelity. 
 
 26' The aLj Hblah of the Arabs was formerly that of the Jews, tIz. Jerusalem, 
 and Muhammad for some time continued to sanction the custom of turning thither- 
 ward iu prayer, but finding it give rise to much scandal he changed his "kiblah" 
 to Makkah. It is here used as a reTerential title. Vide Note 88. 
 
 '88 The first line is inserted, and is not in the test. The fourth is freely giren. 
 
94 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 veneration.^^^ Should I use tlie dust of the royal footsteps of 
 Your Majesty as collyrium, it would be but right ; but the 
 destiny of each person goes along with him.' When the King 
 heard this, he was enraged, and this answer was very dis- 
 pleasing to his mind. In his irritation he said, ' A little 
 mouth and great words.^^ Now let this be her pimishment. 
 Take off aU the ornaments which are on her arms and neck, 
 and having placed her in a litter, cast her away in such a forest 
 as that the name or vestige of man born of Adam does not 
 exist there ; thus let us see what is written in her destiny.' 
 
 " In accordance with the command of the King at that time 
 of midnight fa night which was most dark), bearers carried away 
 the royal lady (who had been reared in retii-ement,^^^ and had 
 seen no other place but her own palace) to a plain (where a bird 
 even did not flap its wing, why speak of man ?), and, having 
 left her, departed thence.^^^ "Wonderful were the emotions 
 which passed through the heart of the Princess as she reflected 
 what her state had been and what in an instant it had become ! 
 Then she was returning thanks to God and saying, ' Thou art 
 so Omnipotent [///. ' one so without wants '] that what Thou 
 hast desired to do, that Thou hast done ; and what Thou desirest 
 to do, that Thou dost ; and what Thou shalt desire to do, that 
 Thou wilt perform. As long as breath remains in my nostrils 
 I will not despair of Thy aid.' In this same troublous thought 
 her eyes closed. As soon as it began to dawn, the eyes of the 
 Princess opened. She cried out, ' Bring water for my ab- 
 lutions.' 2^3 Then, all at once, she remembered the conversation 
 
 '^^^ <Ux^ . aLJ kiblah wa kabah. The first has been explained before, i^ 
 Tcabah, is the square temple of Makkah, supposed to have been built by Abraham, or 
 restored by him and built by Adam. It is considered most holy, and contains the 
 famous black stone, once white, and kissed black by adoring worshippei-s. 
 
 290 'We ]jave had this expression before, vide Note 153. 
 
 ''" Literally, "in a cavern beneath the earth," from a Sanskrit word which 
 signifies "under ground." 
 
 '"■^ One of the most clumsy sentences in the book, with no less than three 
 parentheses. 
 
 2" For the manner of performing yij u'u:Ti, or the washing of the face, hands 
 and feet before priiyer, vide Kanun-i Islam, p. 72. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 95 
 
 of the preceding night, and said to herself, ' Where art thou, 
 and where this speech ! ' ^^ Having said this, she arose and 
 performed her ablutions with sand,^^^ and repeated a thanks- 
 giving comprising two rakats.^^^ my friend ! from hearing 
 of this state of the Queen my breast is rent. You must inquire 
 of that simple and innocent soul, what she will say of it. 
 
 " In short, seated in that palanquin, she remained in fervent 
 prayer to God,^'''' and at that moment was repeating this stanza : 
 
 Thee, when thou hadst not teeth, with milk He fed ; 
 With teeth, then, also will He not give bread ? 
 He who on sea and land their food divides 
 To bird and beast, for thee, too, well provides. 
 Wherefore take thought ? the fool, with all his pains. 
 Still empty-handed, by bis care nought gains. 
 God gives support to all alike -who live — 
 The wise, the fool ; to thee too, then, He'll give. 
 
 It is true, when nothing else succeeds, we then have recourse 
 to God. Otherwise, each in his own devices thinks himself 
 Lukman,^^^ and Bii AH Slna.^^ Now, hear a marvel of the 
 
 '^^ That is, " these words are quite unsuitable to your present position." 
 
 295 "^vhen water cannot be procured, the face, hands and feet are to be rubbed with 
 
 sand before prayer. This is called *-K«J iayammum. 
 
 ^'^ The i..::_\Xii rakal consists of a certain number of prayers and chapters of 
 the Ku'ran, accompanied with a prescribed number of inclinations of the head, 
 bendings of the body, or genuflexions. 
 
 2" l)\2 •! i<i« lagana, is literally "to apply" — or "kindle — a flame." It is 
 singular that the word J lau should be found also in Scotch. Thus a burning 
 house is said to be all in a low. So in German, lauen, " to be tepid," and hence our 
 "lukewarm." The root is, perhaps, the Sanskrit ^T U, to fuse, or melt. 
 
 2'^ iM^-*^ Liilpmcm, surnamed *«i^l all ha/elm, "The Sage," is by some 
 reckoned amongst the Prophets and called the cousin of Job, and by others is said to 
 have been the grand-nephew of Abraham, while others afiirm that he was born in 
 the time of David and lived to that of the prophet Jonah. The more common 
 opinion is, that he was an iEthiopian slave, liberated by his master on account of 
 his sagacity and fidelity. He was the author of many excellent maxims and proverbs, 
 and is the iEsop of the East. 
 
 299 Bu All Sina, or Avicenna, as he is called by Europeans, was the Admirable 
 
 Crichton of the East. He was born at U-*..!! A's-slna, a village near Bukhara. 
 
96 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 operations of God. In this same manner three entire days and 
 nights passed away and not even a single parched grain had 
 flown into the mouth of the Princess. That flower-like form, 
 being dried up, had become like a thorn, and that complexion, 
 which used to beam like pure gold, became like turmeric. 
 Her mouth was contracted with a spasm, through weakness. 
 Her eyes were fixed like stone ; but one breath remained, and 
 that was coming and going. As long as there is breath so long 
 is there hope.^"" On the morning of the fourth day a darwesh, 
 with a form like that of Khizr,^"^ of a luminous countenance and 
 a clear heart, came and presented himself. Seeing the Princess 
 in that state, he said, ' daughter ! though thy father is a King, 
 still this was predestined in thy lot. Now, regard this aged 
 fakir as thy servant, and fix thy thoughts night and day on 
 thy Creator. God will bring things to a happy conclusion.' 
 And the scraps of alms which he had with him in his fakir's 
 wallet, these he placed before the Princess, and went about to 
 seek for water. On looking, he perceived there was a well, 
 but where [thought he] is a bucket and cord wherewith to 
 draw water ? He broke a few leaves from a tree, and made 
 a cup of them, and, having loosed his sash, he tied the cup 
 to it and drew water and gave the Princess something to eat 
 and drink. At length she recovered her senses a little. That 
 man of God, regarding her as friendless and helpless, gave her 
 much consolation. He encouraged her, and himself began to 
 weep. When the Princess saw that his sympathy and com- 
 passion was excessive, she recovered her strength of mind. 
 From that daj^ that old man made it his fixed custom to go 
 forth in the morning to the city to solicit alms, and he brought 
 
 At ten he was master of the most difficult points in the Ku'run. At si:stcen he was 
 an accomplished physician ! and at twenty-one compiled an Encyclopaedia of aU the 
 knowledge then extant in twenty volumes. He wrote many other works, and died 
 at Hamadfin, aged fifty-eight years, a.d. 1036, 
 
 ""> This proverb has occurred before, vide Xote 228. 
 
 '"' Khizr is the Arabic name for Elijah. He is supposed to have discovered the 
 water of life, and to be still living. Hence little rafts are launched on rivere with 
 lighted lamps in honom- of him, particularly on the Fridays of the month Shaban. 
 The legend about him probably gave rise to the story of the AVaudering Jew. 
 
TEAVELS OF THE SECOND DAEAVESH. 97 
 
 ■whatever morsels or scraps he obtained to the Princess, and 
 gave her them to eat. 
 
 "In this manner some days passed. One day, the Princess 
 had formed the design of anointing her head, and combing 
 and knotting up her hair. As soon as she undid the string 
 which tied her hair, a single pearl, round and lustrous, fell 
 from her back locks. The Princess gave it to the darwesh, 
 and said, ' Sell this in the city and bring the proceeds.' The 
 fakir, having sold the jewel, brought the price of it to the 
 Princess. She then desired him to cause a house, fit for her 
 residence, to be erected in that place. The fakir said, ' O 
 daughter ! dig the foundation and collect a little clay. One 
 day I will bring water, make the slime for the bricks, and 
 complete the foundation of the house.' The Princess, by his 
 direction, began to dig the earth. When she had dug the 
 trench a yard deep, a door appeared beneath the ground. 
 The Princess cleared away the dirt from it. A large house, 
 filled with jewels and ashrafis, then shewed itself. The 
 Princess took four or five handfuls of the ashrafis and covered 
 it up again, and having put the earth over it, made it level. 
 In the mean time the fakir returned. The Princess said, 
 ' Call masons and builders, expert and masters of their craft, 
 and active labourers, who may quickly prepare, in this spot, 
 a royal palace, which may be a match for that of Kisra,'"^ 
 and surpass that of Niman,^"^ and a rampart, and fort, and 
 garden, and well, and a house for travellers, which may be 
 unrivalled ; but first make a correct plan of them on paper, 
 and bring it into my presence for approval.' 
 
 "The fakir brought and placed in readiness just such practised 
 and clever superintendents. According to her commands the 
 building of the edifice commenced ; and, when she had selected 
 intelligent and trustworthy servants for every department, they 
 
 5°* L M^ Eisra, Chosroes, a name common to several kings of Persia. 
 
 SOS j^Ujti iVma«, or, according to Johnson's Persian Dictionary, ^^U,*) Numan, 
 a name common to the kings of ^-a- Hirat, in Arabia, but especially applied to 
 the last. 
 
98 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 began to wait upon her.'"* The intelligence of the construction 
 of that magnificent building by degrees reached the King, the 
 shadow of Omnipotence (who was the father of the Princess). 
 "When he heard of it he was much astonished, and inquired of 
 every one, ' What person is this who has begun to erect these 
 palaces ? ' No one was sufficiently acquainted with the circum- 
 stances to make any statement. All placed their hands on 
 their ears, saying, ' None of your slaves know who is the 
 builder of this edifice.' The King then sent a noble, and gave 
 him a message, saying, ' I am desirous of coming to see those 
 palaces, and I am also ignorant of what country you are 
 Princess, and of what family you are sprung. To become 
 acquainted with all these particulars is a thing I wish.' 
 
 "As soon as the Princess heard this pleasing news, she was 
 much delighted in her heart, and wrote this representation, 
 ' Asylum of the world. Health ! Having heard the intel- 
 ligence of Tour Majesty's coming to my poor house, I have 
 derived much happiness, and it is a cause of honour and exal- 
 tation to this the humblest of j'our servants. Worthy of praise 
 is the fortune of this place ! where the trace of your royal 
 footstep wUl be left, and whose inhabitants will be over- 
 shadowed by your fortunate skirt, and who, both of them,'''^ 
 will be exalted by your glance of favour. This handmaid is 
 in hope that since to-morrow is Thursday, and an auspicious 
 day, and, in my estimation, a better day than that of the New 
 Year,'"^ Tour Highness's person, which is like the sun, will 
 condescend to visit me, and with your light bestow rank 
 and dignity on this insignificant atom, and be pleased to 
 partake of the food, such as it is, which this weak person 
 
 '"* An ungrammatical sentence. The nomiuatiTe, which agrees vrith Xi:>- , .j^- 
 chun chunkar, ought to be, but is not, the nominatiTe to ^1 ^.i /wiie lage. 
 
 5°* Alluding to herself and the fakir who waited on her. 
 
 ^° JV y Nau-roz, or New-year's day, is a festival of much importance among 
 the Musalman. The exact period of the New Tear's commencing is the moment 
 when the Sun enters Aries, and according to the hour is the colour of the clothes 
 worn on the festival. If it enters at night, dark clothes are worn ; if in the day, 
 bright crimson. Presents and congratulations are exchanged on this day by all 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 99 
 
 can provide. This will be shewing extreme condescension 
 to the poor, and encouragement to travellers. More would 
 exceed the bounds of good manners.' '"^ And, having shewn 
 some civility to the noble [who brought the letter], she dis- 
 missed him. 
 
 " The King read the petition and sent to say, ' We have 
 accepted your invitation. We will certainly come.' The 
 Princess gave orders to her servants and all her officers that 
 the requisite preparations for an entertainment should be made 
 with such taste that the King, when he saw them, and partook 
 of the repast, might be highly gratified, and all who came in 
 the royal retinue, high and low, might be pleased with what 
 they ate and drank. According to the commands and strict 
 injunctions of the Princess, all kinds of viands, salt and sweet, 
 were prepared, of such a flavour, that had the daughter of a 
 Brahman tasted them she would have repeated the creed of 
 the Musalman.^"^ When evening came, the King, borne in an 
 open palanquin, approached the house of the Princess. She, 
 accompanied by her body-servants and female attendants, went 
 forth to meet him. As soon as her eyes fell upon the royal 
 chair, she performed the obeisance due to royalty with such 
 respect that the King was more astonished when he saw her 
 decorous manners, and, with the same grace, coming forward,^"' 
 she led the King to a seat worked with gold, and seated him 
 there. The Princess had caused to be prepared a platform 
 formed of a hundred and twenty-five thousand rupees, and 
 had placed it there,''" and had got ready and placed near 
 them one hundred and twenty -five trays of jewels, and ash- 
 rafis, and woollen stufis, and fine cloths,^'' and silks, and 
 
 307 (_jjl ji~^ ^'^^j <iiyadah hadd-i adah, " It would be disrespectful to say 
 more," is the usual termination of Persian letters from an inferior. 
 
 3<" That is, " she would haye forsworn her religion in order to procure always 
 such delicious food, which is forbidden to her caste, who do not eat meat." 
 
 809 Thus I Tenture to translate SS i^y^ jalwah karkm; taking the former word 
 to mean the first appearance of a beauty as of a bride to her husband ; her debut, as 
 it were. 
 
 310 The usual way of presenting these offerings, or Nazrs, is to make them the 
 seat of the person to whom they are given, spreading cushions over them. 
 
 3" Literally, " woven Ught," the Coa vestis of the Romans. 
 
100 BAGH BAHAK. 
 
 stuffs embroidered with gold, and others of gold thread, and 
 two elephants,^'^* and ten horses of Irak^^' and Arabia, with 
 golden housings. These she presented as offerings,'" and her- 
 self, with both her arms folded,'!^ stood before the Kiag. The 
 King said, with much kindness, 'Of what country are you 
 a Princess, and in what way have you come hither ? ' 
 
 "The Princess, after making her obeisance, respectfully repre- 
 sented : 'This slave-girl is the same guilty person, who, by 
 reason of the King's anger, came to this wilderness. And 
 all these wondrous sights which Your Majesty surveys are 
 from God.' On hearing this, the King's blood boiled. He 
 rose and tenderly embraced her, and, having taken her hand, 
 caused a seat to be spread for her beside his own throne, and 
 ordered her to be seated. The King, however, was sitting in 
 a state of amazement and wonder. He said, ' Tell the Queen 
 to bring the princesses with her, and come quickly.' When 
 they arrived, the mother and sisters recognized [the Princess], 
 and falling on her neck, wept and offered thanks [to Grod]. 
 The Princess placed before her mother and her six sisters so 
 vast a treasure in money and jewels, that the treasures of the 
 whole world could not enter the scale against it. Afterwards 
 the King, having caused all to be seated with him, partook of a 
 royal repast. As long as the Asylum of the world lived, his 
 
 3'- The words j^sC) zanjlr, and i^\j ras, are here used in a peculiar -n-ay, 
 which almost renders them pleonastic. In enumerating a numher of things a word 
 peculiar to the class is added, which denotes their individuality. Thus, instead of 
 saying only " ten men" (^^Jl i/^-J das adirii), they say, i«-»- 1 y^' {^'*"i das 
 ma/sr a*nl (ten persons men) ; and instead of " one pearl " ( ^'yt i,lSj\ eh mot't), 
 they say, ^Jy ^'^'^'^ '~-^} ** danah motJ (one grain pearl). So here, "two 
 chain elephants," " ten head horses." 
 
 ^'3 There are two Iraks. The '—r't^ ij y~ /rai-i -4rai, ^'Arahian Irak," or 
 Bahylonia; and *.sr J;'.— Iruk-i AJam,"Veish\jilTuk,'' or Media. 
 
 "* The I jj nazr, and the (_^\ji*»J peshkash, are offerings from an inferior. 
 ^JuJll.^, bahishisk, and a\xJ\ iiiam, gifts from a superior to an inferior. 
 
 3'5 The posture of servants. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 101 
 
 life passed in this same manner. Sometimes he came himself, 
 and sometimes he took the Princess with him to his own 
 palace. 
 
 "When the King died,, the sovereignty of this region descended 
 to the Princess, since no other person was worthy of it. 
 Friend ! this is the history which thou hast heard. Where- 
 fore, to wealth bestowed by God, no decrease happens ; all that 
 is required is, that the disposition of a person be right. More- 
 over, just as much as you expend, just so much is there a 
 blessing [of increase] upon it. To wonder at the accomplishment 
 of anything by the power of Gfod is not lawful in any religion." 
 After these words th.e nurse said, " Now, if you have fixedly 
 determined in your heart to set out for that place, and to bring 
 that intelligence, then hasten your departure." I said, " I go 
 this very moment, and, if God wills, I will speedily return." 
 At length, having taken leave, and having fixed my eyes on 
 the grace of God, I set out in that direction. 
 
 In the space of a complete year, after enduring toil and 
 trouble,. I arrived in the city of Nimroz. All the persons I 
 saw there,- both military and civil, were clad in black. I beheld 
 with my own eyes the very circumstances I had heard. After 
 some days came the night of the new moon. On the first day 
 of the month all the people of that city, small and great — 
 children, nobles, king, women and men — assembled in a plain. 
 I, too, in my then condition, amazed and distracted, along with 
 that crowd, separated from my property and country, was 
 standing and looking on in the garb of a fakir, saying to 
 myself, " Let us see what will be disclosed from the future." 
 Meanwhile, a young man, riding on a bullock, with his mouth 
 covered with foam, uttering cries and exclamations, came forth 
 from the forest. T, this weak person, who, enduring such toil.?, 
 had gone to obtain information of his storj', immediately on 
 seeing him, lost my senses and stood in a state of amazement. 
 That young man, after doing the things he was by former 
 custom wont to do, went back again, and the people of the 
 city turned thitherward. When I recovered my senses I felt 
 regret, and said to myself, " What is this thou hast done ? now 
 thou wilt have to wait again a whole month." Having no 
 alternative, I accompanied the rest^ and passed that month 
 
102 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 as though it were the month of Ramazan/i^ counting each 
 day. At length another night of the new moon arrived. To 
 me it was like the festival of Id.^" On the first day of the 
 month the King and the people again went and assembled 
 at the same spot. I then made a fixed resolve in my heart 
 that this time, let happen what might, I would keep up my 
 courage, and would get at the unravelling of that wondrons 
 thing. 
 
 All at once the young man, according to his custom, having 
 fastened his saddle on a yellow bullock, came riding on that 
 animal, and, having dismounted, knelt down. In one hand he 
 held a naked sword, and in one hand the nose-string of the 
 bullock, and he gave the jar to the slave. The slave took it 
 along, shewing it to each, and the people, when they saw it, 
 began to weep. The youth broke the jar, and struck the 
 slave such a blow with his sword that his head was severed 
 from his body, and he himself mounted and turned back. I 
 began to follow him with haste. The people of the city seized 
 my hand, and said, "What is this thou art doing? why art 
 thou intentionally throwing away thy Hfe? If thy breath 
 has thus risen to thy nostril,'!^ then there are many ways of 
 dying — pause and die." Although I besought them, and even 
 struggled with them, that somehow or other I might escape 
 from their hands, I could not release myself. Two or four 
 men clung to me and led me in their grasp towards the town. 
 Again, for a whole month, I endured anxiety to an excessive 
 degree. 
 
 When that month also was finished, and the day of the new 
 moon came, the whole population of that place assembled in 
 the morning in the very same manner. I arose at the time 
 
 L-/)Uy*Jlj^Li,<j Ramazanu 'l-muSarik, " The blessed Eamazan," is the 
 ninth month of the Muhammadans. It is the Musalman Lent, and eatin?, drinkinsr, 
 and conjugal duty, are interdicted during this month, between sunrise and the ap- 
 pearance of the stars. On the 27th the Ku'ran began to descend. 
 
 s" The S^ ^ i^}^V ^"'nczan *' Id, held on the first of the tenth month, 
 Shauwal, at the expu-ation of the Musalman Lent. 
 ^'8 That is, " If thou ai-t in such haste to commit suicide." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 103 
 
 of prayer, and, apart from all the rest, entered the jungle, 
 which lay exactly in the way of that young man, and concealed 
 myself there, saying to myself, " Here, at least, no one will 
 interfere with me." That person, according to the same rule, 
 came, and after doing the same things, mounted and went his 
 way. I pursued him, and, running and toiling, kept up with 
 him. That dear person, by the sound of my steps, perceived 
 that some one was coming after him. All at once, he turned 
 rein, uttered a yell, and threatened me. Having drawn his 
 sword, he came and stood near me. He was about to attack 
 me ; I bent most respectfully and saluted him, and, having 
 folded my two arms, stood still. That person, well acquainted 
 with propriety, addressed me, saying, " Fakir ! thou hadst 
 nearly been innocently slain ; but thou hast escaped. Some 
 time is left thee to live. Go ; whither art thou coming ? " 
 and, having drawn from his belt a jewelled dagger, with a 
 tassel of pearls, ^'8 he threw it before me, and said, " At this 
 time I have no money with me to give thee, take this to the 
 King, and thou wilt get what thou askest for," Such terror 
 and awe of him overpowered me, that I had neither power to 
 speak nor strength to move. My voice was choked, and my 
 feet became heavy. 
 
 Having said thus much, that valiant ^2" man, uttering wild 
 cries, proceeded on. I said, in my heart, "Let happen what 
 may,'^i to stop now will mar thy design [lit. " is, in regard of 
 thee, bad "] ; such an occasion will not occur again." "Washing 
 my hands of my life, I, too, went on. Again he turned, and, in 
 fierce wrath, threatened me, and fully purposed to slay me. I 
 
 319 I would prefer to read the text thus, omitting i;i aur, before ifjj«l awtzah ; 
 but, if the conjunction be retained, the sentence must be rendered, " a jewelled 
 dagger of pearls, with a tassel hanging from it." 
 
 ^^^ i_f jli- Ghazi properly signifies " an exterminator of infidels." Thus the great 
 Mahmud was called Ghazi ; and, in our days, Akbar Khan was considered by the 
 Faithful to have won the same glorious title. 
 
 321 This sentence is pure Persian. "We have had it in Urdu just before, ^ ^ 
 •Jb «») jo ho so ho. 
 
104 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 bowed my head and conjured him,^^^ saying, " Eustam '^^ of 
 the age ! strike me such a blow that I may be cut in two pieces. 
 Let not one strip of skin remain, and let me escape from this 
 distressful and miserable life. I absolve you from my blood." 
 He replied, " form of Satan ! why wilt thou load my neck 
 with thy innocent blood, '^ and make me guilty ? Go ! take 
 thine own way. What ! is thy life grievous to thee ? " I paid 
 no attention to what he said, and went forward. Again, 
 willingly and intentionally, he pretended not to observe me, 
 and I followed him. Proceeding on, he crossed two kos of 
 jungle and ground covered with thickets. 
 
 [At length] a square building appeared. The youth ad- 
 vanced to the door, and uttered a terrible shout. The door, 
 of its own accord, opened. He entered : I remained standing, 
 altogether shut out. " My God ! [I said to myself], what 
 shall I do now ? " I was at my wits' ends. At length, after 
 a short pause, a slave came and brought me a message, saying, 
 " Come ! he has summoned thee to his presence. I suppose 
 the angel of death is hovering over thee. "What calamity has 
 come upon thee?" I exclaimed, "Bravo, fortune !"^^ and 
 fearlessly entered the garden along with him. 
 
 At length he brought me to a room where that young man 
 was sitting. Seeing him, I made a bow down to the carpet. 
 He gave me a sign to seat myself. I knelt down respectfully.'^^ 
 
 '*' Literally, "gave oath," not like the UpKov SiSiij/ai in Greek, which signifies 
 " to give another an opportunity of clearing himself by oath ; " hut, " to stimulate a 
 person by calling on him in the name of God to do a thing." 
 
 '-' Eustam, son of Zal, the most renowned of Persian heroes. He was general of 
 the Persian forces under Kai Kiwus (Darius the Mede), and his successor Kai 
 Khusrau (Cyrus) ; or, according to some, under Eishtasp (Darius Hystaspes). He 
 defeated Afrasiab, King of Turkestan, and slew, in single combat, Asfandiyar, son 
 of Kai Kawus, hut was at length treacherously slain by Bahman, or Adeshir Dh-az- 
 dast (Artaxerxes Longimanus), son of Asfandiyiir. 
 
 ^'^ So Forbes' edition, but I should prefer making ^Js>- u na hakk an adverb, 
 and haTing no zer after i^j=>- khun. 
 
 '2* A rather unintelligible expression signifying disregard of danger, something 
 like our " Hurrah for luck ! " 
 
 ''" Not that he really knelt, but we have no other word to translate the Oriental 
 sitting on your heels, as it may be called ; i.e. kneeling and resting the orbicular 
 part of the body on the heels. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 105 
 
 "What dfl I [then] see ? that that gallant youth '^'' was seated 
 alone/on a cushion, and before him were placed a goldsmith's 
 tgeih, and he had finished making a tree of emeralds. When 
 the time came that he arose, all the slaves who were waiting 
 around that balcony hid themselves in closets. I, too, through 
 doubt of what was coming, pushed into a chamber. The youth 
 got up and turned the keys of all the rooms, and went towards 
 a corner of the garden, and began to beat the bullock on which 
 he rode. The sound of its roaring reached my ears. My heart 
 began to quake ; but I had endured all this, in order to unravel 
 this story. In trepidation I opened the door, and went and 
 stood behind the trunk ^^^ of a tree, and began to look on. The 
 young man threw down the club with which he was beating 
 [the animal], and with a key opened the lock of one of the 
 rooms, and went in. Presently he came forth again, stroked 
 the back of the bullock, and kissed its mouth,'^^ and having 
 given it grain and water, came towards me [_lit. " in this 
 direction"]. On perceiving this, I ran with speed and went 
 and concealed myself in the room. 
 
 The young man undid the chains which fastened all the 
 doors, and all the slaves came out. They presented them- 
 selves, bringing a small carpet, a wash-hand basin, and an ewer. 
 He, having performed his ablutions, stood up for prayer.'^" 
 When he had done praying, he called out, " Where is that 
 darwesh ? " On hearing my own name, I ran and stood before 
 him. He told me to sit. I made an obeisance and sate down. 
 
 '*' I have so rendered t>y» mard, which is always used like the Latin " vir," to 
 signify " a man" emphatically, i.e. not a woman or a coward. 
 
 2^8 I cannot at all agree with the text of Forhes' edition here. He reads, ^ 
 tunne, and renders it (as shewn by the vooahulary), " under shelter of a Timn tree " 
 (the cedrela tunna, f^W tunn, a tree resembling mahogany in its wood). But why 
 specify the kind of tree ? Would not any other tree have done as well P The story 
 of Susannah warns one not to be too particular in specifying the tree. Certainly the 
 collocation of the words shews that <UJ ianah, " stem," "trunk," is the word which 
 Mir Amman wrote. 
 
 3^' The youth must have been mad indeed. Why should he have kissed the 
 bullock, who was but an imp metamorphosed P 
 
 3'° The Musalman pray standing, with an occaHonal bow, genuflexion, or 
 prostration. 
 
106 BAGH BAHAK. 
 
 Refreshments were brought. He ate, and presented me also 
 with food, of which I partook. When the table-cloth was 
 removed, ^31 and we had washed our hands, he dismissed the 
 slaves, saying, " Go and sleep." When no person remained 
 in that apartment, he then entered into conversation with me 
 and inquired, " my friend ! what such calamity has befallen 
 thee that thou goest about seeking thy own death ? " I cir- 
 cumstantially narrated to him aU my adventures from beginning 
 to end, just as they had befallen me, and I added, " I hope that 
 by the favour of your Highness I shall attain my wish." On 
 hearing this, he heaved a cold sigh, and became insensible,''^ 
 and began to say, " great God ! excepting myself,''' who is 
 acquainted with the pain of love P ' He whose blister has not 
 burst, how can he know the pain another suffers?'"* The extent 
 of this grief is known only to him who suffers from it. 
 
 Ask the lover, if love's sufferings you would know. 
 
 What knows the impostor of it ? — of true lovers ask their woe." 
 
 After an instant he recovered his senses and drew a heart- 
 consuming sigh — all the apartment echoed. I was then con- 
 vinced that he too was overtaken in this same calamity of love, 
 and was sick of the same disease. Then truly I took courage 
 and said, " I have related all my story ; let your Highness 
 favour this slave by acquainting him with your own history. 
 Then to the utmost of my ability I wUl exert myself for your 
 sake first, and by my endeavours obtain for you the wish of your 
 heart." In short, that true lover, regarding me as acquainted 
 with his secret and suffering from the same distress of mind, 
 began to relate his adventures in the following manner : — 
 " Listen, friend ! I am the sorrowful prince "^ of this country 
 of Nimroz. The King, that is to say, my father, after my 
 
 '51 Literally: "advanced," according to the superstitious notion mentioned in 
 Note 256, q.v. 
 
 '" These "love-swoons " with the Orientals are of short duration. 
 
 '5' Literally; " thee," but he is soliloquizing. 
 
 ''* A proverb. 
 
 3'^ Literally : " with burned liver; " the epithet J j-jios- jigar-so:, rhymes with 
 Nimroz, which is thought a beauty in composition. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 107 
 
 birth, assembled the soothsayers and astrologers, and wise men, 
 and ordered them to look into and examine the circumstances 
 of my fortune, and to prepare my horoscope, and to detail 
 circumstantially in the royal presence the true occurrences 
 which were to befall me momentarily, hourly, during each 
 watch, daily, monthly, and yearly. In obedience to the order 
 of the King, all with one accord made a decision, each by the 
 rules of his own science, and after determining the matter, 
 respectfully represented that, ' by the grace of God, the prince 
 has been begotten and born in so fortunate a moment, and 
 during the rising of so auspicious a sign, that he will rule 
 like Sikandar,'^^ and in justice equal Naushirwan,^'^ and he 
 will have a perfect acquaintance with all the arts and sciences 
 that exist, and wiU easily master everything to which he turns 
 his mind. For generosity and courage he will acquire such a 
 name that people will forget Hatim and E-ustam. But till he 
 is fourteen years old, a great danger is apparent from his be- 
 holding the sun and moon. Moreover there is reason to fear 
 that, becoming distraught and insane, he will put many persons 
 to death, and will wander distractedly from the habitations of 
 men, and go forth into the deserts, and pass his time with the 
 beasts and birds. Let strict attention be paid to this point, 
 that by night and da)- he should not see the sun or moon, nay, 
 that he may not even have an opportunity of looking towards 
 the sky. If this interval of time passes in safety, then after 
 that he will reign the rest of his life in happiness and peace.' 
 
 "Having heard this, the King, for this same reason, laid the 
 foundation of this garden, and caused many^^^ apartments of 
 every plan to be erected. He ordered that I should be brought 
 up in a subterraneous room, and caused a tower of felt to be 
 prepared above it, so that neither the heat of the sun nor the 
 moonbeams could penetrate it. I, along with certain nurses 
 
 338 Alexander the Great. 
 
 33' The twentieth king of the fourth dynasty of Persia, viz. of the Sassanides, or 
 Khusravians, who was cotemporaiy with Justin and Justinian, both of whom he 
 defeated. Muhammad was horn in his reign, a.b. 578. 
 
 338 I prefer this meaning to that given in Forbes' vocabulary, which seems quite 
 inapplicable. 
 
108 BAGH BAHAE. 
 
 and attendants, began to be educated in that magnificent abode 
 with the care against danger which I have described, and a wise 
 tutor, a man of experience, was appointed to instruct me and to 
 teach me every science and art, and practise me in the seven 
 kinds of handwriting,''^ and the Asylum of the World con- 
 tinually superintended my education. A daily register of the 
 occurrences of every moment of my life was read in the royal 
 presence. I, regarding that place itself as the universe, was 
 playing with various toys and flowers of different hues, and the 
 dainties of the whole world were provided for me to eat. What- 
 ever I desired that I ate. By the time I was ten years old I 
 had acquired all crafts and accomplishments. One day, beneath 
 that tower, from an aperture to admit light, a marvellous flower 
 appeared to me, which, as I gazed, was increasing in size. I 
 tried to grasp it with my hands. Just as I stretched out my 
 hand towards it, so it rose higher and higher. I was amazed, 
 and stood staring at it. Immediately a sound of hearty laughter 
 struck my ears. I stretched my neck to see whence it came.'^'' 
 I saw then that, having rent the felt, a moon-like face was pro- 
 truded [towards me]. On beholding it, my understanding and 
 senses were unhinged. Again recovering myself, I beheld that 
 a throne, covered with gold, was standing there, supported on 
 the shoulders of fairy forms, and an occupant of the throne sat 
 on it, wearing a crown of jewels on her head, and on her body 
 a glittering robe, while she held in her hand a ruby cup of 
 wine of which she had freely quafied. That throne graduallj' 
 descended from on high, and entered the tower. Then the fairy 
 called me, and caused me to sit beside herself. She began to 
 address me in tender language, and, joining her face to mine, 
 gave me to drink a cup of wine, scented with the extract of 
 rose, and said, 'The children of men are inconstant, yet my 
 heart loves thee.' She spoke to me such ravishing words that 
 in a moment all else was effaced from my heart, and such was 
 
 '^^ Penmanship is greatly esteemed aaiong the Orientals. Some of the Kings of 
 Persia, and many of the highest nobles in that coimtry, and in Hindustan, have been 
 famous for their beautiful T\Titing. 
 
 '*" Literally, "to see it;" I'.c. the j'jl au>nz, or " sound," 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DAEWESH. 109 
 
 my delight that [I seemed then first] to taste life, and thought 
 to myself, ' To-day, indeed, I have been born into the world.' 
 
 " The sum of the story is this, — that why speak of myself? no 
 07ie ever can have beheld such beauty, or heard of such. — We 
 were both seated, contented in that bliss, when, in the midst of 
 our security, the pellet of misfortune struck us.^*^ Now hear the 
 account of this sudden calamity. Just then four fairies descended 
 from the sky and whispered something to that beautiful lady. 
 As soon as she heard it, her countenance changed, and then she 
 said to me, ' my love ! my heart indeed was wishing to sit 
 with thee a short space and thus delight my soul, and in this 
 same way always to come or take thee with me; but this heaven 
 permits not two persons to remain together in repose and hap- 
 piness. Well, my dearest Kfe ! thy Grod is thy protector.' '*^ 
 Having heard this, my senses completely left me, and the 
 parrot escaped from my hand.^^' I said, ' lady ! now when 
 shall we meet again ? what cross words are these you have 
 spoken ? If you return quickly you will find me alive ; other- 
 wise, you will repent of it ; or, tell me where you live, and your 
 name and address, that I myself, searching for you according 
 to that direction, may transport myself to you.' Having heard 
 this, she replied, ' God forbid ! ^** be the ears of Satan deaf ! ^^^ 
 may your life be one hundred and twenty years ! ^*^ If you 
 survive we shall meet hereafter. I am the daughter of the 
 king of the genii, and I dwell in the mountain Kaf.' '" 
 After she had said this, the throne was borne upward,^^^ and 
 in the same manner that it had descended it was forthwith 
 raised on high. 
 
 2*' A proverbial expression. 
 
 S42 A form of bidding farewell. 
 
 3<3 A proverb applied to those whose happiness has flown. 
 
 3" That you should die. 
 
 '*5 So as not to hear our ill-omened words and avail himself of them. 
 
 5*5 The limit assigned to man's life, according to the Musalman, and in Genesis, 
 vi. 3, " Yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years." 
 
 34' A mountain, by some thought to be Caucasus, where the SImui-gh, the Jins, 
 and other fabulous beings, reside. 
 
 349 "With deference to Mir Amman, this is bad grammar. The nominative to 
 
 Xjji kahkar and ul^Jl uthaya ought to be the same. 
 
110 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 " As long as it was before me, my eyes and hers were fixed 
 on one another \_lit. ' my eyes and hers continued four'] ; when 
 it disappeared from sight, my state became such as when the 
 shadow of a fairy falls upon one.'^^ My heart was overcast 
 with an extraordinary dejection ; my understanding and my 
 senses took leave. The world became dark under my eyes. 
 I was in a state of miserable bewilderment,'^ and my em- 
 ployment was to weep piteously, and throw dirt on my head, 
 and tear my clothes. I thought not of food, nor distinguished 
 between good and ill. 
 
 What mischiefs through this love arise ! 
 What broken hearts and miseries ! 
 
 The nurses and tutor became aware of this my sad state, and 
 went trembling into the presence of the King, and stated that 
 ' the condition of the Priace of the World is this. — "We know 
 not whence this spontaneous calamity has burst upon us, that 
 he has ceased to re&t, and to eat and drink.' Then the King, 
 accompanied by the vazir, the nobles, the counsellors, and the 
 skilful physicians and truthful seers, the sagacious doctors, 
 the good darweshes, the devotees, and those abstracted from 
 worldly concerns, adorned that garden with their presence. 
 Having seen my inquietude and my weeping and wailing, the 
 King's condition also became one of distress. He wept and 
 passionately embraced me, and commanded that a consultation 
 should be made regarding my disease. The physicians wrote a 
 prescription for the restoration of my spirits and the cure of my 
 derangement, and the doctors gave drawings and charms which 
 I was to drink, '^ or keep beside me, — they began to repeat 
 prayers, and to blow [with their breath, to expel the devil], 
 and the astrologers said that ' this his condition has arisen from 
 the revolution of the stars, — give propitiatory ofierino-s for it.' 
 In short, every one was speaking in terms of his own science ; 
 
 '*" This expression is applied to a deranged person ; as we say " moon-struck.' 
 ^'o This sentence is wanting in connexion. After the infinitives, Uj J 
 ',ru kam thS, or similar words, must bo understood. 
 ^'' For magic figures used in exorcisms, see KOuun-i IslOm, page 330, etc. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. Ill 
 
 but my heart alone was experiencing what I suffered. No 
 one's exertion or advice was of any use against my ill fate. 
 Day by day my madness increased, and my body grew feeble 
 from want of sustenance. All that was left to me was to shriek, 
 and beat my head day and night. In that state three years 
 passed away. In the fourth year, a merchant on his travels 
 arrived, and brought curiosities from every country, strange 
 and wonderful, to the royal palace. He obtained the honour 
 of waiting on the King.^^^ The King shewed him much favour, 
 and having asked after his welfare, inquired whether, as he 
 had seen many countries, his eyes had ever lighted on a perfect 
 physician, or if he had heard any one mention such an one ? 
 He made representation, saying, ' Point of prayer of the World ! 
 Your slave has travelled much, but in Hindiistan there is a 
 solitary mountain in the Great River [i.e. the Granga]. There 
 a Gusaln,^^' with matted hair, has made a large temple to 
 Mahadev, and a place of Hindu worship, and a garden of great 
 beauty wherein he dwells. And he has his custom, that annually 
 on the day of Shevrat,'^* he comes from his cell, and swims in 
 the river, and takes his diversion. When, after bathing, he 
 begins to return to his seat/^^ then the sick and afflicted of 
 every country and cUme, who come from afar, assemble at 
 his door. A great multitude is formed of them. 
 
 " 'That saintly devotee ^^^ (who ought to be called the Plato '5'' 
 of the age) proceeds onwards, inspecting their urine and pulse, 
 and writing prescriptions for each. God has given him such a 
 healing hand, that instantly on drinking the medicine, an effect 
 
 '^- The meanings of Ui^-*)*^ mulazamal, given in Forbes' vocabulary, are 
 
 inapplicable here. 
 
 853 A kind of Hindu religious mendicant. 
 
 ss* A night sacred to Shiva or Mahadev, on the 14th of the moon's wane, or dark 
 fortnight in Magha. 
 
 365 The ,.}-j| asan, of the Hindu ascetic, is the place where he squats, absorbed 
 in prayer or meditation. 
 
 356 The L::_^i-i-'< mahant, is, properly, the head of a religious house — an abbot. 
 
 357 Aflatun, as the Orientals called Plato, is supposed by them to have been, not 
 only a great philosopher, but also a skilful physician ; for with them the two sciences 
 of philosophy and medicine are almost inseparable. 
 
112 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 is produced, and that disease altogether departs. I have seen 
 these things with my own eyes, and the power of God was re- 
 called to my mind, in that He has created such beings as His 
 servants. If you command it, let us take the Prince of the 
 World to him, and give him a sight of him. There is strong 
 hope that he will perfectly recover, and that with speed. And, 
 moreover, this plan is evidently a good one, since by trying the 
 air of each country, and by the diversity of living in various 
 places, the mind recovers its tone.' The King approved of his 
 advice, and" being pleased, said, ' Very good ! perhaps his hand 
 may be successful, and the horror may depart from the heart 
 of my son.' He deputed to attend upon me a nobleman in 
 whom he had confidence, who had seen the world, and was a 
 man of experience, together with that merchant, and he sent 
 along with me such equipment as I required. Having caused 
 us to embark, along with our effects, on barges, travelling 
 pinnaces,^^ native pleasure boats, with the cabin in the prow, 
 cook-boats, ^^' fly-boats, Khelnas,^^' and baggage -boats,^^^ of 
 various descriptions, he sent us away. Proceeding on, stage 
 by stage, we arrived at that place. By the change of air and 
 diet my constitution was somewhat strengthened ; but I con- 
 tinued in the same state of silence, occupied with my tears. 
 Never for an instant did my heart forget that fairj', and if I 
 ever spoke, it was to repeat this couplet — 
 
 ' What fairy face glanced on me ? nought can I tell ! 
 But till now my poor heart was all tranquil and well.' 
 
 " At length, when two or three months had passed, nearly 
 four thousand persons, afflicted with diseases, assembled on that 
 
 ^^' The \/f\ iajra, or, in Anglo-Indian jargon, " tudgerow," is a trsTelling 
 pinnace, used by Eui-opeans from Calcutta to Delhi. 
 
 '5' The jiyj palu/ar is a travelling boat used by Europeans, as the cook-boat 
 to the Jr^ bajra. 
 
 "''' The liJ-:^^ khelna is a kind of boat of which I have nowhere met with a 
 
 description. The word is not in the dictionaries. 
 p 
 
 3" The JjSl ulak is the baggago-boat of the HugU in Central Bengal. The 
 pa^ell is the flat-bottomed car'go-boat of Hindustan. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 113 
 
 mountain. But all, however, were saying the same thing, 
 ' Now, if Grod will, the Grusain will come forth from his temple, 
 and, at his word, all will he restored to perfect convalescence.' 
 In a word, when that day came, the JogI '^^ in the morning 
 issued forth like the sun, and bathed and swam in the river.'^^ 
 He swam across and returned, and rubbed his whole body with 
 ashes. He hid his fair body in the ashes, as a spark is hidden 
 in them. On his forehead he made the sectarial mark with the 
 finest sandal, ^^* and having fastened his waist-cloth,^^ cast his 
 bathing-towel over his shoulder. He fastened up his back hair 
 in a knot, twisted his moustachios, and pulled up^**^ his high 
 shoes. From his countenance it was apparent that, in his 
 opinion, the whole world was of no value. Taking a jewelled 
 writing-case under his arm, and looking at each [sick person], 
 and writing prescriptions, he approached me. When our eyes 
 met, he stopped and reflected, and addressing me, said, * Come 
 with me.' I went with him. 
 
 " When all had had their turn, he led me into a garden, and 
 taking me into a beautiful and richly-ornamented private apart- 
 ment, said, ' Do you remain here ; ' and he himself went to his 
 own place. After a period of forty days he came to me and 
 found me better than I was before. He then smiled and said, 
 ' Continue to walk about this little garden, and to eat any of 
 the fruits you feel an inclination for.' And he gave me a small 
 
 3S' The -S j^ jogt is a Hindu ascetic, who gives himself up to meditation ; and 
 by abstracting his mind from earthly objects, attains supernatural powers. 
 
