At this time of smiling fortune the standard of the procession of the New Year shone forth spiritually and physically, and the flag of the new spring-morning reflected mirrorwise the countenance of dominion and fortune. After 9 hours, 59 minutes of what is commonly* called the night of Wednesday, but which was really Tuesday, 24 Jamāda-al-akhirī 968 of the lunar year, 10 March 1561, the great Light and Illuminator of the universe cast its rays on the glorious mansion of the Ram and came into the increasing realms of the Shāhinshāh, and the sixth year from the holy accession, viz., the Ilāhī year, Shahrīyūr began. The troops of flowers displayed their effulgence, and the odours of the gardens insinuated themselves into the brain of joy.
The night-wandering winds brought back the zephyr from the stream.
The New Year clouds again unfurled the flags from the hills.
The former came swiftly like messengers of good tidings.
The latter were like jewel-laden elephants moving in line.
Hail the fragrance in which the perfumer ('Aār) has no part.
Glorious the broidery whose embroiderer is hid.
The heavenly bodies gave the good news of peace and tranquillity from the prolongation of the shade of daily-increasing sovereignty. The movements of the spheres conveyed to time and terrene the news of the conquests of new territories.
When the victorious troops, who had girded up their loins for the conquest of Malwa, approached that country and ascertained the infatuation and arrogance of Bāz Bahādūr, who had exercised his power with highhandedness and tyranny, they drew up their ranks in proper array. Adham Khān and Pīr Muḥammad Khān were in the centre, 'Abdullah Khān and a number of others were on the right wing, Qīyā Khān Kang and others were on the left. The vanguard was commanded by Shāh Muḥammad Khān of Qandahār and Ṣādiq Khān.
From innate insouciance Bāz Bahādūr did not concern himself with public affairs. Wine, which experts have prescribed, in small quantities and at fixed times, in consideration of the arrangement and composition of their bodily elements, for certain temperaments and constitutions, was made by this man, who was immersed in bestial pleasures, a cause of increased folly, and he was continually indulging in it, without distinguishing night from day or day from night, and was continually using it. Music and melody which the wise and farsighted have employed at times of lassitude and depression, such as arise from the press of business and the burthen of humanity, as a means of lightening the mind and of cheerfulness, were regarded by this scoundrel* as a serious business, and he spent upon them all his precious hours—for which no exchange is possible. In the arrogance of infatuation he wrought works of inauspiciousness, and regarded not what has been said.
Observe some secrecy in your meetings
Lest the watchman come in with sword-play.
When the army of fortune came near to Sārangpūr, which was the fool's paradise of this drunkard, he awoke in some measure from his insensate slumbers and came out from Sārangpūr, crapulous and wine-stained and took post three kos beyond it. He put his army in order and prepared for battle. He gilded the centre (qalb)* with the base copper of his personality, and Selīm Khān Khaṣa-khel, the governor of Raisīn and Canderī, commanded the right wing. Adam* commanded the left wing. Tāj Khān Khāṣa-khel and Ṣūfī who had the vapours of audacity in their brains commanded the vanguard. The armies faced one another at the distance of two or three kos, and the braves on both sides were continually coming out and encountering. They put the observance of the rules of wariness into the charge of men of skill while they themselves displayed intrepidity in combat. Every day a troop of gallant and capable men headed by an experienced loyalist, who possessed both abundant sense and abundant courage, proceeded to the flanks of the enemy and stopped the egress and ingress of the rebels, and especially of the convoyers of grain who in the language of India are called Banjāra. They made the position of the enemy difficult. One day it was the turn of Shāh Muḥammad Khān Qandahārī, Ṣādiq Khān, Payanda Muḥammad Khān Moghal, Shāh Fanāī, Mihr 'Alī Sildūz, Samānjī Khān, and Muḥammad Khwāja Kushtīgīr. They set out after one watch of the night and losing their way they got on the other side of a body of the enemy and came near their stations. Of necessity a fight took place; and there was a fierce hand-to-hand engagement. When news of this was brought to the imperial camp, 'Abdullah Khān, Qīyā Khān Kang and a number of others galloped up and took part in the fight. Though at first Adam came out and fought like a Rustum and repulsed the victorious army, yet Ṣādiq Khān and a number of others skilfully took possession of a ravine* and remained firm. The imperial troops came up and discomfited the enemy. A hand-to-hand fight took place between Qīyā Khān and Selīm Khān, and the former was victorious, Ṣādiq Khān and Qīya Khān joined their forces and repulsed Bāz Bahādur who had driven off the troops in front of him.
