Thanks be to unequalled bounty, and to unceasing excellence that the third year of the Divine Era has happily come to an end, and that time has come for the beginning of the fourth year. On Sunday* 2 Jumāda-al-akhirī 966 (12? March 1559) the light of Akbar* and the great light shed their radiance on the house of exaltation. The visible and invisible world obtained splendour; the gates of joy were opened before mortals, the things of delight displayed brilliancy before the eyes of mankind, the orb (kaukava) of the Sulan of spring (the sun) inflamed the world and took possession thereof; the sound of the army of King Rose opened the ears of time and the terrene; the New Year-bounty of the spirit of vegetation breathed on the bodies and moulds of terrestrials; the liberality of spring bestowed brain-nourishing odours and perfumes on the horizons; the vernal breeze taught the nurs­lings of the garden the tripping gait* of the partridge and the stately step of the pheasant, the atmosphere gave to earth's fixtures the ascension of fire, and the mobility of water. The brown covering of earth was changed into a satin and brocade* carpet, without woof or warp, of verdure and roses; the throats of the birds of the garden threw discredit on the fine-breathing flute, the beak of the night­ingale buffeted Pan's* pipes, the tulip laughed at the bill of the parrot, and the verdure at the tail of the peacock, the violet touched the eyes of beholdors with the collyrium of vision, the narcissus remained in open-eyed* admiration of Divine power, lilies* and and hyacinths* unveiled the mysteries of white and black, tulips and sweet-smelling flowers became skilled exponents of the truths of God and of existence.—

From Paradise came a cup* to the tulip
From Riẓwān came a greeting to the rose
There was glory of the garden-beauties
Each cheek shone like a lamp,
Under each calyx there was a fragrant bud
Like a swart amulet on the arm of the beloved,
The lily put forth her silent tongue*
Every moment she sought a draught
The dew shed silver on the grasses's heads
The zephyr shook down a couch of flowers
At each fount the duck was inserting his bill.
Like golden shears in a piece of silk.
On every branch the birds were organists,
The rose-bush tossed her head at every note
The early-waking nightingale sang love-ditties
And quickened the ardour of the wine-bibbers,
The Shāhinshāh by adorning the world
Added another spring to spring.

In this fortunate year, which was the ornamental border of the book of fortune, the world-conquering genius ordained that a proper army should be appointed to the eastern districts to take Lucknow and the territories appertaining thereto from 'Alī Qulī Khān, and to awaken him from his neglectful sleep. “If he betook himself to ways of auspiciousness, and made loyalty his travelling-gear, and sent that camel-driver's son, who was the ground-work of his arro­gance and negligence, to Court, or drove him away from his presence, and made obedience and submission to the lord of the world and of mortals the ground-work of his own fortune, he would certainly have been compassed with royal favours, and should march with the army of fortune of the sublime dynasty to Jaunpūr and chastise the Afghans, who still carried in their brains the vapours of sedition, and make a place for himself there, his former good service would be approved of and his present follies would be passed over and he would receive help and support.” An order was issued that the vic­torius troops should proceed to their fiefs and make their prepara­tions and assist 'Ali Qulī Khān. Should that ill-fated and intoxi­cated man not recognise the amount of favour that was shown to him, then to punish him and to put him down would be regarded as the ground-work of the administration of the world, and the orna­ment of the worship of the Creator. On account of these considerations, Qiyā Khān Gung, Sulān Ḥusain Khān Jalāīr, Muḥammad Khān Jalāīr, Shāham Khān Jalāīr, Ḥājī Muḥammad Khān Sīstānī, Calma Khān, Kamāl Khān Ghakkar, and a number of other loyal heroes were despatched. And a firmān was issued that he ('Alī Qulī) should make over Lucknow to the royal servants and proceed to Court. 'Abdullah Khān Uzbek, who had charge of Kālpī, was exalted by a royal command and directed to take part in this enterprise and to act with loyalty. As the veil over 'Ali Qulī Khān was not yet fully rent, and some days were wanting until the veil should be removed, he on hearing the command, made over Lucknow and its territories to the Jalāīrs and other officers, and bound the girdle of courage on himself for the conquest of Jaunpūr. Ibrāhīm*, who has already been mentioned, had at the time when Mubāraz Khān was killed, and Hīmū disappeared, made the convulsive movements of a slaughtered animal, and was now in Jaunpūr. 'Alī Quli took from him Jaunpūr without a battle,* and a wide tract of country came into his possession by the good fortune of the Shāhinshāh. He displayed these acts of valour, and one deed which was ostensibly good was the sending away of Shāham. If this had been done from the bottom of his heart he would have sent him to Court. At last in some way or other he separated that groundwork of sedition from himself, and after giving demonstrations of loyalty sent representations and presents to the sublime Court.