 36' The word U , J darya, is applied to large rivers as weU as to the sea. Thus 
 the Indus is called the J< JO-: b iJ darya-i Sindh, the great river of Sindh. 
 
 361 The sandal {santalum album) brought from the 7T<!^nif\' Malyagiri or 
 Western Ghats is reckoned the best. It has an exquisite scent, and is used by the 
 Hindus to make the ornamental mark on the forehead, by which their sect is known. 
 
 365 The CL>»$oJ langot, is a cloth about two feet long and six or eight inches 
 broad, passed between the legs and tucked-in before and behind, to the tasmah, or 
 du'ali. The \^=^Sj \ angochha, is tied by the Hindus round the waist while bathing, 
 and afterwards used as a towel. 
 
 366 The word liU'l irana is given by Forbes in his vocabulary, but is strangely 
 enough omitted in his Dictionary ; and also in that of Shakespear. It signifies " to 
 pull up," " to fasten up." 
 
114 
 
 BAGH O BAHAK. 
 
 china covered cup, filled with an electuary, saying, ' Always, 
 without omitting a day, take six mashahs^^ from this.' With 
 these words he departed, and I acted in accordance with his 
 directions. Every day my bodily strength and mental ease 
 increased, but no effect was produced on mighty love. The 
 form of that fairy was ever before my eyes. 
 
 "One day I saw in a recess a book. I took it up, and on 
 looking into it, found it contained all theological and natural 
 sciences. It was as if you had poured the ocean into a pitcher. 
 I perused it incessantly, and acquired uncommon power in the 
 sciences of philosophy and magic. In the mean time a full year 
 passed away ; again that festal day arrived. The Jog! arose 
 from his seat and went forth. I saluted him. He gave me 
 his writing-case, and said, ' Come with me.' I went with him. 
 When he had crossed the door, a multitude of people began to 
 utter benedictions. The nobleman and the merchant, seeing 
 me with him, fell at the feet of the Gusain, and began to pay 
 their thanks to him, saying, ' By the favour of your Highness, 
 at length thus much has been effected.' He, according to his 
 custom, went to the steps descending to the river, and performed 
 his ablutions and devotions, as he was wont annually to perform 
 them. On his return he proceeded along, surveying the sick. 
 It chanced that, among the crowd of deranged persons, he saw 
 a beautiful and graceful youth, who was unable to stand from 
 weakness. He said to me, ' Bring this youth along with you.' 
 When, after distributing medicines and remedies to all, he 
 entered his private apartment, he cut off a little of the skull 
 of that youth, and was about to remove with a forceps the 
 centipede which was sitting on his brain. The thought oc- 
 curred to me, and I exclaimed, ' If you wiU be pleased to heat 
 the tongs 51^ in the fire, and place it on his back, it would be 
 weU, for [the centipede] will come forth of its own accord ; and 
 if you thus pull it out, it will not leave go its hold on the mar- 
 
 s'" A weight, used by apothecaries, of eight ratis, each rati being equal to fifteen 
 grains. 
 
 "'" iUO CI-wiJ <?«»< jpa«a7i, is rendered in Forbes' vocabulary, " Tour worship," 
 " Tour reverence," a most doubtful meaning, and one which certainly has nothino- 
 to do mth this passage. Shakespear rightly translates it " tono^." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DARWESH. 115 
 
 row of the brain, whereupon his life will be in danger.' Having 
 heard this, he looked towards me, and got up in silence, and 
 seizing a tree in his grasp,^^' tied a noose of his matted hair 
 round his neck, and there hung. "When I went, I then saw 
 that, alas ! alas ! he was quite dead ! I was much grieved at 
 witnessing this wonderful spectacle, but as it was irremediable, 
 it occurred to me to bury him. "When I began to take him 
 down from the tree, two keys fell out from his matted hair. I 
 took them up-, and buried that treasure of goodness in the earth. 
 Then taking the keys, I began to apply them to all the locks. 
 It happened that the locks of two closets were opened by those 
 keys. I beheld, then, that from the floor to the ceiling, they 
 were filled with jewels, and on one side was placed a box covered 
 with velvet, clamped with gold, and locked. "When I opened it, I 
 saw a book, in which was contained the Great Name,'™ and 
 spells to summon genii and fairies, and others for raising spirits, 
 and for charming the sun. 
 
 " I was much pleased at acquiring such wealth, and began to 
 take my measures accordingly. I opened the gate of the 
 garden, and directed the nobleman and others of my retinue 
 to send for vessels and load them with all those jewels, and 
 cash, and goods, and books, and having myself embarked in 
 a boat, I set sail thence into the sea. "When, proceeding on, 
 I drew near to my own country, the Asylum of the World 
 was informed [of my approach]. He mounted and came forth 
 to meet me, and in a state of violent emotion from his affection 
 for me, he clasped me to his heart. I, having kissed his feet, 
 said, ' Command this humble person to reside in the garden 
 which was his former abode.' He replied, ' O my son ! that 
 place is an object of aversion to me, wherefore I have discon- 
 tinued its repairs, and ceased to keep it ready. That place is 
 now no longer fit to be the abode of man. In whatever other 
 
 ^^^ iji kauR is rendered in Forbes' vocabulary, " a kind of orange," a meaning 
 altogether inapplicable bere, where it signifies "embrace," "grasp." An orange- 
 tree would be a strange one to select for hanging oneself. 
 
 ^"> The Deity, according to the Musalman, has ninety-nine names, among which 
 is one of such power that he who knows it becomes endowed with supernatural gifts. 
 The notion may perhaps be borrowed from the Jews, who think the name " JehoTah " 
 too awful to be uttered. 
 
116 
 
 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 abode you please, alight. It is more desirable that you should 
 approve of some place in the royal fort, and stay there under 
 my own eyes, and having prepared a garden at the foot of your 
 palace, there walk about and enjoy yourself.' I resisted this 
 arrangement with the utmost obstinacy, and caused that garden 
 to be repaired anew, and having adorned it Kke Paradise, made 
 my entrance into it. Afterwards, free from interruption, I sate 
 fasting for forty days, in order to command the genii by my 
 incantations, and having abandoned animal food, began to 
 practise my spells. When forty days were accomplished, then 
 at midnight such a tempest arose that the largest buildings 
 fell down, and trees torn up by the roots were carried from 
 one place to another, and the army of the fairies appeared. A 
 throne descended from the air, on which sate a stately person, 
 wearing a crown of pearls and a rich robe. On seeing him, I 
 saluted him very respectfully. He returned my salute, and 
 said, ' Friend ! what disturbance is this that thou hast cause- 
 lessly occasioned ? what claim hast thou upon me ? ' I repre- 
 sented that this humble person had been for a long time in 
 love with his daughter, and for this very reason had wandered 
 over a far distance, wretched and miserable, and had been as 
 dead while living. That I had now become weary of existence, 
 and had sported ^'i with my life in doing what I had done ; that 
 I was now in hopes that His Majesty would confer exaltation 
 on me, distracted and wretched, and bestow on me life and re- 
 pose by granting me a sight of her, which would be a very 
 meritorious action. 
 
 "Having heard this my wish, he said, ' Man is earthly, and 
 we igneous ; for these two to assort is difficult.' I said, with 
 an oath, ' I desire only to see her ; I have no other purpose.' 
 Then that sitter on the throne replied, 'Man abides not by 
 his promise ; in the time of his exigency he says anything, but 
 he bears it not in mind. I have told thee this for thy good, 
 for if thou ever formest any other purpose, then both thou and 
 she will be ruined and brought to woe ; nay, your lives will be 
 in danger.' I reiterated my protestations, saying, 'I will never 
 
 '" The [d^ hhelim is exactly the Greek word Kwiwiia here. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE SECOND DAKWESH. 117 
 
 do a thing which will occasion injury to both of us, but I will 
 only gaze upon her.' This conversation was going on when, 
 suddenly, that fairy (of whom we discoursed) arrived, adorned 
 in the gayest manner, and the throne of the king departed. 
 Then I rapturously clasped that fairy in my arms, as though 
 she were my life, and repeated this poetry — 
 
 For forty days I've kept the fast ; theS to my home,'" 
 "Why should the fair with eye-brows arched not come ? 
 
 " In that same happy state we began to live together in the 
 garden. Through fear, I discarded any further designs. I 
 did but skim the surface of bliss,^'''^ and contented myself with 
 gazing upon her. The fairy was in her heart astonished at the 
 constancy with which I adhered to my promise, and sometimes 
 used to say, ' Dearest ! you are truly very firm to your word, 
 but I give you one piece of friendly advice. Take care of your 
 book, for some day or other the Jins will find you off your guard, 
 and steal it away.' I replied, ' I guard this as I would my life.' 
 
 " It happened one night that the devil tempted me. In the 
 violence of my desire, I thought, ' Come what may — how long 
 am I to restrain myself?" I clasped her to my breast, and 
 attempted to gratify my wishes. Immediately there came a 
 voice, • Give this book to me, for in this there is the Great 
 Name of God. Be not guilty of profanity ! ' In that intoxi- 
 cating moment I was bereft of judgment ; I took the book from 
 under my arm, and gave it, without knowing or observing to 
 whom, and proceeded with my purpose. The beautiful girl, 
 perceiving this my mistaken act, exclaimed, ' cruel ! at last 
 thou hast erred, and forgotten my advice ! ' 
 
 " With these words she became insensible, and I perceived, 
 at the head of the bed on which she lay, an imp, who stood 
 
 3'2 The lines in the original, it is only fair to say, are pretty enough, hut are 
 almost inoompressihle into English verse. 
 
 2" The meanings given by Forbes and Shakespear are altogether inapplicable 
 here. The latter renders c^y* i_J^ V *^^"^ maze, " secret pleasures," which would 
 include what is here evidently shut out. Forbes, by rendering the expression 
 "superior," "extraordinary," reverses the true meaning, which is, that he stopped 
 just short of consummating his nuptials. 
 
118 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 there holding the book. I was about to seize him and beat 
 him well, and snatch away the book, when, meanwhile, another 
 took it from his hand and fled. I began to repeat the spells I 
 had committed to memory. The Jin, who stood there, was 
 transformed into a bull ; but, alas ! the fairy in no degree 
 recovered her senses, but continued in the same state of 
 stupor. Then my heart was confounded, and aU my pleasure 
 was embittered. From that day I have loathed the company 
 of human beings. I remain dully''* in a corner of this garden, 
 and, to amuse myself, employ my time in making this jar'"-' 
 ornamented with trees of emerald, and every month I make a 
 practice of mounting this same bull and going to that plain. 
 I break the jar and kill the slave, in the hope that all will 
 see this my state, and take pity on it, and perhaps some servant 
 of God may so compassionate me as to pray for me, when I too 
 may arrive at my desire. O comrade! these are the facts of 
 my melancholy and insanity which I have related to thee." 
 
 I shed tears at the recital, and said, " Prince ! thou in 
 truth hast undergone a great labour of love ; but I swear by 
 God that I put aside my own wishes. Now I will wander 
 through forests and mountains for thy sake, and what I can 
 do for thee that will I effect." Having made this promise, I 
 took leave of the young man, and for five years wandered 
 through the deserts like a madman, sifting dirt.'^^ I found 
 no trace of the lady.'^ At length, being disgusted [with life], 
 I ascended a mountain, and was about to throw myself down, 
 in order that neither bone nor rib might remain whole, when 
 the same veiled horseman came up, and said, " Do not throw 
 away thy life ! after a few days thou shalt have thy wishes 
 gratified." men of God ! I have, indeed, obtained an inter- 
 view with you, and now I hope, through the divine grace, to 
 obtain satisfaction and happiness, and that all of us, dis- 
 appointed as we have been, will attain our objects. 
 
 '" I have so translated VjJ para, the exact force of which cannot be given in 
 English. 
 
 ^" The viOTij\ii ''l^^^ jhar dar, has been omitted both by Forbes and Shakespear. 
 
 "" That is, " in useless endeavoura." 
 
 '" By a blunder of the author we are not told that she ever disappeared. 
 
THE ADVENTUEES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 119 
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 
 
 When the second Darwesh had finished the relation of his 
 travels, the night ended, and the time of morning approached. 
 King Azad-Bakht silently took his way to the palace, and, 
 having arrived there, performed his prayers. Then, having 
 entered the bath, he put on a splendid robe, and came forth, 
 and seated himself on his throne in the public hall-of-audience, 
 and gave command, saying, " Let a messenger go — four fakirs 
 have arrived in such and such a place — bring them along with 
 you with all respect into the royal presence." According to 
 the order, a mace-bearer went there and saw then that the four 
 indigent persons having gone among the bushes,'^* and washed 
 their hands and faces, were about to set out each on his 
 own way. The servant said,' " Princes ! ^''^ the King has sent 
 for you four persons, come along with me ! " The four Dar- 
 weshes began to stare at each other, and said to the mace-bearer, 
 " Son ! we are kings of our own hearts, what have we to do 
 with worldly monarchs ? " He replied, " Men of Gfod ! it 
 matters not, it is better that you come." 
 
 Meanwhile the four remembered that what Lord All^*" had 
 said had now come to pass. They were pleased, and accom- 
 panied the messenger. "When they arrived in the royal castle, 
 and entered the presence of the King, the four Kalandars 
 uttered a benediction, saying, " Son ! may it be well with 
 thee ! " The King went and took his seat in his private hall, 
 
 s's A polite mode of expressing the ealls of nature. 
 
 s" Fakirs are addressed by the title of iLi shah, or " king,'' out of respect. 
 
 ss» In the test t-aj^ muriaza, " chosen," " approTed," a title of All. 
 
120 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 and summoned two or four of his chief nobles, and said, " Call 
 in the four mendicants " {lit. the four clothed in rags). When 
 they had come there, he ordered them to be seated, and inquired 
 after their welfare, saying, "Whence have you come? and 
 whither do you purpose going P where is the abode of the 
 spiritual guides?" {i.e. of yourselves). 
 
 They replied, " May the life and fortune of the King 
 increase ! We are fakirs. For a long time we wander 
 about, journeying and travelling in this same way. Our 
 houses are on our shoulders, according to the proverb, ' the 
 fakir's house is wherever evening overtakes him ; ' and to 
 what length should we recount all that has befallen us in 
 this transitory world ! " 
 
 Azad-Bakht gave them much consolation and encouragement, 
 and having sent for food, caused them to take their breakfast 
 in his presence. When they had finished he then said, " Relate 
 to me your history, without omitting or withholding aught ; and 
 whatever I can do in your service that I will not fail to per- 
 form." The fakirs replied, " As to the various adventures which 
 have befallen us, neither have we the power to relate them, nor 
 would the King derive any gratification from hearing them — be 
 pleased to excuse us." The King then smiled and said, " When 
 you, seated on your couches during the night, were relating 
 your several stories, then I too was present, and accordingly 
 I have already heard the adventures of Two Darweshes, and I 
 am now desirous that the remaining Two should recount theirs 
 also, and that you should stop contentedly with me for a few 
 days, 'for the footstep of the darweshes averteth ill.'" On 
 hearing these words from the King, they began to tremble with 
 fear, and holding down their heads, kept silence. They had no 
 power left to speak. 
 
 When Azad-Bakht saw that through consternation they had 
 no sense left in them to say anything, he said, " In this world 
 there is, perhaps, no one to whom some wonderful adventure 
 or other has not occurred. Notwithstanding that I am a king, 
 yet I, too, have seen such strange things that I myself will 
 first relate them. Do you listen at your ease." The Darweshes 
 said, " King ! Peace be to thee ! since your condescending kind- 
 ness to us in our condition as poor fakirs is such — be pleased to 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING IZAD-BAKHT. 121 
 
 say on." Azad-Bakht began his story in the following manner, 
 and said — 
 
 kings ! to a king's story now attend ! 
 
 To all I have heard or seen give ear, 
 Now from the first I'll tell it to the end, 
 
 Then fix your hest attention here. 
 
 When my father died and I ascended the throne, I was in 
 the Tery prime of my youth, and all this empire of E.um was 
 subject to me. It happened that one year a merchant came 
 from the country of Badakhshan,'^i and brought with him 
 much merchandize. The reporters ^^^ brought information to 
 me that up to that day so great a merchant had never entered 
 the city. I ordered him to be summoned. 
 
 He came, bringing with him curiosities from every country, 
 fit to be presented to me, as offerings. Of a verity every article 
 appeared to me inestimable, and moreover there was in a casket 
 a ruby of an exceedingly beautiful colour, and of a good water> 
 and in shape and size perfect, and which weighed five miskals.^^^ 
 Though a king, I had never seen such a jewel, and had never 
 heard of such a one from anybody. I accepted it with satis- 
 faction, and bestowed on the merchant many rewards and 
 honours, and gave him a writing of immunity from tolls, to 
 the effect that throughout my dominions none should interfere 
 with him by demanding a tax, and that wheresoever he went 
 his comfort should be attended to ; that the people [of the 
 place where he stopped] should guard and escort him, and 
 look upon his loss as their own. That merchant attended in 
 the royal presence during the time I held my court, and was 
 well acquainted with the etiquette of courts, and his manner 
 
 581 Bada^shan is a country to the north of Kabul, bordering on the Oxus, the 
 capital of which is Baltt. The finest rubies are foimd there in a mountainous range, 
 ■which forms its eastern boundary. 
 
 28* Every Asiatic prince maintains these emissaries, who keep him informed of 
 every new event, discharging the functions of a worthier class of reporters in this 
 country. 
 
 5*2 The Miskal is equal to four mashahs and three-and-a-half ratis. Our ounce 
 contains twenty-four mashahs, consequently the jewel weighed about five-eighths 
 of an ounce. 
 
122 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 of discourse, and pleasing conversation, was worth hearing. 
 Every day I sent for that ruby from the jewel-office, and 
 inspected it in full court. 
 
 One day I had taken my seat and was holding a public 
 court, and the nobles and piUars of state were standing each 
 in his proper place, and the ambassadors of the kings of all 
 countries who had come on complimentary missions, they^* 
 too were all present. At that time I, as was my wont, sent 
 for the ruby. The superintendent of the jewel-office brought 
 it. I took it in my hand and began to praise it, and gave it to 
 the ambassador of the Franks.^*^ When he saw it he smiled, 
 and in a time-serving way extolled it. In the same manner 
 each passed it on from hand to hand, and looked at it, and all 
 said unanimously, " By reason of the auspicious fortune of the 
 Point to which the world turns in prayer, this has been ob- 
 tained, otherwise up to this day no king has got possession of 
 so inestimable a gem." At that time the vazir of my father, 
 who was a wise man, and had been dignified with the same post 
 [under my reign], was standing at the chair of his office. He 
 made obeisance, and represented that he wished to say some- 
 thing, if I would grant him his life. 
 
 I commanded him to speak. He said, " Point to which the 
 world turns in prayer ! Your Highness is a king,^^ and it is 
 very inconsistent with the position of kiags to laud so highly 
 a stone. Though in colour, quality, and weight it is peerless, 
 still it is but a stone, ^^^ and at this moment the ambassadors 
 
 '** Here we find ij ivuh, with the singular pronoun instead of the plural ,__, ice. 
 This disregard of grammar occiirs so often that it amounts almost to a rule. 
 
 '*' ^i^jijji Farang-he, of Europe, for the word Frank, is now applied to aU 
 Europeans, who are called by the general name of FaringI, a name which carries 
 something disrespectful with it, and for which (.^/jl t_-^^»-Vtf Sahib log, " the 
 master-people," is a courteous substitute. 
 
 398 jLiiJU padsha/i, is the very highest title of royalty, and is nearer our 
 Emperor. To the English and French kings alone this title used to be given by the 
 Sublime Porte. 
 
 '*' A play here on the word (.^JCi^^o sang, which signifies both "weight," and 
 " stone." The equivoque cannot be preserved in English. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 123 
 
 of all countries are present in court. When they return to 
 their own respective cities, they will assuredly tell this storj"-, 
 and say, "^He is a strange king who has got a ruby from some- 
 where or other, and has made such a curiosity of it, that every 
 day he sends for it into his presence, and, after praising it 
 himself, exhibits it to all.' Then whatever king or raja hears 
 this account wiU make it a subject of ridicule in his court. My 
 lord ! there is in Naishapur ^^^ a merchant of no eminence, who 
 has set in a collar twelve rubies, each of which weighs seven 
 miskals, and has hung them on the neck of a dog." On hearing 
 this my wrath arose, and I said, in my displeasure, " Strike the 
 neck of this vazlr." ^^^ 
 
 The executioners immediately seized his hands, and were 
 about to take him out, when the ambassador of the King of 
 the Franks came before me, with his hands respectfully joined. 
 I asked him what he wanted. He respectfully stated, " I hope 
 that I may be made acquainted with the crime of the vazlr." ^^^ 
 I replied, " What other crime is greater than that of speaking 
 falsely, especially in the presence of kings ? " He answered, 
 " His falsehood has not been proved. Perhaps what he has 
 represented may be true. At present to put him to death 
 while innocent is not right." To this I responded, " The 
 reason can never admit that a person who, for the sake of 
 gain, wanders from city to city, and country to country, suf- 
 fering hardships, and collects his money kauri by kauri, 
 would set in the collar of a dog twelve rubies, which would 
 weigh seven miskals each ! " He said, " It is no marvel 
 for God's Omnipotence ; perhaps it may be so ; and rare 
 things often fall into the hands of merchants or fakirs : 
 
 3Bi Naishapur, once the capital of Persian Khurasan, and two stages from 
 Mashhad, the present capital, is in E. long. 58° 5', N. lat. 36° 15'. The word is 
 said to mean " City of Shapur." It stiU carries on a brisk trade with Shikarpur, 
 and other towns, especially in turquoises, which are brought in stuck on straws. 
 
 '»' The usual phrase for commanding decapitation. 
 
 ''" The sagacious ambassador of the Franks in this story is, probably, a copy from 
 the Frankish ambassador who was slain by Tazld, according to the legend, for 
 upbraiding him with the murder of All's sons. The head of the said ambassador, 
 when struck off, repeated the Muhammadan creed, so that all true believers may 
 comfort themselves with the assurance of the salvation of so remarkable a convert. 
 
124 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 for this reason, that both these people go into every country, 
 and bring away whatever they can get. Your Majesty's 
 best course is, if the vazir is indeed so criminal, to order 
 him to be imprisoned, because vazirs are the understanding 
 [as it were] of kings ; and this is an action unbecoming 
 monarchs, to give an order for executing [any one] for a 
 speech, the truth or falsehood of which has not yet been 
 established ; and thus to forget the services and loyalty of 
 his whole life. Peace be to the king ! former sovereigns 
 invented prisons for this very reason, that, if the monarch 
 or chief were angry with any one, they might imprison hira, 
 and that when, after some days, his wrath had departed, and 
 the innocence [of the prisoner] was clearly shown, the king 
 might thus remain free from innocent blood, and to-morrow, ^'^ 
 in the day of resurrection, might not be called to account." 
 However much I tried to prove him in the wrong, he spoke 
 so reasonably that he left me without the power of replying. 
 I then said, " Well ! I assent to what you say. I abstain 
 from putting him to death, but let him be incarcerated. If, 
 in the space of a year, his words are proved true, that such 
 rubies are on the neck of the dog, then he shall be released : 
 if not, he shall be put to death with extreme torture." I 
 commanded them to lead the vazIr to prison. Having heard 
 this mandate, the ambassador kissed the ground of service, 
 and made his obeisance. 
 
 When this intelligence reached the house of the vazIr, wail- 
 ing and lamentations were raised, and it became the house of 
 mourning. The vazIr had a daughter of fourteen or fifteen 
 years of age, very beautiful and clever, and well skilled in 
 writing and reading. The vazIr lavished much tenderness 
 upon her, and held her very dear. Accordingly he had caused 
 to be built for her in the rear of his public hall a pleasure- 
 house, and the daughters of nobles were with her as com- 
 panions and graceful female attendants waited upon her, with 
 whom she indulged in laughter and merriment and sportive 
 
 '"' The Musalman constantly use this expression, as if the day of resurrection was 
 BO nearly impending, that the intcrveniug time was but a day. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 125 
 
 amusements. It happened that, on the day I sent the Tazir 
 to prison, that girl was sitting among her play-fellows, and 
 for amusement was celebrating the marriage of a doll, and 
 with drums,''^ and timbrels,'^^ was making preparations for 
 the ceremony of the vigils,^^* and having put on a frying-pan, 
 was frying and making sweet-cakes,^'^ and comfits, ^'^ when, all 
 at once, her mother, weeping and beating her breast, and with 
 her head uncovered and bare feet, entered her daughter's house, 
 and struck a blow with the palms of both her hands ^'^ on the 
 girl's head, and began to say, " Would that God had, instead 
 of thee, given me a blind son, then my heart would have been 
 comforted, and thy father would have had one to help him." 
 The daughter of the vazir asked, " Of what use would a blind 
 son have been to thee ? whatever a son could have done, I, too, 
 am able to do." The mother answered, " Dirt on thy head ! ^^^ 
 This calamity has befallen thy father, that, in the presence of 
 the King, he has made a speech of such a nature that he has 
 been confined in the prison." She asked, " "What speech was 
 that ? let me just hear." Then the wife of the vazir said, 
 " Thy father perhaps said that there is a merchant in Naishapur 
 who has fastened to the collar of a dog twelve rubies of inestim- 
 able value. The King did not believe him. He thought him 
 
 392 The t^.>jy6 J dholalc is a drum smaller than the J)-*3 dhol, and with only- 
 one side covered with leather. 
 
 ^^' The — .>1^5>J paMaWfy' sometimes means a timbrel, sometimes a drum, of what 
 kind I know not. 
 
 ''* The IxiS^j ratjaga, " nocturnal vigils," is a ceremony observed by women on 
 the niath month after the birth of a chUd, and at a marriage. Vide Kanun-i Islam, 
 pp. 2, 271. 
 
 '95 The HJo gulgula is a sweet cake fried in butter ; or wheat-flour, sugar, and 
 curds, with anise and cardamom seeds, made into dumplings, and fried in clarified 
 butter. 
 
 39^ The ft!>-j rahm is a sort of sweet cake of a white colour. 
 
 '" Jia .J do hattar (^T dwau two, ^^ hast a hand), is omitted in Forbes' 
 
 vocabulary. It is the corresponding word to , -^".5 dulattt, which signifies a "kick 
 with both feet." 
 398 That is, " Confusion to thee ! " " Be ashamed of thyself ! " 
 
126 
 
 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 a liar, and has made him a prisoner. If I had this day a son, 
 then he would use every kind of exertion, and ascertain the 
 truth of this statement, and assist his father, and, by represen- 
 tation to the King, cause him to release my husband from the 
 prison." 
 
 The vazlr's daughter said, " Dear mother ! it is not possible 
 to contend against fate. In an unexpected calamity men 
 must have patience, and rest in hope of God's mercy. He is 
 gracious ! He will not suffer any one's difficulties to be 
 abiding; and to weep and wail is wrong. God forbid that 
 our enemies should represent it to the King in a different 
 light, and that the calumniators should speak insidiously 
 against us, which might be the cause of more displeasure. 
 Rather let us offer benedictory prayers for the Asylum of 
 the World. We are his hereditary slaves, he is our lord. 
 Just as he has been wroth ^^^ with us, so will he become kind." 
 The girl exhorted her mother with so much good sense, that 
 she recovered, to some extent, her patience and fortitude, 
 whereupon she went to her own palace and held her peace. 
 When the night came, the vazlr's daughter sent for her nurse's 
 husband,"" fell at his feet, besought him much, and began to 
 weep, and said, " In order that I may be quit of my mother's 
 curse, and that my father may obtain his release, I hold this 
 intention, if thou wilt be my companion — I will go to Xaisha- 
 pur, and, having seen that merchant, (on the neck of whose dog 
 these rubies are), will effect whatever it is possible to do, and 
 release my father." 
 
 At first, indeed, that man refused ; at length, after much 
 discussion, he consented. The vazlr's daughter then desired 
 him to make ready their travelling equipment with all secresv, 
 and to purchase merchandize fit for offerings to kings, and to 
 
 e/iazib is the reading I should prefer, not l -,-;A ^^.-.tJ, -n-hicli is 
 a substantive, and in spite of the dictionaries, never, I believe, means " ausfrv.'' which 
 is expressed by tls U v_ --^r ghnzab-nrik. 
 
 *'"' Lmj dadTi, also siicniiies "paternal grandfather," either of the old gentlemen 
 wiU answer the present pm-pose — eligat lector. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 127 
 
 bring with him the requisite slaves and servants, but not to 
 reveal the matter to any one. The husband of her nurse agreed, 
 and busied himself with the preparations. When all the things 
 were ready, he placed them on camels and mules, and set out, — ■ 
 and the vazlr's daughter also, having dressed herself in man's 
 apparel, went with him. No one in the house had the slightest 
 information of what was going on. When the morning came, 
 there was a talk in the vazlr's house that his daughter had dis- 
 appeared, and no one knew where she had gone. 
 
 At length, through fear of disgrace, the mother concealed 
 her daughter's loss, and there the vazlr's daughter assumed the 
 name of " the merchant's son." ^"^ Proceeding on, stage by 
 stage, she arrived in Naishapur. She alighted merrily at the 
 inn for travellers, and unloaded all her effects, and stopped there 
 the night. In the morning she went to the warm baths,^**^ and 
 put on a fair robe, such as the inhabitants of Rum wear, and 
 went forth to look at the city. When, as she was coming 
 along, she arrived in the market-place, she stopped in the 
 centre where the four roads met. On one side she saw a 
 jeweller's shop, where there was a great heap of jewels, and 
 slaves clothed in rich robes, were standing with their hands 
 crossed respectfully, and where there was a person'*"^ who was 
 the chief, whose age was about fifty years, dressed in rich 
 apparel, such as is worn by the wealthy, and a jacket with 
 short sleeves, and some friends of his sate near him, in a 
 dignified manner on chairs, and continued conversing among 
 themselves. 
 
 The vazlr's daughter (who had made herself known as the 
 merchant's son) having seen this, was astonished, and was glad, 
 making these reflections in her heart, " God grant that it may 
 not be false ! it is probable that this may be the merchant of 
 
 ^"1 An awk-ward name to assume in point of distinction. She had much better 
 
 have called herself *^IJi Ibrahim, ox ^\s^\ Jshak. 
 
 W2 And here her incognito must have been discovered, going with a man's dress 
 to the women's baths. But these difficulties are nothing to an Oriental wi-iter. 
 
 ■""^ Ui' tha, " was," must be understood here, otherwise the nominative /,as-**' 
 shalAs has no verb. 
 
128 BAGH O BAHAK. 
 
 whom my father spoke. Great God ! make known to me his 
 history." It happened that, when she turned her eyes on one 
 side, she saw a shop, in which two iron cages were suspended, 
 and two men were imprisoned in them, whose appearance was 
 like that of Majnun,*"* for only skin and bone were left, and the 
 hair of their heads and their nails had grown long."5 They 
 sate with their hands down, and two armed Abyssinians, of 
 hideous aspect, stood on each side of them. The merchant's 
 son was astonished. He recited the deprecatory formula called 
 ' la haul,'"^ and looking on the other side, beheld a shop in which 
 carpets were spread, and on them was set an ivory chair, in 
 which was a cushion of velvet, whereon sat a dog with a collar 
 of jewels round his neck, and fastened with a chain of gold ; 
 and two beardless and beautiful slaves attended on it ; the one 
 holding a fan of peacock's feathers, with a jewelled handle, was 
 fanning it, and the other holding in his hand a handkerchief of 
 gold thread, was wiping its mouth and feet. When the mer- 
 chant's son looked attentively, [he then saw] that twelve rubies, 
 just as he had heard, were actually there, in the collar of the 
 dog. He offered thanks to God, and began to reflect in what 
 manner he could convey those rubies to the King, and by 
 shewing them, release his father. He indeed was in this state 
 of bewilderment, and all the people of the market, and of the 
 road, beholding his beauty and comeliness, were amazed, and 
 continued absolutely confounded. All the people were dis- 
 coursing thus among themselves, " Till to-day a person of such 
 a shape and beauty never met our sight." The merchant also 
 observed him, and sent a slave, saying, " Go thou and with 
 entreaty invite and bring that merchant's son to me." 
 
 The slave came and brought the message of the merchant, 
 saying, " If you will have the kindness, then my lord is desirous 
 of seeing your honour, be pleased to come and see him." This 
 was the very thing the merchant's son wished. He replied, 
 " Certainly." As soon as he came near the merchant, and the 
 
 ^"' That is, they were emaciated like that unhappy lover, vide Xote 141. 
 "5 No imaginary pictui-e this. I have seen a murderer so confined in India, from 
 whose wasted and naked frame reason had long since fled. 
 4M Vide Note 268. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 129 
 
 merchant's eye fell upon Lim, a dart of love was plunged in his 
 breast.^"' To do Mni honour, however, he rose quite up, but 
 his senses were bewildered. The merchant's son perceived that 
 he had now entered the net.*"^ They mutually embraced. The 
 merchant kissed the forehead of the merchant's son, and seated 
 him beside himself. With much courtesy he inquired of him, 
 saying, " Inform me of your name and family ? whence have 
 you come, and whither do you purpose going?" The merchant's 
 son replied, " The country of this, your most humble servant, is 
 Rum, and Istambol is from of old the birth-place of my family 
 — my father is a merchant. Now, by reason of his old age, he 
 has no strength left for journeying. Wherefore he has given 
 me leave to go, in order that I may learn the business of a mer- 
 chant. To this day I had never set foot outside the house, this 
 is the first journey which I have undertaken. I had not courage 
 to travel by sea. I had set out by land, but such is the fame of 
 your honour's character and good qualities, in this country of 
 Persia, that I have come hither solely in the desire of meeting 
 with you. At length, by God's grace, I have been ennobled by 
 waiting upon you, and have found your virtues greater than the 
 report. The wish of my heart has come to pass. May God 
 keep you in safety ! I shall now depart hence." 
 
 On hearing this the understanding and senses of the mer- 
 chant quite left him. He said, " my son ! cause me not to hear 
 such a thing — kindly abide in my poor house some daj^s. Come, 
 now ! at least tell me this, where your goods and servants are." 
 The merchant's son said, " The house of the traveller is the inn, 
 after leaving them there I came to your honour." The merchant 
 said, " It is not well to remain in a tavern. I have good credit 
 and reputation in this city. Quickly send for them. I will 
 make vacant, and give you a room for your goods. I will look 
 at whatever things you have brought, and will take such mea- 
 sures that, in this very place, you will obtain a rich profit. 
 You, too, will be comfortable, and will escape from the fatigues 
 of travel, and, by staying a few days, you will oblige me also." 
 
 *<" Forbes lias no stop here. I think a fall point necessary. 
 408 xhat is, " That he had fallen in loye with him." 
 
 9 
 
130 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 The inercliant'8 son made pretended excuses,^"^ but the merchant 
 •would not admit them, and directed his agents to send porters 
 quickly, and having caused the goods [of the merchant's son] 
 to be brought, to deposit them in such and such a place. 
 
 The merchant's son sent with them a negro slave, telling him 
 to load all the goods and bring them, and he himself remained 
 sitting with the merchant till evening. When the market time 
 was over, and the shops were closed, the merchant went home. 
 Then, one of the two slaves took the dog under his arm — the 
 other lifted the chair and carpet, and those two Abyssinian 
 slaves placed the cage on the heads of labourers, and themselves, 
 fully armed, accompanied them. The merchant, holding the 
 hand of the merchant's son in his own, and conversing, came 
 to his house. 
 
 The merchant's son beheld that it was a magnificent abode, 
 fit for kings or chiefs. On the edge of a stream a bright carpet 
 was spread, and in front of an ottoman, preparations for an en- 
 tertainment were arranged. The dog's chair also was spread 
 with a cushion in the same place, and the merchant brought the 
 merchant's son with him and sate down. Without ceremony 
 he presented him with wine. Both began to drink. When 
 they were merry, the merchant called for food. The cloth was 
 spread, and all the delicacies the world could supply were set 
 out. In the first place, they brought some food in a large 
 shallow platter, covered with a golden cover, which they took 
 to the dog, and after spreading a cloth of brocade, they set it 
 before the dog, which came down from his seat and eat as much 
 as it wanted, and drank water out of a golden bowl. It then 
 went back and sate on the chair. The slaves wiped clean its 
 paws and mouth with a towel. Afterwards the slaves carried 
 the platter and bowl to the cage, and having asked the merchant 
 for the key, opened the lock of the cage. They took those two 
 men out, gave them some blows with a club, and fed them with 
 the leavings of the dog, and made them to drink of the water of 
 which the dog had drunk. Then, having fastened the lock 
 of the cage, they delivered the key to the merchant. When all 
 
 *'"' Lit. ; " From the siirfnce of his heart," i.e. which he did not i-eaDy intend. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 131 
 
 this was ended, the merctant himself began to eat. The mer- 
 chant's son was displeased with this action. He was disgusted, 
 and did not put his hand to the food.*^* Although the mer- 
 chant besought him, he nevertheless persisted in refusing. The 
 merchant then inquired the reason why he did not eat. The 
 merchant's son replied, " This actian of yours appears to me 
 unseemly, because man is the noblest of created beings, and the 
 dog essentially filthy. Wherefore to feed two creatures of God 
 with the leavings of a dog, in what religion or sect is this 
 allowable ? Do you not regard this — that they are your 
 prisoners — as simply arising from your good fortune ? other- 
 wise you and they are equal. I now feel a suspicion that you 
 are not a Musalman. How can I tell who you are that worship 
 a dog ? To eat your food is an abomination to me until this 
 doubt is removed from my heart." The merchant said, " My 
 son ! I know all this that thou sayest, and on this very account 
 I have a bad name, so that the people of this city have given 
 me the name of the dog-worshipping merchant. In that same 
 manner they are calling after me, and have made me notorious. 
 But, may the curse of G-od rest on infidels and idolaters ! " He 
 recited the creed, and satisfied the merchant's son. Then the 
 latter inquired, " If you are in truth a Musalman, then what is 
 the reason of this ? By this action you have given yourself a 
 bad name." The merchant said, " son ! my name is defamed, 
 and I pay in this city a double tax on this very account, that 
 this secret should not be known to any one. The history is 
 such a strange one that whoever hears it would gain nothing 
 but sorrow and indignation. Do thou also excuse me, for I 
 have neither the power to tell thee, nor wilt thou have the 
 patience to listen to it." The merchant's son reflected in his 
 heart, " My business is with my own concerns. What neces- 
 sity is there for me to press him unjustly ? " He said, " Well ! 
 if it is not fit to be told, then do not tell it." He put his hand 
 to the food, and having taken a morsel, began to eat. With 
 such prudence and discretion did the merchant's son, for two 
 
 *'» The Orientals, as is well known, eat with their hands, and do not use forks or 
 knives. 
 
132 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 months, live with the merchant, that no one had the slightest 
 idea that she was a woman. All thought but this, that she was 
 a man, and her friendship with the merchant increased day by 
 day to such a degree that the latter would not suffer her out of 
 his sight for a moment. 
 
 One day, in the midst of a convivial party, the merchant's son 
 began to weep. The merchant, on seeing this, comforted him, 
 and began to wipe away his tears with his handkerchief, and 
 asked the cause of his weeping. The merchant's son said, " 
 my father ! what shall I say ? Would that I had never ob- 
 tained admittance into your service, and that you had not 
 shewn that kindness towards me which you have shewn, ^ow 
 two difficulties present themselves to me. Neither does my 
 heart wish to be separated from your service, nor is the con- 
 tingency of my remaining here possible. My departure has 
 now become necessary, but in separating from you, I see no 
 hope of surviving." 
 
 Having heard these words, the merchant began to weep with 
 such vehemence that he was stopped by the hiccough, and 
 he said, " light of my eyes ! have you so soon become weary 
 of this old servant, that you depart, having plunged him in 
 woe ? Put away from your mind the intention of departure ; 
 as long as my life lasts, remain. I shall not survive my sepa- 
 ration from you an instant. I shall die before my appointed 
 time. The climate of this country of Persia is verv good, and 
 agrees well with you. It is better thus, that you should send a 
 confidential person, and invite to this place your parents, with 
 their property. "Whatever equipage ^^^ or carriage you require, 
 I will supply. When your mother, and father, and family are 
 come, carry on the business of a merchant at your ease. I, too, 
 during my life have endured many reverses of fortune, and have 
 wandered from country to country. Xow I have become old, 
 and ha\c no son, I look upon you as dearer than mv own sou, 
 and I make you my heir and absolute manager. Do vou exer- 
 
 *" si'b-' *'"™''> is "cm-ingc ioi- jiersoiis.- v^jlj,; iardSn, " caninge for 
 ffoods." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 133 
 
 cise prudence and vigilance in superintending my business also. 
 As long as I live, give me with your own hand a morsel to eat ; 
 when I die, be pleased to bury me, and take all my property and 
 effects." 
 
 Then the merchant's son replied, " In truth you have sym- 
 pathized with me, and taken more care of me than a father 
 [could have done], so that I have forgotten my own parents ; 
 but the father of this guilty person gave me leave of absence 
 for one year, if I tarry longer, he, in his aid age, incessantly 
 weeping, will die. Now a father's approbation is one way to 
 God's favour, and should he be dissatisfied with me, I fear that 
 he might utter a curse upon me, so that I should remain ex- 
 cluded from the mercy of God in both worlds. Your kindness 
 to me then will be in this, that you direct your slave to fulfil 
 the will of his sire, and discharge his filial duty. And to my 
 latest breath it will be incumbent on me to be thankful for your 
 honour's kindness. Though I go to my own country, I shall 
 still every moment remember you with my heart and soul. 
 God is the causer of causes, it may be that some such cause 
 may again arise, that I may obtain the opportunity of kiss- 
 ing your feet." In short, the merchant's son addressed the 
 merchant in words of so much taste [Jit. such and such words, 
 having mixed them with salt and pepper] and feeling, that 
 that poor man, having no alternative, began to lick his lips 
 \_i.e. to yield, to be captivated]. Inasmuch as he was charmed 
 and fascinated with him, he began to say, " "Well ! if you will 
 not stop, then I myself will accompany you. I prize you as 
 my own life, wherefore when the life departs, of what use will 
 be the empty body ? If thou art to be pleased in this way 
 only, then proceed and take me with thee." Having said this 
 to the merchant's son, he began to make his own preparations 
 also, and gave orders to his agents to busy themselves with all 
 speed in preparing carriage. 
 
 When the news of the merchant's departure had been spread 
 abroad, the merchants of the place, when they heard it, all 
 began to prepare for the journey. The dog-worshipping mer- 
 chant, taking with him treasures and jewels incalculable, servants 
 and attendants without number, and rarities and goods in great 
 quantities, worthy of royalty, pitched outside the city tents and 
 
134 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 screens, and tents without poles, and pavilions, and kundlas,"^ 
 and took up his quarters in them. All the merchants bringing 
 with them their merchandize, each according to his own capital, 
 went along with him. Of itself*^' an army was formed. 
 
 One day, having turned their backs on the inauspicious quar- 
 ter,''" they departed thence. They loaded thousands of camels 
 with sacks of goods, and placed chests of cash and of jewels on 
 mules, and five hundred slaves, Tartars from the plain of Kib- 
 chak, and Abyssinians and Turkish slaves, fully armed, and 
 masters of the sword, went in advance, mounted on steeds of 
 Arabian descent, born in other countries,*'^ and Turkaman, and 
 Irakian and Arab horses. In rear of all came the merchant 
 and the merchant's son, clothed in rich robes, and borne on 
 easy litters ; and a Baghdad seat ^^^ fastened on a camel, on 
 which was the dog sleeping on a cushion, and the cages of those 
 two prisoners suspended on a camel, were borne along. As 
 they arrived at each stage, all the merchants came and pre- 
 sented themselves at the levee of the merchant, and sate and 
 drank wine at his board [_/if. table-cloth]. The merchant, in 
 the delight of having the merchant's son as his companion, was 
 returning thanks to God, and proceeding on stage by stage. 
 At length they arrived in safety and health in the environs of 
 Constantinople, and halted outside the city. The merchant's 
 son said, " my father ! if you will give me permission I will 
 go and see my parents, and clear out a place for you ; when 
 your exalted mind thinks fit, be pleased to enter the city." 
 
 The m«rchant said, " It is for your sake, indeed, that I have 
 come hither. Well ! quickly finish the meeting [with your 
 friends] and return to me quicklj', and give me a place to 
 
 *'- I have not been able to find a description of the tent called a ^ JO kundla. 
 
 *" I have never met with this sense of (_>' rJ barae before. 
 
