Oh thou whose lip distils sugar* at the opening of each smile!
Thy ruby lip when thou smilest, rebukes the soul.
In every movement thy curling locks ravish the heart
In every smile thy ruby lip scatters the life blood.
The trade of thy hyacinthine ringlets is to scatter perfume,
The habit of thy delicate lips is to smile sweetly.
Till thou seest not the cheek of gold thou smilest not,
Every flower smiles from the enjoyment of the gold.
When thou smilest a whole world smiles looking towards thee
For no one before this has seen the sun and moon to smile (at one time.)
I have a great sorrow and lamentation, and endless grief and pain,
I have in separation from thee all of these, but no smile.
What could mankind have learned of the shape of thy mouth
Had'st thou not given them from thine own mouth the news of a smile.
Because of thy cruelty I do not smile, for at the time of mourning
The wise and excellent do not approve of smiling.
All my disorder is due to grief on thy account,
Why then do you smile at me disordered as I am?
It may be that from the crown and canopy of kings thy locks and cheek have learned to smile both morning and evening.
27. King of the East Malik Sháh who in his feasting is careful always to smile from joy and pride.
Conqueror of infidelity, Niámu-ud-Dín, whose friends are always engaged in enjoyment, and only vary it by smiling.
If the seed could receive the good tidings of his approbation, even from the loins of his father would one begin to smile.
A father to whom a son is essential to do him service, smiles from the pleasure he experiences at the success of his son.
It is not strange that from the excess of his joy, the cloud of weeping which shrouded his moist eyes gives place to smil­ing.
Oh ye obedient ones, since the beauty of the rose is added to your own charms, ye are smiling in this garden* of two doors.
Thy charms have power to add sweetness to sugar
Thy words have power to add brilliance to the jewel.
Thy shaft when fitted to the bow has established the custom
In the array of battle to smile at the helmet and shield.
Following after victory when thy sword is furious
There comes to it from the sorceries of heaven, a smile.
Doubtless the enemy of thy grandeur, smiles sweetly
If scattering his heart's blood (in envy) be to smile.

In order that the saffron* may fulfil the promise of its properties, namely to bring smiles to the lips of all conditions of men; may the lips of thy enemies be saffron, that their lips may always from fear of thee smile from his want of success.

28. Then Amír Mas‘úd marched from Herát to Níshápur and thence to Tús* and a body of Turkománs giving him battle met their death, the people of Báward gave up that town to the Turkománs and the Sulán having overcome that fortress and having put them all to death spent the winter at Níshápur.*

Then in the year 430 H. having set out to attack Tughral* the Turkomán who had raised a rebellion in Báward, when Tughral took to flight Amír Mas‘úd turned back and came to Sarakhs* by way of Mahnah* and gave orders to rase the fortress of Mahnah. Then he put to death some of the inhabitants of Mahnah, and cut off the hands and feet of many more and thence went in the direction of Zírqán* in which place the Turkománs brought together a large army and fought a severe battle with the Sulán. In this battle the majority of the generals of the army of Ghaznín mutinied and went over to the enemy. The Sulán remaining all alone on the field, felled several of the Turkomán leaders with sword, spear and mace, and eventually came out of that engage­ment safely. This event took place on the 8th of Ramaẓán, 431 H. (1039 A. D.). From thence Amír Mas‘úd came to Merv, and several of the soldiery from the neighbouring country having come in at last sided with him. He went to Ghaznín by way of Ghaur,* and having fined these chiefs who had not fought and had fled, sent some of them, as for instance ‘Alí Dáya and Ḥájib­i-Buzurg, * and Beg Tughdí to Hindustán and imprisoned* them in fortresses. All of them died in imprisonment. Amír Mas‘úd now desired to go to India and collect some forces there, and to come from there with a large army against the Turkománs to punish them. With this intention he made Amír Maudúd* Amír of 29. Balkh, and having appointed Muḥammad ibn Abduṣ Ṣamad as his Wazír despatched them thither. He then appointed the Amír Muḥammad* with two thousand soldiers to proceed to Multán, and sent the Amír of that district* to the foot of the hills of Ghaznín to restrain the Afgháns of that district who had broken out into rebellion; and having laden camels with the whole of Maḥmúd's treasures which were stored in Ghaznín and the neigh­bouring fortresses started for Hindustán and despatched mesengers en route to bring his brother Amír Muḥammad who had been blinded* and was then confined in the fortress of Bazghand.* When Sulán Mas‘úd arrived at the frontier fort* of Máríkala,* his slaves plundered all the treasure-camels. In the meantime the Amír Muḥammad arrived there, and the slaves who recognised that this violence would have no successful issue unless another governor were appointed* perforce, approached the Amír Muḥammad, raised him to the Sovereignty and breaking into open riot assaulted Sulán Mas‘úd who had taken refuge in that fort. The next day the whole army becom­ing violent brought Amír Mas‘úd from within the fort of Máríkala and made him prisoner confining him within the fortress of Kírí,* till at last in Jamádíu-l-Awwal 432 H. they sent a false message purporting to emanate verbally from Amír Muḥammad ordering him to kill Amír Mas‘úd and to send his head to him. The Kotwál in obedience to this order severed Mas‘úd's head from his body and sent it to Amír Muḥammad.

Of the vicissitudes of time, this much pleased me
That I saw good and bad, right and wrong, pass away
He who at morning time wore on his head a jewelled crown
Him I saw, at the time of evening prayer, with a brick 30. underneath his head (in the grave).

This story is according to the relation of Nizámi,* but the Qáẓí Baiẓáwí relates that in the year 432 Mas‘úd fled defeated from before the Seljúqs to Ghaznín, and Amír Muḥammad who had consolidated his power during Mas‘úd's absence sent him to a fortress whither his son Aḥmád ibn Muḥammad followed him and murdered him.* The Government of Sulán Mas‘úd ibn Mahmúd lasted eleven years, but we ought to note that the Qází Baiẓáwí (may God's merey be upon him) assigns the year 433 H. as the date of the death of Mas‘úd, and writes that Muḥammad ibn Maḥmúd reigned in Ghaznín for fourteen years after his father,* one year after his father's death, nine years in the lifetime of his brother, and four years after his brother's death, as has already been stated. God alone knows the truth. Apparently this is due to the mistake of a copyist. Among the poets who flourished in the time of Sulán Mas‘úd is Manúchihrí* who speaks as follows in a qaṣídah concerning his Wazír.

Couplet.
Shah Mas‘úd is as proud of his rectitude
As is the prophet of Naushirwán* the upright.