A watch and somewhat more of the day had passed when the breeze of victory blew from the vent of fortune and the bud of conquest bloomed on the rosebush of hope. Owing to the Shāhinshāh's fortune and the excellent qualities of the Khedive of the age a glorious victory was gained, such as might be the embroidery of great successes. Bāz Bahādūr, wine-stained and disgraced, hastened off towards Khandesh and Barhānpūr. All his goods and chattels, his seraglio, and his singing and dancing women, who were the material of his pleasures and the decoration of his life, fell into the hands of the victors. The wretch, when he was about to face the victorious troops, had in accordance with the Indian custom placed confidential men in charge of his wives and concubines and had arranged that if they got sure tidings of his defeat they were to put all of them to the sword that they might not fall into strangers' hands. When the form of Bāz Bahādūr's defeat appeared in the mirror of results those devil-born ones acted according to the arrangement and with the water of the sword wiped out some of those fairy-framed puppets from the page of life. With the knife of injustice they erased from the world's folio the life-records of those innocents. Some were wounded and yet retained a breath of life, and for many the turn of slaughter had not come, when the victorious troops hastily marched into the city. The villains had not time to lay hands on these innocent women. The chief of them was Rūpmatī, renowned throughout the world for her beauty and charm. Bāz Bahādūr was deeply attached to her and used to pour out his heart in Hindī poems descriptive of his love. A monster who had been left in charge of her uplifted the sword of wrong and inflicted several severe wounds on her. Just then the army of fortune arrived and brought out that half-slaughtered lovely* one. When Bāz Bahādūr had fled Adham Khān came in all haste and excitement to Sārangpūr to seize the buried and other treasures, and the seraglio with its singers and dancers whose beauty and melody were celebrated throughout the world, and whose heart-ravishing charms were sung of in the streets and markets. He took possession of all Bāz Bahādūr's property, including his concubines and dancing girls, and sent people to search for Rūpmatī. When this strain* reached her ear her faithful blood became aglow, and from love to Bāz Bahādūr she bravely quaffed the cup of deadly poison and carried her honour to the hidden chambers of annihilation!*
When Adham Khān had become victorious by the good fortune of the Shāhinshāh his innate infatuation increased, and the cap of his pride was set awry by the wind of arrogance, that is, by his folly and ignorance. His brain deteriorated and whatever Pīr Muḥammad Khān, his disinterested preacher, said to him in the way of advice was unheeded. He personally returned thanks to God for so great a victory,* and performed the rites of thanksgiving (i.e., the distribution of alms, etc.), to the extent of his ability. In order to gratify the imperial officers he inaugurated a great feast and made presents according to his own pleasure to all the servants of fortune's threshold who were in his company. Thereafter the whole of the conquered territory was parcelled out. Sārangpūr and some select parganas were assigned to Adham Khān who was the ostensible leader. Māndū and Ujjain were assigned to the real leader, Pīr Muḥammad Khān. Sarkār Hindīa was given to Qīyā Khān, and Mandesūr and its appurtenants to Ṣādiq Khān. 'Abdullah Khān Moghal returned to his fief of Kālpī. Ādham Khān reserved for himself all the rare and exquisite articles as well as the stores and buried treasures of that country which were the collections of ages, and many of the famous dancing girls and beauties whose loveliness and grace were bruited about in all the nine heavens, as well as many singers and musicians, and occupied himself with delights and pleasures. He set apart some elephants out of the spoils of fortune and sent them to the world-protecting Court along with the reports of the victory.