 *" Literally, on Togiui, an eiil sprite attendant on Durga, and supposed by 
 astrologers to denote an unlucky quarter. The meaning given in Forbes' vocabulary 
 is inapplicable here. 
 
 '"' This is the only distinction that can be made between o'lU tazi, and c-.j^ 
 Arab!, and if there be no distinction, Mir Amman has written nonsense. 
 
 *'" Some kind of easy chair, but the exact description I knownot 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 135 
 
 alight near to yourself." The merchant's son took leave and 
 came to his own house. All the people in the vazlr's palace 
 were amazed, saying, "Who is this man who has intruded 
 here ? " The merchant's son, that is, the vazlr's daughter, 
 went and fell at the feet of her mother, and wept, and said, 
 " I am 3'our daughter." On hearing this, the vazir's lady 
 began to abuse her, saying, " wanton girl ! thou hast turned 
 out very unchaste. Thou hast blackened thine own face, and 
 disgraced thy family. "We truly, having lamented thy death [lit. 
 life], had calmed ourselves, and were at peace, having washed 
 our hands of thee. Away ! remove thyself ! " 
 
 Then the vazir's daughter took her turban from off her head, 
 and flinging it away, said, " my dear mother ! I have not 
 been to a bad place, I have done no wrong thing — in obedience 
 to your orders I have undertaken all this scheme in order to 
 free my father from prison. Praise be to God ! by the blessing 
 of your prayers, and by the grace of God, I have returned, 
 having accomplished the whole business, since I have brought 
 with me from Naishapur the merchant with the dog (on whose 
 neck those rubies are hanging), and have not dealt unfaithfully 
 with what you intrusted to me [in other words, " my chastity "]. 
 With a view to my journey I adopted male attire. Now, the 
 affair of oue day remains, having concluded which, I will release 
 my father from his dungeon, and will return to my own home. 
 If you command me I will return, and having stayed abroad 
 one day, will come and wait upon you." The mother, when 
 she had well ascertained that her daughter had performed an 
 action worthy of a brave man, and yet had in every way pre- 
 served herself free from injury, prostrated herself \_lit. rubbed 
 her nose] in the temple of God, and delightedly embraced her 
 daughter, and kissed her lips. She took her calamities*^' upon 
 her, and offered up benedictions, and allowed her to depart 
 with these words, " Do as seems good to thee — me thou hast 
 satisfied." 
 
 The vazir's daughter, having again become the merchant's 
 son, retiirned to the dog-worshipping merchant. There, inas- 
 
 4" Vide Note 97. 
 
136 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 mucli as her absence was unendurable to the merchant, he had 
 been compelled to come on. It happened that close to the city 
 the merchant's son was going from this quarter, and from that 
 the merchant was coming. In the middle of the way they met. 
 The merchant, on sight of her, said, " Son, whither hast thou 
 gone, leaving me, the old man, alone ? " The merchant's son 
 said, " I went home, having received permission from yourself. 
 At length my desire to wait upon you suffered me not to remain 
 there. I have come and am present." Seeing, at the gate of 
 the city, a shady garden on the edge of the sea, they pitched 
 their tents and alighted there. The merchant and the mer- 
 chant's son, seated together, began to drink wine and eat 
 roasted meat. When the time of evening prayer arrived, they 
 came forth from the tent to look about them, and sat on chairs. 
 By chance a huntsman in the service of the King came out in 
 that direction. Having observed their retinue and their be- 
 haviour, he was astonished, and said in his heart, " Perhaps 
 the ambassador of some king has arrived." He stood and was 
 looking at the sight. 
 
 A messenger of the merchant caUed him forward and asked 
 him who he was ? He replied that he was the chief huntsman 
 of the King. The messenger gave an account of him to the 
 merchant. The merchant told a negro slave *'* to go and say to 
 the falconer, " We are travellers ; if you please, come and sit 
 down. Coffee and pipes are here." ^'^ When the chief hunts- 
 man heard the word "merchant," he was the more astonished, 
 and accompanied the slave to the merchant's party, and beheld 
 their furniture, and magnificence, and soldiers, and slaves. He 
 saluted the merchant and the merchant's son, and observed the 
 exalted position which was given to the dog. His senses utterly 
 departed, and he became like one dazed. The merchant having 
 caused him to be seated, entertained him with coffee. The 
 huntsman inquired the name and designation of the merchant. 
 When he asked leave to depart, the merchant allowed him to 
 go, after presenting him with some pieces of cloth and several 
 
 *'* Literally, " an infidel slnve," or what is vulgarly called " a coffree." 
 *'" The usual civility offered to a sti-anger in Turkey, Arabia, and Persia. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 137 
 
 rarities. In the morniiig, when he attended the King's court, 
 he began to speak to the courtiers of the merchant, and of his 
 company. By degrees the news spread to me. I called the chief 
 huntsman before me, and inquired as to the circumstances of 
 the merchant. He made a statement of all he had seen. At 
 hearing of the dog's exaltation and of the two men's imprison- 
 ment, I was enraged. I said, " That reprobate merchant is 
 worthy of being put to death." I commanded the execu- 
 tioners,^^" saying, " Gro quickly ! cut off the head of that 
 impious person, and bring it." It providentially^^' happened 
 that the same ambassador of the Franks was present in the 
 court. He smiled. I was the more incensed, and said, " 
 disrespectful person ! It is far removed from good manners to 
 shew the teeth ^^^ in the presence of kings ; it is better to cry 
 than to laugh unseasonably." He respectfully said, " Asylum 
 of the World ! some thoughts passed through my mind. On 
 that account your devoted servant smiled. In the first place 
 [I thought] this, that the vazir is truthful ; now he will obtain 
 deliverance from his prison. Secondly, that the King will 
 escape from the innocent blood of that vazlr. Thirdly, this, 
 that the Point to which the world turns in prayer has, without 
 cause and without offence, ordered the execution of the mer- 
 chant. I was astonished at these doings, that Tour Majesty, 
 without inquiry, on the word of a silly fellow, sits ordering the 
 execution of everybody. God knows what the circumstances of 
 that merchant really are ! Be pleased to send for him into 
 your royal presence, and inquire into his affairs. If he is 
 
 420 fjjjg meaning is most unaccountably omitted by both Forbes and Shakespear. 
 
 *2' I must object to the meaning given in the dictionaries to loLcii kazakar, 
 " by chance." The Musalman do not admit of " chance," nor should we, if we gave 
 any heed to philosophy or religion. 
 
 *22 Unless ^^ Lli-JlJ dant kholne is taken as a plural substantive, this 
 sentence is ungrammatical. Forbes, in his vocabulary, makes it a substantive, and 
 translates it "laughter," which may be regarded as plural (like ap-fipiSfiov yiKaa-ij.a) 
 though that is strange enough. But Forbes in his " Dictionary " (Shakespear 
 omits it) makes ci! ?^ c:-o ' J dant kholne an infinitive, in which case it ought 
 to be U*^ l::^! J dant kholna, with the singular verb ^^& hat, not ^-Jb hain. 
 
138 
 
 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 proved to be guilty, then you are at liberty to do as you please. 
 Treat him as you think fit." 
 
 When the ambassador had in this manner admonished me, I 
 too bethought myself of the speech of the vazlr. I commanded, 
 saying, " Bring quickly [lit., " make present "] the merchant 
 with his son and the dog, and the cage." The attendants'^ 
 ran to summon him, and in an instant brought the whole party 
 into the presence. I called them before me. First came the 
 merchant and his son, both of them clothed in sumptuous 
 apparel. At sight of the beauty of the merchant's son, all, 
 both low and high, were amazed and confounded.*^* The 
 merchant's son brought in his hand a golden tray filled with 
 jewels (the lustre of each individual stone of which lit up the 
 whole apartment), and offered ^^'^ it before my throne. He 
 made his bow respectfully, and stood still. The merchant also 
 kissed the ground, and began to utter a benediction. He was 
 discoursing in such a style that you would have said it was [lit., 
 "you would say it is"] the nightingale with its thousand songs. 
 I approved of his abilities much, but said to him with a coun- 
 tenance of rebuke, " fiend in human shape ! what net is this 
 that thou hast spread, and what well that thou hast dug, in thy 
 own path ? What is thy faith, and what custom is this ? Of 
 what Prophet is this a sect ? If thou art an infidel, even then 
 what turn of mind is this ? and what is thy name that this is 
 thy deed ? " «6 
 
 He said, " May the life and fortune of the Point to which 
 the world turns in prayer remain increasing ! The faith of thy 
 slave is this, that God is one. He has no partner, and I recite 
 the creed of Muhammad Mustafa (may God bless and preserve 
 him and his posterity !), and after him I regard the twelve 
 
 *" (_5*-J_J^ ^orchi tae but one meaning in Forbes' vocabulary, " keeper of a 
 wardrobe," a signification wbicb here ia simply ridiculous. 
 
 *" With deference to Mir Amman tliC^; J bhaichak is an execrably ill-chosen 
 
 word here, as it signifies " aghast at some hon-ible and portentous sight." 
 
 *" The meanings given for jjl^cs:^ nichhdwar in Forbes' vocabulary do not 
 apply here. 
 
 "8 Observe in the Hindustani text the rhjTne in these sentences, which is thought 
 a grace in composition. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 139 
 
 Imams *^^ as my guides ; *^* and my rule of life is this, I repeat 
 the prayers at the five times/^'' and observe the fast,"^" and I 
 have also returned from performing the pilgrimage to Mak- 
 kah/21 and I bestow the fifth of my property in alms,*^^ and I 
 am called*'^ a Musalman. But [with regard to] all these faults 
 which are to outward view existing in me, on account of which 
 Your Majesty is displeased, and I continue in ill-repute among 
 all God's creatures ; for this there is a reason which I am unable 
 to disclose. Although I am notorious as the dog-worshipper, 
 and pay double taxes, [yet] I have consented to all this, but 
 have not told the secret of my heart to any one." 
 
 At this excuse my anger increased, and I said, "Dost thou 
 cajole me with thy words ? I will never listen to thee until 
 thou givest, for thy perversity, a reasonable ground, which may 
 be satisfactory to my mind. Then thou shalt escape with thy 
 life ; else, in retribution for it, I will cause thy belly to be 
 ripped up, as a warning to -all, that none may infringe the 
 religion of Muhammad." The merchant said, " King ! re- 
 frain from the blood of me unhappy, and confiscate [instead] 
 all my property, which exceeds computation and reckoning, 
 and release me and my son, making us a votive oflfering^'* for 
 your throne, and bestow on us our lives." I smiled, and said. 
 
 "' Vide Note 8. 
 
 128 'With Muhammadans it is customary for the principal person to stand in front 
 of the rest in prayer, and the 'Others follow his motions. Thus the KhalTfah would 
 stand fiist of all in an assembly of the faithful. There is an allusion perhaps to this 
 in the word ]}m^ peskwa. 
 
 *=3 Vide Note 51. 
 
 •'2'' That is, during the 9th month or Eamazan, from dawn to sunset. For a full 
 description of this fast, vide Kanun-i Islam, p. 66. 
 
 ^3' Vide Kanun-i Islam, p. 60. 
 
 *3^ It is a (_/5jJ Z""'?! or divine command, to give alms annually of five things, 
 viz. money, cattle, grain, fruit, and merchandise. The per-centage varies, but the 
 highest is a fifth, which is for treasure derived from mines. Vide Kanuu-i Islam, 
 p. 58. 
 
 ^33 This word U US kalmna is omitted in Forbes' vocabulary. It is the causal of 
 l^jj Tcahna, "to say," and from its first meaning " cause to say," gets a second, 
 " to be called," " to call oneself." 
 
 *3* Thus the scape-goat was set free to bear the sins and curses of the people away 
 with it. 
 
140 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 " thou without understanding ! dost thou hold out to me the 
 lure of thy wealth ? There is now no escape for thee except in 
 speaking the truth." On hearing this, the tears began to drop 
 involuntarily from the merchant's eyes, and having looked to- 
 wards his son, he heaved a sigh, and said, " I indeed have been 
 pronounced guilty before the King ; I shall be put to death ; 
 now what shall I do ? to whose care shall I commit thee ? " I 
 said to him menacingly, " deceiver ! enough ! now thou hast 
 made too many excuses ; say quickly what thou hast to say." 
 
 Then, indeed, that man, stepping forward, came near the 
 throne, kissed the foot of it, and commencing with a eulogy 
 of me, said, " king of kings ! had not you issued an order 
 for my execution, I would have endured all punishments, and 
 not told my history. But life is dearer than all. S'o one of 
 his own accord falls into a well. Self-preservation, then, is a 
 duty, and to abandon duty is contrary to the command of God. 
 Well, since your imperial will is so, be pleased then to hear the 
 history of this weak old man. First, let an order be given to 
 bring and place in your presence those two cages in which the 
 two men are imprisoned. I will relate my story ; if I anywhere 
 speak falsely, then, by interrogating them, be pleased to convict 
 me and do as justice requires." I approved of these words of 
 his, and having sent for the cages, and caused those two to be 
 taken out, made them stand near the merchant. 
 
 The merchant said, " king ! this man who is on the right 
 hand is your slave's eldest brother, and the one on the left is my 
 second brother {lit., "middle brother"). I am younger than both 
 of them. My father was a merchant in the country of Fars. 
 When I was fourteen years old my father died. When the 
 interment and shrouding *35 were finished, and the flowers had 
 been removed,^'^ these two brothers said to me one day, ■ Xow 
 
 ^^' For a description of the funeral rites observed by ■Miilmmmadans, vide Kanun-i 
 Islura, chap, xxxviii. The winding-sheet is of calico, inscribed with chapters of the 
 Kur'un. The kafan or shroud must be white, and consist* of three pieces for a man, 
 and five for a woman. 
 
 ^'^'^ Before the corpse is can-ied forth for interment, wreaths of flowers are laid on 
 it, or a sheet ornamented with flowers. These are removed when the corpse is lifted 
 to be carried to the grave. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 141 
 
 let US divide whatever property our father left ; let each do 
 [with his share] what his heart desires.' When I heard [this] 
 I said, ' brothers ! what words are these ? I am your slave, 
 I lay no claim to the rights of a brother. I have lost a father ; 
 you two will be over my head in his place. I want but a dry 
 crust, with which I may support myself as long as I have to 
 live, and remain present in your service. What business have 
 I with shares or portions ? I will fill my stomach with your 
 leavings, and remain with you. I am a boy ; I have, too, 
 neither read nor written ; what can I do ? Do you now 
 instruct me.' 
 
 " Having heard this, they replied, ' Thou wishest to ruin us 
 and reduce us to want along with 3'ourself.' I went silently 
 into a corner and began to weep. Again I admonished my own 
 heart thus : ' After all, my brothers are my elders. They re- 
 prove me with a view to my instruction, that I may learn 
 something.' In this same meditation I fell asleep. In the 
 morning a footman of the KazI came and took me into the 
 Court of Justice. There I saw that these two brothers were 
 present. The KiizI said, 'Wherefore dost thou not divide 
 and portion out the inheritance of thy father ? ' I gave them 
 the same answer which I had given in the house. My brothers 
 said, ' If thou sayest this from thy heart, then write out and 
 give to us a bill of discharge, to the effect that thou hast 
 nothing to do with the property or goods of thy father.' Even 
 then I thought that those two were my elders, and spoke for 
 my instruction, in order that when I received my paternal 
 inheritance, I might not expend it improperly. In accordance 
 with their wish, I wrote an acquittance with the seal of the 
 KazI. They were satisfied, and I returned home. 
 
 " Next day they began to say to me, ' brother ! we require 
 this room in which thou livest ; do thou take some other place, 
 and go and live there.' I then perceived that they were not 
 even willing that I should stop in my father's house. Having 
 no alternative, I resolved to get up and go away. Asylum of 
 the world ! when my father was living, then whenever he 
 returned from his travels, he used to bring rarities from each 
 country [he visited], by way of present and give them to me, 
 because every one is fondest of his youngest son. I sold them, 
 
142 BAGH O BAHAK. 
 
 and had got together a small stock of my own, with which I 
 was carrying on a little traffic. On one occasion my father 
 brought for me from Turkistan a slave-girl, and once he brought 
 horses, amongst which there was a young colt which promised 
 well ; that also he gave me. I provided it with grain and grass 
 at my own expense. 
 
 "At length, seeing their unkindnees, I purchased a house, 
 whither I went and stayed. This dog also went with me. I 
 collected household furniture for necessary purposes, and pur- 
 chased two slaves to wait on me, and with my remaining stock 
 I set up a mercer's shop, and sate down in reliance on God. I 
 was content with my fate. Though my brothers had displayed 
 malice to me, still, as God was kind, in the space of three years 
 I collected such a shop that I became a man of credit. All the 
 costly things that were required in the high families went from 
 my shop alone. Thereby I amassed much money, and began to 
 live in great comfort. Every moment I was offering up thanks- 
 givings to the Divine Majesty, and dwelt at my ease. I fre- 
 quently recited this stanza with reference to my own condition, 
 
 Why should not the king be wrathful ? Nought have I to do with him, 
 Thou alone art my great Sovereign, and Thy praise alone I hymn. 
 Let my brother, too, be angry ; thence I've nought to hope or fear. 
 Thou alone art my Deliverer, — to whom else should I draw near ? 
 "Wrathful be they, friend or foeman, only be Thy favour sure. 
 iSTight and day from hour to hour, let that love alone endure. 
 The world is wrathful, but Thou only art incomparably great. 
 All shall kiss the thumb submissive, — Thou alone be not irate. 
 
 It happened that on a Friday ^^" I was seated in my house, 
 when a slave of mine, who had gone to the bazar to make pur- 
 chases, came back after a short interval weeping. I asked the 
 reason, saying, ' What is the matter with thee ? ' He replied 
 in a vexed way, ' What matters it to you ? do you enjov your- 
 self; but at the daj' of resurrection what answer wiU j'ou give ?' 
 I said, ' Abyssinian ! what such calamity has befallen thee ? ' 
 He said, ' The exasperating thing is this, that in the centre of 
 
 «_.♦.>- Juina, Friday, is the Sabbath of the Jluliammadaus. 
 
THE ABVENTTJKES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 143 
 
 the bazar, a Jew has pinioned the arms of thine elder brothers, 
 and is striking them with a whip, and derides them, saying, 
 " If you will not pay my money, then I will continue beating 
 you until I beat you to death. Marry, I shall at least receive 
 the recompense of a meritorious act, [even if I should lose my 
 money by killing you]." "Well ! this is the condition of your 
 brothers, and you are unconcerned. This is a pretty thing ! 
 what will people say ? ' On hearing these words from the slave, 
 my blood boiled. With bare feet I ran towards the bazar, and 
 said to my slaves, 'Bring money quickly.' As soon as I ar- 
 rived there, I saw then that whatever the slave had said was 
 true. On them blows were descending. I said to the footmen 
 of the Governor, ' For God's sake ! stop a little. Let me ask of 
 the Jew what such offence they have committed in return for 
 which he has inflicted on them this chastisement.' 
 
 " Having said this, I went up to the Jew, and said, ' To-day is 
 Friday ; wherefore hast thou continued inflicting stripes upon 
 them ? ' He replied, ' If you mean to aid them, do it eifectually ; 
 instead of them do you pay me my money, otherwise take your 
 way home.' I said, ' What sum ? produce your bond ; I will 
 count over the money to you.' He said, ' I left the bond with 
 the magistrate when I came here.' Meanwhile my two slaves 
 came up, bringing two bags of money. I gave a thousand 
 rupees to the Jew, and released my brothers. Their condition 
 had become and was such that I brought them home along with 
 me, naked, and hungry, and thirsty. I forthwith caused them 
 to bathe in the^ warm bath, dressed them in new clothes, and 
 gave them food to eat. I never at any time said to them, 
 ' What have you done with the large property of my father ? ' 
 [I thought] that perhaps they would be ashamed. 
 
 " King ! these two are present. Be pleased to ask whether 
 I speak the truth, or whether there is any admixture of false- 
 hood also in what I say ? Well ! when after some days they 
 had recovered from the bruises of their- beating, I said to them 
 one day, ' brothers ! you have now lost your credit in this 
 city. It is better for you to travel for a time.' When they 
 heard this, they remained silent. I perceived that they were 
 willing. I began to make preparations for their journey. I 
 provided them with tents, baggage, and conveyance for their 
 
144 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 things and for themselves, and purchased goods to the amount 
 of twenty thousand rupees. A caravan of merchants was going 
 to Bukhara.^^8 I sent them along with it. 
 
 " After a year that caravan came back. I got no good news 
 of them. At length I, with many adjurations, inquired of an 
 acquaintance [respecting them]. He said, ' When we arrived 
 in Bukhara, one lost all he possessed in a gambling-house. He 
 now performs the part of sweeper there, and smears and plasters 
 the floor of the gambling-house. He waits on the gamblers 
 who assemble there, and they,*^' by way of charity, give him 
 something. He has become the low drudge there, and so abides. 
 And the other, having fallen in love with the daughter of a 
 vendor of the drink called bozah,"" has expended all his pro- 
 perty ; now he does the dirty work in the boozing-ken. The 
 people of the caravan did not tell you, lest you should be 
 ashamed.' 
 
 " When I heard these things from that person, my condition 
 became a strange one ; through anxiety sleep and hunger left 
 me. I took with me provisions for the journey, and set out for 
 Bukhara. When I arrived there, I sought them both out and 
 brought them to my house. I caused them to bathe, and to 
 put on new garments, and through fear of their being put to 
 shame, I did not utter a word. I again bought for them mer- 
 chandize, and set out home. When I drew near to Xaishapiir, 
 I left them and their baggage in a village, and returned home, 
 in order that my arrival might not be known to any one. Two 
 days after I made it known that my brothers were returned 
 
 i's ]j\^ Bukhara, called t-_i.' .-1 sharlf, "the noble," is the capital of Trans- 
 oxiana, and is in N. lat. 40°, E. long. 62°. It has been repeatedly taken and re-taken 
 by various conquerors, as by Timur Lang and Jangiz Khun, but has been now for 
 300 years in the possession of the Uzbak Tartars. Of late it has obtained an infamous 
 notorietj- fi-om the mm-ders of Captain Conolly and Colonel Stodhart, perpetrated by 
 its ruler. 
 
 'J" Here ive have (in the text) i, u-tth for " they," instead of ^ % «■«, yet no 
 munshi would suffer such an en-or to pass without notice. 
 
 **" Forbes, in his vocabulary, renders -^ , ..' bozah, " a kind of ale or beer," but it 
 is rather the fermented liquor of the Palmpa-tree, mixed with opium, decoction of 
 hemp, and other intoxicating ingredients. The similarity of " boz;vh," and our word 
 " booze," is remarkable ; and still more " bozah-kUiuah " and " boozing-keu." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 145 
 
 from a journey, and that I should go out the next day to meet 
 them. In the morning I was about to go [when] a house- 
 holder of that very village came to me and began to utter cries 
 of complain t.^*'^ Hearing his voice I came out, and seeing him 
 weeping, I inquired, ' Why art thou uttering lamentations ? ' 
 He said, ' By reason of your brothers, our houses have been 
 plundered, would that you had not left them there ! ' I asked, 
 ' What calamity has happened ? ' He said, ' At night there 
 came an attack of robbers. They plundered their property, 
 and carried off the plunder of our houses also.' I expressed 
 my regret, and asked, ' Where are the two now ? ' He re- 
 plied, ' They are sitting outside the city, quite naked, in a 
 wretched and forlorn state.' I immediately took with me two 
 suits of clothes, dressed them in them, and brought them home. 
 People hearing of it were coming to see them, and they, from 
 shame, were refraining from going out. Three months passed 
 in this same way. I then reflected in my heart, saying, ' How 
 long will these ^^ remain crouching in a corner ? If it can be 
 done, I will take them with me on a journey.' I said to my 
 brothers, ' If you say the word, this devoted servant will travel 
 with you.' They remained silent, I again made ready the 
 things necessary for a journey, and articles of merchandize, and 
 set out and took them with me. 
 
 " At the time when — after bestowing part of my effects as 
 alms,**^ and embarking my goods in the ship — the anchor was 
 raised and the vessel went on,*'^ the dog had remained sleeping 
 on the shore. When it suddenly awoke, and saw the ship in 
 the mid-stream, it was surprised, and barked, and sprang into 
 
 **' ISj ^J jJ 1^1; .■* faryad kirne laga, does not mean simply " to complain," but 
 to cry out, " faryad ! faryad ! " until the ivrong-doer or the judge is thoroughly 
 roused to investigate the matter. 
 
 '■•^ Here _vJ yih is used as plural for ^_J ye, as a few lines before i, touh 
 occurs for ,__ ■ we. Vide Note 439. 
 
 **3 Xhis is done at the commencement of a joui-ney, to secure a prosperous issue. 
 
 414 The text is here TyTongly punctuated. There should be a comma only at 
 iffi-:^ chall, a fuU stop at ^ tha. The sentence Tvhich ends -with ^ tha, is the 
 relative to the antecedent introduced by t-l-^j l,/*^ J^^ waht, and should not be 
 separated from it. 
 
 10 
 
146 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 the river, and began to swim. I hastily despatched a skiff. At 
 length they brought the dog and placed it on board the ship. 
 A month passed happily and safely away on the water,"'' 
 [when] somehow or other my second brother fell in love with 
 my slave-girl. One day he addressed my eldest brother as 
 follows, ' The benefits which we have received from our 
 youngest brother cause us much shame. What remedy shall 
 we take for this ? ' The eldest brother replied, ' I have fixed 
 on an expedient in my heart ; it will be an excellent thing if 
 it succeeds.' At length the two, after taking counsel, deter- 
 mined that they would slaj^ me, and possess themselves of all 
 my property. 
 
 " One day I was sleeping in the cabin of the ship, and my 
 slave-girl was manipulating mj- feet,^*^ when my second brother 
 came and awoke me in a hurry. I started up in confusion, 
 and came out. This dog also came with me. I beheld then 
 that my eldest brother was leaning with his hands on the side 
 of the vessel, and stooping over, continued looking at some 
 sight in the water, and was calling to me. I went to him and 
 said, ' Is aU well ? ' He said, ' There is a marvellous sight 
 going on, for mermen, holding in their hands pearl oyster- 
 shells and trees of coral, are dancing.' If any one else had 
 said such a thing so repugnant to reason, I would not have 
 believed him. I deemed what my eldest brother said truth, 
 and bent my head to look. Notwithstanding I gazed I saw 
 nothing, and he continued saying the same thing, ' Xow, have 
 you seen it ? ' But had there been anything, I should have seen 
 it. Meanwhile, my second brother, catching me off my guard, 
 came unawares behind me and gave me such a push that I had 
 no power to help myself, and fell into the water, and they 
 began to weep and lament, saying, ' Pray run, our brother has 
 gone down in the sea.' 
 
 4« The expression J Ij!> J ■^=^'-^ nianih d/iar, would only apply to a river, but 
 Ujl5 dari/a here would seem to be " the sea," from the coral and ovsters the brother 
 talks of, and from the merchant floating eight days before reaching land. 
 
 **° One of the luxuries of the Orientals is to employ a female to press and shampoo 
 their foot while they arr sleeping, which operation is supposed to cause and prolon;; 
 slumber. Kfi?hn, however, in the 53rd chapter of the •' Prem Su^ar," wakes a 
 Brihnian in this way. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 147 
 
 " In the mean time the vessel passed on, and the roll of the 
 sea tossed me far away. I suffered immersion after immersion, 
 and was drifting on with the waves. At length I was ex- 
 hausted, and called to God for assistance.**'' My efforts were 
 quite useless. All at once my hand touched something. I 
 opened my eyes and saw that it was this very dog. Perhaps 
 at the moment they threw me into the sea, this dog too leapt 
 in with me, and by swimming was keeping up with me, and 
 clinging to me. I seized hold of its tail. God made it the 
 means of my preservation. Seven days and nights the same 
 state of things continued. On the eighth day we touched the 
 shore. I was altogether powerless.; stretched out and rolling 
 over, I somehow or other threw myself on dry land. One day 
 I remained senseless, the next the voice of the dog penetrated 
 my ears. I recovered my senses, and returned thanks to God. 
 I began to look about me. At a distance the environs of a city 
 appeared, but where had I the strength to make for it ? Having 
 no resource I went on two steps and then sat down. In this 
 same way I got over a full kos before evening. 
 
 "In the mid- way I came to a mountain, there I passed the 
 night. In the morning I entered the city, and saw the shops 
 of the bakers and confectioners. My heart began to quake. I 
 neither had the money to purchase, nor was my mind willing to 
 beg. I was encouraging my heart by saying, ' I will get some 
 from the next shop,' and so passed on. At length I had no 
 strength left, and the fire [of starvation] kindled in my stomach. 
 My spirit was on the point of departing from my body. All of 
 a sudden I saw two young men who were coming along, dressed 
 in the Persian garb, and holding one another's hands.*** Seeing 
 them I was glad, and said to myself, ' These are men of my 
 own country, perhaps they may be persons I know — to them I 
 will tell my story.' When they came near, they turned out to 
 be my own two brothers ! I was highly delighted at seeing them, 
 and returned thanks to God, saying, ' God has preserved my 
 
 "■' Literally: " Eemembered God;" but it is here used for " supplicated the 
 Divine aid." 
 "' Orientals do not walk arm in arm, but hand in hand. 
 
148 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 honour — I have not held out my hand [to beg] of a stranger.' 
 I went up to them and saluted them, and kissed the hand of 
 my eldest brother. They, on seeing me, raised an outcry. 
 My second brother struck me a blow with his open hand, so 
 that I staggered and felL I caught hold of the skirt of my 
 eldest brother [thinking] that, perhaps, he would protect me. 
 He gave me a kick. In short both of them pounded and 
 bruised me well, and acted like the brethren of the holy 
 Yusuf.^^^ Although I besought them in Grod's name, and 
 supplicated piteously, they had no mercy on me. A crowd 
 assembled. All inquired, ' What is his offence ? ' Then my 
 brothers said, ' This rascal was the servant of our brother, 
 whom he threw into the sea, and took all his property. We 
 were a long time in search of him — to-day we found him in 
 this state.' And they were asking me, ' cruel wretch ! 
 what is this which entered thy heart, that thou hast slain 
 and made away with our brother ? How had he injured thee ? 
 Was that treating thee badly when he made thee his factotum ? ' 
 Then both of them rent their collars and gave loose to hypo- 
 critical tears for the [pretended] loss of their brother, and 
 heaped kicks and buffets ^■^ upon me. 
 
 " Meanwhile the footmen ^^^ of the magistrate came up and 
 threatened them, saying, ' Why do ye beat him ? ' and taking 
 me by the hand, led me to the chief officer of police. These 
 two ''^^ also went along with me, and told the same story to 
 the magistrate, and having given him something by way of 
 bribe, demanded that justice should be done them, and required 
 my innocent blood. The magistrate interrogated me. My 
 state was such that, through hunger and blows, I had not the 
 power to speak. I stood with my head hanging down, and 
 uttered not a word in reply. The magistrate, too, was con- 
 
 Joseph, vrh.0 is by iluliammadans included among tlie Prophets. 
 ^C» iiinkk'i is a blow 'with the clenched fist; ttji'L»i5 tainanchah, a i 
 
 with the open hand. 
 
 '*' I have translated ^ jLj piiindah literally, bnt it means, not what " footman " 
 signifies with us, luit "police;" and corresponds to our former "Bow-street 
 
 ^'^ Pointing to his brothers. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAP-BAKHT. 149 
 
 vinced that I was certainly a murderer. He commanded, 
 saying, ' Take this man into the plain and impale him.' Asylum 
 of the world ! I had given money and released them from the 
 bondage of the Jew, in return for which these two expended 
 their money in attempting my life. Both of them are present ; 
 be pleased to ask them whether, in saying this, I deviate one 
 hair's breadth from the truth. "Well ! they led me away ! when 
 I saw the stake I washed my hands of life. 
 
 " Save this dog I had none to bewail me ; its state was such 
 that it was rolling at every one's feet, and howling. One struck 
 it with a stick, another with a stone ; but it would not quit the 
 place, and I, standing with my face towards Makkah, was ad- 
 dressing myself to the Deity in these words, ' At this moment 
 there is none save Thyself to interpose and save me, innocent 
 as I am. Now, if Thou wilt deliver me, then I shall be de- 
 livered.' Having said this, I repeated the Martyr's Creed,*'' 
 and fell down in a swoon. By the providential contrivance of 
 God, the king of that city was sick of the colic.*''* The nobles 
 and the physicians assembled, but no remedy which they 
 adopted was of any use. A venerable person said, ' The best 
 of all medicines is this, to bestow some alms on the necessitous, 
 and to set free the prisoners. Blessing has much greater effect 
 than leeching.'*® Immediately the servants of the King hurried 
 towards the prisons. 
 
 " It happened that one came out into that plain [where I was]. 
 Seeing the crowd he found that they were impaling some one. 
 On learning this,*'^^ he brought his horse near the stake, and 
 
 453 1' I tear witness that there is no God but God, who is one and has no co-equal : 
 and I bear witness that Muhammad is his servant and was sent from Him " Ihli 
 creed is repeated at the initiation of fakirs ; oyer a dying person, or by the person 
 himself if he has the power of utterance ; and during the purification of a corpse. 
 Vide Kanun-i Islam, pp. 285, 408, 411. 
 
 *5!i A slight instance of the exquisitely bad taste of Orientals. Could not the 
 King's malady have been left an open question without turning the whole affair into 
 a burlesque by afflicting him with the colic ! 
 
 i55 J iiave made an attempt to preserve the play on words in the original, where 
 U J datva, " medicine," and lij dm, " prayer " or " benediction," have much the 
 same sound. 
 
 J's It is implied in the ui /»Ajt^ malum kiya, that he asked some one what was 
 going on. 
 
150 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 V. ith his sword cut the ropes. He threatened and reproved the 
 magistrate's footmen, saying, 'At such a time when this is the 
 King's state, are you slaying one of God's servants ? ' and he 
 caused me to be released. Then these two brothers of mine 
 went again to the magistrate, and asked him to put me to 
 death. The [King's] deputy had, indeed, received a bribe, 
 whatever they were saying, that he was doing. He^^ [there- 
 fore] said to them, ' Eest content. I will now imprison him in 
 buch wise that, destitute of water and of food, he will, of his own 
 i: coord, perish of hunger ; no one will know of it,' They seized 
 me and put me aside. At about a kos distance from the city 
 tiiere was a mountain, where, in the time of King Sulaiman, the 
 Devs ^^ had dug a pit narrow and dark, to which people gave 
 the name of the prison of Sulaiman. There they confined any 
 one who had incurred the grave displeasure of the King, and 
 there he perished from natural causes. In a word, these two 
 brothers of mine and the magistrate's staff took me to that 
 mountain, and after throwing me into that pit, and satisfying 
 their minds, went away. O King ! this dog went with me. 
 When they threw me down into the pit, then it lay itself on 
 the brink. I had fallen within in a state of insensibility. When 
 I recovered my consciousness a little, I imagined myself dead, 
 tmd fancied that place my grave. Meanwhile the voices of two 
 persons reached my ears, who were saying something to one 
 another. I was fully persuaded that they were Nakir and 
 ?.Iunkir,*5^ and that they had come to question me. I heard 
 tLe rustling of a rope, as though some one let it down there. I 
 
 *" Here the words (J'y.J kotwal, *SV:>- hSkim, <U^-** shahnah, are used 
 indiscriminately of one and the same functionary, though properly speaking the first 
 is a poUce magistrate, the second a governor, and the third a viceroy. 
 
 468 jjeyg are evil and malignant spirits, who, with fairies and jins, acknowledged 
 the universal sway of Sulaiman, the son of David. 
 
 ■•*» Munkir and Nakir, or "Unbelieving" and "Hateful," are two angels who 
 examine the dead. They make the corpse sit up, and inquire of it what God and 
 what Prophet it acknowledges. Bad men stammer or are mute, on which thev aio 
 iiTthwith knocked down with an iron mace or gun armed with spikes, and then 
 ; ~sistod to rise with an iron rake, and beaten to an intolerable pitch. These pre- 
 liminaries are a praigustation of future torments. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 151 
 
 was amazed ; when I groped with my hands on the ground, 
 they were filled with bones. 
 
 "After a short time the sound of munching and crunching 
 in mastication reached my ears, as though some one was eating 
 something. I said, inquiringly, ' servants of God ! who are, 
 you ? Tell me for the sake of God ! ' They laughed and said, 
 ' This is the prison of Prince Sulaiman, and we are prisoners.' 
 I inquired of them, ' What ! am I living ? ' They laughed 
 again obstreperously, and said, ' Up to now thou art indeed 
 alive, but thou wilt die presently.' I said, ' You are eating — 
 how would it be if you were to give me a very little ? ' Then 
 in a rage they gave me a flat refusal, and gave me nothing 
 else,^^" and after eating and drinking went to sleep. I, fainting 
 with weakness and debility, was weeping, and calling on God. 
 Point to which the world turns in prayer ! for seven days in 
 the deep, and for so many days after, through the false accusa- 
 tion of my brothers, I had suffered blows and beating, and was 
 held fast in such a prison, that the idea of escape did not so 
 much as enter my imagination. 
 
 "At length, the moment of my dissolution approached. 
 Sometimes my breath came, sometimes it left me. From time 
 to time, however, at midnight, a person was coming and letting 
 down bread and a vessel of water, which he had tied up in a 
 handkerchief, and was calling out. Those two persons who 
 were imprisoned near me, were taking it and eating and 
 drinking. From above, the dog, always observing these cir- 
 cumstances, reflected as follows, ' Just as this person lets down 
 water and bread into the pit, do thou also contrive that some 
 food reach that friendless one, who is thy^^^ master.' With 
 this idea it went into the city, [where] round loaves were set 
 out in order on the counters of the bakers' shops. Making 
 a spring it carried off a cake in its mouth, and ran away. The 
 
 *'■'' A play on words, <__j1«^ j-'wa*, meaning "answer" and "refusal." Thus 
 in Anglo-Indian parlance a rejected lover is said to be " jawabed." 
 
 "' In the text we have tijj\S~ l-«.^ mera khawind, "my master," which is in- 
 correct with •J tu, "thou," preceding it; but an intricate sentence soon obscures 
 Mir Amman's ideas of grammar. 
 
152 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 people pursued it, and were pelting it with clods, but it did 
 not drop the loaf. The people grew tired and turned back, 
 the dogs of the citj continued the pursuit ; with them it fought 
 and struggled, and preserved the bread. It reached the pit 
 and threw down the loaf into it. It was clear daylight. I 
 saw the bread lying near me, and heard the dog's bark. I took 
 up the cake, and this dog having thrown down the bread, went 
 in search of water. 
 
 "At the edge of a village was the hut of an old woman, 
 where were set jars and pots filled with water, and the old 
 dame was spinning. The dog went up to the jar and was 
 about to take up a small metal pot used for drinking water 
 from the larger jar.*^^ The woman made a threatening gesture, 
 the metal pot slipped from its mouth and fell on the large 
 earthenware jar, which broke, and the other jars rolling over,*^^ 
 the water flowed out. The old woman took a stick and rose to 
 beat [the dog], which caught hold of her skirt, and began to 
 rub its face on her feet and wag its tail, and then ran oft 
 towards the mountain. Then coming back to her, sometimes it 
 took up the cord, at other times seized the bucket in its mouth, 
 and shewed it, and rubbed its face on her feet, and catching 
 hold of the corner of her dress, pulled her along. God inspired 
 the heart of that woman with pity, so that she took the bucket 
 and cord and went with the dog, which, holding her by the 
 corner of her dress, came forth from the house and went on 
 and on before her. 
 
 "At last the dog conducted her up that very mountain. The 
 actions of the dog revealed to that woman's mind that, without 
 doubt, its master was imprisoned in that pit, and that probably 
 
 *" This periphrasis of twelve words is requisite here to explain what L'J lotaU. 
 It would seem as though Mir Amman in this passage designed to instruct us in the 
 nomenclature of pots of all classes, for he has used no less than seven terms for those 
 useful articles. The Ul^^ thiliyd, ij^ kuzah, \j^ ghard, and lioU mat/c5, 1 take 
 to he hero identical, though the " kOzah" is properly tall and thin with a narrow 
 neck, the others short and swagbellied. 
 
 **^ In India a number of porous earthenware jais are set one above the other, so 
 that the water percolates from the highest to the lowest, and is thus deliciously 
 cooled and purified. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 153 
 
 it wanted the water for him. In short it conducted the old 
 woman to the mouth of the pit. The woman filled a brass pot 
 with water, and let it down. I took the vessel and eat a morsel 
 of bread. I then drank two or three gulps of water, and 
 satisfied the ravenous craving*^* of my stomach. After return- 
 ing thanks to Grod, I sat on one side, and awaited the merciful 
 intervention of the Deity, saying, ' Let us see what will happen 
 next.' This dumb animal, in the very same way, continued 
 to bring bread, and give me water to drink by the hands of the 
 old woman. "When the tavern-keepers*^^ saw that the dog was 
 always carrying off the bread, they took pity on it, and made 
 it a rule when they saw it to fling a loaf down before it, and 
 if the woman did not bring water, then the dog broke her jars. 
 Having no alternative, she too came daily and gave me a cup 
 of water. That friendly animal satisfied me with water and 
 bread, and itself lay couched at the mouth of the prison. In 
 this manner six months passed; but when a man is confined 
 in such a prison that the breath of heaven \_lit. "of the world"] 
 cannot reach him, what will be his condition ? Only skin and 
 bone was left to me. Life became a torment to me. It used 
 to come into my mind that, ' God ! if this breath departed, 
 it would be better.' 
 
 " One night those two prisoners were sleeping ; my heart 
 overflowed, and I involuntarily began to weep, and prostrated 
 myself before God yn. " in the court or shrine of God "]. At 
 the last watch [i.e. " from three to six a.m."] what did I see ? 
 that, by the powerful interposition of God, a rope was let down 
 into the pit, and I plainly overheard a voice, saying, ' iU-fated 
 and unfortunate one ! Bind the end of the cord fast round thy 
 hand, and come forth.' When I heard this, I imagined in my 
 heart that at length my brothers had softened towards me, and 
 from natural affection l_lit. " from ebullition of their blood "] 
 had themselves come to take me out. With excessive joy I 
 
 "■• Literally, " the dog of this stomach," or " this dog of the stomach." 
 
 *^^ 1 iU^ii#J bhathiyara may perhaps be here considered equivalent to ^U ^\j 
 
 nan ba^, and be rendered " baker," but its usual meaning is the one given above. 
 
 It is wrongly spelt in Forbes' vocabulary. 
 
15-1 BAGH O BAHAK. 
 
 fastened that cord well round my wrist, and some one drew 
 me up. The night was so dark that I did not recognize who 
 it was that pulled me out. When I had come out, he said, 
 ' Come quickly ! this is not the place for standing still.' I 
 had indeed no strength in me, but, urged by fear, I managed, 
 roUing and tumbling, to descend the mountain. I saw then 
 that two horses were standing there, saddled. That person 
 seated me on one, and himself mounted the other, and went 
 before me. Proceeding on, we arrived at the edge of the 
 river. 
 
 "The morning broke, and we had come ten or twelve kos 
 from that city. I surveyed the young man, and saw that he 
 was clad in complete mail, and wore both ring and plate 
 armour, and had on a cuirass, and back and side pieces bur- 
 nished like four mirrors.^^^ His horse also was provided with 
 armour, and he was looking fiercely and frowningly at me, 
 and biting his hand with his teeth. [Presently] he drew his 
 sword from its scabbard, and making his horse bound, aimed a 
 blow at me. I threw myself from my horse, and began to sup- 
 plicate, saying, ' I have committed no offence, why dost thou 
 slay me ? kind sir ! thou hast liberated me from such a 
 dungeon — now what unkindness is this ! ' He replied, ' Speak 
 the truth — who art thou ? ' I answered, ' I am a traveller ; 
 I was overtaken in a calamity, by your boimty I am now come 
 forth alive.' I added many flattering words. God infused pity 
 into his heart ; he sheathed his sword, and said, ' "WeU ! let 
 God's will be done ! There, I have spared thy life. Mount 
 quickly, this is not the place for tarrying.' We urged on our 
 steeds, and proceeded. On the road, as he went forward, he 
 shewed signs of sorrow and regret. By noon we arrived in an 
 island. Then he dismounted from his horse, and assisted me 
 also to alight. He undid the saddles and valises from the 
 horses' backs, and let them loose to graze. He also laid aside 
 the weapons from his own belt and sate down. He then said 
 to me, • unfortunate ! now relate thy story, that I may know 
 
 '"^ I have here indulged in a periphrasis in order to explain the expression, 
 <tij I )\s»- ohar ainah. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 155 
 
 who thou art.' I acquainted him with my name and residence, 
 and detailed to the end all the calamities that had befallen me. 
 