One of the instructive occurrences which might be a guide to those astray in the wilderness of denial, and which occurred in this year was the killing of the camel-driver's son. As the Creator is surety for the administration of the sovereignty of this Khedive of the horizons, the superintendents of fate were at work, in spite of the enthroned one of the Caliphate's being under the veil of insouciance, and sent the opponents of dominion-conjoined with eternity to the abyss of destruction, and gave every one their appropriate punish­ment. At one time they bestowed power and victory on the imperial servants, as for instance in the victory over Hīmū and the capture of the Fort of Mānkot, etc. At another time they struck the enemies with shame and sent them to the wilderness of vagabondage, as in the ruin of M. Sulaimān. At another time they stirred up strife among the black-thoughted opponents, so that they attacked each other and reached the abode of annihilation, as in the catastrophe of this camel-driver's son. The details of his descent to nothing­ness, which was a great stroke of good fortune, are as follows: When 'Alī Quli Khān showed a semblance of submission and cheatingly put him away from himself for a time, that low wretch went on spend­ing his days in that neighbourhood in arrogance, until one day he went to the town of Surharpūr* which was in the fief of 'Abdu-r-raḥmān Beg, the son of Muyīd Beg Duldai, who had been a favourite courtier of H.M. Jahānbānī, Jinnat 'Ashiyāni. This camel-driver's son in the beginning of his infatuated career had held the relation of being the beloved of 'Abdu-r-raḥmān, and according to the wicked ways of Transoxiana, which are neither consuming nor melting, neither love nor friendship, they took the path of shamelessness and immodesty, and played the game of affection with one another. On account of this relation Shāham came to his house, and fell to remembering Ārām Jān, and asked that she might be returned to him.

The story of Ārām Jān is this. She was a prostitute, and 'Ali Qulī Khān, from love to her, which had its source in lust, surrendered his fūtile heart to that street-walker, who was the embraced of thousands, and married her. He put her in the rank of his wives, and had the shamelessness to bring that slut to the drinking-bouts which he had with Shāham Beg in order that she might recite and sing, and become the groundwork of strife. At last Shāham Beg by degrees fell in love with her, or rather came to lust after her, and, as 'Alī Quli Khan was overcome by sensuality, he acted as Shāham's servant, and made his lands into three portions, keeping one for him­self, and giving two to that clown's son, and waiting upon him. One night that intoxicated wretch brought forward his wishes, and 'Ali Quli Khān was so wanting in self-respect as to make over to him his own wedded wife. Shāham Beg for a time enjoyed his lust, and then when his heart grew cold he in his folly made over that wanton whom he had adulterously carried off, to 'Abdu-r-raḥmān Beg in the same way that he had received her. 'Abdu-r-raḥmān made her his wife, and kept her secluded. When Shāham Beg was his guest, he remembered in his drunkenness and infatuation that Ārām Jān and showed restlessness (be-ārāmī). Judging of 'Abdu-r-raḥmān as of 'Alī Qulī Khān he expected that Ārām Jān would be returned to him. 'Abdu-r-raḥmān Beg had self-respect and refused to do this. Shā­ham Beg who was inflamed with wine, and was habituated to insolence and despotism, got angry. He at once forgot the claims of friendship. Such is the degree of stability of a connexion founded upon lust!

In fine, Shāham Beg proceeded to violence and bound 'Abdu-r-raḥman Beg and took the prostitute away from his house to a neighbouring garden and there celebrated a singing and drinking party. Meanwhile Mūyīd Beg, the brother of Abdu-r-raḥmān Beg, heard of this, and having armed himself went to the door of the garden where that low wretch was. The men tried to stop him and a fight took place. Suddenly, in the confusion, an arrow reached that miscreant and the bird of his soul was released from the narrow cage of his body. 'Abdu-r-raḥmān obtained deliverance from his bonds, and turning to flee he with all haste betook himself to the world-protecting Court. There he put* up to sale this proper action, which in his case was but the result of * an accident, as the preamble of good service, and having attained the same price as if he had been the cause of the occurrence, he was made the recipient of favours and was ranked and welcomed among his peers.*

When 'Ali Qulī Khān heard of the occurrence he rent the collar of patience and cast the dust of sorrow upon his head. He pursued 'Abdu-r-raḥmān Beg and came as far as the Ganges. When it appeared that he had already crossed, he returned in despair, and conveyed the carcase of that camel-driver's son to Jaunpūr, and buried it on the edge of a tank, and erected a lofty building over it. Thus without the efforts of the loyalists all this disturbance subsided. Assuredly, whoever rebels against one who has been made great by God, and a ruler whom the inhabitants of the visible and invisible world hasten to obey, strikes with his own hand the dagger of death into his bosom, and his own action as sufficient for his suppression, so that the occurrence may be the groundwork of increased awakening of the enlightened and fortunate. Such instances are to be found in the career of the Khedive of the world, and a few of them will be mentioned in their proper places.

One of the happy occurrences of this year was the arranging of the marriage of Adham Khān. The succinct account of this is that the favour of the Shāhinshāh which was bestowed on the cupola of chastity, Māham Anaga and her children, directed itself towards the marriage of Adham Khān, who was Māham Anaga's younger son, and after inquiry and consideration the daughter of Bāqī* Khān of Baqlān,* who for a long time was M. Hindāl's secretary (parwānīc) was betrothed to him. In a short time preparations for a feast were made and the marriage took place. The lofty disposition of the Shāhinshāh made this feast the occasion of a thousand favours.