 " The youth, when he had heard all my narrative, began to 
 weep, and addressing me, said, ' young man ! now hear my 
 history. I am the daughter of the king of the country of 
 Zerbad,*^' and that stripling who is confined in Sulaiman's 
 prison is named Bahrahmand [or 'Fortunate']. He is the 
 son of the chief minister of my father.^^^ One day the King 
 commanded that all his dependent princes and their sons should 
 issue forth into the plain under the lattices [of the palace], and 
 exercise themselves in archery and playing with the ball,^^^ 
 so as to exhibit the skill and horsemanship of each. I took my 
 seat in an upper room, concealed from view, near *™ the Queen 
 who was my mother, and nurses and handmaids were in atten- 
 dance. I was viewing the spectacle. *^^ This eon of the minister 
 was the handsomest of all, and he was lunging *''^ his horse, and 
 exhibiting his skill. He pleased me, and in my heart I felt a 
 liking for him. For a long time I kept this concealed. 
 
 " ' At length, when my emotion became uncontrollable, I 
 told it to a nurse, and bestowed on her a profusion of presents. 
 She, by some means or other, brought that youth secretly to 
 my apartment.*^^ Then he too began to love me. Many days 
 
 *s' The countries below Bengal, i.e. to the south-east of it, are so called. Amongst 
 these are Ava and Pegu. 
 
 *^' Observe the succession of Hindi words, showing it to be a Hindu kingdom. 
 Thus we have \s>-]j raju, liy pita, i^JlUy mantr7, —]j\.{^ maharaj, uS I agya, 
 jyS kunwar ; in the Urdu they would be isLiJU pudshah, C— 'u bcip, or ilS <U-J 
 
 kiblah gah^ J\» vazlr^ f^^^^ hukm^ ifJlJ^Li* shahzadah. 
 
 \^ — 
 
 **^ The i_o" ^*" ehaugan is played on horseback. The riders are provided with 
 
 bats, and keep the ball flying by striking it when it comes within reach. 
 
 *"> We shall probably hardly escape the censure of the facetious writer of Art. 1 , 
 No. XCII. , in the " Edinburgh Review," if we venture to derive the English " near " 
 from the Hindi ^j^ ^^re (the word in the text), and -J niyar. At least one 
 may be permitted to hint at the resemblance. 
 
 ^" I should prefer a fuU stop after ^^^^ thin, 
 
 472 Uj J c_5^ kawe dena, "to lunge," has beta omitted in Forbes' vocabulary. 
 
 *" Vocabularies and dictionaries are all silent as to the word JJsl-Sui dhirahar. 
 The meaning given above is evidently the one required in this passage. 
 
156 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 passed in this amour. One day the guards having seen him 
 armed, and entering the palace at midnight, seized him and 
 informed the King. He ordered him to be put to death. All 
 the pillars of the state, by their expostulations \_lit. ' having 
 said and heard '], obtained that his life should be spared. The 
 King then ordered him to be cast into Sulaiman's prison, and 
 the other youth, who is confined with him, is his brother.*"* On 
 that night he, too, was with him. They left them both in that 
 pit. It is three years to-day since they were first imprisoned, 
 but no one has discovered why the young man entered the 
 King's palace. God has preserved my honour,*''^ and to shew 
 my gratitude for that, I have imposed on myself [the task] of 
 supplying him with food and water. Since then I come once 
 in eight days, and bring eight daj^s' food put together. 
 
 " ' Yesternight I saw in a dream that some man said to me, 
 " Arise with speed and take a horse, a suit of clothes, and a 
 rope-ladder, and some money for your expenses, and go to that 
 pit, and draw that unfortunate one out from it." *''^ When I 
 heard this, T started up, and joyfully put on man's attire, and 
 took a casket filled with jewels and gold coins, and went there 
 with this horse and suit of clothes, to draw him up with the 
 ladder. It was in thy destiny that thou shouldst escape from 
 such a prison, and no one is privy to this deed*^ of mine. 
 Perhaps it was some divinity who sent me for thy deliverance. 
 "Well ! what was in my destiny that has happened ! ' Having 
 related this story, she undid from a towel a cake fried in 
 clarified butter, some wheaten bread and pulse, and a meat 
 
 *■" Forbes, strangely enough, omits this word liS^ bhagna, in his Dictionary, 
 though he gives it in his vocabulary. Shakespear omits it altogether. The word 
 is Sanskrit, and signifies "brother," though here, like the German " bnider," it 
 probably means only "a sworn friend." It is the Bengal! form {bohini) of the 
 feminine of this word which Bopp has twisted into the Latin "soror" and our 
 "sister" ! ! 
 
 "^ This word LIL.^ pat, the Sanskrit Xf? pada, is omitted in Forbes" vocabulary. 
 
 *" The author does not tell us why, during the space of three years, the princess 
 never thought of this before. She had surely been dreaming all that time. 
 
 '" Forbes has omitted this word ^-^^ kartai, the Sanskrit ^p^^ karttavya, 
 in his vocabulary. 
 
THE ADVENTCRES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 157 
 
 curry .^'8 First, however, she took out a piece of sugar-candy,^''^ 
 which she dissolved in a metal cup, and having poured into it 
 some extract of the musk-willow, gave it to me. I took it from 
 her hand and drank it, and then ate a little breakfast. After a 
 short interval she caused me to tie a cloth ^s" round my waist, 
 and took me into the river. She cut my hair with scissors, and 
 pared my nails, and having caused me to bathe and wash, 
 dressed me and made a new man of me. I turned to Makkah, 
 and repeated a thanksgiving of two Rakats.^*' That beautiful 
 girl continued to watch my motions. When I had finished my 
 prayers she began to ask, ' What is this that thou hast done ? ' 
 I said, ' I have performed the worship of the Creator, whose 
 Person has no partner ; who made all things, and caused such a 
 lovely lady as thyself to do me service, and softened thy heart 
 towards me, and released me from such a prison. To Him I 
 offered my devotions, and paid my thanksgivings.' When she 
 heard this, she said, ' Are you a Musalman ? ' I said, ' Thanks, 
 Praise be to God [I am].' She said, ' My heart is pleased with 
 your words ; teach me also, and make me recite the Creed.' I 
 said in my heart, ' Praise be to Grod that she has joined our 
 religion ! ' In short, I repeated, ' There is no God but God, 
 and Mubammad is the Prophet of God : ' ^^^ and caused her 
 to repeat it. We then mounted our horses and departed from 
 that place. When we stopped for the night, she introduced 
 
 *'8 The Tvord ^i)J purl is omitted in Forbes' vocabulary, as is also ,C)».s 
 kachtturl, and J Li salan, and ij^^ mas. The first is a cake made either of 
 fruit, meat, or pulse ; the second may be taken with it, and express the kind of purl, 
 or separately as aboTe. For a full account of Salan, vide KanQn-i Islam, Cookery, 
 Appendix, pp. 36-37. 
 
 *" Jiii hand, whence our word " candy," is omitted in Forbes' vocabulary. 
 
 180 'pjie -(Tord S^ lungi is omitted by Forbes in his vocabulary, and erroneously 
 explained by hini' in his Dictionary, as it is also by Shakespear. Though it here 
 seems to be used instead of ^f^ langoti, it is in point of fact a scarf worn like a 
 sash round the waist or over the shoulders. Sindh is famous for its " lungls," which 
 
 are there given as presents. 
 
 *8' The"Eakat" consists of certain chapters of the Kur'an, with a prescribed 
 number of genuflexions, etc. 
 
 182 The Muhammadan creed. 
 
158 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 the subject of religion, and listened, and was pleased. In this 
 same manner for two months continually we travelled on day 
 and night. 
 
 " At length we arrived in a country lying between the 
 confines of the kingdoms of Zerbad and Sarandip.^*' A city 
 appeared, more populous than Istambol, and with a very 
 pleasant and agreeable climate. Finding that the King of 
 that oity was more just and munificent to his subjects than 
 Kisra,^^* our hearts rejoiced. We purchased a house, and 
 took up our abode there. When, after some days, we had 
 recovered from the fatigues of our journey, I prepared the 
 necessary articles, and married that lady according to the 
 Mahammadan law, and began to lire there. In three j^ears' 
 intercourse with the high and low of that place, I acquired 
 a reputation, and opened an extensive trade. At last I out- 
 stripped all the merchants of that place. One day I went 
 to pay my respects to the chief vazir, when I saw a great 
 multitude in the plain. I inquired of some one what was 
 the reason of so great a crowd ? and learned that thev had 
 caught two persons in the act of theft and adultery, and that, 
 as they had probably also committed murder, they had brought 
 them out to stone them. 
 
 " On hearing this, I remembered my own adventures, how 
 that one day they had led me too to imprisonment, and that 
 God had delivered me, and I said with a sigh,^^ ' I know not 
 whether it is true, or whether, like me, they have been involved 
 in a false accusation.' I pushed aside the crowd and went in. 
 Then I saw that they were these my two brothers, whom they 
 
 "3 j_^,\il^ Sarandlp, ^^Xi\j^ Sarandit, or J.;jjl^^ SarandTl, is the 
 Persian word for ^T^T Lanka, or Ceylon. The etymology of the word is doubtful. 
 Perhaps the termination maybe the Sanskrit ^XJ dwlp, " an island," and .,lj~! 
 saran, may be " angels," who are called j^j^ u!/~' '"""''"-' charkh. It is curious 
 that Madagascar is called i^^jl,-J Sarandah. Shakespear and Forbes both omit the 
 word in their Dictionaries. 
 
 "* CjTUS. 
 
 *"' Forbes has omitted this word, u I aya, in his vocabulary. It is an interiection 
 equal to — ! or heigh ! or heigho ! 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 159 
 
 were leading along, witli their hands tied behind their backs, 
 and with naked heads and feet. On seeing their forms my 
 blood boiled, and my heart was on fire. I gave the ofiicer 
 a handful of gold coins, and said, ' Stop for a short time ; ' 
 and putting my horse to a gallop,^^^ went to the house of the 
 magistrate. I presented him with a ruby of inestimable value,*^^ 
 and interceded for them. The magistrate said, ' A person has 
 appeared against them, and their crime has been proved, and 
 the King's order has passed; I have no alternative.' At length, 
 after much supplication and entreaty, the magistrate sent for 
 the accuser, and obtained his consent for five thousand rupees 
 not to press the charge of murder. I counted out the money, 
 and obtained a writing of acquittance, and delivered them from 
 this great calamity. Asylum of the world ! inquire of them 
 whether I speak the truth, or am telling idle falsehoods ? 
 Then my two brothers were standing there with downcast 
 faces, like persons covered with shame. Well ! having ob- 
 tained their release, I brought them to my house. I caused 
 them to take the warm bath, and to be dressed, and gave 
 them a place to live in in the public apartments. At that time 
 I did not bring my wife into their presence, but waited on them 
 myselfj and ate with them, and at bedtime entered my own 
 part of the house. Three years passed in this kindly treatment 
 of them, nor were they guilty of any misdeed, to occasion my 
 displeasure. Whenever I rode out anywhere, they remained 
 in the house. It happened that that good lady [my wife] had 
 gone to the warm bath. When she entered the public hall, no 
 one of the male sex was visible. She took off her veil. Perhaps 
 my second brother, as he lay there, was awake. As soon as he 
 saw her, he became enamoured of her. He spoke to my eldest 
 brother. Together they formed a scheme for murdering me. 
 I had not the slightest information of their bad intention ; nay, 
 I was saying in my heart, ' Praise be to God ! that this time 
 
 <86 Forbes has omitted the word c!^J^ sarpat, in his vocabulary. lH-^^ 
 \:Sj^^ sarpat phenkna, is "to gallop." 
 
 *^' The routine way in which bribery is always referred to as a matter of course 
 is a pretty good index of the then state of Indian society. Is it better now ? 
 
160 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 they have as yet done nothing of the kind. Their conduct 
 has become what it ought to be. Perhaps they are at length 
 ashamed of themselves.' One day after dinner my eldest 
 brother began to shed tears, and to dilate on the praises of 
 his native country, and the delights of Iran. "When he heard 
 this, the other, too, began to sob. I said, ' If you purpose 
 returning, very good then — I am obedient to your wishes. I, 
 too, have the self-same desire. Now, if it please God Most 
 High, I, too, will accompany you.' I related to that lady the 
 circumstances of my brothers' dejection, and told her of my 
 intention also. That acute woman said, ' You know best ; but 
 they wish again to do some treacherous act. They are your 
 deadly enemies. You have fostered snakes in your sleeve, 
 and do you place reliance on their friendship ! Do as you 
 please ; but beware of these noxious creatures.' 
 
 "Prepared for any fate,*^ I made preparations for the journey 
 in a short space of time, and set up my tents in the plain. A 
 large caravan assembled, and they agreed upon me as their 
 leader, and the director of the caravan. Having watched a 
 favourable moment, I set forward ; but on every side I was 
 on my guard against my brothers, and I, in everything, ob- 
 served their wishes, and sought to please them. 
 
 " One day, at one of our halting-places, my second brother 
 stated that at the distance of a league ^^ from that place, there 
 was a perennial spring, like that of Salsabll,^'" and that tulips, 
 
 *98 I must confess I think J jjij' tahdlr is here a slip of Mir Amman's for -J jJ 
 tadtiir, " counsel," which latter would refer to the hurried departui-e of the merchant. 
 ,«Ji>iJ' ~tj bahar tadi'ir, "by every means I could devise." 
 
 189 ^ 'if^ji farsaWi, c^>^>.^-! farsang, or parasang, is a measure of distance 
 equal to about 18,000 feet, and may therefore be rendered " league." 
 
 *9o •• As plenty of water is one of the greatest additions to the pleasantness of any 
 place, the Km''an often speaks of the rivers of Paradise as a principal ornament. 
 Some of these rivers, they say, flow with water, some with milk, some with wine, 
 and others with honey, all taking their rise from the root of the tree Tuba. And 
 lest they should not be sufficient, wo are told that this garden is also watered by a 
 great ntimber of lesser springs and fountains, whose pebbles are rubies aud emeralds, 
 their earth of camphire, their beds of musk, and their sides of saffron i the most 
 remarkable among them being Salsabil and Tasnlm." — Sale's Preliminary Discourse 
 to the Km-'au, p. 691. The word Salsabil siguities " waving like a chain." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 161 
 
 and hyacinths, and narcissuses, and roses, grew spontaneously 
 in the [adjacent] plain for miles. That it was, in point of fact, 
 a wonderful place for walking about in, and that if I chose we 
 would go there the next day, and amuse ourselves, and shake 
 off the weariness of travel. I said, ' Your honours' decision is 
 absolute ; if you command it, we will halt to-morrow, go there, 
 and, after walking about, return.' They said, ' What is better 
 than this ? ' ^^i I gave orders to publish throughout the caravan 
 that to-morrow we should halt, and I told the cook to prepare a 
 breakfast of various dishes, as we should go for a walk next day. 
 When the morning came, these two brothers of mine dressed 
 themselves, tightened their belts, and reminded me, saying, ' Be 
 pleased to come quickly, just in the cool [of the morning] and 
 take our walk.' I called for my horse, but they remarked that 
 the pleasure which arose from walking on foot was not*^^ ob- 
 servable in riding, and desired me to tell the servants to lead 
 the horses after us. Two slaves *'^ carried pipes and coffee-pots, 
 and went with us. We went on practising archery by the way. 
 When we had got to a distance from the caravan, they sent one 
 of the slaves for something. When they had gone a little 
 further, they sent off the other also to call him back. As mis- 
 fortune was to befall me, it was as if some one had sealed up 
 my mouth — they did just as they liked, and having engaged 
 me in conversation, were leading me on. This dog, however, 
 remained with me. We had come a very long distance, but 
 neither fountain nor garden appeared, but a plain fuU of thorns. 
 There I wanted to make water, and sate down for that purpose.*^* 
 I saw behind me a gleam like that of a sword, and as I turned 
 
 *^' This sentence is pure Persian, but Mtr Amman is, perhaps, not more to be 
 blamed for introducing it than our learned novelists are for introducing the scraps of 
 French and Italian by which they display their erudition. 
 
 '32 There is a slight slip here in Forbes' edition, as well as in the Calcutta one. 
 The word .t^M-J nahm, " not," is omitted, which destroys the whole sense. 
 
 493 The word i^yjJ donon has been thought to refer to the two slaves then 
 present before Azad-Balcht, and guarding the cage, but this is an error. The ,ojJj'^ 
 donon is used emphatically, instead of j J do, to shew that there were only two. 
 
 491 Vide Herodotus, book ii. chapter xxiy. for a similar custom among the 
 Egyptians. 
 
 11 
 
162 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 to look, that gentleman, my second brother, gave me such a 
 sword-cut tlbat my head was severed in two pieces.^^^ While 
 I said, ' cruel ! why strikest thou me ? ' my eldest brother 
 cut me on the shoulder. Both wounds were deep.*^^ I swooned 
 and fell. Then those two merciless ones mangled me to their 
 hearts' content, and left me weltering in blood. This dog, 
 seeing my condition, rushed furiously upon them ; ^''' they 
 wounded it also. After that they made the marks of wounds 
 on their own bodies with their own hands, and went to the 
 caravan with hands and feet bare, and gave out, saying, ' Our 
 brother has fallen a martyr to robbers in that plain, and we, 
 too, fighting hand to hand with them, have been wounded. 
 Quickly depart, or they will presently fall on the caravan, and 
 take and strip all of you.' As soon as the people of the caravan 
 heard the name of the Badulns,^^* their hearts immediately 
 failed them, and they took their departure in alarm, and 
 went ofi". 
 
 " My wife had heard and kept in mind the conduct and 
 virtues of these [brothers of mine], and all the treacherous 
 acts they had committed against me. When she heard of 
 this occurrence from these liars, she straightway slew herself 
 with her poignard, and rendered up her spirit to God ! " 
 
 Darweshes ! ^^ when the dog-worshipping merchant had in 
 this manner, and thus far, related his history and suflPerings, I 
 was seized with an involuntarj' fit of weeping on hearing it. 
 The merchant, observing this, said, " Point to which the world 
 
 4»5 Pardon, reader ! a trifling hj'perbole. 
 
 "« The former undoubtedly ! Forbes has omitted, in his vocabulary, the Persian 
 word lSj^ *^") which signifies " effectual," and hence " deep,'' " dangerous," 
 " mortal." 
 
 *" Shakespear has omitted this meaning of uX»jJ bhapakna iu his Dictionary. 
 The word, in its first sense, means " to break out Uke a flame." 
 
 '"' The word in the text is that which we write in our jargon, Bedouin. Forbes, 
 in his vocabulary, has given l_j.iJ badua as the nominative, but neither he nor 
 Shakespear exhibit this nominative in their Dictionaries, nor is there any occasion 
 for supposing it. The word 1.1)^^^ badu'on, which occurs here, is from • Jo badu, 
 " dwelling in the desert." 
 
 488 Here King Azid-Bakht addresses the darweshes in his own person. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT, 163 
 
 turns in prayer ! were it not disrespectful I would, indeed, strip 
 naked, uncover my body, and shew it." And then, in order 
 to prove his veracity, he tore his collar to the shoulder, and 
 shewed me. In very truth there was not four fingers' breadth 
 of his body which was whole, and free from wounds. In my 
 presence he took off the turban from his head. There was so 
 deep a dint in his skull that an entire pomegranate would have 
 gone into it. All the nobles who were present shut their eyes, 
 they could not endure to> look ujDon it. 
 
 Again the merchant said, " Health to the King ! when my 
 brothers, after settling my business — as they supposed — had 
 gone away, I was lying on one side, and the dog near me on 
 the other, both wounded. So much blood went from me that I 
 had not the slightest strength or sense left. I cannot tell where 
 my spirit stopped^ that I still survived. The place where I had 
 fallen was within the confines of the country of Sarandip.s'"' 
 and there was a very populous city near that spot. In that 
 city there was a vast idol-temple, and the king of that place 
 had a daughter, extremely well- shaped and beautiful. Many 
 kings and princes were miserable through love for her. The 
 custom of concealing women did not exist there. Hence that 
 girl used to roam about with her companions the whole day, for 
 amusement and sport.^"^ There was a royal garden near where 
 I was, and on that day, after obtaining leave from the King, 
 she had come to that very garden. As she went about for 
 amusement, she came out into that plain on horseback, accom- 
 panied by several mounted female attendants. They came 
 where I lay. Hearing my groans they 8topj)ed near me. Seeing 
 me in this state, they fled, and told the Princess, saying, 'A 
 poor fellow and a dog are lying there drenched in blood.' 
 Hearing this from them, the Princess herself came to my head. 
 Distressed at the sight, she said, ' Just see if he has any life 
 left ? ' Two or four of her attendants dismounted and looked, 
 and respectfully replied, 'Till now, indeed, he is still living.' 
 
 «"> Ceylon being an island seems to occasion the author no difficulty. 
 5»' Sport in the sense of " hunting." A Cingalese Diana. 
 
164 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 The Princess immediately commanded them to take me up care- 
 fully ^^ on a carpet, and carry me into the garden. 
 
 " After they had taken me there, she sent for the royal sur- 
 geon, and gave many injunctions with reference to the cure of 
 myself and the dog, and held out to him hopes of rewards and 
 presents. The doctor wiped my whole body, and cleaned it from 
 dirt and blood, and washed the wounds with spirits, and stitched 
 them up, and covered them with plaster, and, instead of water, 
 dropped the extract of the musk-wiUow into my throat. The 
 Princess herself remained sitting at my pillow, and was seeing 
 that I was attended to, and during the whole day and night was 
 giving me to drink, with her own hands, some broth or sharbat, 
 two or four times. At length consciousness returned to me, 
 when I beheld the Princess saying, in much distress, ' "What 
 sanguinary monster perpetrated this cruelty upon thee ? Did 
 he not fear even the Great Idol ? ' After ten days, by the in- 
 vigorating stimulus of the extract of the musk-willow wine,^* 
 and electuaries, I opened my eyes. I beheld then that the 
 court of Indra ^'^ was assembled around me, and the Princess 
 was standing at the head of my bed. I heaved a sigh, and 
 tried to move. I found I had no strength. The Princess kindly 
 said, ' Persian ! keep your mind easy, and do not grieve. 
 Although some cruel person has brought you to this state, still 
 the Great Idol has made me kind to you — thou wilt now 
 recover.' 
 
 " I make oath by that God who is One, and has no partner, 
 that on seeing her I again lost my senses ! The Princess also 
 perceived [the effect the sight of her had on me] and with her 
 own hand sprinkled some rose-water over me from a rose-water 
 bottle used for sprinkling. In the space of twenty days the 
 
 so: ^ rather unusual sense of Ll^U»l amaiiat, ■ivliich signifies "something 
 deposited in one's care," and therefore untouched. 
 
 »»s Jfy: Sriik, may mean any spuit, but as that made from the musk-Tvillow has 
 been mcntioued before, ^Ye may translate it as above. It is the word whence comes 
 our "arrack." 
 
 '»* This expression has occurred before, ri<lc Note 268. It is here more iu place, 
 as the merchiiut is .speaking of a Hindu court, which might be supposed to resemble 
 that of a Hindu deity. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 165 
 
 wounds filled up and healed over [lit. " formed granulations 
 over themselves"]. At night, when all went to sleep, the 
 Princess used to corae to me, and, after giving me food and 
 drink, to go away. In short, in the space of forty days I took 
 the bath [of convalescence]. The Princess was much delighted. 
 She gave the surgeon great rewards, and caused me to be dressed. 
 By the favour of God and the careful attention and efforts of 
 the Princess, I became well and sound,'"'' and my bodily con- 
 dition became exceedingly robust, and the dog also grew fat. 
 Every day she gave me wine to drink, and listened to my con- 
 versation and was pleased. I also amused her by narrating 
 some short tale or narrative [lit. "half-story "]. 
 
 " One day she began to ask me, saying, ' Xarrate, indeed, 
 thy story, as to who you are, and how these adventures befell 
 thee.' I narrated to her all that had happened to me, from the 
 beginning to the end. When she heard it, she wept, and said, 
 ' I will now treat thee in such a way that thou shalt forget all 
 thy sufferings.' I said, ' God keep you in safety. You have 
 bestowed on me life anew. Now I have become and continue 
 yours ; for God's sake always regard me with the same kind- 
 ness ! ' In short, she was remaining seated alone with me 
 during the whole night, and keeping company with me. Some 
 days one of her female attendants also accompanied her. She 
 v.as listening to and entering into all kinds of conversation. 
 When the Princess got up and went away, and I was alone, I 
 used to perform my ablutions, and, concealing myself in a 
 corner, repeat my prayers. 
 
 " Once on a time it so happened that the Princess had gone 
 to her father. I, having performed my ablutions, was con- 
 tinuing at my ease to repeat my prayers, when all of a sudden 
 the Princess, conversing with a female attendant, entered, 
 saying, ' Let us see what the Persian is doing at this time 
 — whether he is asleep or awake ? ' When she did not see me 
 in the apartment, she was amazed, and said, ' How ! where 
 is he gone ? he surely has not formed an attachment to some 
 
 5f* ,X^tS- ohauband, has been omitted in the dictionaries. It has the same 
 meaning as Jts- chaubar, that is, " stout," " robust." 
 
166 BAGH O BAHAB. 
 
 one ! ' She began to look and search in every hole ^'^ and 
 corner. At length she came to where I was performing my 
 devotions. That girl had never seen [the Musalman] prayers.^" 
 She stood silently and looked on. "When, after finishing my 
 prayers, I raised my hands to bless God, and prostrated myself, 
 she was seized with a violent and involuntary fit of laughter, 
 and said, ' "What ! has this man become deranged ? "What 
 strange motions are these he continues making ! ' 
 
 " Hearing the sound of laughter, I feared in my heart. The 
 Princess advanced and began to ask, ' Persian ! what is this 
 thou art doing ? ' I was unable to give her an answer; there- 
 upon her attendant said, ' May I take thy calamities ! I am thy 
 SLicrifice. The case is, I fancy, that this is a Musalman, and 
 the enemj' of Liit Manat.^"* He worships an unseen God.' The 
 Princess, on hearing this, struck her hands together, and said, 
 in much anger, ' I knew not that he was a Turk ^^ and au 
 unbeliever in our gods,^^" [and thus] he had then^'^ fallen under 
 the displeasure of our idol. I was wrong in taking care of him 
 and keeping him in my house.' With these words she departed. 
 I, on hearing this, was in dismay, saying to myself, ' Let us see 
 how she will treat me now.' Through fear my sleep was dis- 
 turbed.^- I could not refrain from weeping tUl the morning, 
 and I bathed my face with tears. 
 
 " I passed three days and nights in weeping in this fear and 
 
 '"^ It should be ' .^ \i^ kona kuthrat, and not U^ L) ji koria kuthra. 
 
 '"' A negative is here expressed by a question, as is fi-equently the case. 
 
 508 |_^^ j^-f ijj. j_^,^| Ml(it, c:jL^ Manat, a.ni \-'^ T;;;;, were three idoU 
 of the pagan Arabians, and are therefore marvellously out of place in Sarandlp and 
 among Hindus. There was, however, an idol at Sonmath, called Lat, which was a 
 large stone fifty fathoms in height, placed in a temple, supported by fifty-six columns 
 of massive gold. The author might mean this, but we have then a difficulty in 
 " Jianat." 
 
 *'" All Muliammadans are called Turks in the south of India, to this day. 
 
 '"> The word lAi- tit"/" is here Ul-choseu. It should be jj.\j'«.'J dtvtanl. 
 which is more applicable to the gods of idolaters. 
 
 '"At tlie time when I found him wounded. 
 
 "* Forbes has omitted <_!L>1»-1 uchat in his vocabulary. Shakespear gives as its 
 meanings, " displeased, discontented, uneasy," etc. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 167 
 
 hope ; ^1' nor did I ever close an eye.^^* On the third night the 
 Princess, accompanied by a nurse, came to my apartment, much 
 inebriated with wine. She was filled with anger, and holding 
 in her hands a -bow and arrows, sate down outside on the border 
 of the parterre [in front of my room]. She asked her female 
 attendant for a cup of wine, and after drinking it, said, 
 ' Mother ! ^^^ is that Persian who has been overtaken by the 
 wrath of our Great Idol dead, or does he yet live ? ' The woman 
 said, ' May I take thy calamities ! he has still a little breath 
 left.' She said, ' He has now fallen from our regard, but bid 
 him come forth.' The nurse called to me. I ran out and 
 beheld then that the face of the Princess was glowing ^^^ with 
 anger and had become red. My spirit forsook my body. I 
 saluted her, and crossing my hands reverentially, stood still. 
 Having looked at me with an angry glance, she said to the 
 nurse, ' If I were to slay this enemy of our faith with an arrow, 
 wiU the Great Idol pardon me or not ? In this I have been 
 guilty of a great crime, that I have kept him in my house and 
 attended to him.' 
 
 " The nurse said, ' What fault has the Princess committed ? 
 She did not know at all that he was an enemy when she took 
 care of him. You had pity upon him ; to you, in return for 
 your goodness, good will happen, and he will remain receiving 
 the fruit of his wickedness from the Great Idol.' Having heard 
 this, she said, ' Nurse ! tell him to be seated.' The nurse 
 beckoned me to sit down, which I did. The Princess drank 
 another cup of wine, and said to the nurse, ' Give this unfortu- 
 nate also a cup ; then he will perish easily.' The nurse gave 
 me a cup. I drank it without excuse, and saluted her. She 
 never looked straight towards me, but ever and anon cast furtive 
 
 613 \^- • Forbes, in his vocabulary, makes this word " rija," and in his Dictionary, 
 " raja," as does also Shakespear. The proper way of writing it is, \s>-j rajd-a, and 
 the pronunciation in Hindustan has been corrupted to " rija." 
 
 51^ Forbes, in his vocabulary, has omitted the word l:.^.. ^r» - Jhapahna, which 
 signifies " to watch," and also " to wink." 
 
 »'5 Forbes has omitted in his vocabulary the word b J daiya, " mother," as also 
 UUu^' tamtamana, "to sparkle or glow." 
 
168 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 side-long glances at me. When I became merry, I began to 
 repeat some poetry, among which I recited this couplet also — 
 
 la thy power am I : say, I now live ! — well ! what then ? 
 If one breathes awhile under the steel, weU ! what then ? "' 
 
 When she heard this, she smiled, and looking towards the nurse, 
 said, ' What ! art thou sleepy ? ' The nurse, having found out 
 what she wished, said, ' Yea ! sleep has overpowered me ! ' She 
 truly, having taken leave, went to hell.^" After a moment 
 the Princess asked me for a cup of wine. I filled one quickly, 
 and presented it to her. She took it from my hand with tender 
 grace, and drank it off. I then fell at her feet. The Princess 
 stroked me with her hand, and said, ' unwise ! what harm 
 hast thou found in our Great Idol, that thou hast begun to wor- 
 ship an invisible God?' I said, 'You ought to be just. Be 
 pleased to reflect a little, [and you will see] that that God is 
 worthy of adoration, who, from a drop of water, has formed a 
 beautiful lady like you, and has bestowed on you such loveliness 
 that in a moment you can madden the hearts of thousands of 
 men. Of what account is an idol that any one should worship 
 it ? The stone-cutters, by fashioning a stone, make it into 
 shape, and spread it out as a net for fools. Those whom the 
 devil has seduced regard the created thing as the creator, and 
 bow down their heads before that which they have fashioned 
 with their own hands. We are Musalman, and venerate Him 
 who has created us. For them He has created hell — for us, 
 paradise. If the Princess woiild direct her faith towards God, 
 then she will find the joy of it, and will distinguish between 
 right and wrong, and will perceive her [present] belief to be 
 erroneous.' 
 
 " At length, from hearing such admonitions as these, the heart 
 of that stony-hearted one became soft. Through the Divine 
 favour and mercy she began to weep, and said, ' Well ! teach 
 
 '"" The meaning of these somewhat obscure verses is, that though she were to 
 forbear from slaying him with her bow, as she threatened, he would still be ever 
 living in misery as a despaii-ing lover; like one who is permitted a short respite, 
 while the dajrger is held over him. 
 
 '" In other words, " she went away," — fye! fye ! JlTr Amman! this is not civil 
 even of an unbeliever. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 169 
 
 me also your religion.' I instructed her in the creed, which 
 she, with sincerity of heart, recited ; and having expressed her 
 penitence and prayed for pardon, she became a Muslim. I then 
 threw myself at her feet. She continued till morning repeating 
 the creed and praying for pardon. She then said, ' Well ! I 
 indeed have embraced your faith ; but my parents are infidels ; 
 what remedy is there for them ? ' I said, ' You are clear ; "''^ 
 each shall receive according to his deserts.' She said, 'They 
 have betrothed me to the son of my paternal uncle, and he is 
 an idolater. If to-morrow (which God avert!) that infidel 
 should have connexion with me, and I should conceive, it 
 would be a very evil thing. We must from this moment 
 take thought for this, so that I may obtain deliverance from 
 this calamity.' I said, ' What you say is indeed reasonable ; 
 A\ hat occurs to your own mind, that do.' She replied, ' Now 
 I will not stay here, but will depart somewhither.' I asked, ' In 
 what manner will you be able to fly, and whither will you go ? ' 
 She replied, ' Do you first leave me. Go and stop with the 
 Musalman [travellers] in the caravanserah ; then all will hear 
 of it and will not suspect you. Do you continue then to look 
 out for vessels, and inform me when a ship sails for Persia. 
 For this purpose I will continually send the nurse to you ; when 
 you send me word, I will come out, embark in the vessel, and 
 go away [with you], and obtain a release from the hands of 
 these wretched infidels.' 
 
 " I said, ' I am ready to sacrifice myself for your life and 
 welfare, [but] what will you do with the nurse ? ' She said, 
 ' It is easy to devise what shall be done with her. I will give 
 her a cup of deadly ^^^ poison to drink.' ^'^ We decided on this 
 
 5>^ ^ Jb ^j\^>*J tumharl bala se. Literally "from your calamity" sub aud., 
 
 JS jj J dur hai, " it is far," or similar words. 
 
 '" Forbes, in his vocabulary, has given the word jJ.JfAS halahal as Sanskrit, and 
 rendered it "poison." Strangely enough, however, the word is both Arabic and 
 Sanskrit, and in the latter language means " poison," but in the former " poisonous," 
 or " deadly." In this passage it is evidently the Arabic word, and should be 
 rendered " deadly," and in aU cases when joined to the Persian ,JS! zahr, " poison," 
 it ought to be so translated. On the other hand, in Hindi it is doubtless Sanskrit. 
 
 '■-'' "With Muhammadans it is no crime, but rather a meritorioiis act, to slay an 
 infidel or an idolator. With these Eastern Jesuits, too, the end sanctifies the means. 
 
170 BAGH O BAHAB. 
 
 plan. When it became day, I went to the caravanserah, hired 
 a small room, and took up my abode there. I was living during 
 that separation simply upon the hope of meeting. In two 
 monthsj^^i when the merchants of Turkey, Syria, and Isfahan '-^ 
 had assembled, they fixed to depart, by way of the sea, and 
 began to embark their goods on board ship. From living in 
 the same place, I had formed many acquaintances. They said 
 to me, ' Why, sir ! wiU you not go too ? How long will you 
 stop in this land of unbelievers?' I replied, '"What do I possess 
 that I should go to my own country ? All the stock I have is 
 this one female slave,^^ a dog, and a box. If you wiU give me 
 but a very little room, [just enough] to sit in, and will fix the 
 passage-money, I shall be satisfied — I, too, wUl embark.' 
 
 " The merchants gave me possession of a cabin,^^ for which 
 I paid the passage-money. Having set my mind at ease [on 
 this head] I went, on some pretext, to the house of the nurse, 
 and said, ' mother ! I have come to take leave of thee ; I am 
 now going to my own country. If, by your kindness, I could 
 obtain one interview with the Princess, then it would be a great 
 matter.' At length the nurse consented. I said, ' I will come 
 at night and wait in such a place.' She said, ' Very well ! ' 
 After I had spoken to her, I returned to the inn. I took up my 
 box and my bedding, and carried them to the ship, and entrusted 
 
 ^'"- Mir Amman here sins against grammar. It should be ,^h^ i:!'~H^ '-^ 
 do mahtnon men. We may, however, rescue the author from this charge, by con- 
 sidering ^M..!..^ jj do mahlne as one word, in the sense of " space of two months." 
 
 522 Vide Note 233. Isfahan, the capital of Irak-i Ajaml, lies in X. lat. 32" 25 , 
 and E. long. 86° 40'. It stands on the ruins of the ancient Hecatompylos, or of the 
 Aspa of Ptolemy. The present city is of no great antiquity. Shah Abbas the Gr&it 
 made it his capital, and greatly enlarged it between a.d. 1620 and 1628. Chardin, 
 in his time, reckoned the population as equal to that of London, i.e. about 600,000. 
 It suffered terribly in the rebellion of 1721, and under Xidir Shah, but is still a 
 large city. 
 
 523 This is a slip of Mir Amman's. The slave-girl was the Princess, who had nut 
 yet joined the merchant. He could not then speak of her as " this veiy girl," since 
 she was absent, and those he addressed had never seen her. 
 
 "2* Forbes, in his vocabulary, wrongly translates (.i^at^ taht, " lower part," or 
 " beneath," which meaning is wholly inapplicable here. 
 
THE ADVENTUEES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 171 
 
 them to the captain, and said, ' To-morrow morning I will bring 
 my slave-girl.' The captain replied, ' Be pleased to come soon. 
 In the morning we shall take up the anchor.' I said, 'Yery 
 well ! ' When it was night, I went to that same place which I 
 had agreed upon with the nurse, and having gone there, waited. 
 When a watch of the night was past, the door of the palace 
 opened, and the Princess, dressed in soiled and dirty garments, 
 came out, bringing a box of jewels. She delivered that little 
 box to my care, and accompanied me. As it dawned we arrived 
 at the sea-side, and having embarked in a small boat,^^^ we went 
 and got on board the ship. This faithful dog also accompanied 
 us. When it was clear day-light, the anchor was raised and we 
 set sail. We ^^^ were proceeding happily on when the sound of 
 the discharge of cannon reached us from the port. All were 
 filled with astonishment and anxiety. We anchored the vessel 
 and began to talk with one another, saying, ' What ! is the 
 superintendent of the port about to commit some treachery ? 
 what is the reason of their discharging cannon ? ' 
 
 " It happened that all the merchants had beautiful slave- 
 girls, and all of them, through fear of the superintendent of 
 the port, shut up these girls in boxes, lest he should take them 
 away from them. I, too, had done the same thing ; for having 
 made m}- Princess sit down in a chest, I had padlocked her in. 
 Meanwhile, the superintendent of the port, seated with his ser- 
 vants and attendants in a vessel called a Ghurab,^'' came in 
 sight. By degrees he arrived at the ship and boarded us. The 
 reason of his coming was perhaps this, that when the King 
 received intelligence of the death of the nurse and the dis- 
 appearance of the Princess, he, without mentioning her name, 
 for fear of the disgrace, commanded the superintendent of the 
 
 '-' The astonished reader will find that even in so common a book as the " Bagh o 
 Bahar" there are vocables which are not to be found in any dictionary. Such is the 
 word CU«-J lambot, " a skiff," which occurs neither in Forbes' vocabulary, nor in 
 his Dictionary, nor in that of Shakespear. 
 
 5-^ The punctuation of the text might be improved here. There should be a fuU 
 stop after c_)^ ^"^> ^^^ ^ comma after ,-_^' ^l=f- ^^^^^ ehalejate the. 
 
 5" Anglo-Indice "grab,'' a sort of Arab vessel. 
 
172 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 port, saying, ' I have heard that the Persian merchants have some 
 very nice female slaves, which I wish to take for the Princess. 
 You will stop them and bring into my presence all the slave- 
 girls that there are in the ship. After I have seen them, the 
 price of those I approve shall be paid, otherwise they shall be 
 returned.' 
 
 " In accordance with the King's order, this superintendent 
 of the port had himself boarded the ship. Now near me there 
 was another person who also had a pretty slave shut up in a 
 bos. The superintendent came and sate on that box, and 
 began to cause the slave-girls to be produced. I returned 
 thanks to God, saying, ' Well ! there is no mention of the 
 Princess.' In short, the superintendent's people put all the 
 slave-girls they could find in the boat, and the superintendent 
 himself laughingly asked the owner of the box on which he was 
 sitting, the question, ' Thou too hadst a slave-girl ? ' The block- 
 head said, ' I swear by your honour's feet, I am not the only 
 one who has done this. All, through fear of you, have con- 
 cealed their slave-girls in boxes ? ' When the superintendent 
 heard this, he began to search all the boxes. He opened my 
 box also, and having taken out the Princess, led her away with 
 all the rest. My despair was excessive, so that I said to my- 
 self,^^ ' Such is the character of this unlucky accident, that 
 thou hast lost thy life for nothing, and let us see how he will 
 treat the Princess ! ' In anxiety on her account, I forgot my 
 fear for my own life also, and remained the whole day and night 
 praying to God for her. When the first dawn appeared, they 
 put all the slave-girls on board a boat, and brought them back. 
 The merchants were pleased, and took each his own slave. All 
 came, but the Princess was not among them. I inquired, ' Has 
 not my slave come ? what is the cause of this ? ' Thej- replied, 
 ' We know not ; perhaps the King has chosen her.' All the 
 merchants began to console and cheer me, saying, ' Well ! what 
 has happened has happened! do not thou distress thyself; we 
 will all make a subscription and pay j'ou the value of her.' My 
 senses were lost. I replied, ' Now I will not go to Persia.' I 
 
 ^*" This periphrasis of six words is used to render « kih, " that." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 173 
 
 said to the boatmen, ' My friends ! take me also with you, and 
 be pleased to put me on shore.' They consented. I left the 
 ship, and came and took my seat in the ghurab, and this dog 
 also accompanied me. 
 
 " When I reached the port, I kept only the casket of jewels, 
 which the Princess had brought with her. All my other goods 
 I distributed to the servants of the superintendent of the port, 
 and I began to spy out everywhere to see if perchance I could 
 get intelligence of the Princess ; but I neither got any trace of 
 her, nor could I find anything to guide me as to the affair. One 
 night I got, by a stratagem, even into the King's seraglio and 
 searched, but met with no information. For nearly a month I 
 hunted the streets and quarters of the city, and in that grief 
 almost brought myself to death's door, and I began to wander 
 about like one distraught. At length I reflected in my heart 
 thus, ' It is probable that my Princess, if she is anywhere, is in 
 the house of the superintendent of the port. I was going round 
 the residence of the superintendent, and looking if I could anj-- 
 where find a way of access that I might enter. A drain appeared, 
 which admitted of a man's passing by it, but an iron grating 
 was fixed at its mouth.'^^^ I resolved to enter by that drain. I 
 took off my clothes from my body, and went down into that 
 filthy slime. After a thousand efforts I broke that grating, and 
 by way of the sewer entered the secret seraglio.^'" Having 
 dressed myself like a woman, I began to look about me on all 
 sides. In one apartment, a voice reached my ear as if some one 
 was praying. When I advanced, I beheld then that it was the 
 Princess herself, who was weeping excessively, and continued 
 grovelling on the ground, and praying to God, saying, 'For 
 the sake of Thy Prophet and his pure progeny, give me de- 
 liverance from this land of unbelievers, and grant me once a 
 happy meeting with that person who showed me the path of 
 
 *2' Forbes, in Ms vocaljulary, has rendered ifJi&J dahanah, "that which covers 
 the mouth of a pit or well; " but it should rather be the mouth itself. 
 
 630 The (i.s'* 1 ^s- chor mahall is the apartment or apartments devoted to the 
 secret amours of the master of the family, where he may carry on intrigues unknown 
 to his lawful wives. 
 
174 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 the true religion.' I, as soon as I saw her, ran and fell at her 
 feet. The Princess clung to my neck. For a moment we were 
 hoth in a state of insensibility. When we recovered our senses, 
 I inquired of the Princess what had happened. She said, ' When 
 the superintendent of the port took all the slave-girls on shore, 
 I was only praying to God that my secret might not be dis- 
 closed, and that I might not be recognized, and that thy life 
 might not be perilled. He is such a concealer^'' that no one 
 recognized me in the least degree as the Princess. The super- 
 intendent of the port was surveying each with an eye to pur- 
 chase. When my turn came, he approved of me and sent me 
 secretly to his house ; the rest he presented before the King. 
 
 " ' My father, when he did not see me among them, dismissed 
 them all. It was on my account that he practised all this 
 artifice.^^^ He has now given out that the Princess is very ill. 
 If I should not be found, then some day or other the news of 
 my death will fly through the whole country, in order that the 
 King may not be dishonoured. But I am now sufiering this 
 annoyance, that the superintendent of the port has in his heart 
 sinister views with regard to me, and always invites me to sleep 
 with him. I am continuing to refuse. Although he is en- 
 amoured of me, he, as yet, seeks my compliance, and therefore 
 holds his peace. But I am terrified [when I think] how long 
 can this last ? Wherefore I too have determined this in my 
 heart, that when he seeks to gratify his wishes, I will yield up 
 my life and die. But from meeting you, another scheme has 
 occurred to my mind. If it please God, no other way of de- 
 liverance appears but this.' ^^ 
 
 " I said, ' Speak then ! what sort of plan is that ? ' She said, 
 ' If thou wilt use exertion and labour, it may then succeed.' I 
 replied, ' I am obedient to your order. If you command, I will 
 
 *'' The meaning for jU-j sattar, given in Forbes' vocabnlary, viz. "concealed," 
 " hidden," is obviously inapplicable here, and is not substantiated by any dictionary. 
 
 ''" Forbes, in bis vocabulary, has omitted the word ^ J parpanch (s. TTR^ : IT 
 and tff^ "to spread"), -whicb signifies " deceit," "artifice." 
 
 5" The sentence is literally translated, but Mir Amman means, " Xo other -way of 
 safety appears but this, yet, God ^villing, this will succeed." 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 175 
 
 leap into burning fire, and could I get a ladder I would, for 
 your sake, ascend to heaven. I will perform whatever you 
 enjoin.' The Princess said, 'Do thou go into the temple of 
 the Great Idol, and in the place where they take off their shoes, 
 there lies a piece of black canvas. It is the custom of this 
 country that whoever becomes poor and indigent puts on that 
 canvas and sits down in that place. The people of this place 
 who go on pilgrimage ^^^ bestow alms on him, each according to 
 his ability. After two or four days, when he has collected 
 money, the priests of the idol-temple give him a rich dress at 
 the expense of the Great Idol, and send him away. He goes 
 away a rich man, and nobody knows who he was. Do thou 
 also go and sit down under the sackcloth, and carefully envelope 
 thy hands and face, and speak to none. 
 
 " ' When, after three days, the Brahmans and idolators give 
 thee a rich robe and try to send thee away, do thou, notwith- 
 standing, on no account depart thence. When they beseech 
 thee excessively, then do thou say that thou hast no need of 
 rupees or money, that thou art not hungering after wealth, but 
 that thou hast met with oppression, that thou hast come to 
 complain ; that if the mother of the Brahmans will do thee 
 justice, so much the better, otherwise the Great Idol will see 
 that thou dost have what is just, and will hear [lit. 'come to'] 
 thy complaints against the oppressor. Until that mother of the 
 Brahmans comes to you herself, however much any one may 
 beseech thee, be not thou inclined to assent. At length, having 
 no resource, she herself will come to thee. She is very old, her 
 age being two hundred and forty years ; and thirty-six sons, 
 which have been born to her, are the governors of the idol- 
 temple, and bear a very exalted rank with the Great Idol. 
 From which cause her commands are of such weight that all 
 the people of that country, small and great, look upon their 
 happiness as depending on what she says ; what she commands, 
 that they implicitly obey. Take hold of the skirt of her dress 
 and say, " mother ! if thou wilt not obtain justice for me, an 
 
 53* \ 3\s^ jatra, -wouli be a more appropriate phrase here, as LUjVj ziyarai is 
 the Muhammadan term. 
 
176 BAGH O BAHAB. 
 
 oppressed traveller, from the tyrant, I wiU dash my head in the 
 service of the Great Idol. At length he will take pity, and 
 intercede for me with thee." When she asks thy story, say 
 that thou art an inhabitant of Persia. " In order to perform a 
 pilgrimage to the Great Idol, and hearing of your justice, I 
 have come hither from a great distance.^'^ I abode here some 
 days at my ease. My wife also had accompanied me. She is 
 very young, and of good shape and figure also, and well featured 
 {lit. " correct as to her nose and eyes "). I know not how the 
 superintendent of the port saw her, but he took her from me b_v 
 force, and has put her in his own house. And we ilusalman 
 have this custom, that whoever see our^^^ women or takes them 
 away when it is unlawful for them to enter his haram, then we 
 slay him how we can, and take back our wives ; else we give up 
 eating and drinking, because, as long as he remains alive, that 
 woman is forbidden to her husband. Now, having no resource, 
 I have come here ; let us see what justice you enact." ' When 
 the Princess had taught and instructed me in all this, I took 
 leave and came forth by the same aperture,^' and fixed that 
 grating again. 
 
 "As soon as it was morning, I went to the idol-temple and 
 put on that black canvas, and sate down. In three days so 
 many rupees and gold coins and clothes were collected about 
 me, that a magazine was formed of them. On the fourth day 
 the priests, performing their worship and singing and playing, 
 came to me, bringing a rich dress, and began to send me away. 
 I did not consent [to go], and appealed for justice to the Great 
 Idol, saying, I did not come to beg, but I have come to the 
 Great Idol and the Mother of the Brahmans for justice ; until 
 I get justice done me, I will not depart hence.' When they 
 heard this, they went to that old woman,^'^ and related my case. 
 
 "' <^ ]^\y^f dp f^ale kosoii se, " from black kos." Is this akin to the 
 expression, ^^U I'li kala pSfii, literally "black -water," for " banishment " P I 
 know not, but the epithet here appears to imply distance rather than colour. 
 S36 I so translate the words ^ ^\ in kl, which would be much better omitted. 
 The word ^^l ^'U tubdan, is properly " an apertm-e to admit light." 
 Fnvbcs, in his vocabulary, has omitted the word jjl ', zai, " an old woman," 
 a Persian word, but which occui-s in the Biluehi language also, with the same meaning. 
 
 637 
 638 
 
THE ADVENTUEES OF KING IZAD-BAKHT. 177 
 
 After that, a Brahman, learned in the four Vedas, came and began 
 to say to me, ' Come ! the Mother calls thee.' I immediately 
 went into the temple, covered from head to foot with the black 
 canvas. I beheld then that on a jewelled throne in which were 
 set rubies, diamonds and pearls, and coral, was seated the Great 
 Idol, and a rich cover was spread on a golden chair, on which, 
 in a stately and dignified manner, sate an old woman clad in 
 black, propped up on cushions and pillows, with two boys of ten 
 or twelve years of age, one on her right hand, and the other on 
 her left. She called me forward. I went respectfully forward 
 and kissed the foot of her throne, and then took hold of the 
 skirt of her dress. She asked my story. I made it known to 
 her after the same fashion as the Princess had instructed me. 
 
 " When she heard it, she said, ' What ! do the Musalmaa 
 keep their wives concealed ? ' I replied, ' Yes ; may it fare 
 well with your children ! ^^^ this is our custom from of old.' 
 She said, ' Thy sect is a good one. I will instantly give com- 
 mand for the superintendent of the port to come and present 
 himself with thy wife, and will inflict such a punishment on 
 the dolt that he will not commit such an improper action a 
 second time, and that all shall prick up their ears and fear.' 
 She began [then] to ask her children as to who the superinten- 
 dent of the port was ? who had the hardihood 1_IU. " power "] 
 to take away by force the wife of another man. The people 
 [about her] said, ' He is such a person.' When she heard this, 
 she commanded those two boys (who sate near her), saying, ' Go 
 quickly to the King, taking that person with you, and say that 
 the Mother says it is the order of the Great Idol that since the 
 superintendent of the port practises violence and oppression on 
 people, and, for example, has taken away the wife of this poor 
 person, and his guilt has been fully proved to have been great, 
 that you quickly take an inventory of that offender's goods, and 
 deliver them over to this Turk (who has found favour in our 
 sight), otherwise this night thou shalt perish, and fall under 
 our wrath.' The two young lads went forth from the temple. 
 
 639 This benediction is introduced simply as a compliment, and has nothing to do 
 with the rest of the sentence. 
 
 12 
 
178 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 and mounted. All the priests, blowing horns, singing, and 
 encompassing them, followed in their retinue. 
 
 "In short, the people of that place, great and small, regarding 
 the earth of that spot where the foot^*" of the boys fell as 
 sacred, took it up, and applied it to their eyes. In this same 
 manner they proceeded to the castle of the King. The King 
 received intelligence [of their coming], and came out to receive 
 them with bare feet,^" and having brought them in with great 
 honour and respect, seated them near himself on the throne, 
 and asked, ' Wherefore liave you honoured me by coming to- 
 day ? ' Those two Brahman boys told him what they had heard 
 from their mother before they came there, and menaced him 
 with the anger of the Great Idol. 
 
 " On hearing this the King said, ' Very well ! ' and ordered 
 his servants, saying, ' Let the officers of justice go and bring 
 quickly into my presence the superintendent of the port, 
 together with that woman, when I will inquire into his crime 
 and punish him.' When I heard this, I was confounded in 
 my heart, and said to myself, ' This affair has taken a bad turn. 
 If along with the superintendent of the port they bring the 
 Princess also, the secret will be revealed, and what will be my 
 position ? ' I was stricken with dismay in my heart, and had 
 recourse to [prayer to] God, but my countenance changed,^'' 
 and my frame began to shake. The boys, seeing me thus 
 change, perceived perhaps that this order was not agreeable 
 to me. They immediately arose, displeased and angry, and 
 
 "0 In Forbes' edition ive have ,.,iJL) panon, wliioli is a mistake for »j'j pamc. 
 as I find by referring to the copy ivritten by Jlir Amman himself, which inyaluable 
 MS. the owner (Mr. Eomer) has kindly lent me. It is hardly necessarv to remark 
 the inconsistency of saying that the boys were mounted, and immediately after 
 talking of the spot where their feet touched the ground. Oriental \mters swallow 
 these camels easily, though they often str.iin at a gnat. 
 
 s^' It is too well known to require mention, that the Orientals uncorer their feet, as 
 we do our heads, to show respect. Sometimes, however, it is a sign of consternation 
 and grief. Vide p. 126, 1. 8 ; p. 143, 1. 9. The reverse has a different meaning: 
 Judges iii. 24. 
 
 '■" Literally, "sky-rockets went up in my face," alluding to the shooting up and 
 receding of the blood, causing an alternate redness and pallor, and, to pursue the 
 metaphor in Eastern style, like the above-named fireworks, more conspicuous in the 
 night of the Oriental's sable countenance, thau in the twilight of the Eui-opean face. 
 
THE ApVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 179 
 
 said, threateningly, to the King, ' little man ! hast thou 
 become distraught, that thou hast stepped aside from obedience 
 to the Great Idol, and imagined our word false, that thou 
 wishest to summon both and make inquiry ? Now, take care ! 
 thou hast fallen under the wrath of the Great Idol; we have 
 transmitted his command to thee — now do thou look to it,^' 
 and let the Great Idol look to it.' 
 
 " The King experienced an extraordinary sensation at these 
 words, insomuch that he joined his hands and stood up, and 
 trembled from head to foot. He began to appease them with 
 humble entreaties, but those two would on no account sit down, 
 but remained standing. On this all the nobles that were stand- 
 ing there began with one voice to speak against the superin- 
 tendent of the port, saying, ' He is such a wicked villain, and 
 guilty wretch, and does such evil things, that we are unable to 
 make mention of them in the presence of the King. That which 
 the mother of the Brahmans has sent to tell you is correct, 
 because it is the order of the Great Idol, and how can that be 
 false ? ' When the King heard from the tongues of all the 
 same thing, he was ashamed and abashed at what he had said. 
 He quickly bestowed on me a neat dress, and having written a 
 mandate with his own hand, he signed^" and sealed it, and 
 delivered it to me. He also wrote a letter to the mother of 
 the Brahmans, and having placed a tray of jewels and gold 
 coins before the boys as an offering, he sent them away. I 
 returned highly pleased to the idol-temple, and went to that 
 old woman. 
 
 " The contents of the King's letter which had come was this : 
 After compliments, and the expression of his humble devotion, 
 he wrote that, in accordance with her highness's order, he had 
 conferred on me the post of superintendent of the port, and 
 had given me the robe of honour [which denoted my instal- 
 lation], and that now I had the power to put the former 
 
 6" That is, " Settle it between you, and you will be finely punished." 
 
 S'l* I take ^i-jJ dasti here for L^ c^^-; J dast Ishatt, " signature," but if 
 
 this sense be objected to, it -will mean " priTate," " own," and refer to^.^ muhr. 
 
 Forbes, in his Tocabulary, has omitted the word altogether. 
 
180 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 superintendent to death, and that all his wealth and property 
 had been assigned to me, to do with it as I pleased, and that 
 he was now in hopes that his life would be pardoned. The 
 mother of the Brahmans, being pleased at this, commanded that 
 the music ^*^ should sound in the music-room of the temple. 
 And she sent along with me five hundred matchlock-men 
 fully armed, who could hit a little shell tied with a hair,*^^ 
 and gave orders, saying, ' Go to the port, and having made 
 the superintendent prisoner, deliver him over to this Musal- 
 man, that he may put him to death by any tortures he pleases. 
 Take care too that, except this dear person, no other finds 
 access to the female apartments, and that you hand over to 
 him the superintendent's property and treasure. When this 
 person of his own free will dismisses you, return, bringing with 
 you a receipt and certificate from him.' Then, having presented 
 me with a complete dress from the Great Idol, she caused me 
 to mount, and bade me farewell. 
 
 " When I arrived at the port, a man went forward and in- 
 formed the superintendent of the port. He was seated like one 
 dazed when I arrived. My heart indeed was still filled with 
 anger. As soon as I beheld the superintendent of the port, I 
 drew my sword and struck him such a blow on the neck that 
 his head was separated, and flew off like a head of Indian corn,^^ 
 and having caused the agents, treasurers, examiners, and factors 
 of that place to be apprehended, I seized all the papers, and 
 myself entered the seraglio. There I met the Princess. We 
 embraced and wept and returned thanks to God. I wiped away 
 her tears, and she mine. I then took my seat outside on an 
 ottoman, and gave dresses to the officials, and reinstated all in 
 their several appointments. I promoted the servants and the 
 slaves. To each of those persons who had been sent with me 
 
 '** Forbes, in his vocabulary, has omitted this sense of li-^' ^j iintibat, ret I 
 believe that it is from this that the guard-room has its name of tC<\s- i,ji-~'4J 
 naubat khana/i, and not from i.::,%.i«j naubat, "turn," "time," "relief," as the 
 dictionaries would imply. 
 
 '*" This is a proverbial expression for a good mai-ksman. 
 
 '•" Forbes in his vocabulary has omitted the word liL.' bhutta, '■ a head of corn." 
 
THE ADVENTUEES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 181 
 
 from the temple I gave presents and largess, dressed their 
 Jamadars and Risalahdars ^^ [in robes of honour], and dismissed 
 them ; and taking with me jewels of great price, and pieces of 
 the finest cotton, and shawls, and brocade, and goods and rarities 
 of every realm, and a large sum of ready money as an offering 
 to the King, and suitable presents for each one of the nobles, 
 according to their rank, and for all the priestesses, and for dis- 
 tribution among the priests, I returned, after a week, to the 
 idol-temple, and laid them before the mother of the Brahmans, 
 by way of ofiering. 
 
 " She bestowed on me another robe of honour, and gave me 
 a title. I then went to the King's court, and presented my 
 offerings, and made a statement [of what was requisite] for 
 putting a stop to the various oppressive and mischievous prac- 
 tices which the superintendent of the port had devised. Oa 
 this account the King, and the nobles, and the merchants were 
 all pleased with me-. [The King] lavished many favours upon 
 me, and having presented me with a robe of honour and a horse, 
 bestowed on me a dignity and a grant of land in free tenure, 
 and conferred honours upon me. When I came forth from the 
 presence of the King, I satisfied the servants and the ofiicials, 
 by giving them so much that all began to recite my creed. '^'^ 
 In short, I became very affluent, and having married the 
 Princess, began to live in that country in much ease and 
 comfort, and to serve God. By reason of my justice all classes 
 of the King's subjects were content. Once a month I visited 
 the idol-temple and the King's presence, and returned. The 
 King daily conferred on me higher promotion. 
 
 " At length he admitted me into the number of his confiden- 
 tial advisers, and did nothing without my advice. My life 
 began to pass in perfect tranquillity, but Grod Himself know* 
 that the anxious recollection of those two brothers of mine often 
 returned to my heart, and th€ thought of where and how they 
 were. After the space of two years a caravan of merchants 
 
 5-18 The il JiJt**- jamadar answers to our lieutenant.' The^lOwl-o^ risalahdar 
 is rightly explained by Forbes as " a captain of a troop." 
 
 5*9 " Jurare in verba mea," or, as we say,, " to swear by me," that is, " they were 
 aU won over to my side, and became my partizans." 
 
182 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 came from tlie country of Zerbad^^ to that port, all of whom 
 were journeying towards Persia, and they wished to go by sea 
 to their own country. The custom of that place was, that what- 
 ever caravan arrived, its chief used to bring me presents and 
 curiosities of every country and present them to me as offerings. 
 The next day I used to go to his house, and take a tithe of his 
 goods by way of tax, and give him a passport for departure. 
 In the same way those merchants of Zerbad also came to visit 
 me, and brought inestimable presents. The next day I went to 
 their tents. Then I saw two men dressed in torn and old 
 clothes, who, carrying on their heads packages and bundles, 
 brought them before me. After I had looked at them they again 
 took them up and carried them away, and continued performing 
 much toilsome service. On looking at them attentively, I saw 
 that these verj- men were my two brothers. At that time my 
 sense of shame and feeling of honourable pride would not allow 
 me to see them in this kind of servitude. When I went home 
 I said to the people, ' Bring those two persons.' They brought 
 them. Again I caused apparel and clothes to be made and 
 given to them, and I took charge of them. Those two villains 
 again laid a plan to murder me, and one day, at midnight,^^ 
 finding all off their guard, came like thieves to the head of my 
 bed. I, through fear of my life, had placed a guard at the 
 door, and this faithful dog was sleeping by the side of my bed- 
 stead. When they drew their swords from the scabbards, the 
 dog first of all barked and attacked them, and at the noise it 
 made all awoke. I too started up in alarm. The people seized 
 them and found it was their honours themselves. All began to 
 heap execrations upon them, since, in spite of this fostering care 
 of them, they had perpetrated such an ill-deed ! Peace to the 
 King ! — Then, indeed, I too feared. It is a well-known pro- 
 verb, ' One fault, two faults, if a third fault [be committed], the 
 mother is to J)lame.' ^^^ I determined on this plan in my heart. 
 
 "*» Vide note 467. 
 
 '5' This expression sounds strangely to European ears, but Musalman reckon their 
 d ly from sunset to sunset. It is with tliem, therefore, quite admissible. 
 
 "'^ The meaning of this is, that the best of us may offend once or t\Tice, but he 
 ■who commits a third offence is, as we say, "a born villain." Ho has got his evil 
 nature from his mother, aud is incorrigible. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 183 
 
 that I would confine them ; but if I had placed them in a prison, 
 then who would have taken charge of them ? they would have 
 died of hunger and thirst, or would have practised some other 
 deceit. I have, therefore, placed them in a cage, that they may 
 always remain under my ej^es, and thus I may be satisfied, lest, 
 being concealed from my sight, they may contrive some other 
 artifice ; and the honour and respect shown to this dog is because 
 of its loyalty and fidelity.^^^ Great God ! a faithless man is 
 worse than a faithful brute. This is my history which I have 
 related in your presence. Now either be pleased to order my 
 execution, or bestow on me my life. It is the order of the King." 
 Having heard it,^^* I applauded that honest man,^^^ and said, 
 " There has been no interruption in thy kindness, nor in their 
 shameless and villainous conduct has there been any diminution. 
 It is true, ' If you bury a dog's tail twelve years, even then it 
 will remain as crooked as ever.' " ^^ After that I inquired 
 into the story of those twelve rubies (which were in the collar 
 of that dog). The merchant said, " May the age of the King 
 be one hundred and twenty years ! ^^~ In that same part where 
 I was governor, after three or four years, one day I had taken 
 my seat in a balcony ^^^ of the female apartments for the purpose 
 of enjoying the look-out over the sea and the waste around, and 
 I was gazing in every direction. All of a sudden, in a part of 
 the jungle, where there was no high road, somewhat that looked 
 like the forms of two men appeared, who were coming along. I 
 took my telescope ^^^ and looked, when the shapes that shewed 
 
 553 This sentence is so badly managed in the Urdu as to express exactly the reverse 
 of what is intended. Thus, the honour shewn to the dog is said to be the cause of 
 its fidelity. 
 
 55* Here king Azad-Bakht addresses the Darweshes again in his own person. 
 
 555 ijl *sf- " young man " seems an ill-chosen word here, as the khwajah represents 
 himself as old and infirm. 
 
 556 A proverb corresponding to our " What is bred in the bone will never come 
 out of the flesh." A similar sentiment is to be found in the " Hitopade^a " (Sxihridbheda, 
 Sloke 136), whence it originally sprung. 
 
 65' Vide note 346. 
 
 558 The resemblance between ijs>. i\l bala khanah and "balcony" is so strong, 
 that we may imagine the latter word derived from the former. 
 
 55S _^,,J diir-bhi : jjii dur, "far," «J bh>, from i^S^,'^ dldan, "to see," 
 exactly translates " telescope." 
 
184 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 themselves were marvellous oues for human beings. I sent off 
 mace-bearers to summon them. 
 
 " When they came, I found that one was a man and one a 
 woman. The woman truly I sent into the seraglio to the 
 Princess, and called the man before me. I saw then that he 
 was a young man of twenty or twenty-two years old, whose 
 beard and moustachios had commenced growing. But, from 
 the fierceness of the sun's rays, the complexion of his face was 
 like that of a black iron plate for baking bread, and the hair of 
 his head and the nails of his hands had grown long, so that his 
 form had become scarce human, and there was a boy of three or 
 four years old on his shoulder, and the two sleeves of his coat, 
 which were filled with something, were thrown like a chain 
 round his neck. I beheld that his form and appearance were 
 of a strange description. I was much astonished, and asked, 
 ' Friend ! who art thou, and of what country art thou a native, 
 and what is this thy state ? ' The young man involuntarily 
 began to weep, and having undone that purse, placed it before 
 me on the ground, and said, ' Hunger ! hunger ! for God's sake 
 give me something to eat. It is a long time since I have been 
 feeding on grass and forest-leaves,^™ as I journey on. Xot the 
 smallest particle of strength is left in me.' I immediately sent 
 for bread and meat and wine, and gave to him. He began to 
 eat. Meanwhile an eunuch came from the seraglio, bringing 
 some more purses from his wife. I caused all of them to be 
 opened. I beheld jewels of every kind, each one of which 
 deserved to be called the revenue of an empire. Each was 
 more priceless than the other in shape, weight, and lustre, and 
 from the rays they emitted the whole apartment was coloured 
 with different hues. After he had eaten a morsel and drunk 
 a cup of wine, and rested, his senses returned. I then asked, 
 ' Whence did you procure these stones ? ' He replied, ' My 
 native land is the country of Azurbaijan.^^^ In my childhood I 
 was parted from my home and mj' parents, and endured great 
 
 "» Forbes has omitted this word, ^JX^^\uj banSs-pattJ, in his vocabulary. It 
 signifies " leaves of the forest," and is from the Sanskfit '^•T^ '^'^ vana^ya patra. 
 "' A province of Persia, corresponding with the ancient Media. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 185 
 
 hardships, and for a long time was buried alive, and several 
 times escaped from under the very grasp of the Angel of Death.' 
 I said, ' My good Sir ! give me a circumstantial narrative, that 
 I may understand [how these things were].' He then began to 
 relate his adventures, saying, ' My father was by profession a 
 merchant. He was continually travelling to Hindustan, and 
 Turkey, and China, and Cathay,582 and Europe. When I 
 reached my tenth year, my father went to Hindustan, and 
 wished to take me with him. Although my mother, and my 
 mother's sister, and my mother's brother's wife, and my father's 
 sister, said that I was still a boy and unfit to travel, my father 
 did not listen to them, and said, " I have grown old, and if this 
 [boy] is not brought up under my eye, I should carry this 
 regret to the grave. He is a man-child, and if he does not 
 learn now, when will he learn ? " Having said this, he took 
 me with him, nolens volens, and departed. The journey passed 
 in peace and safety. When we arrived in Hindustan, we sold 
 some goods there, and taking with us rarities for that place, 
 went to the country of Zerbad.^''^ This journey also was happily 
 accomplished. Thence also, having finished our purchases 
 and sales, we embarked on board ship, in order that we might 
 speedily arrive at our native country. After a month, one day 
 a storm and typhoon arose, and it began to rain in torrents 
 without intermission.^^* All the earth and sky became murky, 
 
 *»2 Northern China— 
 
 " the seat 
 Of mightiest empire, from the distant walls 
 Of Cambalu, seat of Cathaian Can." 
 
 Milton's " Paradise lost," Book XI. 
 
 563 r«« note 467- 
 
 ^^ In Shakespear's Dictionary we find hoth^la J \^y musla dliar, and |_)««=j'» 
 lU J musal dhar. In that of Forbes only the former is given. jlaO dhar is a 
 Sanskrit word, signifying " stream," but the explanation of X^y* musla, or ij~:y 
 musal, is more difficult, the former meaning a " tap-root," and the latter " a wooden 
 club or pestle." The expression would appear to signify, " continuous," " lasting," 
 or " fixed," as it were " rooted ; " or descending heavily like a club. In either case 
 it is far-fetched. 
 
186 
 
 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 as though involved in smoke/^ and the rudder of the ship was 
 broken. The pilot and the captain began to smite their heads 
 [in despair]. For ten days the wind and the waves were carry- 
 ing us where they listed. On the eleventh day the ship struck 
 on a rock and went to pieces. I know not where my father, 
 and his servants, and goods went. 
 
 " ' I found myself on a plank, and for three days and nights 
 that board was carried along at random. On the fourth day 
 I reached the shore, when life was just left in me. Having 
 got o£f the plank, crawling on my knees, I somehow or other 
 reached the dry land. At a distance fields appeared and manj- 
 persons were assembled there, but aU of them were black and 
 naked as they were born. They said something to me, but I 
 did not understand a syllable of their language. The field was 
 one of the pulse called chana,^^ and those people had kindled 
 a large fire, and were parching the ears ^^ of grain and eating 
 them, and I saw there some houses also. [I thought] " Perhaps 
 their food is no other than this, and there they dwell." Thej- 
 began to make signs to me also, that I should eat. I too 
 plucked up a handful of the pulse, parched it, and began to 
 toss the peas one after another into my mouth,*^ and having 
 drunk a little water I went to sleep in a corner. 
 
 " 'After a considerable time I awoke, when one of them came 
 near me,^^^ and began to point out my road. I pulled up a 
 little pulse, and proceeded by that road. It was a plain, level 
 as the palm of the hand ; you might, as it were, call it a model 
 
 "* Forbes has omitted the wordjla J ij^i^^ dhuan dhar, which is compounded 
 of the Sanskrit words WT dhum, "smoke," VT^ <^''5»', "holding." Shakespear 
 has a misprint under this word, giving V|*<|yH^ ghumadhar, instead of ^nfrr^sTPC 
 dhumadhar. The expression is a fine one, and in poetical beauty surpasses the 
 Virgilian " ponto uox incubat atra," etc. 
 
 '*' Cieer arietinum, on which horses and sheep are fed. It is by Europeans in 
 India called " gram." Forbes, in his vocabulary, erroneously renders it " vetches." 
 
 ^" Forbes has omitted the word '-I'jJ buf, m., a Hindi word which has the same 
 meaning as Ur>- chana. Tide the preceding note. 
 
 »** This periphrasis of ten words expresses the meaning of li.0 1^ phankna. 
 
 '"» In Forbes' edition a comma is wrongly inserted after u,Xi Jy nazd^k. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 187 
 
 of the plain of the resurrection.^™ There I journeyed along, 
 eating the pulse as I went. After four days a castle appeared. 
 When I got near it, I beheld a very high fort built all of stone, 
 every side of which was two koH in length, and the door was 
 cut out of a single stone, with a large padlock attached, but no 
 trace of man was visible there. Proceeding thence I saw a 
 hillocli, the earth of which was in colour as black as anti- 
 mony.5" When I had passed that hill, a very large city 
 appeared, round which was a rampart with bastions at intervals. 
 On one side of the city was a river of great breadth. Proceeding 
 on I reached the gate, and after saying, "In the name of 
 God ! " ^■'^ I set foot within. I saw a person dressed in the 
 garments of Europeans, sitting on a chair. "When he saw me, 
 a stranger and a traveller, and heard the " Bismilliih " from my 
 mouth, he called out, " Come forward ! " I went and saluted 
 him. He returned my salutation with much kindness. Forth- 
 with he placed on the table a loaf of bread, and butter, and 
 fowl cut in pieces and roasted, and wine, and said, " Eat your 
 fill." I ate and drank a little and. fell into a profound sleep. 
 "When the night was over, then my eyes opened, and I washed 
 
 '''"' All mankind, according to Muhammadans, are to stand before God at the last 
 day, on a vast plain, to be judged, as in Eevelation xx. 13, where, however, there 
 is no mention of the plain. 
 
 ^'•'^ The ^,~) surmah, or coUyrium, which Orientals apply to their eyes, is, 
 Shakespear tells us, in India, ore of lead, or a galena or sulphuret of lead. For my 
 own part I never saw anything but antimony used. A round bodkin somewhat 
 smaller than a quill is dipped lengthways into the powder, which adheres to it in 
 small quantities. The (_}~-* mil or bodkin is then drawn between the eyelids, which 
 are closed upon it, and the powder is thus traced along them just under the root of 
 the eyelashes. This is extremely beneficial to the sight, as I can testify from ex- 
 perience, preventing the lid from inflaming, and it is likewise thought to be 
 ornamental. It is also observed as a custom sanctioned by the Prophet's example. 
 The same practice is thus described by Juvenal : — 
 
 " lUe supercilium madida fuligine tinctum 
 Obliqua producit acu, pingitque trementes 
 Attollens oculos." 
 
 I '•^ 
 
 ''2 ^l*AuJ Bismillak, " In the name of God ! " should be said at the commence- 
 ment of every enterprise. Nay, the commonest actions are not done by Muhamma- 
 dans without this ejaculation, which, for instance, is uttered when animals are slain 
 for food, before meals, in setting out on a journey, etc. 
 
188 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 my hands and face. He again gave me food to eat, and said, 
 " son ! relate thy story." I told him all that had happened to 
 me. He then said, " Why hast thou come hither ? " I was 
 amazed and said, " Perhaps thou art mad ! I, after toiling for 
 a length of time, have now obtained sight of an inhabited 
 place; God has conducted me thus far, and thou say est, 'Why 
 hast thou come ? ' " He said, " Do thou now repose thyself 
 To-morrow I will tell what I have to say." 
 
 " ' When the morning came, he said, " In this room are a 
 spade, a sieve, and a bag for feeding horses, bring them out." 
 I said in my heart, " God knows what labour he will exact 
 from me now that he has given me bread to eat." I brought 
 out all those things, and placed them before him. He then 
 said, " Go to that mound, and having dug a hole about a yard 
 detp, sift what comes out in this sieve. Fill the bag with what 
 cannot be sifted, and bring it to me." I took all those things 
 and went there, and having dug just to that depth, I sifted 
 [the earth] and put it in the bag. I saw then that it was all 
 [composed of] gems of various colours. My eyes were dazzled ^"' 
 by their brilliance. In the same way I filled the bag to the 
 brim, and brought it to that friendly person. When he saw it 
 he said, " Take thou what is contained therein, and depart 
 hence, for it is not well for thee to stay in this city." I replied, 
 "Your honour has shewn me, on your part, great kindness in 
 giving me such a quantity of pebbles and stones, but of what 
 use will they be to me ? When I become hungry, I shall not 
 be able to chew these, nor will they fill my stomach. If then 
 you should give me yet more, still what use would they be to 
 me ? " The man laughed, and said, " I feel compassion for 
 thee, for thou, like me, art a native of the country of Persia. 
 On this account I stop thee, otherwise ^^* it is thy look out ; if, 
 whether or no, thy resolution is no other than this, to enter the 
 city, then take my ring with thee; When thou enterest the 
 
 5" Forbes has omitted the word ULajJi^ chaundhiyana,. " to be blinded," 
 " confused," " dazzled." 
 
 "* The sentence should be, 1-^. J J ^^ nah^n to tu jan, "otherwise do 
 thou know." Mir Amman, doubtless by a lapsm peniice, omitted the «!' . 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 189 
 
 centre of the bazar, there will be sitting there a person with a 
 white beard, and his appearance and figure bear a strong re- 
 semblance to mine.^^^ He is my elder brother. Give him this 
 signet, and he will take care of thee ; and be pleased to act as 
 he directs, otherwise thou wilt be uselessly put to death ; and 
 my control extends just thus far. In the city I cannot inter- 
 fere." I took the ring from him, and having saluted him, took 
 leave. I entered the city, and beheld that it was a very fine 
 one. The streets and the bazar were clean, and men and 
 women without concealment were buying and selling amongst 
 one another, and were all well-dressed.^'''^ I walked on, looking 
 about me. When I arrived in the centre of the bazar, where 
 the four roads met, there was such a crowd that if you had 
 flung a platter,^'" it would have gone along on the heads of the 
 people. There was such a dense concourse of persons, that it 
 was difficult for one to move. When the crowd dispersed a 
 little, I, too, pushing and jostling, went on. At length I saw 
 my friend, who was sitting upon a chair, ^"^ and a mace ^''^ set 
 with jewels was placed before him. I went up and saluted him, 
 and gave him the signet. He looked angrily at me, and said, 
 " Why hast thou come here, and plunged thyself in calamity ? 
 I suppose, then, that my foolish brother did not forbid thee ? " 
 I said, " He indeed told me, but I did not listen to him." I 
 then related to him all my story from beginning to end. That 
 person rose, and, taking me with him, went towards his house.^*° 
 His dwelling was in appearance like that of kings, and he had 
 
 "* Before 1 1^ meru there should he a comma or even a full stop. 
 
 ^'^ There should he a full stop after iHu! libas. In Forhes' edition there is 
 none, which makes ahsolute nonsense. 
 
 S17 In Forhes' vocahulary the word ^J^^' thai!, "salver,'' "platter," "flat 
 dish," is omitted. 
 
 s's In Bengal the word 5^^*- chauki is now used for " a chair," as in Bomhay 
 
 -Mii" Jcursl is used. "Chauki" properly means "bench," and that may he the 
 
 meaning here. 
 
 5'9 sL*^- chumak is given as a Persian word in the dictionaries, but it is 
 probably originaUy Turkish. It signifies a club also as well as a baton of office. 
 
 ss" There should be a full stop at \s~ chala. 
 
190 BAGH O BAllAR. 
 
 many servants and attendants. When he had entered a private 
 room and sate down, he said with gentleness, "0 my son! what 
 folly is this that thou hast committed, that with thine own feet 
 thou hast entered the tomb ? Does any one enter this ill-fated 
 and spell-bound city ? " I said, " I have already told you all 
 my story. Now indeed fate has brought me, but have the 
 kindness to acquaint me with the customs of this place, that I 
 may know for what reasons ^^ you and your brother opposed 
 my entrance." Then that gentleman said, " The King and all 
 the chiefs of the city are abandoned by God. Their customs ^^ 
 and sect are of a strange kind. There is here, in an idol-temple, 
 an idol, from the belly of which the devil announces the name, 
 and caste, and religion of each person, and consequently what- 
 ever poor traveller arrives, the King is informed of it. He 
 conducts him to that same temple, and causes him to prostrate 
 himself before the idol. If he bows'^ before it, then it is well ; 
 otherwise he causes that helpless one to be drowned in the river. 
 If he tries to escape from the river, and take to flight, then his 
 private parts lengthen to such a degree that they trail on the 
 ground. Such is the spell that fate has fashioned for this city. 
 I pity thy youth ; but for thy sake, I will devise a scheme so 
 that forsooth, some days at least, thou wilt survive, and wilt 
 escape this torment." I asked, " What sort of scheme is that ? 
 be pleased to direct me." He said, " I will make thee a married 
 man, and for thy sake bring about thy nuptials with the vazlr's 
 daughter." I replied, " When will the vazir give his daughter 
 to me, destitute as I am ! except, indeed, in case I embrace their 
 faith, which is what I never can do." He said, " There is this 
 custom in this city, that whoever prostrates himself before the 
 
 *" The words .^^'j /j-j' w kih is waste, " that on this account," should be 
 contracted into ^1?-='^ L^ *" ^i■asfl■, " on what account ? " It is evidently a 
 mere lapsus of Mir Amman's. 
 
 ''s^ The dictionaries omit the word [, , rawiya, which is the Jlindustanl form 
 of the Persian iJjj rmolyah, "custom," for that it is in the singular nominative 
 is proved hy the IS Jed preceding it. 
 
 '*' The aorist ^_S kure might be expected here, though the past is more 
 idiomatic. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 191 
 
 idol, though he be but a fakir, and ask for the King's daughter, 
 then, to gratify him, they would give her to him, and forbear to 
 disappoint him. I have, too, credit with the King, therefore 
 al] the nobles and great men of this place respect me. And 
 during the week they, for two days, go on pilgrimage to the 
 idol-temple, and perform their devotions. Accordingly to- 
 morrow they will all assemble. I will take thee there." Having 
 said this, he gave me food and drink, and allowed me to go to 
 sleep there. When the morning came, he took me with him, 
 and went towards the idol-temple. On going there, I beheld 
 persons coming and going and worshipping. 
 
 " ' The King and the nobles were respectfully kneeling before 
 the idol, near the priests, and beautiful unmarried girls and 
 boys, like Hurls and Gthilman,^* stood ranged in lines on all 
 sides. That kind person then addressed me, saying, " Now do 
 as I tell thee." I assented, saying, " I will perform what you 
 command." He said, " First, kiss the hands and feet of the 
 King. After that, take hold of the skirt of the vazlr." ^^^ I 
 did exactly so. The King asked, " Who is this, and what does 
 he say ? " The man said, " This young man is my relation. 
 He has come from a distance, in the desire of kissing the feet 
 of the King, in the expectation that the vazlr will exalt him in 
 his service, if it be the order of the Grreat Idol, and the royal 
 pleasure." The King asked, " Will he accept our sect, and 
 faith, and institutions ? if so, the request is a fortunate one 
 [and I grant it]." Immediately the music struck up in the 
 orchestra of the temple,^^ and they invested me with a rich 
 robe, and casting a black cord round my neck, dragged me 
 before the throne of the idol, and having caused me to prostrate 
 myself, made me stand there. 
 
 " ' A voice issued from the idol, which said, " merchant's 
 son ! it is well that thou hast entered my service : now expect 
 my mercy and favour." Having heard this, all bowed down, 
 
 534 The Hurls are too well known to require description. The GhUman are 
 beautiful boys who wait on the blest in the blissful abodes of Paradise. 
 58S There should be a full stop after JjxJ pakar. 
 *^s In the original it is, " the music-room sounded." 
 
192 BAGH O BAHAB. 
 
 and began to roll on the ground, and called out, " Praise to 
 thee ! why should it not be so ? So great a Lord are you ! " 
 When it was evening, the King and the vazlr mounted and 
 entered the seraglio of the vazlr, and after the performance of 
 their devotions, delivered over to me the vazir's daughter, and 
 bestowed on me many gifts as dowry, and said to me, in a tone 
 of great humility, that, in accordance with the command of the 
 Great Idol, they had given her to wait upon me. They settled 
 us both in an abode.^' When I surveyed that delicate girl, I 
 then found, indeed, that her beauty was like that of a fairy, and 
 perfect from head to foot. Whatever good qualities we hear to 
 be in the Padmini^^ class of women, were all present in her. 
 In perfect freedom from interruption I indulged in amorous de- 
 lights with her. In the morning I bathed and presented myself 
 at the levee of the King. The King bestowed on me the robe 
 of a son-in-law, and commanded me to remain in constant 
 attendance at his court. At length, after some days, I was 
 admitted into the number of the King's favourites. 
 
 " ' The King was much pleased with my society, and con- 
 stantly bestowed on me robes of honour and presents, although 
 I was in affluence as to worldly wealth, because my wife had so 
 much money, and property, and jewels, that there was no limit 
 to them, nor possibility of exceeding them.^^ Two years passed 
 away in much pleasure and comfort. It happened that the 
 vazir's daughter became pregnant. When the seventh month, 
 and the uncounted ^^^ {i.e. the eighth) month had passed, and her 
 days were fulfilled, her pains began. The nurses and midwives 
 came, when a dead son came forth from her womb, the poison 
 
 5" There should be a full stop after \X , rakha. 
 
 688 The Hindus divide women into four classes, — first, the Tjf^f^ Padmiiil, 
 which is the most beautiful and exceUeut; second, the f^f^TJfJ Chitriiil ; third, 
 ^^ Hf^'«1T ShankhiiiT, described as tall with long hair, neither stout nor thin, of 
 irascible disposition and sti'ong passions ; fourth, the ^fijl'ft' Sastiiii, which is 
 the worst of the four classes. 
 
 '8' This appears to me the only way of rendering the word ' " - ' ' i ' nihayat. 
 
 ™° As the child is seldom born in the eighth month, it is called " the uncounted," 
 in opposition to the seventh and ninth. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 193 
 
 of wbicli infected the mother, and she too died. I became dis- 
 tracted with grief, saying to myself, " "What calamity is this 
 which has come upon me ? " Seated at her head I was weeping. 
 All at once the sound of lamentation rose on high from the 
 females' apartments, and from all sides women began to come 
 in. Each that entered smote both her hands on my head,^''^ 
 and stood opposite my face, and began to weep. So many 
 women came that I was hidden by their hips. I was almost 
 expiring. 
 
 " ' Meanwhile some one pulled my collar from behind, and 
 dragged me along. When I looked, it was the same Persian 
 who had effected mj"^ marriage. He began to say, " Idiot ! 
 wherefore weepest thou ? " I said, " cruel one ! what word 
 is this thou hast spoken ? my kingdom has been spoiled. The 
 comfort of my housekeeping has gone — is passed, and thou 
 say est, ' "Why dost thou grieve ?' " That friendly person 
 smiled, and said, " Now weep for thine own death ! I told 
 thee from the first that thy destiny had probably conducted 
 thee into this city, which truly was the case. Now, except 
 death, there is no escape for thee." At length people seized 
 me and led me to the idol-temple. I saw there the King, and 
 the nobles, and the thirty-six orders of the subjects assembled, 
 and the wealth and effects of the vazlr's daughter were all 
 placed there. Whoever fancied anything, took it, and deposited 
 the money it was valued at. 
 
 " ' In short, all the. effects were turned into ready money, and 
 with the money jewels were purchased, and these were fastened 
 up in a casket, and they brought bread and sweetmeats, and 
 roast meat, and fruit dried and fresh, and articles of food, and 
 filled a box with them, and having placed the corpse of that 
 lady in another box, they loaded a camel with the box of food, 
 and made me mount on it, and put the casket of jewels under 
 my arm, and all the Brahmans proceeded on and on, performing 
 their religious rites and blowing horns, and in the rear a crowd 
 
 ^^' I cannot see why the indecencies in this passage and in other parts of the 
 book, which I forbear to translate, should not be onaitted. They add nothing to the 
 sense, though much to the sensuality of the story. 
 
 13 
 
194 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 of people, uttering congratulations, accompanied us. In this 
 manner I issued forth from the city by the same door in which 
 I had entered on the first day. As soon as the eyes of the 
 superintendent of that quarter fell upon me, he began to weep, 
 and said, " ill-fated one ! overtaken by fate ! thou didst not 
 listen to my words, and having entered that city, hast uselessly 
 given up thy life. It is not my fault. I forbade thee." He 
 spoke thus, but I remained struck with confusion. Neither did 
 my tongue aid me to give an answer, nor had I presence of 
 mind left to say, " Let us see what is to be the end of me ? " 
 
 " ' At length they conducted me to that same castle the door 
 of which I had seen closed on the first day, and a number of 
 men, by their united e£Forts, opened the door, and carried in the 
 bier and the box. A priest came up to me and began to ad- 
 monish me, saying, " Man receives his nativity one day and 
 one day expires. Siich is the transitory condition of the world. 
 Now this thy wife, and thy son, and thy wealth, and food for 
 forty days, are before thee. Take this and remain here until 
 the Great Idol has compassion on thee." I in my fury was 
 about to heap curses on that idol, and on the inhabitants of that 
 place, and on that custom, and to inflict blows and buffets on 
 the Brahman. The same Persian forbade me in his own lan- 
 guage, saying, " Take care ! never utter a word ; if thou sayest 
 anything, then that very moment they will burn thee alive. 
 Well ! what was in thy destiny, that has happened. Now place 
 thy hope on the mercy of God. Perhaps God my bring thee 
 forth hence alive." 
 
 " ' At length all left me alone and went forth from that 
 fortress and again locked the door upon me. At that time I 
 involuntarily wept at my lonely and helpless state, and began 
 to kick the corpse of that woman, saying, " carrion ! if thou 
 wast to die in parturition, why didst thou marry ? and why 
 didst thou become pregnant ? " After beating and thumping 
 her, I again sate down silent. Meanwhile the day advanced 
 and the sun waxed hot, and the brain of my head began to boil, 
 and, through the stench, I began to give up the ghost. Wher- 
 ever I looked, the bones of dead men and boxes of jewels were 
 heaped up. Then I took some old chests and placed them below 
 and above, in order that there might be a refuge from the heat 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAB-BAKHT. 195 
 
 by day, and from the dew at night. I myself began to search for 
 ■water. On one side I saw a sort of spout, which was cut out of 
 stone in the wall of the fort, and resembled the mouth of an 
 earthen jar. In fact, I subsisted some time on that water and 
 the food. 
 
 " 'At length my food was finished. I was dismayed, and 
 uttered my complaints to Grod. He is so merciful that the door 
 of the castle opened, and they brought in a corpse. With it 
 came in an old man. When they had departed, leaving him 
 too alone, it occurred to me that I would kill that old man, and 
 take away every bit of his box of food. I took the foot of a box 
 in my hand, and went up to him. That helpless one was seated, 
 resting his head on his knees, in a state of stupor. I came be- 
 hind him and gave him such a blow on his head that his skull 
 was smashed, and his brains fell out, and he immediately re- 
 signed his spirit to God. I took his food and began to eat. 
 For a long time this was my employment, that whatever living 
 person accompanied a corpse, I slew him, and taking his pro- 
 visions, lived in plenty. 
 
 " ' After some time, on one occasion, there came in along 
 with a bier, a girl of very beautiful form. My heart did not 
 wish to kill her also. She saw me, and, through fear, became 
 insensible. I took up her food also, and carried it to my own 
 place. But I did not eat alone. When I felt hungry, I took 
 some food to her, and ate with her. When that woman saw 
 that I did not hurt her, her fear became less day by day, and 
 she grew more and more sociable, and began to frequent ray 
 abode. One day I inquired her story, saying, " Who art thou ? " 
 She replied, " I am the daughter of the King's principal 
 minister. ^^^ I was betrothed to the son of my father's brother. 
 On the day of the bridal-night he was seized with colic. Such 
 was the pain with which he was convulsed, that in the space 
 of an hour ^^^ he died. They brought me along with his bier. 
 
 592 The /jJ-^ ij-^? vakil-i mvtlak is an office under the Mughal Emperors 
 equiyalent to viceroy, and consequently belongs to some great noble in the provinces 
 at a distance from Delhi, as to SiEdhya. In Forbes' vocabulary the word is omitted. 
 
 593 The double meaning of ^ I an here would be considered a beauty in style. 
 Forbes has omitted the second meaniag. 
 
196 
 
 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 and left me here." She then inquired my story .^* I too gave 
 a full and complete account of myself, and said, " God has 
 sent thee here for my sake." She smiled and remained silent. 
 " ' In this same manner, after some days, our mutual attach- 
 ment increased. I taught her the fundamental^^ doctrines of 
 the Musalman religion, and made her recite the Creed, and 
 going through the form of a temporai-y^^ marriage, I cohabited 
 with her. She, too, became pregnant.'^ A son was bom. 
 Our life^^* passed for nearly three years in this same manner. 
 When the child was weaned,^^^ I one day said to the lady, 
 " How long shall we remain here ? and in which way shall we 
 get forth hence ? " She said, " If God brings us forth, we shall 
 get out, else we shall one day die here." At what she said, and 
 at my detention, I wept bitterly ; and as I wept, I fell asleep. 
 I beheld in a dream a person, who said to me, " It is possible to 
 make thy egress by the drain ; do thou do so." I started up 
 through joy, and said to my wife, " Collect and bring to me 
 the iron nails and bolts which were in the old chests, then I 
 will widen it." In short, I placed a nail in the mouth of that 
 sewer, and hammered it with stones, so that I wearied myself. 
 
 5M There should be a full stop after U=- y puchha. 
 
 59S Forbes has given this meaning of ^^^j\ arkaii in his Tocabnlary, but omitted 
 it in his dictionary, as Shakespear has in his. It is a rare sense of the -ivord, Trhieh 
 occurs very frequently in the expression tjl^jJ cJ^'^ arJcan-i daulai, "Pillars of 
 the state." 
 
 'S« Forbes writes the word ^^«..^ »«K(a. Johnson, in his Persian Dictionarr, makes it 
 iX:^ mitat. Shakespear restricts it to the Shiahs, -while Forbes more indulgently 
 extends the privilege to all good Musalman. It corresponds to the J)<i)^ fc(e)|^ 
 gandhanva vimha, that is, intercourse by mutual consent without ceremonies, or 
 ceremony. 
 
 '^s' This is the refined expression. The vulgar term is li-i , lE-vJ or U .J^ pet 
 rahna or /lotia, which occurs two pages back. 
 
 • ^•^j "'"li'ig'', "life," or Cl,'_\.< «(«*?«<," interval," must here be under- 
 stood as the nominative to ^iJii guzrl. 
 
 690 Forbes has omitted this sense of ^'^'~' bnrliana. Both here and in the 
 meaning gi\en to tlio word at p. 130, 1. 8, viz. that of " closing a shop," we trace 
 the superstitious feeling leferred to iu note 2do, g.r. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 197 
 
 By the labour of a year, that aperture became large enough for 
 a man to issue from it. 
 
 " ' After that I selected the best jewels, and filled the sleeves 
 of the dead with them, and taking them with us, we three 
 sallied forth by that same passage. I returned thanks to God, 
 and seated my son on my shoulder. A month has elapsed since, 
 avoiding the high road through fear, I have come along by way 
 of the forests and mountains. When hunger arises, I eat grass 
 or leaves. I have no strength to talk. This is my story, which 
 you have heard.' 
 
 " Health to the King ! I felt compassion for his state, and 
 having caused him to take a warm bath, and to put on good 
 apparel, I appointed him my deputy : and in my house several 
 boys were born to me from that Princess, but they died in 
 their infancy. One son died after reaching his fifth year, 
 and in grief for him the Princess also died. I sufiered 
 excessive sorrow, and without her that country began to be 
 wearisome^"" to me. My heart became dejected. I determined 
 to set out for Persia. By a representation to the King, I caused 
 the office of superintendent of that port to be given to that 
 young man [my deputy]. In the meanwhile, the King too 
 died. I, bringing with me that faithful dog, and all my pro- 
 perty, treasure, and jewels, came and stopped^"' in Naishapiir. 
 In order that no one might become acquainted with the story 
 of mv brothers, I have suffered myself to become known as the 
 dog-worshipping merchant, and, under this infamous character, 
 I to this day have to pay double taxes to the goveroiment of the 
 King of Persia. 
 
 " It happened that this merchant's son came there ; by this 
 means I have kissed the feet of the Asylum of the world." 
 
 I s"^ inquired, " What ! is not this thy son ? " The merchant 
 
 600 _i very rare sense of UJO katna, whicli has passed unnoticed by both Forbes 
 and Shakespear. 
 
 SO' Instead of the comma in Forbes' edition, a full stop is imperatively required 
 after U>( raha; and the fuU stop after c_j^^ howe must be expunged. As the 
 text now stands, it is little better than nonsense. 
 
 602 Azad-Bakht again speaks in his own person. 
 
198 BAGH BAHAE. 
 
 replied, " Point to which the world turns in prayer ! this is not 
 my son, he is a subject of your own royal self, but now the 
 master of my property, and my heir ; in short, he and he alone 
 is everything to me you can mention." When I heard this, I 
 inquired of the merchant's son, " Of what merchant art thou 
 the son ? and where do thy parents dwell ? " The boy kissed 
 the ground and begged that his life might be spared, and said, 
 " This handmaid is the daughter of the vazir of Your Majesty. 
 My father fell under the royal displeasure by reason of the 
 rubies of this very merchant, and the command was thus given 
 — that if in a year his word was not proved true, he should be 
 put to death. I, having heard it, assumed this disguise, and 
 conveyed myself to Naishapur. God has brought the merchant 
 with his dog and the rubies into the royal presence. Your 
 Majesty has heard the whole history. I hope that my aged 
 sire may be released." 
 
 When the merchant heard this explanation of the vazlr's 
 daughter, he heaved a sigh, and fell powerless. When rose- 
 water had been sprinkled over him, he recovered his senses, 
 and said, " Alas ! ill-fortune ! I had come such a distance, en- 
 during all the toil and trouble, in the hope of adopting this 
 merchant's child, and of writing and bestowing on him a deed 
 of gift of all my property, that then my name might continue, 
 and all the world would call him my child, and now my thought 
 has turned out vain, and the thing has proved the opposite [to 
 my wishes]. By proving to be a woman, she has ruined me, 
 the old man. I have been caught by female arts,^"' and now the 
 proverb *"** applies to me — 
 
 He stopped at home, and with the pjlgrims went not he. 
 With shaven head, a mark for scorn and obloquy." 
 
 In short,^"5 I compassionated his distracted state, and was 
 moved to pity by his weeping and lamentations. I called him 
 
 ""^ This sense of yj^~ charitr has been omitted in the dictionaries. 
 
 '"'* Those who go as pilgrims to Makkah shave their heads on arriving there. The 
 merchant comparts himself to one who makes himself ridiculous by undergoing thi- 
 ehavino; without any of the merit or advantages of a pilgrim, 
 
 ow Azud-Unkht speaks again. 
 
THE ADVENTURES OF KING AZAD-BAKHT. 199 
 
 to me and whispered to him the joyful tidings of his union, 
 saying, " Be not sorrowful ; I will cause your nuptials to take 
 place with this very girl. God willing, thou wilt have children, 
 and this very girl shall be thy mistress." At hearing this 
 good news, he was upon the whole ^"^ consoled. I then directed 
 the vazir's daughter to be taken to the women's apartments, 
 and the vazir to be brought from the prison and bathed in the 
 warm bath, and dressed in a robe "of honour, which marked his 
 restoration to favour, and brought to me with speed. When 
 the vazir came, I condescended to go to meet him as far as 
 the edge of the carpet,^"' and regarding him as my senior, I 
 embraced him, and bestowed on him afresh the writing-case 
 which was the insignia of his office as vazir, and I gave to the 
 merchant also a grant of land and a title, and having observed 
 an auspicious moment, I caused the nuptial ceremony to be 
 performed, and wedded him to the vazir's daughter. 
 
 In the space of some years two boys and a girl were born 
 in his house, and in fact his eldest son is now the chief mer- 
 chant, and the younger the comptroller of my household. 
 darweshes ! I have on this account related this story in your 
 presence, because I last night heard the adventures of two 
 fakirs, and now you two who remain, consider that we are 
 seated in the same place and look on me as your servant, and 
 this place as your fakir's hut. Without scruple or hesitation 
 relate each his own adventures, and stay a little while with 
 me. 
 
 When the fakirs found such strong encouragement on the 
 part of the King, they began to say, " Well ! since you have 
 evinced a kindness for us mendicants, we two also will relate 
 our story. Be pleased to listen." 
 
 606 Forbes in his vocabulary has translated <U/Ks) j-j fi 'l-jumlah, " in short," 
 a meaning which I believe it can never bear. The sense is that the merchant 
 recovered a little from his excessive disappointment, though he would rather have 
 had an adopted son in the vazir's daughter, than the chance of begetting one. 
 
 6<" A most unusual condescension on the part of Eastern princes, which, in the 
 opinion of their grovelling slaves, would quite atone for years of imprisonment. The 
 carpet generally extends over but a small part of the audience-chamber. 
 
20i3 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. 
 
 The third Darwesh sate down with his hands clasped round 
 his knees,^^ and began to relate his travels in the following 
 manner : — 
 
 Hear then, friends ! the tale of this fakir ; 
 To all that has befallen me, give ear ! 
 All that the God of Love has done to me, 
 I'U fully teU — do ye attentive be ! 
 
 This humblest of individuals is the son of the King of Ajam.®'^ 
 ]\Iy father was the King of that country, and had no son but 
 me. I, during the season of my youth, amused myself in 
 playing with my companions at oblong dice, cards, chess, and 
 backgammon ; or, mounting my horse, employed myself in 
 riding and the chase. This is what befell me one day. I had 
 caused my steed to be got ready, and taking with me all my 
 friends and acquaintances, went out towards the plain. I 
 proceeded to a distance, letting fly hawks, falcons, and kestrels 
 at the BrahmanI ducks and partridges. [Then] a spot of 
 wonderful beauty met my gaze, for wherever the eye was 
 
 s"' The first darwesh is said li^' J^ yi\) _«0 do zanu ho baithna, which is a 
 position used in prayer, and is simply sitting on your heels. The second darwesh 
 sits down j^ }>^j J^>~ "Aar zaiiu ho, which I believe to be equivalent to what we 
 call sitting cross-legged. The expression here used of the third darwesh, ^^-.i 
 L^!l<J J(Aiu got bandh baithna, means to sit with the arms clasped, or the girdle 
 bound round the knees. In Forbes' text, ^ jj Ij <JL>.^ kot bandh, I believe to be an 
 error for lido\i dlj^ got bandh; iJbS got being the hem of a garment. 
 
 o™ The second darwesh was the son of the King of Pars, which is that part of 
 Persia of which Shiruz was the capital. Here we find the third darwesh the son of 
 the King of Ajam, i.e. of Persia generally. Mr. Smith, impaled on the horns 
 of this cruel dilemma, has made both darweshes " Princes of Persia." I pref{r 
 being more literal and leaving the author and reader to uui-avel the node together. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. 201 
 
 directed, the ground appeared for miles green [with verdure], 
 and blushing with flowers. Surveying this scene, we dropped 
 the reins of our steeds and proceeded on slowly, step by step, 
 looking about us. All of a sudden I saw in that wilderness 
 a black stag, on which was a cloth of brocade and a head-stall 
 set with jewels, and from whose neck were hung bells of gold 
 stitched to a gold- embroidered collar, which was moving about 
 grazing at its ease in that place (where man had never entered 
 nor bird had flapped its wing). Hearing the sound of the 
 hoofs of our steeds, it was on the alert, and raising its head, 
 looked, and then slowly made off. 
 
 At sight of it, such a desire [of getting possession of it] 
 arose, that I said to my companions, " Do you stand here ; I 
 will take it alive. Take care not to advance a step nor to 
 follow me ;" and the steed I bestrode \_lit. " under my thighs"] 
 was so swift that I had frequently galloped it past deer, and 
 causing them to forget their bounds,^i° had seized them, from 
 time to time, and taken them. I galloped after it. It, when 
 it saw me following, bounded off [lit. "began to fill its springs"] 
 at speed, and fled like the wind.^''^ My steed too matched \_lii. 
 " was conversing with "] the wind, but did not come up even 
 with its dust. That fleet courser too became covered with sweat, 
 and my tongue also began to crack with thirst, but no efforts of 
 mine were of any avail. Evening drew on, and I knew not 
 whence or whither I had come. Having no alternative, I em- 
 ployed a stratagem against it, and having taken out an arrow 
 from my quiver, and resting my bow on the bow-case, ^^^ I fitted 
 it to the string, which I drew to my ear, and taking aim at its 
 
 ^1" The deer, when pursued by a well-mounted horseman, cross backwards and 
 forwards in front of him, by which they allow him to come up, so that such a feat as 
 is here described is by no means impossible. 
 
 «" Literally, " became wind." I prefer the translation given above to that in 
 Forbes and Shakespear, viz. " disappeared," as the sequel shews that the Prince 
 kept the stag in sight, and, in fact, wounded it. 
 
 S'2 The lA^' tulclcash is evidently a mere corruption of (jiti j^'J tlr hash, 
 "arrow-holder," or "quiver," which occurs at p. 209, 1. 18, of the text, but the 
 , jb JJ kurian is perhaps what I have rendered it, " a bow-case." 
 
202 BAGH O BAHAR, 
 
 thigh, said, " God is most great," and discharged the shaft. 
 In fine the very first arrow lodged in its leg.®'^' It then moved 
 limpingly towards the foot of a mountain. I too dismounted 
 from my horse, and followed it on foot. It made for the 
 mountain, and I too pursued it. After some ascents and de- 
 scents, a cupola appeared. When I came near it, I saw a 
 little garden and a spring^'* of water. The stag indeed had 
 vanished from my sight.^'^ I was much exhausted, and began 
 to wash my hands and feet. 
 
 All at once the sound of weeping came to my ears from the 
 interior of that tower, as if some one was saying, " my child ! 
 may the arrow of my sighs transfix the heart of him who 
 wounded thee with his shaft ; may he derive no fruition from 
 his youth ! and may God make him as afflicted as I am ! " 
 Having heard this, I went there. I saw then that a venerable 
 old man with a white beard, and dressed in good apparel, sate 
 there on a cushion, and before him lay the stag, from the thigh 
 of which he was drawing out the arrow, and uttering impre- 
 cations. I saluted him and respectfully joining my hands, said, 
 " Health, venerable sir ! this fault has been unwittingly com- 
 mitted by this slave. I knew not of this ; for God's sake 
 excuse me." He replied, " Thou hast tortured a dumb animal ; 
 if this bad deed was unknowingly done by thee, God will 
 forgive thee." I went up and sate beside him and took 
 part in extracting the arrow, which we got out with great 
 difficulty, and after covering the wound with plaster we let 
 [the stag] go. After that the old man, having washed his 
 hands, gave me some breakfast to eat, of what was then ready. 
 
 *'' I always suspected a mistake here in the test of Forbes' edition, which gives 
 ij-.^ loy "^ p5no» mill, " in the legs," as the stag could hardly have escaped at all 
 had both legs been transfixed. On looking at Mr. Komer's MS., I find my suspicions 
 were just, as the word there is in the singular, (jo-« y U panw men. 
 
 "* ii*.tu.5»- chashmah corresponds to "fans" and not to our word " fountain," 
 which is i jiji fauwarah. 
 
 "" Forbes, in his vocabulary, has (probably by a typographical error) given this 
 word wrongly, — iji^^ chhaltva instead of );i!ij.=^ chhalawa. It conies from Uifs^ 
 c/ihalna, " to deceive." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. 203 
 
 When I had eaten and drunk, I stretched myself out at length 
 on a bedstead. 
 
 By reason of my fatigue, and from having well filled my 
 stomach, I slept. In that slumber the sound of lamentation 
 and wailing reached my ears. On rubbing my eyes and looking 
 about me [I found] that neither that old man nor any one else 
 was in the apartment. I was lying alone on a bed, and that 
 vestibule was vacant. Feeling alarmed I began to look on all 
 sides. In one corner a curtain was let down. I went there and 
 lifted it up. I saw then a throne spread with cushions, and on 
 it a fairy-born female of about fourteen years old, with a face 
 like the moonbeams, and ringlets loosely flowing on each side, 
 who, with smiling countenance, and dressed in European gar- 
 ments, was looking [towards me] with wondrous blandishments, 
 and sitting there. And the old man, resting his head on her 
 feet, continued helplessly weeping and bereft of sense. Behold- 
 ing this condition of the old man, and the beauty and loveliness 
 of that delicate girl, I swooned and fell without life like one 
 dead. The venerable senior, seeing this my state, came to me 
 with a bottle of rose-water, and began to sprinkle it on me. 
 When I rose up with renewed life, I went before that lovely 
 girl and saluted her. She^^^ never moved hand nor lip. I 
 said, " roseate form ! what sect sanctions such pride, and 
 the non-return of a salutation ? 
 
 Graceful is silence, — aye ! but not to this degree. 
 What though the lover's eye should close despairingly ? 
 E'en then she speaks not, [but looks on unpityingly]. 
 
 For the sake of that God who created thee, say somewhat. I 
 have found my way here fortuitously, [and] to oblige a guest 
 is an imperative duty." I pleaded long, but in vain ; she sate 
 and listened in silence like an image. I then advanced and 
 touched her feet with my hand. When T touched them, I 
 
 HIS Fortes has a misprint here, ^ ijm\ us be, ioi ^ ijm\ mm. Even these 
 trifling blunders become of importance in a stereotyped edition. In the next line is 
 b"^ karta for \jS karna. 
 
204 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 felt ttat they were hard. At length I discovered that some 
 skilful statuary ^" had carved this gem ^^* out of stone, and had 
 fashioned it into an image. I then interrogated that idol- 
 worshipping old man, saying, " I fixed a shaft ^'^ in the 
 leg of thy stag ; thou hast with this dart of love wounded my 
 heart and pierced it through and through. Thy prayer has 
 been accepted. Now give me a circumstantial explanation of 
 these circumstances, as to why this talisman has been made? 
 and why thou, abandoning the habitations of men, inhabitest the 
 forest and the mountain ? Tell me what has happened to thee." 
 After I had importuned him much he made answer, " This 
 thing has ruined me, indeed. What ! dost thou also wish to be 
 destroyed by hearing it ? " I said, '^ There ! thou hast made 
 excuses and evasions more than enough ! say what I want to 
 hear, otherwise I will slay thee." Seeing me persist resolutely, 
 he said, " youth ! may God Most High keep every mortal 
 from the flame of love ! Lo, now ! what calamities this love 
 has occasioned ! It is through love that the wife endures 
 cremation with the husband, and perishes by her own consent ; 
 and the story of Farhad and Majnun is known to all. What 
 fruit wilt thou obtain by hearing that story ? Thou wilt use- 
 lessly abandon thy family, thy fortune, and the world, and go 
 forth [as a fakir]." I replied, "Enough! now fold up and 
 put away your friendship ; at this time look on me as your foe. 
 If life is dear to you, then tell me distinctly." Having no 
 resource, he wept, and began to say, " This is the story of me 
 ruined. The name of your slave is Niman Saiyah.^^" I was a 
 great merchant. During this my life I have traversed the seven 
 
 °" In the text it is, " they had carved and Azur had fashioned." Azur signifies 
 " fire," and is said by Muhammadans to have been the name of Terah, Abraham's 
 father, who was, according to them, a statuary and maker of idols. 
 
 '" The word (J,*J lal means " ruby," " precious stone," but it is here used to 
 signify " any precious work of art," exactly as we use the word " gem " when we 
 say — such a thing is " quite a gem." 
 
 8'° The word \f^ khapra signifies " an arrow with a broad point." 
 
 '^o M^'^^ N'tinait is the name of the Arabian kings of -\r»»- Hhat. Vide note 
 303. — ^~-J Saiyuh signifies " traveller '' or " pilgrim." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. 205 
 
 regions of the earth for the sake of traffic, and have obtained 
 access to the presence of all kings. On one occasion this thought 
 occurred to my mind, that I had indeed wandered over countries 
 in the four quarters of the horizon, but had not gone towards 
 the island^^"^ of Europe, nor had seen the King of that place and 
 his subjects and soldiery, nor gained any information as to the 
 customs and institutions there ; that I ought, therefore, for once 
 to go thither also. I took counsel with my companions and 
 friends, and made a firm resolve [to set out thither], and took 
 curiosities and presents from various places, such as were fit for 
 that country, and having assembled a caravan of merchants, I 
 embarked on board a ship and departed. Meeting with a favour- 
 able wind, we arrived at that country in a few months, and 
 alighted in the city. It was a wondrous city we beheld, for no 
 city equals that in beauty. In every bazar and street there 
 were paved roads, and water was sprinkled there. The clean- 
 liness was such that not even a straw was anywhere to be seen, 
 why speak of dirt then ? — and the buildings were of various 
 colours, ^^^ and in the roads at night there were on each side the 
 way lights at the interval of a pace, and without the city were 
 gardens in which were seen wondrous flowering shrubs and 
 fruits, which, except in paradise, are perhaps nowhere else to 
 be found. Whatever praise I should bestow on that place 
 would be deserved. 
 
 " In short, the report spread of the arrival of merchants. A 
 confidential eunuch, attended by several body-servants, came 
 to the caravan and inquired of the merchants who was their 
 chief. All pointed to me. The eunuch came to my room, and 
 I received him with respect. Salutations were interchanged. I 
 seated him on the cushion and offered him the pillow.^^' After 
 
 ^^' The Persians, according to this, helieve Europe to he an island. This does 
 not agree with what Morier tells us of the determination of the Persian princes not 
 to visit England by water. 
 
 622 ^ 1^ < l'i . dj t ^ C'l . ratiff hah rang ^7 may also mean " of various kinds," 
 and I should feel inclined to adopt this latter interpretation. 
 
 823 To an inferior a part of the cushion is given as a seat ; to an eijual a part of 
 the large pillow for the hack is offered ; while to a superior the whole pUlow is 
 surrendered, and the host retreats to the cushion. 
 
206 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 that I inquired, ' What is the cause of your honour's coming ? 
 Be pleased to tell me.' He replied, 'The Princess has heard 
 that merchants have arrived, and have brought much mer- 
 chandize; wherefore she has ordered me to bring them to her 
 presence. Do you then take with you such articles as you 
 think fit for the use of kings, and obtain for yourself the 
 happiness of kissing the imperial threshold.' 
 
 " I replied, ' To-day, indeed, I am unable,^^ from fatigue. 
 To-morrow I shall be ready with my life and effects. "Whatever 
 this weak person possesses I will present as an offering ; what- 
 ever is approved of shall be the property of the Government.' 
 Having made this promise, and having given him atr-of-rose 
 and betel, I dismissed the eunuch, and, having called all the 
 merchants to me, I collected from them all the rarities which 
 each possessed ; and I brought also whatever was in. my house ; 
 and in the morning I presented myself at the door of the royal 
 palace. In fine, the doorkeepers announced my coming, and 
 an order was given to bring me into the presence. The same 
 eunuch came forth, and, taking my hand in his, and conversing 
 in a friendly manner, led me in. We first passed through the 
 chambers occupied by the retinue,*^ whence he took me into a 
 magnificent apartment. my friend ! thou wilt not believe 
 the splendour that met ray sight ; it was as if you had clipped 
 the wings of fairies and let them loose. To whichever side I 
 looked my gaze was riveted, and my feet gave way under me.^^ 
 I supported myself by an effort and advanced in front of the 
 Princess. As soon as my sight fell on her, I experienced a 
 swooning sensation, and a tremor pervaded my hands and feet. 
 
 "Somehow or other I managed to offer my respects. On 
 both sides, on the right hand and on the left, rank upon rank. 
 
 "^^ Forbes has omitted this sense of -asljj ka^ir, in his vocabulary. 
 
 *'* Forbes, in his vocabulary, has omitted the word \J ;jal»ri- Mi/itcass purS, 
 and Shakespear marks it with a note of interrogation. The sense, however here is 
 evidently " the ante-chambers occupied by servants, etc." 
 
 "" There is a very insipid play on words here, Ub ffania, signifying "to be 
 buried," and IjJ^l uhharnn, " to be torn up by the roots," as though he planted 
 his eyes instead ol' his feet. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. 207 
 
 fairy-faced delicate ladies were standing with, arms respectfully 
 crossed. "When of the different kinds of jewels and pieces of 
 wearing apparel and rarities which I had taken along with me, 
 several trays had been arranged in the royal presence (inasmuch 
 as every article was worthy of being approved), the Princess 
 was pleased, gave them in charge ^^' to the steward of her house- 
 hold, and said, ' The price of this shall be paid to-morrow, 
 according to the invoice.' I made my obeisance, and was 
 pleased at heart, saying to myself, ' Well ! there will be this 
 excuse for coming to-morrow also.' When, after taking leave, 
 I had come out, I was talking like a deranged person ; what 
 issued from my mouth was altogether irrelevant ^^^ to the sub- 
 ject. In this same way I entered the caravanserai, but my 
 senses were unsettled. All my acquaintances ^^^ and friends 
 began to ask, ' What is this your state ? ' I said, ' My brain 
 is heated with so much business.' ^'^ 
 
 " In short, I passed that night in a state of excitement ; in 
 the morning I went again and presented mj'self, and with the 
 same eunuch re-entered the palace. I saw the same splendour 
 that I had seen the day before. The Princess, when she saw 
 me, dismissed every one to his respective employment. When 
 
 ^^" It is impossible to conceive a more confused and nngrammatical sentence than 
 this. "We begin with understanding , c^ 10 1 ">' ^'1 to make the first member of it 
 intelligible; then the nominatiTe to vV^ji farmaya, viz.: ^^_^0\jls\^j\j 
 padshahzadT ne, is omitted, and (^»S> =11^=*' hawale hue, is a sad blunder for 
 
 IS J \ jS"- hawale h'nje, which again ought to be in the feminine to agree with 
 , .jLl^jlk^ hishtiyan. Forbes, too, by putting only a comma at ^k-jL?- ^f J dijaefi, 
 has increased the confusion. Altogether it is one of the clumsiest sentences ever 
 perpetrated. 
 
 *28 Literally, " It was something, and from my mouth another thing was issuing." 
 There should be a comma after l^wO kahfa, as one unacquainted with the idiom of 
 the lani'uao-e might otherwise be inclined to take the b.yS kahta and the 1^7 tha 
 together. 
 
 ^2' The youno- student will do well to remember this distinction between u-i | 
 ashna and ci-v-Jt J dost, words which the dictionaries confound with one another. 
 
 83" Literally, " From so much coming and going heat has ascended into my brain." 
 
208 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 the crowd had dispersed,^'' she rose and went into a private 
 apartment, and sent for me. When I went there, she gave me 
 an order to sit down ; I bowed and took my seat. She said, 
 ' Since thou hast come hither, and brought these articles, what 
 profit dost thou wish thereupon ? ' I stated that I had had a 
 strong desire to behold her royal feet, which Grod had granted ; 
 and, with regard to the prices which were written in the invoice, 
 half was the cost price and half profit. She said, ' Nay ! the 
 price which thou hast written shall be given to thee, and more 
 besides shall be given as a present, on condition that one thing 
 can be done by thee that I will command thee.' 
 
 " I said, ' I shall consider it my good fortune if your slave's 
 life and property can be of any service to Tour Majesty, and I 
 will gladlj' \_/it. 'with my eyes'] do it.' When she heard this, 
 she sent for a writing-case, wrote a note,^'^ and having placed it 
 in a bag^^' ornamented with pearls, and having wrapped over 
 it a handkerchief of the finest muslin,^* gave it into my charge, 
 and, having taken off from her finger a sjgnet, gave it me, for 
 a token, and said, ' In that direction is a large garden. The 
 name of it is Dil-kusha [i.e. ' heart-expanding '], do thou go 
 there, and be pleased to put into the hand of a person named 
 Kaikhusrau,^^^ who is the superintendent, this signet, and give 
 him my blessing, and ask for an answer to this letter, but come 
 back quickly ; if you eat your dinner there, drink water here.^^ 
 
 ^^' The meaning given by Forbes for ^^s-y parchha -will not apply bare. 
 
 *'' isJii shukkah is a letter from a superior, )as- Matt, one from an equal, , ^ .z 
 arzl one from an inferior. 
 
 i^'3 The word ^L.4Jj dulmiyan occurs in Forbes' vocabulary out of its alpha- 
 betical order. The sense of " bag for a " letter " or letter-cover " has been omitted in 
 the dictionaries. 
 
 *3' Literally, " night-dew," a very poetical expression. 
 
 8»* This is also the name of the third king of the Eaianian, or second dynastv of 
 Persia. Eustam was one of his generals, and his war with Afrasyab, King of 
 Turkestan, is celebrated in the " Shfih-Namah." 
 
 83« A proverbial expression, the sense of which is, that he was to consider haste so 
 necessary that every delay was to be avoided, and even the most urgent affair, such 
 as drinking water after his food, was to be postponed till he came back; or, his 
 stay was to be so short that he might seem to cat there and di-iuk here. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. 209 
 
 I will give thee such a reward for this service that thou shalt 
 see ! ' I took leave, and went on inquiring my way. After 
 going nearly two kos, that garden appeared in sight. When I 
 had reached it, a person fully armed took me and conducted me 
 in by the garden gate. I beheld there a young man of lion-like 
 form, seated with much dignity on a chair of gold, wearing a 
 coat of mail such as those made by Daud,^'^ and a cuirass, and 
 back and side-pieces,^'* and a helmet of steel on his head, and 
 five hundred eager *^^ young warriors, holding shields and swords 
 in their hands, and girt with quiver and bow, stood ready, 
 formed in line.^*" 
 
 "I saluted him; he called me to him. I gave him that signet, 
 and, with flattering words, showed him that handkerchief, and 
 told him the circumstances of my bringing the note. He, im- 
 mediately on hearing it, bit^*^ his finger with his teeth, and, 
 smiting his head, said, ' Perhaps thy appointed doom has 
 brought thee here. Well ! enter the garden ; in a cypress-tree 
 an iron cage is suspended, in which a young man is confined. 
 Give him this letter, and come back quickly with his answer.' 
 I pushed on hastily into the garden ; a garden of what beauty ! it 
 was, as you might say, entering in this life into Paradise. Each 
 parterre blushed with a different colour, and fountains continued 
 springing up, while the birds kept up a constant warbling. ^*^ 
 I went straight on, and saw that cage in the tree, in which a 
 handsome young man was visible. I approached, bowing my 
 
 *" I am not aware that the Muhammadans have any tradition as to the sort of 
 armour that David wore. I therefore suppose that Baud, or, Anglice, David, was 
 some famous smith, who manufactured superior armour. 
 
 ^3" This expression has occurred before, vide note 466. The <Si.-j| j\~^ char 
 ainah, or " four mirrors," are (1) the cuirass in front; (2) (3) the side-pieces under 
 the arms ; (4) the back-piece ; all of burnished steel. 
 
 639 An idiomatic sense oi JCj taiyar, which has been lost on the lexicographers. 
 
 6*0 This obvious sense of \j para, is not to be foimd in the dictionaries. 
 
 «" Vide note 140. 
 
 61* I have taken a liberty in translating ^.s-lr^ chahchaha " warbling," as the 
 birds in India can hardly be said to warble ; and the word is, no doubt, one formed 
 by imitation, and approaches more closely to our " chirp." 
 
 14 
 
210 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 head respectfully, and saluted him, and gave Mm, through the 
 bars of the cage, that letter, sealed up. That dear person opened 
 the letter, and began to read, and to inquire of me with eager- 
 ness after the welfare of the Princess. 
 
 " The conversation was yet unfinished when a host of negroes 
 appeared, and came and fell upon me on all sides, and smote me 
 unsparingly with their spears and swords. What strength has 
 a single unarmed man [to resist] ? In a moment they mangled 
 me with wounds, and I had no consciousness left. When I re- 
 covered my senses, I found myself on a bedstead which two men 
 on foot were taking along, and talking to one another [as they 
 went]. One said, ' Fling down the carcase of this dead fellow 
 in the plain ; the dogs and the crows will eat him.' The other 
 said, ' If the King causes inquiry to be made, and this informa- 
 tion reaches him, then he will have us buried alive, and our 
 families crushed to death in an oil-press. What ! are we sick 
 of our lives, that we should act so unreasonably ? ' 
 
 " I, hearing this dialogue, said to the two Gog and llagog,"' 
 ' For God's sake have pity on me ; I have still a little life left 
 in me ; when I am dead do with me what you wiU. The dead 
 is in the hands of the living ; ^" but at least tell me this, what 
 has befallen me ? why did they smite me ? and who are you ? 
 Come now, tell me thus much at least ? ' They then took pity 
 on me, and said, ' That young man who is confined in the cage 
 is the nephew of the King, and his father formerly sate on the 
 throne. When his father died, he left this bequest to his 
 brother, that as his son, who was the heir of the empire, was still 
 a lad, and his mind was not yet matured, he [the brother] was 
 to carry on the government with loyalty and vigilance, and 
 when the Prince came of age, he was to marry him to his 
 daughter, and make him master of all the realm and treasure. 
 With these words he expired, and the succession to the empire 
 devolved on his younger brother. He did not act in accordance 
 
 "'^ —yr'^. I'V'y'and -r-}^^-* j'lf"i«;' are the eastern Tiirtiirs, wlio, according to 
 Muliammadans, are to do gri'iit tilings in the history of the world hereattor. Here 
 the expression means any sayage truculent fellow. 
 
 »" A proverb in pure Persian. The souse is obvious. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. 211 
 
 with the will, but on the contrary, giving out that the Prince 
 was deranged and insane, thrust him into a cage, and placed a 
 strong guard on all sides of the garden, so that a bird could not 
 fly there, and has several times given him deadly poison, but 
 life is too strong in him, and the poison has no effect. Now 
 these two, the Princess and this Prince, have become lover and 
 mistress. She suffers the disquietude of love in her palace, 
 and he in his cage. She sent by thy hand a love-letter, full 
 intelligence of which the spies carried to the King. He de- 
 spatched a body of negroes, who brought you to the state you 
 are in, and he asked counsel of his yazlr as to the means of 
 slaying the imprisoned yo"th. That traitor has persuaded the 
 Princess ^*^ to slay with her OTn hand that innocent person in 
 presence of the King.' 
 
 " I said, ' Come on ! before expiring, let me see this sight at 
 least.' At length, being persuaded, those two and I, wounded as 
 I was, went silently and stood in a corner. I saw then that the 
 King was seated on his throne, and a naked sword was in the 
 hand of the Princess, and that they had taken the Prince out of 
 the cage, and had placed him before [the King]. The Princess, 
 assuming the character of executioner, and holding a naked 
 sword, advanced to slay her lover. When she came near him, 
 she threw away the sword, and clung to his neck. Then her 
 lover said, ' I am content to die thus. I bpth wish for thee 
 here, and shall continue to long for thee there.' The Princess 
 said, ' It was by this pretext that I came to see thee.' The 
 King, beholding this action, was. much incensed, and threatened 
 the vazir, saying, 'Hast thou brought me to shew me this 
 spectacle ? ' The eunuchs separated the Princess, and took her 
 into the palace, and the vazir, being enraged, raised his sword 
 and ran upon the Prince, in order that by one stroke he might 
 
 8*5 This part of the plot is most ridiculous and unnatural, and Mir Amman seems 
 to have done his best to make it more confused by interchanging the words AxL» 
 malikah and ,_jui\j^ shahzMT, the former of which properly means "queen- 
 consort," or " queen," and the latter " princess.'' In this sentence, it we translated 
 literally, we should have, " The traitor persuaded the queen that the princess should 
 slay the innocent prince." The ^d\jY^ sha/izadt ought to be omitted. 
 
212 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 finish that helpless one. When he was about to smite with his 
 sabre, an arrow from an unseen hand entered his forehead, so 
 that his head ^*^ was split in two, and he fell down. 
 
 " The King, beholding this circumstance, hastily entered his 
 palace. The young Prince was quickly confined in his cage, 
 and taken back to the garden ; and I too departed thence. On 
 my way, a person called me and took me into the presence of 
 the Princess, who, seeing that I was wounded, summoned a sur- 
 geon, and, with the strictest injunctions, said, ' Restore this 
 young man to health quickly, and cause him to take the bath 
 of convalescence ; ^" this is thy task ; ^^ in proportion to the 
 pains thou takest with this person shall be the reward and pro- 
 motion thou shalt receive.' In short, the surgeon, in accordance 
 with the command of the Princess, by excessive \_lit. " making 
 running and running "] attention, in the space of forty days, 
 caused me to bathe and wash, and led me into the presence. 
 The Princess asked, ' Pray, have you now no suflFering ? ' I 
 said, ' Hy the kindness of your royal self I am now strong and 
 vigorous.' Then the Princess bestowed on me a robe of honour 
 and a large sum of money, which she had promised, nay, twice 
 as much as that, and gave me leave to depart. 
 
 " I collected all my companions and servants, and set out from 
 thence. When I arrived at this place, I said to them all, ' Do 
 you go to your own country,' and I having made, on this 
 mountain, this place, and this image of her, have fixed my 
 abode here, and, after giving money to my servants and slaves, 
 according to their respective merits, have set them at liberty, 
 and told them that as long as I survive it is incumbent on them 
 to provide for my subsistence ; after that, they are free to do as 
 they like. Now, these same persons faithfully provide me with 
 
 «'« One would have expected .^r^ j^ /lo ffau,to agice witli ^JL1l-J peshani. As 
 it is, we must understand -..- sir, " head." 
 
 "" The same expression has ocoui-red before, ride p. 31, 1. 6. "WTiile on a sick 
 bed the customary ablutions must, of course, be suspended. The fii-st bath, therefore, 
 marks the perfect recovery of the Muljammadiui. 
 
 "*" I r?'* ""<;''5 is the Latin ojicium here. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. 213 
 
 food, and I, at my ease, worship this image, and,, as long as I 
 live, this will be my employment. This is my history, which 
 thou hast heard." fakirs ! after hearing this story, I forth- 
 with put on my neck the fakir's ^^^ garb, and assumed the wan- 
 dering ascetic's dress, and set off in the desire of seeing the 
 country of Europe. In the space of some time, wandering on 
 through forests and mountains, my appearance became like that 
 of MajnunSS" and Farhad.«5i 
 
 At length my longing carried me to that city, in the streets 
 and alleys of which I began to wander about like one demented. 
 For the most part I stopped in the vicinity of the palace of the 
 Princess, but I found no means of access there. Marvellous 
 was my dismay, that the object for which I had endured such 
 labour was not attained. One day I was standing in the bazar, 
 when all at once the people began to fly, and the shopkeepers, 
 closing their shops, went away. Just before ^^^ there had been 
 this display, and now all was deserted. In one direction ap- 
 peared a youth resembling Rustam ^^' in his head and the lower 
 part of his face, roaring like a lion, and flourishing a two- 
 handed sword, wearing ring and plate armour on his body 
 \_lit. " on his neck "], and a helmet, with a fringe of mail to 
 guard the neck,^^* on his head, and a pair of pistols in his 
 girdle, and muttering to himself like one inebriate ; and behind 
 him came two slaves dressed in garments of cloth, and carrying 
 on their heads a bier covered with velvet of Kashiin.^^^ 
 
 8*9 The Bame expression has occurred at p. 21, 1. 18. ^^^ kafan signifies "a 
 shroud," whence ij^ fo/re7, a white garment like a shroud worn by fakirs, 
 emblematic of their' being dead to the world, and also their actual shroud when they 
 perish alone in their wanderings. 
 
 661 Vide note 141. *^' Vide note 263. 
 
 652 A very idiomatic use of U t/a, not explained in the dictionaries. The word 
 thus repeated signifies " at one time," " at another time." 
 
 653 Vide note 323. 
 
 65* I have been obliged to translate *i^=J- jhilam, by a periphrasis of nine words. 
 Those who hare seen a Sikh or Afghan helmet, will readily comprehend what the 
 
 jhilam is. 
 
 655 Kashan is a city of Persia in N. lat. 34° 10' ; E. long. 51° 15', famous for its 
 velvets, and also for its scorpions. 
 
214 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 When I saw this sight, I determined to go witli h.Im. Every 
 person I saw tried to keep me back, but I would not listen to 
 them.s56 Proceeding on, that young warrior arrived at a mag- 
 nificent edifice. I, too, went with him. He, on turning about, 
 was on the point of giving me a blow and cutting me in two 
 pieces. I adjured him, saying, " I too desire this. I pardon 
 you my blood ; by any means release me from the torment of 
 this life, for I am utterly weary of it. I have intentionally cast 
 myself in thy way ; do not hesitate." Seeing that I was firmly 
 intent on dying, he felt pity for me, with which feeling God 
 inspired him,^^ and his wrath was cooled. With much courtesy 
 and kindness he asked, " Who art thou ? and why art thou 
 become weary of thy life ? " 
 
 I said, " Be pleased to sit a, little that I may tell you. My 
 story is a very long one ; and I am a captive in the grasp of 
 love, for which cause I am desperate." When he heard this, 
 he unbelted himself, and having washed his hands and face, ate 
 some breakfast, and prevailed on me to eat. When, after 
 finishing his repast, he had taken his seat, he said, " Speak ! 
 what has befallen thee ? " I recounted to him all the story of 
 that old man, and of th« Princess, and of my going thither. 
 At first, when he heard it, he wept, and said, " How many 
 families has not that ill-fated one rendered desolate ! but marry •' 
 thy cure is in my hands. It is probable that by means of this 
 sinful person \_i.e. mj'self ] thou wilt arrive at thy desire ; and 
 be not thou anxious, but compose thyself." He commanded 
 the barber to shave me, and cause me to take the warm bath. 
 His slave brought me a suit of clothes, in which he dressed me. 
 Then he began to say to me, " This bier which thou hast seen 
 is the coffin of that very Prince, now deceased,^^ who was con- 
 fined in the cage. Another vazir slew him by a stratagem. 
 
 ^^s Literally, " Wheii -was I listening p " 
 
 «" An ungrammatical sentence. Here ^^^ J dekhkar ought to agree with, 1 Jl»- 
 hhuda, which is the nominative to the verb, for we cannot say in Urdu, any more 
 tkiiu in our own language, " Ho having seen, God inspired him." 
 
 «'' The Muhammadans, by a chai-miug euphonism, call a defunct person C^r^ 
 marlium or jji)i-» mngjifm; " oue on whom God has had pity— whom God has 
 pardoned." 
 
TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. 215 
 
 He indeed has obtained deliverance, since, after suffering cruel 
 oppression, he has been put to death. I am his foster-brother, 
 and I slew the vazir with a blow of my sword, and resolved to 
 slay the King, but he supplicated for his life, and began to pro- 
 test with oaths that he was innocent. I, looking on him as a 
 coward, released him, and since then this is my practice, that at 
 the new moon of each month on Thursday, I go through the 
 city carrying the bier in this same manner, and mourn for him." 
 
 On hearing from his tongue this account, I felt comforted, 
 and said to myself, " If he is willing, my wish will come to 
 pass. God has done me a great kindness in making such a 
 furious person kind to me. It is true if God is kind, then every 
 one is kind." When the evening came and the sun had set, 
 that young man brought forth the bier, and set it on my head 
 instead of that of one of the slaves, and taking me with him, 
 went on. He then began to say to me, " I am going to the 
 Princess ; I will speak in recommendation of thee to the utmost 
 of my power ; do not thou utter a word ; sit silent and listen." 
 I said, " I will do exactly as Your Highness says ; God keep 
 you well, for that you take pity on my condition." The young 
 man then set out for the royal garden. When he got inside, 
 there was an octagonal platform of marble in the grass-plot ^'^^ 
 of the garden, and on it was a canopy of white tissue with a 
 fringe of pearls supported on pillars of diamond, and there 
 a cushion of rich brocade was placed, beside which were large 
 pillows and pillows for the arm. He caused the bier to be 
 placed there, and told us two ^^ to go and sit under a tree. 
 
 After a short time, the gleam of torches appeared, and the 
 Princess herself, with several female attendants guarding her in 
 front and in rear, came forward, but dejection and displeasure 
 were visible in her countenance ; she approached and took her 
 seat on the cushion. This foster-brother of the Prince stood 
 before her, with his hands respectfully folded, and he then 
 seated himself humbly at a distance on the edge of the carpet. 
 
 659 si^ gahn, I think, may be translated thus here. It also means "open 
 space," " area," which also makes good sense in this passage. 
 
 660 The fakir and the other slave. 
 
216 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 They read the prayer for the dead, and then began to converse. 
 I continued listening with attentive ears. At length the youth 
 said, " Queen of the world, health ! the Prince of the realm of 
 Persia, having heard, without seeing you, the good and amiable 
 qualities you possess, has given his sovereignty to the winds, and 
 becoming a fakir, and reducing himself to wretchedness like 
 Ibrahim Adham,^^^ and enduring much hardship, has come 
 hither ; 
 
 Lord ! for thy sake I left the town of Balkh ; ««^ 
 
 and for many days has wandered about this city, distressed and 
 afflicted. At length, having determined to die, he followed me 
 close. I menaced him with my sword, but he stretched forth 
 his neck, and adjured me with an oath not to delay, as he him- 
 self desired nothing else. In short, he is firmly attached to you. 
 I have tried him well, and found him in all respects perfect. I 
 have, therefore, introduced the mention of him. If Your High- 
 ness, regarding him as a traveller, will condescend [to inquire 
 into] his circumstances, it will not be inconsistent with the fear 
 of God and the recognition of what is right." 
 
 "When the Princess heard this discourse, she said, " Where is 
 he ? If he is a prince, then, of course, let him come into my 
 presence." The foster-brother arose up thence, and came and 
 took me with him. I was excessively delighted at seeing the 
 Princess, but my reason and senses were given to the winds ; I 
 was reduced to silence and had no courage to say anything. In 
 a moment the Princess departed, and the foster-brother returned 
 to his own abode. When he reached home he said, "I have 
 related to the Princess all the facts concerning thee, from 
 beginning to end ; and I have also spoken in thj' favour ; now, 
 
 '"' A King of Khurasan, who abandoned his capital Balkh, and became a fakir. 
 
 ««2 ^\^ Sam is the Siudhi form of i_o- La Sahib, " Sir ! " " Lord ! " This 
 is what Ibrahim Adham is supposed to have said, addressing himself to God. Forbes 
 has omitted the word ^^jvi karan, "a cause," which, with ^ i, "emphatic," 
 signifies " for the very cause." Balkh is the capital of Bukhai-ia, and lies in E. long. 
 66'' 20' ; and N. lat. 37°. It is the ancient Bactra, and was founded by Kaiumarz, 
 the first King of Persia. It is inhabited by the Uzbak Tartars. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. , 217 
 
 do thou go every night, without fail, and enjoy delights and 
 pleasure." I fell at his feet, and he embraced me. I remained 
 all day counting the hours, saying, " When will it be evening, 
 that I may go ? " When it was night, I took leave of that 
 young man, and went my way, and, having gone into the 
 garden close to the palace of the Princess, I seated myself 
 there, leaning on a pillow on the terrace. 
 
 After a short interval the Princess, alone, with but one 
 attendant, came forward slowly, and sate down on a cushion. 
 My good fortune obtained for me this day. I kissed her feet. 
 She raised my head, embraced me, and said, " Look on this 
 opportunity as precious, and observe what I say. Conduct me 
 hence, and go to some other country." I said, " Let us go." 
 With these words we both of us issued from the garden ; but 
 from confusion and joy, our hands and feet swelled,^^^ and we 
 missed our way, and were going on in one direction, but did 
 not find any place to rest in. The Princess was chagrined, and 
 said, " Where is thy abode ? Gro on quickly and reach it, else 
 what wouldest thou do ? my feet are blistered ; I will sit down 
 in the road somewhere." 
 
 I said, " The house of my slave is near, we shall be there 
 directly ; be of good cheer and step out." I spoke, indeed, an 
 untruth ; but I was perplexed at heart where to conduct her. 
 In the raidst of the road appeared a door fastened with a pad- 
 lock. We quickly broke the padlock and entered the house. 
 It was a good house, with carpets spread, and bottles filled with 
 wine, ranged in order in the recesses, and, in the kitchen, bread 
 and roast meat were ready. We were completely exhausted, 
 and took, each of us, a bottle of Portuguese wine along with 
 that relish,''^* and we passed the whole night together in plea- 
 sure. When, after that repose, the morning dawned, a com- 
 
 663 j^ proverbial expression to denote rapture is to say, " that one swells so as not 
 to be contained in one's clothes," as we say of a person that " he could not contain 
 himself." All that is meant here is, that they were too overcome with joy to be 
 capable of exertion. 
 
 661 1 ^ v\ na7.nlr. is here our " snack," a slight repast, or as we say " a relish." It 
 generally means something highly peppered, a " devU." 
 
218 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 motion arose in the city that "the Princess was lost." From 
 quarter to quarter and street to street a proclamation went 
 round, and procuresses^^ and spies were let loose to recover 
 her, wherever they could lay hands on her, and to all the gates 
 of the city patrols of the royal guards ^^^ came and took post 
 there. Those in charge of the gates received command that 
 not even an ant should find egress from the city without a pass ; 
 and that whoever brought information of the Princess should 
 receive a thousand pieces of gold and a dress of honour, as a 
 present. Through the whole city procuresses began to be on 
 the alert, and to enter every house. 
 
 As my ill-fortune would have it, I had not shut the door. 
 An old woman, the maternal aunt of Satan (may God blacken 
 her countenance !),^^ with a rosary dangling from her hand, 
 and wrapped in a mantle, finding the door open, entered boldly, 
 and standing in front of the Princess, lifted up her hands, and 
 began to utter a benediction, saying, " May God keep safely 
 the nose-ring and bracelets of thy good fortune ! ^® and may 
 the turban of him who supports thee continue unremoved [by 
 death] ! I am a poor widow beggar-woman, and have one 
 daughter, who, her days being fulfilled, is dying, in parturition, 
 of the pangs of childbirth ; and I have not sufficient means to 
 get half a damrl's worth of oil to burn in a lamp ; food and 
 drink are out of the question. If she dies, whence shall I pro- 
 cure burial or a shroud for her ? and if she brings forth, what 
 shall I give to the nurse and the midwife ? aud whence shall I 
 
 8«' The iji^ kutni, or " procuress," is not quite so infamous as witli us, seeing 
 that her seryices are commanded even by the Totaiies of Hymen, Trho inTariably 
 employ an old woman, first as an avant-courier, and then as a go-hetween. 
 
 ^''^ The nohle name of " the Guards " must, alas ! be rendered into Persian by the 
 word "slaves." Thus jJli a\£. ^ulam-i Kadir (literally, "slave of Xadir") 
 signifies one of the body-guard of Nadir the Great. 
 
 ^^' Here is an insipid attempt at punning on the words i!Ui- Idiala, " a maternal 
 aunt," and ill^ kala, "black." 
 
 «»» The nose-ring and bracelets are tlie mark of a married woman, and are laid 
 aside on the death of a husband. This benediction therefore implies, " May God 
 preserve thee from widowhood ! " 
 
TRA.VELS OF THE THIRD DARWESH. 219 
 
 give the lying-in woman sathwara^^^ or caudle^™ to drink ? Two 
 days have passed, to-day, since she has been lying hungry and 
 thirsty. lady ! give me of your bounty ^^^ a morsel that I 
 may have the means of giving her water to drink." 
 
 The Princess, taking pity on her, called her near, and gave her 
 four loaves and some meat, and a ring, which she took off from 
 her little finger, and said, " Sell this, and make and give to her 
 ornaments, and pass thy life in peace, and sometimes visit us ; 
 the house is thine." She had exactly obtained the wish of her 
 heart, in search of which she had come. Uttering benedictions 
 and expressing her devotion, she joyfully made off. The bread 
 and meat she threw away on the threshold, but the ring she 
 took in her clenched hand, saying, " A token from the hand of 
 the Princess has fallen into my possession." Since, however, 
 it was Grod's pleasure to save us from that calamity, the owner 
 of that mansion, a young warrior, mounted on an Arabian steed, 
 arrived, holding a spear in his hand, and carrying suspended 
 from the cord for tying game, a stag. He found the lock of 
 his house broken, and the door open, and saw the procuress 
 as she issued forth. In anger he seized her back hair with one 
 hand, and took her off her legs, and entered the house. He 
 then tied a cord to her two legs, and suspended her from the 
 branch of a tree, putting her head downwards and her feet up, 
 in which position, after a short convulsion, she expired. On 
 beholding the form of that man, such a terror overpowered me 
 that my colour changed and my heart began to quake with 
 
 669 \ ,U»';..i sathwara, or, as it is written in the Kanun-i Islam, 'VIC-j satwara, 
 or V'Ue"-' sathwara, is made of wheat flour, diied ginger, soft sugar, and clarified 
 butter, mixed together over a fire. It is given especially to puerperal women. Vide 
 Kanun-i Islam, Glossary, p. xcvui. 
 
 6™ . J 1.^^5-1 achhwariijOX ^ijl»r>-l ajwaenl, is made of the following in- 
 gredients ; — black pepper, long pepper and the root of pepper, turmeric, dry ginger, 
 garlic, greater galangal, bal-barrang (a kind of medicinal seed), cloves, attivassa (a 
 kind of medicinal root), black henbane, viscid cleome, of each of these an equal 
 weight, and a weight of bishop's-weed seed equal to the weight of aU the above put 
 together. These, reduced to a fine powder and mixed with warm water, are given to 
 puerperal women. Vide Kanun-i Islam, Glossary, p. Ix. 
 
 6'i This obvious sense of — ri- M«»> is not given in Forbes' vocabulary. 
 
230 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 dread. That dear person, seeing us both alarmed, encouraged 
 us, saying, " You have acted very imprudently to do what you 
 have done, and leave the door open ! " 
 
 The Princess smiled, and said, " The Prince told me it was 
 the house of his slave, and brought me and persuaded me." 
 He answered respectfully, " The Prince has spoken truly ; all 
 mankind are the slaves and handmaids of kings. It is by their 
 blessing and generosity that all are provided for and supported. 
 I am your purchased slave, though no money has been given ^^ 
 for me. "But reason requires that a secret should be concealed. 
 Prince ! the coming of yourself and of the Princess to this 
 poor house is to me happiness in this world and the next, and 
 you have bestowed honour on your devoted servant. I am ready 
 to sacrifice myself for you. I will not in any way withhold my 
 life or property ; do you repose yourself at your ease ; there is 
 now not the slightest particle of danger ; if this carrion pro- 
 curess had escaped alive, she would have brought calamity upon 
 us. Now be pleased to rest as long as your illustrious mind 
 wills, and inform this your servant of whatever you may require ; 
 he will bring everything, — and what is a king ! not even an 
 angel shall get intelligence of you." That brave man uttared 
 such encouraging words that we, to a slight extent, recovered 
 our tranquillity. I then said, " Bravo ! you are a noble feUow. 
 We too, when we have it in our power, will requite you for this 
 courtesy ; what is your name P " He replied, " The name of 
 your slave is Bihzad Khan." In short, for six months he per- 
 formed with heart and soul all the service we required, and our 
 life passed in complete repose. 
 
 One day I called to mind my own country and my parents, 
 wherefore I sate very pensive. Seeing my countenance sad, 
 Bihzad Khan joined his hands and stood before me, and began 
 to say, " If any fault has been committed by this devoted servant 
 
 "" Literally, "neither a'j dam nor *J^i.^ dirham have been given." The 
 former is the twenty-fifth part of a small copper coin called a pice. The latter is 
 ahout the one-fifth of a penny. It ia this expression which figures in the Sindh 
 papers, printed by order of Parliament, as "a dam and a drain" !! So much for 
 authorized translations! Vide " Dry Leaves fi-om Young Egj-pt," p. 264, note t. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE THIRD DAEWESH. 221 
 
 in the discharge of his duties, be pleased to signify it." I said, 
 " For God's sake, what discourse is this ? You have so behaved 
 to us that we have remained in this city as one remains in his 
 mother's womb ; otherwise we had done such a deed that every 
 straw was our foe. Who was such a friend to us that we could 
 obtain [through his means] a little rest ? May God keep you 
 happy ! you are a noble man." He then said, " If your heart 
 is estranged from this place, then I will convey you in safety 
 whithersoever you command." I said, " If I could arrive at my 
 own country, I should see my parents ; my position indeed has 
 become such as it is, but God knows what theirs may have 
 become. The desired object for which I expatriated myself has 
 indeed been accomplished. Now it is incumbent on me to kiss 
 their feet also. They have no intelligence of me whether I be 
 dead or alive ; what anxiety they will be suffering in their 
 hearts ! " That gallant man said, " Excellently well ! let us 
 go." With these words he brought a Turkish horse which 
 could travel two hundred miles [without a halt], and a swift 
 but gentle mare, whose wings had not been clipped [_i.e. very 
 speedy], for the Princess, and caused us both to mount. Then, 
 putting on his ring and plate armour, and girding himself with 
 his weapons, being fuUy accoutred, he mounted his own steed, 
 and said, " Your slave will precede you ; do Your Highnesses 
 follow at your ease, keeping in your horses." 
 
 When he reached the gate of the city, he uttered a yell, and 
 broke the lock with his axe, and shouted menacingly to the 
 warders, " Villains ! go and tell your lord that Bihzad Khan 
 with open defiance \_lii. "shouting and brawling"] is carrying 
 off the Princess Mihrnigar ^^' and the Prince Kamgar,^^^ who is 
 his son-in-law ; if he has the least feeling of courage, ^'^ then let 
 him come out and take away the Princess. Let him not say 
 that I carried her off by stealth ; but if he will not do this, let 
 
 «" )Uj_i^ Mihrniffar may he translated " idol of loye;" andjliv^li Kamgar, 
 " fortunate." 
 
 "* The meaning given to &mJ nashah, in Forbes' yocabulary, " intoxication," is 
 altogether inapplicable here. It means " perception in » very slight degree," 
 " soupion." 
 
222 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 him repose himself seated in his castle." This intelligence 
 quickly reached the King. The vazir and the commander of 
 the forces received command to bind the three wicked rebels 
 and bring them, or to cut off their heads and send them to the 
 royal presence. In a short time a dense ^''^ host made its ap- 
 pearance, and the whole earth and sky was enveloped in dust. 
 Bihzad Kh an caused the Princess and me the fakir to stand in 
 the arch of a bridge which had twelve arches, and was like the 
 bridge of Jaunpiir ; ^''^ and he himself, encouraging his horse, 
 turned towards that army, and, roaring like a lion, urged his 
 steed at the gallop among the ranks. The whole army was 
 dissipated like the green scum that floats on water,^^ and he, 
 reaching the two commanders, cut off their heads. When the 
 generals were slain, their troops dispersed, according to the pro- 
 verb, " The guidance of a thing depends on the head ; when the 
 pod is burst, the seeds are scattered." Thereupon the King him- 
 self, attended by some cuirassiers, came to the rescue, and that 
 incomparable youth, having broken their array, also gave them 
 a complete defeat. The King retreated. It is true that victory 
 is the gift of God, but Bihzad Khan displayed such prowess 
 as would perhaps have exceeded even Rustam's power. When 
 Bihzad Khan saw that the field was clear, and that none re- 
 mained to pursue us, he came, free from doubt, and with mind 
 at ease, where we stood, and went on, taking the Princess and 
 me with him. The interval of a journey soon passes ; in a short 
 space of time we arrived in the confines of my own country. I 
 wrote and despatched a letter announcing my return in perfect 
 health and safety to the presence of the King who was my 
 
 6'5 I telieve the word (J!^ siat to be a corruption of the Sanskrit word TTZ 
 ghat, " a crowd." 
 
 6" JaunpOr is a town in the province of Allahabad, on the banks of the Gumti 
 river. It lies in N. lat. 26° 46', and E. long. 82° 39'. It is said to have been 
 built by Sultan Flruz of Dihll, who named it after his cousin F;iklru'd-dln Jawna. 
 It has a bridge of considerable extent divided into two parts, one of which consists of 
 ten arches and spans the channel of the river during the dry season, but is so much 
 submerged during the rains that the ti'oops under Sir E. Barker in 1773 sailed 
 over it. It ivas built during the reign of Akbai- by the governor of the province, 
 Munawwar Khan. 
 
 »" These six words express the meaning of |_>lS iai. 
 
TRAVELS or THE THIRD DARWESH. 223 
 
 father. The Asylum of the world, when he read it, rejoiced. 
 He performed a double thanksgiving, and, as when water has 
 fallen in the dried rice-crop,^^* he revived, and taking all his 
 nobles in his train, he came to meet this weak person, and halted 
 on the margin of the river, and gave an order to the admiral to 
 provide vessels. I, from the other side, saw the cavalcade of 
 the King standing there, and in the desire of kissing his feet 
 I made my horse plunge into the stream, and arrived, by 
 swimming, in the royal presence. My father affectionately 
 embraced me. 
 
 Now another sudden calamity occurred, for perhaps the horse 
 on which I rode was the colt of that very mare which carried 
 the Princess, or, by reason of its homogeneousness, the mare, 
 too, when it saw my horse, with a rapid movement, threw 
 itself, along with the Princess, into the river after me, and 
 began to swim. The Princess, losing her presence of mind, 
 pulled the reins, and, as the mare had a tender mouth, she 
 turned over. The Princess, after several submersions, sank, 
 together with the mare, in the stream ; nor did we see any 
 further trace of them. Bihzad Khan, seeing this state of 
 things, threw himself, with his horse, into the stream, to assist 
 the Princess ; and he too was caught in the same eddy, and was 
 unable to extricate himself ; he struggled much with hand and 
 foot, but could do nothing, and he too sank. The Asylum of 
 the world, beholding these occurrences, sent for a great net, 
 and caused it to be cast in, and commanded the mariners ^'^ and 
 divers [to search for the bodies]. They dragged the whole 
 river, and brought up, from time to time, the dirt from the 
 bottom ; but those two [Bihzad Khan and the Princess] were 
 not recovered. fakirs ! such was the effect of this occurrence 
 
 6" The word ..il-feJ dhan or i^^"^ dnhan is capable of two renderings. The 
 one given above is doubtless correct, but it might also, if a dissyllable, signify 
 " mouth," which would also make good sense, and this ambiguity is a beauty with 
 Oriental writers. 
 
 6'9 The word j-iL-« malBh, "a waterman," "a sailor," has been omitted in 
 Forbes' vocabulary. 
 
224 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 upon me that I became melancholy and insane, and assuming 
 the habit of a fakir, went about saying, — 
 
 " One fate has waited on all three : 
 That you have seen, now this too, see ! " 
 
 Had the Princess been lost anywhere, or had she died, then 
 my heart could have found some comfort. I should then have 
 issued forth in search of her, or had recourse to patience ; but, 
 when she sank before our eyes, I lost all power.^" At length 
 the idea entered my mind that I would drown myself in the 
 river ; perhaps in death (thought I) I shall find my beloved 
 one. 
 
 One day, at night, I entered that same stream, and, having 
 resolved to drown myself, I advanced into the water up to my 
 neck. I was about to step on and submerge myself, when that 
 same veiled horseman, who gave you good tidings, arrived. He 
 seized my hand and encouraged me, saying, " Be of good cheer ! 
 the Princess and Bihzad Khan are alive. Why dost thou use- 
 lessly throw away thy life ? Such is the course of this world ; 
 despair not in the court of God. If thou survivest, thou wilt, 
 some day or other, meet with those two. Gro now towards Riim. 
 Two other heart- sore darweshes have already gone there ; when 
 thou meetest them, thou too wilt attain thy desire." fakirs ! 
 in accordance with the command of my spiritual guide, I, too, 
 have come and am present in your illustrious service. I have 
 a strong hope that each wiU gain his wish. These are the 
 adventures of this mendicant, which he has entirely and fully 
 related. 
 
 ^o" A very foolish sentence, which it would be waste of time to endeavour to render 
 lucid. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 225 
 
 TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 
 
 The fourth fakir began, with tears, to relate the story of his 
 wanderings in the following manner : — 
 
 To the sad tale of wretched me, give ear ! 
 Attend a little and my story hear ! 
 Wherefore I came thus far in pain and woe 
 I'll fully tell — hear, and the reason know ! 
 
 divine preceptors ! be attentive a little. This fakir who is 
 overtaken in this [calamitous] state, is the son of the King of 
 China, I was reared in luxury and indulgence, and was well 
 instructed. I was wholly unacquainted with the good and evil 
 of the world, and thought it would always continue thus. In 
 the midst of my tranquillity this event occurred — the King, 
 who was the father of this orphan, died. In the agonies of 
 death he called his younger brother (who was my uncle), and 
 said, " I truly leave all my wealth and dominion and depart, 
 but do you perform this my will, and act with magnanimity. 
 As long as the Prince, who is the rightful occupant of this throne 
 and canopy, is young, and has yet to acquire discernment and 
 the ability to manage his own house, do you discharge the 
 duties of viceroy, and suffer not the soldiers or the people to be 
 oppressed. "When he has come to years of discretion, make 
 over the throne to him with full explanation of everything, and 
 Roshan Akhtar,^^^ who is your daughter, to her espouse the 
 Prince, and withdraw yourself from the government. By this 
 procedure the imperial sway will continue firm in my family, 
 and no interruption will occur." "With these words he indeed 
 rendered up his spirit to God ; his younger brother became 
 
 ^*' p^\ i^^iJ Roshan akhiar, that is, " Bright star." 
 
 15 
 
226 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 king, and began to administer the empire. He ordered me to 
 continue in the female apartments, and not to come forth thence 
 till I grew up to be a young man. Till the age of fourteen I 
 was reared among the ladies of the royal family and their atten- 
 dants, and continued to play and divert myself. Hearing the 
 news of my intended marriage with the daughter of my father's 
 younger brother, I was glad, and in this hope remained free 
 from care, and said in my heart, " JN'ow, after a short time, the 
 kingdom too will pass into my hands, and my marriage also 
 will take place." The world is supported by hope. There was 
 an Abyssinian named Mubarak, who had been brought up in the 
 service of my deceased father, and in whom much confidence 
 was placed, and who was a man of quick parts, and faithful : 
 to him I often went, and seated myself by him. He too was 
 shewing much kindness to me, and, when he surveyed my 
 youth, rejoiced, and said, " Praise be to God ! Prince ! you 
 have now become a young man ; if it please God Most High, 
 your paternal uncle will shortly carry into effect the injunctions 
 of the shadow of the Most High [that is, " the late king "] . 
 He will give you his daughter and the throne of your father." 
 
 One day it happened that one of the inferior female attendants 
 had given me such a slap, though I had committed no offence, 
 that the mark of her five fingers rose up on my face. I went 
 sobbing to Mubarak. He embraced me, and wiped away my 
 tears with his sleeve, and said, " Come ! I will to-day take you 
 to the King. Perhaps when he sees you he will be kind, and 
 regarding you as capable of receiving your rights, will hand 
 them over to you." He immediately took me into the presence 
 of my uncle, who shewed me much kindness in the open court, 
 and asked, " "Why are you sad ? and why have you come 
 hither?" Mubarak said, "He has come to make a petition." 
 "When he heard that, he said of his own accord, " I will now 
 celebrate the marriage of the young prince." Mubarak said, 
 " It is very auspicious." [The King] immediately summoned 
 before him the astrologers and soothsayers, and asked them, 
 with feigned sincerity, " In this year, which month and which 
 day and hour and part of an hour is auspicious in order for me 
 to make preparations for the marriage ? " They, perceiving 
 what his real wishes were, after calculations, sai(^, " Point to 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 227 
 
 which the world turns in prayer ! this entire year is unlucky : 
 no day in any month can be fixed on as fortunate. If this 
 whole year passes away prosperously, the next year will be 
 better for the happy ceremony." The King looked towards 
 Mubarak, and said, " Conduct the Prince into the seraglio. 
 If God wills, after this year has passed, I will deliver over 
 that which I hold in charge for him, let him keep up his 
 spirits and employ himself in reading and writing." Mubarak 
 made obeisance, and took me with him and conveyed me to the 
 seraglio. After two or three days I went to Mubarak, who, as 
 soon as he saw me, began to weep. I was amazed, and asked 
 him, saying, " Papa ! art thou well ? what is the cause of thy 
 weeping ? " Then that faithful friend (who loved me with 
 heart and soul) said, " "Would that I had known this on the 
 day when I took you to that tyrant, then I would not have 
 taken you." I said, in consternation, " What such great im- 
 propriety was there in my going ? do just^^ tell me." He then 
 said, " All the nobles and vazTrs and pillars of the state, both 
 small and great, of your father's time, were pleased when they 
 saw you, and began to return thanks to Grod, saying, 'Our 
 young master has now become a man and fit to reign. Now, 
 after some daj's, the rightful heir will have his rights, and he 
 will then appreciate our merits, and understand the worth of 
 his hereditary servants.' This intelligence reached that faith- 
 less one ; the serpent began to move in his bosom. He called 
 me apart, and said, ' Mubarak ! now act so as to slay the 
 Prince by some stratagem or other, and relieve my mind of 
 danger from him, in order that I may be at peace.' From that 
 time I have been distracted with the knowledge that thy uncle 
 is thy deadly foe." As soon as I heard this inauspicious ^^^ news 
 from Mubarak, I died without a blow, and in deadly terror fell 
 down at his feet, saying, " For God's sake ! I relinquish the 
 throne ; let my life in any way be saved." That faithful servant 
 
 682 ^.s« galvh signifies "exact," "perfect," but it is here used in a very 
 idiomatic way, TvHch may perhaps he rendered by our " just," as above. 
 
 693 There is here an insipid pun on the name Mubarak, which cannot be preserved 
 in the English. 
 
228 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 raised my head and clasped me to his breast, and replied, "There 
 is no danger; I have thought of a plan; if it succeed, then never 
 mind ; when life remains, all is safe. It ^* is probable that by 
 this contrivance both thy life will be preserved and thy wishes 
 attained." 
 
 After giving me this encouragement, he took me with him, 
 and went to the place where the deceased king, that is to say, 
 my father, used to sleep and sit, and said much to console me. 
 A seat was placed there. He directed me to take hold of the 
 chair on one side, and laying hold of it himself on the other, he 
 moved it away, and lifted up the carpet which was under the 
 seat,^^^ and began to excavate the ground. All at once a window 
 appeared, which was fastened with a padlock and a chain. He 
 called me. I felt sure in my heart that he had dug this hole in 
 order to slay me and bury me in it. Death hovered before my 
 eyes, but, having no alternative, I approached him, repeating 
 inaudibly the creed.^*^ I beheld then that within that casement 
 was a building and four rooms. In each apartment were ten 
 golden jars ^' suspended by chains to which they were fastened. 
 And on the mouth of each jar was a brick of gold, and a monkey 
 made of jewels sitting on it. I counted thirty-nine jars in the 
 four rooms, and I observed one jar which was filled to the brim 
 with gold coins, but on which was neither monkey nor brick, and 
 I saw a reservoir fiUed brimful with jewels. I asked Mubarak, 
 saying, " papa ! what talisman is this ? and whose place is 
 it ? and of what use are these ? " He said, " These monkeys 
 ^vliich you behold, their story is this, that your father from his 
 
 °'^ There ought not to be the new paragraph here which appears in Forbes' 
 edition, as to begin one in the middle of a short speech is obviously absurd. The 
 pnrngraph should begin at .^,1.5 ^ijH ^v'' J"^ i/i-arosa d^kar. 
 
 '■'"■^ Either ^^S ^ttrst and ^X-^ mndan are different things, — differing not 
 simply as genus and species, which difference is acknowledged on all hands, — or 
 Mir Amman has very foolishly created an ambiguity by introducing both into one 
 Briitence. 
 
 «»» Vide note 453. 
 
 "'*■' Or it may be, " tea jars suspended by chains of gold." The collocation renders 
 tho sense doubtful. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOUBTH DARWESH. 229 
 
 youth had formed a friendship and intimacy with Malik Sadik, 
 who is the king of the genii, 
 
 " Accordingly once in every year he used to take several kinds 
 of curiosities, perfumes, and rarities such as this country pro- 
 duces, and used to stay with him for nearly a month. When he 
 took leave, Malik Sadik used to give him a monkey of emerald, 
 which our king brought and deposited in this subterraneous 
 chamber. No one but myself was acquainted with this matter. 
 One day this slave made representation as follows, ' Asylum of 
 the world ! you are taking these costly things worth hundreds 
 of thousands of rupees, and bring back thence for yourself a 
 lifeless monkey of stone ; pray what profit will result from this ? ' 
 He smiled, and replied to these words of mine as follows : 
 ' Take care ! do not reveal this anywhere ; caution is absolutely 
 necessary. Each^^ of these lifeless monkeys that thou seest 
 has a thousand powerful Devs subject and obedient to it, but 
 until I have collected forty monkeys complete, all these are 
 useless and of no service.' Well ! there was one monkey de- 
 ficient, and in that same year the King died. All ''^^ this labour 
 was of no good, the advantage of it was not rendered evident. 
 Prince ! seeing this thy friendless condition, I remembered the 
 circumstance, and determined in my mind to take thee to Malik 
 Sadik, and state the tyranny of thy father's brother. It is prob- 
 able that, calling to mind his friendship for thy father, he will 
 give thee the monkey that is wanting ; then bj^ their aid thy 
 realm will come into thy possession, and thou wilt reign at 
 thy ease over China and Machin,^^" and at the present moment 
 
 "'6 The student will do well' to notice, in order to avoid, the style of expression 
 used here. .•.♦»>^ i^J^i] ' \ '} -v^, i/ih ek ek maimun is a nominative without 
 a verb, and were it a genitive, as it ought to he, l— io 1 Jii har ek, which follows, 
 would not be required. 
 
 «8!i The paragraph is very absurdly closed at ^\i LljXij wafdt pat. It ought to 
 end eight liues further on, at J\ ^^^ Jaj nazar nahm at), and the next should 
 commence with jbj S ij^ <=i_iiJ^ main ne us kl zabam, or else where it is 
 here made to commence. 
 
 690 The common Persian term for China is " Chin and Machln." Which part is 
 called r'»5^L« machln, JTgT^'I mahachma, " Great China," does not appear. 
 In Richardson's Persian Dictionary we have ^jt^^ maeh'm rendered by " The 
 Emperor of China," on what authority I know not. 
 
230 BAGH O BAHAK. 
 
 tliy life will be saved by this procedure ; and should nought 
 else result, this is the only means of escape from the hands of 
 the tyrant that seems possible." "When I had heard all this 
 statement from his lips, I said, " Dear papa ! now thou art the 
 disposer of my life ; whatever is for my welfare, that do." He 
 then encouraged me, and went himself to the bazar to purchase 
 extract of rose and frankincense, and whatever he thought 
 proper to take thither. 
 
 The next day he went to that miscreant uncle of mine, who 
 was to me in the place of Abu Jahl,^^i and said, " Asylum of 
 tlie world ! I have fixed in my mind a plan for slaying the 
 Prince ; if you command, I will state it." The wretch being 
 pleased said, " What plan is that ? " Then Mubarak said, 
 " In putting him to death Your Highness would in every way 
 incur dishonour ; but I will take him into the jungle, kill him, 
 and after burying him, come away ; no one will get the slightest 
 inkling of what has taken place." When he heard this plot 
 from Mubarak, he said, " Most admirable ! what I wish is that 
 he should not continue safe, for distrust on his account rankles 
 in my heart ; if thou wilt free me from this anxiety, then thou 
 shalt receive, in requital of this service, an ample return. 
 Wherever thy mind wishes, take him, and make away with 
 him, and bring me the glad intelligence of the event." 
 
 After Mubarak had taken these steps for his security as re- 
 garded the King, he took me with him, and with those presents 
 departed from the city by night, and proceeded in a northerly 
 direction. He journeyed incessantly for a month. One night, 
 as we were travelling on, Mubarak said, " Thanks to God ! we 
 have now reached the place we had in view." When I heard 
 this, I said, " Papa ! what is this thou hast said ? " He said, 
 " What, Prince ! dost thou not see the host of the genii ? " 
 I said, " I see no one except thyself." Mubarak took out a box 
 for holding collyriura, and drew through my eyes needles smeared 
 with the collyrium of Sulaiman. Instantly the people of the genii 
 and the tents and canvas inclosures of their host began to ap- 
 
 '°' l)v?" ^' ■^^" Jahl, that i-;, " the father of ignorance," was the uncle of 
 Muhammad, who opposed his mission, and thus procui'cd for himself this soubriquet. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 231 
 
 pear ; all, however, were pleasant-looking and well- apparelled. 
 Recognizing Mubarak, each in a friendly way embraced him 
 and cracked jokes with him. 
 
 At length, proceeding on, we approached the royal pavilions, 
 and entered his court. I saw then that lights were ranged in 
 order, and seats of various kinds were spread in double rows, 
 and on them were seated the wise and the excellent, darweshes 
 and nobles, vazirs and generals ; and the state-messengers and 
 ushers, soldiers and attendants, stood with arms respectfully 
 crossed, and in the midst was spread a throne set with jewels, 
 on which sate, with an air of great dignity, Malik Sadik on a 
 cushion propped with pillows, and wearing a crown and a tunic. 
 I went near and saluted him ; he kindly ordered me to be seated, 
 after which we occupied ourselves with a repast. After we had 
 finished, the table-cloth was removed, whereupon he turned to 
 Mubarak, and inquired my story. Mubarak said, " In the place 
 of his father his father's younger brother now rules over his 
 empire, and has become his deadly foe ; wherefore I have carried 
 him off thence, and having had recourse to flight, have brought 
 him to Your Highness's service, for he is an orphan and the 
 kingdom is his by right. No one, however, can do anything 
 without a protector. With Your Majesty's aid he will be 
 supported. Remember the claims of his father's services, and 
 give him assistance, and bestow on him that fortieth monkey, 
 that the entire forty may be completed, and this prince, having 
 obtained his rights, may offer up prayers for your life and pro- 
 sperity. Except Your Highness's protection, there appears to be 
 no asylum for him." 
 
 When Sadik had heard all this narrative, he said, after some 
 reflection " In truth, I am much indebted for the services and 
 friendship of the late king, and this helpless person, reduced to 
 misery, has left his hereditary kingdom, and has come hither 
 to save his life, and has taken refuge under the skirt of my 
 fortune. As far as I am able I will in no respect fail him, and 
 will not omit to serve him ; but I have one thing for him to do, 
 which if he can do and does not act perfidiously, and brings it 
 to a happy termination, and comes out perfect from the trial, I 
 give him my positive promise that I will act with more kindness 
 to him than I shewed to his father, and will give him whatever 
 
232 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 he wants." I joined my hands, and respectfully stated, "What- 
 ever service can be rendered to Your Majesty by this devoted 
 servant, as far as my ability goes, shall be performed most 
 zealously, and well and faithfully and carefully accomplished, 
 and I shall regard it as my happiness in this life and in that 
 which is to come." He said, " Thou art yet but a boy, where- 
 fore I enjoin thee again and again, take care that thou dost not 
 act perfidiously and fall into calamity." I said, " God will 
 make it easy through the auspicious fortune of the King, and I 
 will exert myself to the utmost of my power, and bring my 
 charge safely and untouched to the royal presence." 
 
 When he heard this, Malik Sadik called me to him, and took 
 a paper out of his pocket-book, and shewed it to me, and said, 
 " Search out wheresoever you can, and find and bring to me the 
 person of whom this is the portrait, and when thou findest her 
 direction and encounterest her, make known to her on my part 
 the warmest attachment. If this service is accomplished by 
 thee, then thou shalt receive greater attention than thou couldst 
 entertain a hope of ; otherwise thou shalt receive according to 
 thy deserts. When I looked on that paper, I saw a picture of 
 such a kind that I began to faint. By a violent effort, owing 
 to the terror I felt, I supported myself, and said, " Very good ! 
 I win take my leave. If God wills me success, I shall then act 
 in accordance with the royal orders." AVith these words I took 
 the way to the jungle, accompanied by Mubarak. I wandered 
 on from village to village, from town to town, from city to city, 
 from country to country, and inquired of every one her name 
 and abode. No one said, " Yes, I know her, or have heard of 
 her from any one." After enduring for seven j-ears distress and 
 perplexity, I arrived in a city of which the buildings were lofty, 
 and which was well populated, but every living person there 
 was repeating the Great Name of God, and performing worship 
 and service to him. 
 
 Then I saw a blind Hindustani fakir beggiag alms, but no 
 one gave him a kauri ^^^ or a morsel. I was surprised, and felt 
 pity for him, and taking out a gold coin from my pocket, put it 
 
 The kauji is a small shell {cyprea momta) used as money. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 233 
 
 into his hand. He took it, and said, " benefactor ! God 
 requite thee well ! perhaps thou art a traveller, and not an in- 
 habitant of this city ? " «^* I said, " In truth, I have been 
 suffering misery for seven years. I find no trace of that for 
 which I issued forth. To-day I have arrived in this city.'' 
 The old man, after uttering benedictions, went away. I followed 
 him. Outside the city a stately mansion appeared, He entered 
 it, and I too went in. I saw then that the building had fallen 
 down in various places and had continued unrepaired. 
 
 I said in my heart, " This palace is fit for kings. "When it 
 was in repair, what a heart-delighting abode it must have been ! 
 and now truly, from being deserted, what a state it has fallen 
 into ! But I know not why it has been deserted, and why this 
 blind man dwells in this palace." The blind man was going on, 
 feeling his way with his stick, when a voice reached me as if 
 some one was saying, " father ! is all well ? why have you 
 returned so early to-day ? " When the blind man heard [these 
 words], he replied, "Daughter! God made a young traveller 
 compassionate my state. He^^* gave me a gold coin. For 
 many days I have not eaten a good dinner and filled my 
 stomach well ; wherefore I have bought flesh, spices, butter, 
 oil, flour, and salt, and I have also purchased the clothes you 
 required. Now cut them out, sew them, and put them on, 
 and cook the dinner, that, after having eaten and drunk, we may 
 offer up benedictions for that liberal man. Though I know not 
 the desire of his heart, yet God is wise and all-seeing ; he will 
 accept the prayer of us destitute." When I heard this account 
 of the privations he had undergone, it involuntarily occurred to 
 me that I would give him twenty more gold pieces ; but when I 
 turned my attention in the direction of the voice, I saw a woman 
 who was evidently the lady of whom I had received a portrait.^^^ 
 I took out the picture and compared it, and saw that there was 
 
 "91 This sentence ought to have the mark of interrogation. 
 
 ^^^ A new paragraph ought not to begin here, but after ^_j> Qy^ kabul hare, 
 five lines further on. 
 
 8S5 I have here translated this passage freely. The literal translation is this, " I 
 saw a woman that that portrait was exactly the one of that very lady." 
 
234 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 not the difference of a hair's point.^^* A cry escaped from my 
 heart, and I became insensible. Mubarak took me in his arms, 
 sate down, and began to fan me. I recovered my senses a little, 
 and continued gazing in that same direction, until Mubarak 
 asked, " What has happened to you ? " My answer had as j'et 
 not issued from my lips, when that lady said, " youth ! fear 
 God, and look not on a strange female ; modesty and a proper 
 sense of shame are incumbent on all." 
 
 She discoursed with such propriety, that I became infatuated 
 with her beauty and her disposition. Mubarak did all he could 
 to cheer me, but what perception had he of the state of my 
 heart ? Having no resource, I called out, " servants of God ! 
 and dwellers in this abode ! I am a poor traveller ; if you will 
 invite me to be with you, and give me a place to stop in, it 
 will be a great thing for me." The blind man called me to 
 him, and, recognizing my voice, embraced me, and took me 
 into that apartment where that delicate girl sate. She went 
 and hid herself in a corner. The old man asked me, saying, 
 "Eelate thy adventures, and why thou hast left thy family, 
 and wandered about thus alone ? and of whom thou art in 
 seai'ch ? " I did not mention the name of Malik Sadik, nor 
 did I refer to anything that had transpired there. I spoke in 
 this wise, " This friendless individual is the Prince of China 
 and Machin, and moreover my father is still sovereign of 
 those realms. He purchased from a merchant for hundreds 
 of thousands of rupees this picture, from beholding which 
 aU my senses and tranquiUity have left me, and after assuming 
 the garb of a fakir, I have searched through the whole world. 
 Now I have found my desired object, which you have in your 
 disposal." 
 
 When the blind man heard this, he heaved a sigh, and said, 
 " dear friend ! my daughter is plunged in a grievous calamity. 
 No mortal has the power to wed her, and enjoy the fruition of 
 his marriage." I said, " I am in hopes that you will explain 
 in detail." Then that Persian made known his history in the 
 following manner. " Listen, Prince ! I am the chief and the 
 
 606 Our expression is " a piu's point," 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 235 
 
 magnate ^^ of this city. My renown was great, and my 
 family illustrious. God Most High has bestowed upon me this 
 daughter. When she reached the age of puberty, the fame of 
 her beauty, and delicacy, and genius, was bruited abroad, and 
 it became known throughout the whole country that, 'in the 
 house of such a person there is a daughter such that the Hiirls 
 of Paradise and the fairies are ashamed when contrasted with 
 her loveliness. As for the countenance of a human being, 
 what is it in comparison with hers ? ' The Prince of this city 
 heard this eulogy, and, without having seen her, he, even in 
 absence, became her lover. He forbore to eat and drink. He 
 fell sick and took to his bed.^^^ 
 
 " At length the King learned the circumstance. He called 
 me at night into his private apartment, and cajoled me to such a 
 degree as to gain my consent to contract a marriage-connexion 
 with him. I too had thought that, as a daughter had been 
 born in my house, I ought to affiance her to some one or other, 
 ' and consequentl}' that I had no better course than to betroth 
 her to the King's son. Meanwhile the King too [thought I] 
 pleads for it. I gave my consent and took leave, and from 
 that very day the preparations for the nuptials went on on both 
 sides. One day in a fortunate moment the kazi,^^^ the mufti, 
 the wise, the pious, and the noble assembled. The marriage 
 was performed, and the jointure fixed. They conducted home 
 the bride with great pomp, and went through all the customary 
 
 697 j\^\ akahir, which is properly the plural of ,;>S1 akbar, and signifies 
 " grandees," is here, hy a strange peryersion, used as a singular, and must be so 
 translated. 
 
 ^'>^ The dictionaries thus render ^j'l^'ii iJ^j^^l athtvciti kathwatl, on what 
 authority or etymology I know not. I should be inclined to derive the word from 
 Ulj^l uthwana, "to cause to get up," from the root of which comes ^iL; ^i\ 
 uth baith, " restlessness." It would then be the state of one wanting to get up and 
 anon to lie down. 
 
 C99 Tiie kail is, as everybody knows, the Muhammadan judge. The mufti is an 
 officer of stiU higher rank, being the expounder of the law of which the kazl sustains 
 the executive. 
 
236 
 
 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 ceremonies. At night, when the bridegroom sought to consum- 
 mate the marriage, there arose such an uproar in the apartment 
 that the people who were watching outside were aghast. They 
 tried to open the door of the room, and see what calamity had 
 happened. It was so firmly fastened on the inside that they 
 could not undo it. All of a sudden the cries also grew less. 
 They forced out the hinges of the door, and saw that the bride- 
 groom was lying with his head cut off, and his limbs yet con- 
 vulsed, and foam was issuing from the mouth of the bride, who 
 was wallowing senseless, with her clothes draggled in that blood 
 and dirt. 
 
 " Beholding this disastrous sight, all were distracted. On 
 such a festal occasion this piteous spectacle was disclosed. The 
 King was informed of it, and he hastened to the spot, beating 
 his head. All the pillars of the State were assembled, but no 
 one had sufficient sagacity to penetrate into these circumstances. 
 At last the King, in that state of mental agony, commanded, 
 saying, ' Cut off the head of that unfortunate, ill-omened bride 
 also,' As soon as these words dropped from the King's tongue, 
 the same uproar again arose. The King was terrified, and fled 
 for fear of his life, and ordered them to thrust her forth from 
 the palace. The female attendants conveyed her to my house. 
 These circumstances have been noised abroad in the world, and 
 whoever hears it is dismayed, and in consequence of the murder 
 of the Prince, the King himself, and all the inhabitants of this 
 city, have become my deadly enemies.'""' 
 
 " "When the mourning was concluded, and the fortieth day 
 had expired, the King asked counsel of the nobles, saj-ing, 
 ' What should be done now ? ' All replied, ' Nothing more 
 can be done ; but as a slight consolation and solace to Your 
 Majesty, be pleased to cause the girl, with her father, to be 
 put to death, and confiscate their property.' When this 
 sentence had been passed against me, the Kotwal received 
 
 '™ The use of the singular ^j^i^ ^J^ '"""" ''»«'»«'"'> ™"st immediately strike 
 every one as a mistake.- On reference to Mr. Eomer'& MS., I find that the proper 
 reading is |jj/*-<) J c_/?^ '"*''" dushman, which ought to be restored. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 237 
 
 instructions [to carry it out]. He came and surrounded my 
 dwelling on all sides, and caused a trumpet to be sounded at 
 the door, and was about to force an entrance, and execute the 
 King's command. From an unseen quarter, bricks and stones 
 began to shower down in such a way that the whole army 
 was discomiited. Covering their heads and faces, they fled in 
 difierent directions, and the King, in his palace, heard with 
 his own ears a terrible voice, saying, '"What calamity has 
 fallen on thee P what demon possesses thee ? If thou wishest 
 thy own welfare, interfere not in the affairs of this lady, else 
 thou too, for thy hostility, shalt experience just what thy son 
 reaped from his marriage. Now if thou dost molest them, thou 
 shalt suffer for it.' 
 
 " The King was seized with a fever from the violence of his 
 alarm. He immediately commanded, saying, ' Let no one 
 meddle with those iU-omened ones, and neither speak to them 
 nor listen to them ; but let them remain in their house, and 
 do not inflict any violence on them.' Since that day the rulers, 
 regarding the matter as sorcery, use prayers and amulets, and 
 the wise men practise charms, and all the inhabitants of the 
 city recite the Great Name of God, and the glorious ™i Kur'an. 
 For a long time this spectacle has lasted, but hitherto the 
 secret™^ has in no degree been penetrated, and I too have no 
 insight into it; but I once asked this girl, saying, 'What did 
 you see with your own eyes ? ' She said, ' I know nothing 
 more ; but what I saw was this, that at the time when my 
 husband attempted to have connexion with me, a throne set 
 with jewels suddenly came forth, on which sate a handsome 
 young man, clothed in royal apparel, and with him a great 
 number of persons, in attendance upon him, entered the apart- 
 ment, and engaged in the murder of the Prince. The person 
 who was the chief came to me and said, " How now, dearest ? 
 whither will you fly from me now ? " Their forms were like 
 those of men, but their feet appeared to me like those of goats. 
 
 TOi The epithet iX».sr* majld, is appropriated to the Kur'an. 
 '»2 .\^\ asrar is properly a plural, hut is here used as a singular, as jUI a/cabir 
 wafl a page or two before. 
 
238 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 My heart began to throb, and through terror I fell into a 
 swoon, after which I have no recollection of what happened.' 
 
 " Since when my condition is this, that I and my daughter 
 remain in an abject condition in this ruined place. Owing to 
 the wrath of the King, all my former companions keep aloof 
 from me, and when I go out to beg, npt a person gives me a 
 kauri. Nay, I am not even permitted to stop at the shops. 
 There is not a rag on the body of this unfortunate girl to cover 
 her nakedness,™^ and we can get nothing to eat that we may 
 satisfy ourselves. I ask this of God, that our death may arrive, 
 or the earth open and swallow up this girl, who ought never to 
 have been born. Death is better than such a life. Grod, per- 
 haps, has sent thee solely on our account, hence thou hast taken 
 compassion on us, and given us a gold coin. Thus, too, I have 
 cooked and eaten a delicious repast, and caused clothes also to 
 be got ready for my daughter. I have offered up thanks at the 
 shrine of God, and uttered benedictions on thee. If the evil 
 influence of a jin, or a fairy, had not fallen upon her, I would 
 have presented her to thee to serve thee as a handmaid, and 
 would regard it as my happiness. This is the story of this 
 fallen person ; do not seek after her, and abandon this pursuit." 
 
 When I had heard all this recital, I entreated and besought 
 him much, saying, " Accept me as thy son. Whatever may 
 have been predestinated in my fate, that will take place." That 
 old man would not, in any degree, yield his consent. When 
 evening came, I took leave of him and came to the inn. 
 Mubarak said, "Well, Prince! May it be fortunate! God 
 has provided the means at last ; at length this toil has not 
 been fruitless." I said, " How many flatteries have I employed 
 to-day ; but that false old man consents not. God knows 
 whether he will give her to me or not." The state of my heart, 
 however, was such that I found it difficult to pass the night, 
 and I was thinking, " When will it be morning, that I may 
 go again and present myself ? " At times this thought occurred 
 to me, "If he was to become kind and consent, then Mubarak 
 
 ■">» PoAes has a Ijhmder here, j^ sir, " the head," for ji^ sati; " pudenda." 
 People do not wear rags on their hodies to cover their heads ; but setting that aside, 
 the plain reading in Mr. Eomer's MS. is 'i-j sati; which ought to be restored. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 239 
 
 would take her away for Malik Sadik." Again I said to my- 
 self, " "Well ! let me only get possession of her, I will persuade 
 Mubarak, and enjoy my happiness." Again I bethought myself 
 of the danger, and said, " Even if Mubarak should consent, I 
 should suffer the same fate from the genii as the Prince under- 
 went, and when will the King of this city be willing that, after 
 his son has perished, another should enjoy the bliss ? " 
 
 The whole night my sleep was disturbed, and was spent in 
 [considering] the intricacies of my undertaking. When the 
 day had dawned, I took my way. I purchased in the bazar the 
 choicest pieces of cloth for apparel, and lace, and fringe, as 
 also fruit fresh and dried, and presented myself before the old 
 man. He was much pleased, and said, " There is nothing 
 dearer than life to any one, but if my life could be of service 
 to thee, I would not withhold it, and I would instantly deliver 
 over my daughter to thee ; but the fear arises lest thy life 
 should be put in peril, and the stain of this reproach rest on 
 me till the resurrection." I said, " I am now without friends 
 in this town, and you are my father both in a spiritual and a 
 worldly sense. What distresses and afflictions have I not 
 endured, and what blows have I not for a length of time 
 undergone in coming thus far ? and [at length] I have found 
 traces of the object I have been in search of. God has also 
 made you kind, that you consent to the marriage, but hesitate 
 on my account. Be just a little and reflect, that no creed 
 admits of rescuing the head from the sword of love, and screen- 
 ing one's life. Come what may, I have altogether given selfish, 
 considerations to the winds. I look upon the union with my 
 mistress as life, and have no care whether I live or die ; nay, 
 if I become hopeless, I shall die without the intervention of 
 destiny, and in the resurrection shall rise up against you " [Ht. 
 " shall seize your skirt "]. 
 
 In short, nearly a month had passed in these disputations, 
 refusals, and acquiescences, and hope, and fear. Every day I 
 hastened to wait on that venerable man, and continued to 
 employ flatteries and entreaties.™* It happened that the old 
 
 '"'' A^T .J inr cimad, Tfhich signifies "egress," makes no sense here, and has 
 doubtless been employed only for the jingle with S^'li^yi- WushSmad. 
 
240 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 man fell sick. I attended him on his sick bed, and always took 
 his urine to the doctor [for inspection]. I prepared whatever 
 remedies were ordered according to the exact prescription, and 
 gave them to him to drink, and with my own hands I dressed 
 rice and pulse, and other aliment, and gave him a smaU part of 
 it to eat. One day, being soothed [by my attention], he said, 
 " Young man ! thou art very obstinate, although I have told 
 thee all the evils, and recommended thee to desist from this 
 purpose ; ™^ still, v^here the inclinations are, that is the whole 
 world, and thou nevertheless desirest to cast thyself, nolens 
 miens, into a well. Well ! I will mention thee this day to my 
 daughter, and see what she says." fakirs of God ! when I 
 heard this good news, I was so elated that my clothes could not 
 contain me. I thanked him respectfully, and said, " Now you 
 have taken thought for my life." I then took leave and went 
 to my lodgings, and discoursed on this subject the whole night 
 with Mubarak. Where was sleep, and where was hunger ? In 
 the morning, as soon as it was light, I returned and presented 
 myself, and made my salutation. He said, " There ! I give 
 you my daughter. Grod grant that it may be fortunate. I 
 commit both of you to the protection and safe-keeping of God. 
 As long as I have breath, stay under my eye. AVhen my eyes 
 close, do as you think proper. You are at liberty to choose." 
 
 After some days the venerable old man resigned his spirit to 
 his Maker. We wept and lamented him, and performed the 
 duties of shrouding and interring him. After the rites of the 
 third day™^ from the interment, Mubarak put that beautiful 
 girl into a sedan, and brought her to the inn, and said to me, 
 " She is a charge entrusted to you for Malik Sadik. Take care ; 
 act not perfidiously, and do not throw to the winds all this 
 toil and trouble." I said, " Gossip ! ™' where is Malik Sadik 
 
 ■""> There should not be a full stop at I jb ban a, for ^^i J to bht must be 
 understood before ^p^ ji, as the relative to Ai*- .A har" ehand ; or y ^ar may 
 be the relative to J>il>-yJS har chaiid, in which case the same remark applies. 
 
 "18 The rites referred to in this expression aj-e also spoken of at page 140, line 31 
 q.v. Also see the note on the same passage, note 436. 
 
 «" "We have no equivalent term for oli kaka, -which is a friendly appellation for 
 an elder brother, or the servant of one's father. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 241 
 
 here ? my heart listens not, why should I wait ? Come what 
 may,™* whether I live or die, I will now enjoy the bliss." 
 Mubarak was vexed and threatened me, saying, " No boyish 
 tricks ! now in an instant some terrible catastrophe ''"^ will 
 occur. Do you think Malik Sadik at a distance, that you 
 disobey his commands ? At the time of our departure, he 
 explained the whole matter, pointing out the ups and downs 
 from the very first. If you persevere according to his direc- 
 tions, and conduct her there in perfect safety, then he too being 
 a king will perhaps have regard to your labour, and bestow 
 her upon you, then what a happy thing it will be ; let but 
 your friendship continue, and you will experience the sweets 
 of it." ™ 
 
 At length, confounded by his threats and reproofs, I remained 
 silent. We purchased two dromedaries, and, mounted on camel- 
 saddles, took the way to the country of Malik Sadik. As we 
 were going on in a plain, the sound of clamorous outcries began 
 to reach us. Mubarak said, " Thanks to God ! our labour has 
 been successful; this is the army of the genii which has arrived." 
 At length Mubarak, having joined their companj', inquired, 
 " Whither do you purpose going ? " They said, " The King 
 has detached us to come to meet you. Now we attend your 
 orders. If you say the word, we will in a moment transport 
 you to his presence." Mubarak said, " Lo ! from what hard- 
 ships has God brought us successful \_lit. "with red faces"] 
 into the presence of the King ! Now what need is there of 
 haste ? If (which God forbid) any interruption should super- 
 vene, our labour would be uselessly thrown away, and we 
 should fall under the anger of the King." All said, " Of this 
 the disposal is with you ; proceed in whatever manner you 
 
 708 This is the Urdu translation of the Persian proverb which occurs in the page 
 before, <jlj Wb .5»-,-Si harchih bada bad. 
 
 ™9 This is freely translated. Literally it is, " of something something will take 
 
 place." 
 
 '10 A proverb. Forbes, in his vocabulary, has omitted the gender of L::.-^-J p'lt, 
 which, according to Shakespear, is feminine. 
 
 16 
 
242 BAGH O BAHAE. 
 
 please." Although we had every sort of comfort, still we 
 occupied ourselves night and day with travelling. 
 
 When we drew near, I, seeing Mubarak asleep, placed my 
 head on the feet of that beautiful girl, and began to tell her, 
 with words of tender entreaty, of the inquietude of my heart, 
 and of my helplessness on account of Malik Sadik, saying, 
 " From the day that I beheld your picture I have banished 
 from me sleep and food and rest. And now that God has 
 shewn this day to me, I have still remained an utter stranger." 
 She said, " My heart too is inclined to you, for what troubles 
 have you not undergone for my sake, and by what labours have 
 you brought me hither ! Keep God in mind, and do not forget 
 me. Only wait and see what will be disclosed from the curtain 
 of the future." With these words she wept so bitterly that 
 she was choked by her sobs. Here was my state and there 
 her distress. Meanwhile Mubarak's slumber was broken, and 
 seeing the affliction of us two lovers, he began to weep, and 
 said, " Be of good cheer ! I have an ointment by me, which I 
 will rub on the body of that delicate lady, and Malik Sadik's 
 heart will revolt at its smell, and it is probable he will give 
 her to you." 
 
 When I heard this counsel from Mubarak, my heart was 
 encouraged. I clung to his neck, caressed him, and said, " 
 papa ! thou art more than a father to me ! Thou hast saved 
 my life already, and now too act in such a manner that my life 
 may be preserved, otherwise I shall perish from this grief." He 
 gave me a vast deal of encouragement. ■'''^' When the day dawned, 
 the voices of the genii began to reach us. I saw then that some 
 attendants of Malik Sadik had arrived, and had brought two 
 sumptuous dresses for me, and with them was a sedan covered 
 with a network of pearls. Mubarak rubbed that oil over the 
 lady, and having dressed and adorned her, took her to Malik 
 Sadik. When the King saw her, he bestowed much honour on 
 me, and seated me with respect, and said, " I will treat thee in 
 such a manner that no one has to this day ever treated any one 
 
 ■"' There ought to he a full stop at t_s-J ^JmJ (asa/li di. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 243 
 
 SO well. The empire of thy father is truly ready for thee, but 
 besides thou art now in the place of my son." He was still in 
 the midst of these courteous expressions, when meanwhile the 
 lady too entered his presence. At the smell of that ointment, 
 his brain was gradually overcome, and his state of mind per- 
 turbed. He could not endure the pungency of the odour, but 
 rose and went out and called us both, and turning to Mubarak, 
 said, " How now, sir ! you have performed your agreement 
 well!''^^ I warned you that if you deceived me you would 
 incur my displeasure. What means this smell ? Now see 
 what I'll do to you ! " He was mightily incensed. Mubarak 
 through fear undid the string which tied his trousers, and 
 shewed [his state of castration], saying, " Health to the King! 
 When by command of Your Majesty we were appointed to this 
 business, your slave at the very first cut off his mark of virilitj', 
 and having shut it up in a casket, entrusted it sealed up to Your 
 Majesty's treasurer, and after applying the ointment of Sulai- 
 man, set out." When he heard this answer from Mubarak, he 
 directed his looks to me, and frowning, said, " Then this is thy 
 doing ! " and getting angry he began to pour out a torrent of 
 invectives.'"^ At that time I understood from the language he 
 used that he would probably cause me to be slain outright. 
 When I discovered this from his countenance, I washed my 
 hands of my life, and feeling that there was no hope of sur- 
 viving,'''* I drew the concealed ''^^ poniard from Mubarak's belt, 
 and stuck it into Malik Sadik's belly .''^^ The instant the knife 
 entered, he stooped down and swayed about. I was amazed, 
 and felt sure he was dead. Then I thought that the wound 
 
 '■* The paragraph ought not to end at ^3 l^sT. bajri Be, hut at |^y» \jjS karia 
 hun, two lines further on. 
 
 ''3 This is a free translation. The literal one is, "he began to talk idly with his 
 mouth evil and good." 
 
 "* This is freely translated. Literally it is, " having lost my life." 
 
 "5 The dictionaries are silent as to the word i — jii^ sar-i ghilnf, which 
 signifies a dagger concealed by its sheath. 
 
 ™ SjJ tond is a vulgar word for belly, and signifies "paunch," "pot-belly." 
 The common words are *n-j sMJcam and i-ii^r:'^ PH- 
 
244 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 was not so very deadly ; what could he the reason of it ? I was 
 standing looking on, when he, after rolling and wallowing on 
 the ground, assumed the form of a ball and flew up towards the 
 sky.'i^ He rose so high that at last he disappeared from sight, 
 and then, after a moment, flashing like lightning and venting 
 some meaningless words in his wrath, he descended and gave 
 me such a kick that I swooned and fell flat on my back, and my 
 life succumbed within me. After, God knows how long, I re- 
 covered my senses, and on opening my eyes and looking about 
 me, I found myself lying in such a jungle that there was 
 nothing visible but acacias and the capparis aphylla, and the 
 wild ber-tree. At that time my reason was of no assistance 
 to me as to what I should do or whither I should go. I heaved 
 a sigh of despair, and took my way in one direction. If I saw 
 any human beings anywhere, I asked after Malik Sadik, and 
 they, thinking me mad, replied that they had not even heard 
 his name. 
 
 One day I too ascended a mountain, and determined to throw 
 myself down and destroy myself. When I was on the point 
 of falling, that same veiled horseman, possessor of the sword 
 Zu-1-fakar,'''* arrived, and said, " Why dost thou throw away 
 thy life ? Every sort of aflliction happens to man. Thy evil 
 days are now past and thy good ones at hand ; go quickly to 
 Rum. Three persons like yourself have preceded you ; join 
 their company and obtain a meeting with the Sultan of that 
 countr}^ You will all four obtain your wishes in one and the 
 same place." This is the story of me the fakir, which I have 
 narrated. At length, according to the good tidings of my lord, 
 the resolver of difiioulties,'''^^ I have arrived in your presence, 
 spiritual guides ! and have also obtained the honour of waiting 
 
 "'■' Forbes has a misprint here, l/»«i| asiiiator i^\a^ 
 
 asman. 
 
 "8 jliiilljj Zu-l-fahar (literally, "possessor of the joints of the back"), was a 
 sworil belonging to Muhammad, and bequeathed by him to All. It had its name 
 either from cleaviug the vertebrtc of infidels, or from its wavy appearance like 
 vt'rtcbriu. 
 
 "'■> \JlS i_\>JL,* mushkil iMs/ia, " resolver of difficulties," is an epithet appro- 
 priated to All. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 245 
 
 on the King, the shadow of God. All must now receive their 
 consolation. 
 
 This conversation was still going on between the four dar- 
 weshes and Azad-Bakht, when, in the midst of it, an eunuch 
 came running from the royal seraglio, and performed his 
 obeisance in token of congratulation in presence of the King, 
 and represented as follows, " At this time a prince has been 
 born, before whose beauty the sun and moon are ashamed." 
 The King was astonished, and asked, " In whose pregnancy^-'' 
 has this sun appeared ? for to outward appearance indeed no 
 one was pregnant." He respectfully stated, " The female slave 
 Mah-ru, who has been for many days under the royal dis- 
 pleasure, and, like the friendless, was keeping in a corner, 
 and near whom none went from fear, nor inquired how she 
 fared: to her this divine grace has been extended, that a moon- 
 like son has been born from her womb." 
 
 The King was so overjoyed that it seemed probable he would 
 die of delight. The four fakirs also uttered benedictions, saying, 
 " Well, son ! may thy house continue populous, and may his 
 step be fortunate ! May he grow up to manhood and old age 
 under thy shadow ! " The King said, " This blessing is due 
 to your presence, for otherwise this event was not even surmised 
 by me. If you will permit me, I will go and see." The dar- 
 weshes replied, " In the name of God, go by all means." The 
 King proceeded to the seraglio, took the Prince into his lap, 
 and returned thanks to the Divine Majesty. His mind was 
 tranquillized. He immediately clasped [the child] in his arms, 
 and brought and laid it at the feet of the fakirs. The darweshes 
 recited blessings, and by their exorcisms forbade evil spirits to 
 approach it. The King made preparations for a feast. Ee- 
 doubled music began to sound. [The King] opened the door 
 of the treasury, and by his profuse liberality, made him who 
 
 720 Here is another of those equivoques in which Orientals delight. J.*^- ^y 
 burj-i haml is " the constellation of pregnancy ; " J^*»- _.^ b«rj-i hamal, " con- 
 stellation of the sign Aries." 
 
246 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 was in want of a kauri the master of a lakhJ^^ To all the 
 pillars of the State grants were issued, doubling the grants of 
 land and the dignities they possessed. The army received a 
 gratuity of five years' pay. On the elders and holy men grants 
 of subsistence and deeds of gift were bestowed. The porringers 
 of the indigent, and the cups of the mendicants were filled with 
 a mixture ''■^^ of gold and silver coins, and the revenue for three 
 vears was remitted to the peasantry, so that whatever they 
 should sow or plant, they should store both shares (their own 
 and that of the government) in their houses. 
 
 Throughout the whole city, in the houses of soldiers and 
 civilians, wherever you looked, was merry-making and the 
 dance. Every one, low or high, was sitting like a temporary 
 king for joy, when, all of a sudden, in the midst of the festivity, 
 arose from the interior of the palace the sound of weeping and 
 beating the breast. Female slaves and Turkish women and 
 armed female attendants and eunuchs, came forth casting dirt 
 on their heads, and said to the King, " Just when, after washing 
 and bathing the Prince, they had put him in the nurse's lap, a 
 piece of cloud came and enveloped the nurse. When, after 
 a moment, we looked, the nurse was fallen down insensible, and 
 the Prince had vanished. We know not what calamity has 
 happened." When the King heard these marvels, he was 
 greatly amazed, and lamentation arose throughout the whole 
 country. For two days not a pot was put on the fire in any 
 one's house ; they were grieving for the Prince, and drinking 
 their own blood. 
 
 In short, they were weary ''^^ of their life, living as they did. 
 When the third day came, the same cloud returned and brought 
 a cradle set with jewels, and overlaid with a network of pearls. 
 It deposited the cradle in the palace, and vanished. The people 
 
 '^' A ^ lakh is " a hundred thousand," and if no noun be expressed, we may 
 add "rupees." 
 
 '"^ i^j^ khiohfi is a dish made of pulse and rice boiled together, and heuce 
 comes to signify any mixture. 
 
 '23 jl>.^ lachar, literally "helpless,' an ill-selected word and quite uusuited to 
 this passage. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 247 
 
 found the Prince in it, sucking Lis thumb. The Queen quickly, 
 taking his calamities upon herself, lifted him in her hands, and 
 clasped him to her breast. She saw then that he had on the 
 upper part of his body a vest made of the finest muslin \_lit. " of 
 flowing water"], with a fringe of pearls sewed on it, and over 
 that he wore a bib of brocade, and on his hands and feet were 
 bracelets covered with jewels, and on his neck was a necklace of 
 nine gems, and a rattle, and a coral to suck, and a clapper made 
 of jewels were laid there. All, through joy, began to go round 
 the infant in token of their devoting themselves for it, and to 
 utter benedictions, saying, "May thy mother find a solace''^* in 
 her child ! and mayest thou live to extreme "^^ old age ! " 
 
 The King caused a new and spacious palace to be erected, and 
 having caused carpets to be spread in it, placed the darweshes 
 there. When he was at leisure from the affairs of government, 
 he then came and sate with them, and shewed them every care 
 and attention. But on the Thursday preceding the new moon 
 of each month, the same cloudy fragment came and took away 
 the Prince. After two days it brought back the Prince, and 
 curiosities, and playthings, and presents from every country, 
 and of every kind, such that at the sight of them human reason 
 was amazed. In this same manner the Prince passed happily 
 into his seventh year. Exactly on his birthday, [his father] 
 the King Azad-bakht said to the fakirs, " Men of God ! no one 
 knows who carries off the Prince and restores him again. It is 
 a great marvel. Let us see what the end of it will be." The 
 darweshes said, " Do this one thing. Write a friendly note to 
 this effect, and put it in the Prince's cradle, ' Seeing your kind- 
 ness and amity, my heart too has become desirous of meeting 
 you. If, in a friendly manner, you will acquaint me with your 
 circumstances, my mind will be eased, and perplexity will be 
 entirely banished.' " The King, in accordance with the advice 
 
 '-•' This is freely translated. Literally it is, " may thy mother's stomach remain 
 cool." _ 
 
 "5 Forbes, ia his Tocabulary, has omitted the expression lJ^J■| <^J*> burha arhS, 
 which Shakespear renders " old man," " eldest man." It is to be regretted that 
 these pure Hindi expressions are left without etymology or explanation, for Uj 1 
 arlici requires both. 
 
248 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 of the darwestes, wrote a letter to that effect on paper sprinkled 
 with gold, and placed it in the golden cradle. 
 
 The Prince, in accordance with_ his former custom, dis- 
 appeared. When it was evening, Azad-bakht came and sate 
 down on the hedding of the darweshes, and began a conversa- 
 tion. A paper folded up came and fell near the King, who 
 opened and read it, and found it to be the answer to his own 
 note. There were but two lines written in it, and they were as 
 follows : — " Consider me too as anxious to see you. A throne 
 goes to convey you. If you come at the present time, it will be 
 most excellent. Let us meet together, for all things necessary 
 for enjoyment and mirth are ready. Your Highness's place 
 alone is vacant." The King Azad-bakht, taking with him the 
 darweshes, seated himself on the throne, which, like the throne 
 of the prophet Sulaiman, moved through the air. Proceeding 
 on, they arrived at a place where they saw a lofty edifice, and 
 preparations [for a banquet], but they knew not whether any 
 one was there or not. Meanwhile some one passed a needle 
 smeared with the collyrium of Sulaiman through the eyes of all 
 five. Two drops of tears fell from the eyes of each, and they 
 beheld the court of the fairies, who were standing holding 
 vases for sprinkling them with rose-water, as a mark of 
 courtesy in receiving them, and who wore dresses of every hue. 
 
 Azad-bakht went forward and thousands of the children of 
 the fairies stood facing either way, and in the centre was placed 
 a throne of emerald, on which Malik Shahbal, the son of Shah- 
 rukh, was seated in great pomp, supported by pillows, and a 
 fairy-born girl sate before him, who continued playing with the 
 Prince Bakhtiyar, and on either hand seats of various kinds 
 were spread, on which the nobles of the fairies sate. As soon 
 as Malik Shahbal saw the King, he rose quite up, and descend- 
 ing from his throne, embraced him, and taking him by the 
 hand brought him and made him sit beside him on the throne, 
 and a very friendly and affectionate conversation ensued. The 
 whole day laughter, and mirth, and feasting, and fruits, and an 
 entertainment of perfumes went on, and the music and the 
 dancing were listened to. The next day, when the two kings 
 met again, Shahbal inquired of the King as to the circum- 
 stances of his bringing the darweshes with him. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 249 
 
 The King narrated in detail the histories of the four mendi- 
 cants as he had heard them, and spoke in favour of them, and 
 besought assistance, saying, " They have undergone such great 
 toil and affliction, if now by the favour of Your Highness they 
 could each of them attain their wishes, it would be a most 
 meritorious action, and this friend, too, will all his life be 
 thankful. By Tour Majesty's favourable regard all their rafts '^'^'^ 
 will cross the stream." When Malik Shahbal heard this, he 
 said, " With my head and eyes ! I will not fail to meet your 
 request." With these words he cast a wrathful glance towards 
 the devs and fairies, and wrote letters to the chief genii who 
 presided over various places, to the effect that, on seeing the 
 order, they were instantly to transport themselves into the 
 illustrious presence of royalty, and that whoever delayed to 
 come should receive punishment, and should come as a prisoner, 
 and that whoever had a descendant of Adam, whether man or 
 woman, should bring him with him. Further, that whoever 
 kept such person concealed, and it should afterwards be dis- 
 covered, his wife and children should be crushed to death in an 
 oil-press, and neither his name nor trace should be left. 
 
 With this mandate devs were despatched in all directions, 
 while an intimacy arose between the two kings, and words of 
 friendship were exchanged. Meanwhile, Shahbal, addressing 
 the darweshes, said, " I myself entertained a strong desire for a 
 child, and had made this covenant in my heart, that if God 
 gave me a son or a daughter,^^ I would give her in marriage 
 to the family of a human king, wherever a son was born." 
 After making this vow I learned that the Queen was pregnant. 
 At length, as they reckoned the hours and months, the days 
 were fulfilled, and my present daughter was born, and in ac- 
 cordance with my covenant I ordered the genii to search, saying 
 to them, to make diligent inquiry through the four quarters of 
 the world, and in whatever emperor or king's house a son was 
 born, they should quickly, but with extreme care, take him up 
 
 '28 A favourite metaphor with Orientals, too plain to require explanation. 
 '" A faulty sentence. It should be, " would gire him or her in marriage when- 
 ever a son or a daughter was bom to a human king." 
 
250 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 and bring him. In accordance with the command the fairies 
 dispersed in all directions, and after a long time brought the 
 Prince to me. I returned thanks to Grod, and took him upon 
 my lap, and an affection for him stronger than even that for 
 my own daughter sprang up in my heart. I was unwilling to 
 part with him a moment from my sight, but was sending him 
 back because, should not his parents see him, what a condition 
 theirs would be. I therefore sent for the child once a month, 
 and after keeping him a few days, sent him back. If it please 
 God Most High, now that we have met, I wiU celebrate his 
 marriage. Death, as well as life, is fated to all. Well ! while 
 yet living I will see his marriage chaplet." 
 
 When King Azad-bakht had heard the words of Malik 
 Shahbal, and had observed his good qualities, he was much 
 pleased, and said, " At first many marvellous perils occurred 
 to my mind from the disappearance and return of the Piince, 
 but I now feel consoled by what Your Highness has said. This 
 boy is now yours ; do as seems good to you." In short, the 
 two kings associated with one another, and took pleasure 
 together like sugar and milk. In the space of ten or five 
 days the great Kings of the rose-garden of Iram''^ and of 
 the mountains and the islands (in quest of whom people had 
 been despatched), all came and were present at court. The 
 King first ordered Malik Sadik to produce any child of Adam 
 he had by him. He, with much grief and annoyance, yet 
 feeling that he had no alternative, produced that rose-cheeked 
 lady. Then from the King of the country of ITman ''^ he de- 
 manded the fairy princess (for whose sake the Prince of the 
 country of Nimroz, riding on the bull, became mad). He too, 
 after many shifts and evasions, produced her. When the King 
 asked for the daughter of the King of Europe and Bihzad 
 
 '^* Celebrated gardens fabled to hare been anciently made in Arabia Felix by one 
 of the giant kings, Sbaddud bin Aad or Iram bin Omad. They are described as a 
 perfect model of the voluptuous Paradise \Yhich is promised after death to the 
 Muhammadans. 
 
 "9 The southern coast of Arabia extending from Maskat to Adn, i.e. from the 
 onti'ance into the Persian Gulf to the straits of Babelmandel. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOURTH DARWESH. 251 
 
 Khan, all positively denied having them, and were ready to 
 take the oath of the prophet Sulaiman. 
 
 At last, when the turn of the King of the Red Sea to he 
 interrogated came, he held down his head and remained silent. 
 Malik Shahhal encouraged him and adjured him, and gave 
 him hopes of promotion, and also urged him with threats and 
 menaces. Then he also joined his hands and made his state- 
 ment, saying, " Hail to the King ! the truth is this, that when 
 the King came to the river to meet his son, and the Prince, 
 from impatience, urged his horse into the water, it happened 
 that I had that day come forth for amusement and the chase. 
 I passed by that spot, and stopping my cortege, surveyed the 
 sight. Meanwhile the Princess too was taken by the mare into 
 the stream. When my eyes fell upon her, I lost the control 
 of my heart, and commanded mj^ fairies to bring the Princess 
 with her steed. After her, Bihzad Khan urged in his horse, 
 and when he also began to sink, I was pleased with his courage 
 and intrepidity. I caused him also to be quickly seized, and 
 taking the two with me, I turned back my cortege ; so these 
 two are in perfect health and safety with me." 
 
 Having stated these circumstances, he called both into his 
 presence, and the King made great search for the daughter of 
 the Sultan of Syria, and inquired strictly and sternly of all, but 
 no one admitted having her, or knowing anything about her. 
 Then Malik Shahbal inquired if any king or chief was still 
 absent, or if all had come. The genii made representation as 
 follows, " Asylum of the world ! AH have come into the 
 presence but one, Musalsal Jadu, who by magic art has built 
 in the recesses of Mount Caucasus, a fort. He, from pride, has 
 not come, and we, your slaves, have not the power to bring him 
 by force. The place is very strong, and he himself is a great 
 
 devil." 
 
 When Malik Shahbal heard this, he was wroth, and despatched 
 a host of genii and ifrits,™ and fairies, and enjoined them, say- 
 
 '» Forbes in his vocabulary haa given this word as L:l^jAC afrit, hut Eichard- 
 son and Shakespear in their Dictionaries make it ^j:^jSiJ^ ifrtt. 
 
262 
 
 BAGH O BAHAR. 
 
 ing, " If he present himself by fair means, and bring that 
 Princess with him, then it is well ! otherwise overthrow him 
 and bring him with his hands tied behind his back, and after 
 desolating his fortress and his country, cause it to be ploughed 
 up with ploughs drawn by asses." The instant the order was 
 issued, such an army set forth that in the space of half a day 
 they humbled [Jit. " put a ring in his ear "], and seized the 
 rebel, frantic and furious as he was, and placed him standing 
 in the royal presence, with his hands bound. Though Malik 
 Shahbal rebuked him sternly, and interrogated him, that 
 haughty one gave no answer but denial [lit. " gave no ' yes ' 
 except 'no'"]. At length the King, becoming incensed, com- 
 manded them to sever that reprobate limb from limb, and 
 having stripped off his skin, to fill it with chaff; and he then 
 despatched an army of fairies to go to the mountain Kaf,''^' 
 and there search for and find [the lady]. That army so 
 deputed searched for and brought the Princess, and conveyed 
 her into the royal presence. All those captives and the four 
 fakirs, beholding the justice of Malik Shahbal's commandments, 
 offered benedictions and rejoiced, and King Azad-bakht also 
 was greatly delighted. Then Malik Shahbal said, " Cause the 
 men to enter my private hall of audience, and the women to go 
 into the royal seraglio, and give orders in the city for a public 
 rejoicing by fastening up mirrors, and let the preparations for 
 marriage be made quickly ; so that the order may be as it were 
 anticipated." 
 
 One day, having selected a fortunate moment and an auspicious 
 period, he tied the marriage-knot between the Prince Balihtiyiir 
 and his own daughter Roshan Akhtar ; '''^ and he united the son 
 of the merchant of Taman'''^ to the daughter of the King of 
 Damascus ; and wedded the Prince of Pars ''^^ to the Princess 
 
 "' A fabulous mountain supposed to surround the world and bound the horizon. 
 It rests on the stone Sakhrat, a solid emerald, which imparts the azui-e coloui- to the 
 sky. It is also the name of Caucasus, to which the Orientals assign these fabulous 
 attributes. 
 
 '*^ Vide note 681. This was the name of Aurangzlb's sister. BakhtiyOr si>Tuifies 
 " fortimate." 
 
 "3 The first darwesh. "i fhe second darwesh. 
 
TRAVELS OF THE FOUETH DAKWESH. 253 
 
 of Basra ; and gave the hand of the Prince of Ajam''^^ to the 
 Princess of Europe ; and joined the daughter of the King of 
 Nimroz in wedlock with Bihzad Khan ; and consigned the 
 Princess of the genii to the Prince of Nimroz ; and celebrated 
 the nuptials of the Prince of China ''^^ with the old Persian's 
 daughter who had been in the possession of Malik Sadik. Each 
 despairing lover by means of Malik Shahbal attained his object 
 and his wish. After that he commanded a feast for forty days, 
 and they engaged, night and day, in mirth and festivity. 
 
 At length Malik Shahbal, having bestowed rarities and pre- 
 sents and wealth on each prince, dismissed them each to his 
 own country. All set off with joy and contentment, and arrived 
 safely and well, and began to govern their kingdoms. But 
 Bihzad Kh an and the merchant's son of Yaman alone chose 
 to remain with King Azad-bakht. At length the latter ap- 
 pointed the merchant's son of Yaman to be the comptroller of 
 his household, and Bihzad Khan to be the general of the army 
 of the Prince, the lord of auspicious fortune, that is to say, 
 Bakhtiyar. As long as they lived they enjoyed happiness. 
 
 God I in the same manner as these four darweshes and the 
 fifth, Azad-bakht, attained their wishes, in the same manner, 
 according to Thy grace and favour, fulfil the heart's wish of 
 every despairing one ! [I ask this] for the sake of the five 
 Holy Persons,'''^^ the twelve Imams,'''^ and the fourteen Inno- 
 cents ; ''^^ may the blessing and the peace of God rest upon 
 them ! Amen, God of all worlds ! ™ 
 
 '35 The third darwesh. "'' The fourth darwesh. 
 
 '" These are: 1. The Prophet Muhammad. 2. His daughter Fatimah. 3. His 
 son-in-law All. 4 and 5. His grand-children, the sons of AH and Fatimah, tIz. 
 Hasan and Ilusain. '^ Vide note 8. 
 
 '39 The fourteen Innocents are the children of Hasan and Husain, 
 
 '*" It is only fair to that learned Orientalist, Professor Forbes, to say that many 
 of the words which I have noticed as omitted in his Tocabulary to the BSgh o Bahar, 
 have been supplied in his third edition. For the sake of those who hare only the 
 first two editions I have, however, retained the notes which advert to these omissions. 
 
254 BAGH BAHAR. 
 
 CONCLUSION OF THE BOOK. 
 
 When by the divine favour this book reached its termination, 
 it occurred to my mind that I would give it such a name also 
 that the date would be found therein. When I made the cal- 
 culation, I found that I began to write at the close of the year 
 twelve hundred and iifteen of the Hijrah, and by reason of my 
 scanty leisure, it was not finished''*' till the beginning of the 
 year twelve hundred and seventeen. I was meditating thus 
 when my heart suggested,''*^ " ' Bagh o Bahar ' is a good 
 name, since both the name and the date are combined in 
 this ; " whereupon I gave it this very name. Whoever reads 
 this will, as it were, perambulate a garden, nay, a garden is 
 subject to the vicissitudes of autumn, from which this is free. 
 This will bloom perpetually. 
 
 When first " the Garden and the Spring " saw light, 
 
 Twelve hundred ten and seven years 
 Were numbered from the holy Prophet's flight. 
 
 Here in its name its date appears, 
 Tht'Q ever wander through it, day and night ; 
 
 For this no wintry autumn fears, 
 But ever blooms a garden of delight. 
 
 With my heart's blood I did it imgate, 
 
 Its leaves, its fruit, my vitals are. 
 All will forget me when relentless fate 
 
 Quenches in death life's fading star, 
 But this memorial nought shall dissipate, 
 
 1^0 chilling blasts its beauty mar, 
 To all who read, it shall my name relate. 
 
 '■" Forbes in his Tocabulary has omitted tlie word i ^y« murnttai," arrano-ei, 
 
 regulated, prepared." 
 
 '■" For an explanation of the chronologioal name, ride Preface, p. xi, and for the 
 numerical power of the letters generally, vide the Translator's " Grammar," p. 36. 
 
CONCLUSION or THE BOOK. 255 
 
 Eeader ! be this one word in memory borne : 
 
 If somewhere, too, a fault you see, 
 Think how 'mid flow'rets ever lurks the thorn. 
 
 And man will err, though wise he be : 
 It fits not clay its fellow-clay to scorn, 
 
 For faults make up humanity, 
 Nought else is man, of false pretensions shorn. 
 
 Hear now, God ! my last, my single prayer, 
 
 'Tis all I wish for and implore ; 
 Keep me each moment in Thy heavenly care ; 
 
 Thus may I pass life's changeful store 
 Of day and night, and not for me prepare 
 
 The grave-night's dread tribunal, nor 
 Be wroth ; but at the last thy suppliant spare ! 
 So in each world be added grace to grace, 
 For sake of him who sealed the Prophet race. 
 
THE PETITION OF MIR AMMAN, OF DIHLI, 
 
 ■WHICH WAS PJKESENIBD 10 THE GENTLEMEN" MANAGEES [oP THE COLLEGE 
 
 OE POET "William]. 
 
 May God keep in safety the gentlemen of illustrious rank 
 who rightly appreciate the worthy ! 
 
 This exile, having heard the command issued by public pro- 
 clamation,* has, with a thousand toils and troubles, turned the 
 Story of the Four Darweshes into the "Bagh o Bahar," in 
 the language of the. High Urdu.* By the grace of God, and 
 by reason of its being traversed. by all gentlemen, it has become 
 verdant." I am now in hopes that I too shall obtain the fruit 
 of it, so that the bud of my heart shall blossom like the rose, 
 for according to the word of the sage FirdausI,* which he has 
 written in the " Shah-namah," 
 
 Mighty toil IVo borne for years thirty, 
 I have revived Persia by this Parsl. 
 And thus adorning the Urdu tongue, 
 I have made Bengal and Hindiistan one. 
 
 My lords are themselves able to judge of merit, — there is no 
 need of representation. God ! may the star of their good- 
 fortune remain shining ! 
 
 » When the Marquess Wellesley founded the CoUege of Fort TVilliam, he issued 
 a proclamation announcing rewards and encoui'agement for ti-anslations from the 
 Persian, Arabic, and other languages into the vernaciilar dialects of India. 
 
 '' At page 6 of Mir Amman's preface "we hare the explanation of the term Urdu 
 "which might be termed \x^ mitatla, "lofty,'' as being the imperial camp. 
 
 ° An allusion to the chronological title of the book, " Bagh o Bahar," or " Garden 
 and Spring." 
 
 ^ FirdausI, the Persian Homer, lived in the reign of Sulfan Mabmud of Ghazni, 
 in the eleventh ceutui-y alter Christ. 
 
 STEl'UEN AUSTIN AND SONS, PUINTKRS, UEBTFOBD. 
 
Cornell University Library 
 PK 2095.B14 1877 
 
 The Bagh p bahar, or The garden and 
 
 3 1924 023 109 428