In the morning-time, when the bark-drawer (the angel-
Cast up the bark (the sun) on the water (the crystalline
sky) from the shore (the crepuscule of the east),
The army-holder of Chín, the monarch of Khutan,
Prepared on his own person the garb of a legatee,
And hastened to the camp of the world-king
In such a way that no one discovered this secret (of his
disguise).
When he came to the monarch's court,
The king obtained intelligence of that coming,
To the effect that the Khákán had sent an expert messenger,
In appearance auspicious, in speech correct.
The Khusrau ordered that they should give him access;
Should give him rank in the place (degree) of ambassadors.
The message-bringer, head-exalting, entered;
Offered, obeisance-making, prayer for the king.
The king ordered that in place of standing he should sit;
Should utter the ordered words.
“Zauraḳ-kash” may signify—the sky of skies, the revolution of which in one day and night is completed.
“Sáhil” may signify—the marge of the sky.
At the king's order, that eloquent man
State down, and made adoration of him who caused him to
sit.
Some time passed (in perturbation) and he closed not his
eyes;
Breathed not a word, good or bad, of himself:
Remained astonied at the compass of that circle (the nobles
in two ranks standing before the king);
In that circle remained silent (motionless) like the point
(the centre).
From the monarch the signal came to the effect,
That:—“Deliver the message if thou hast it well (in
mind).”
The moon (the Kkákán), face-concealed behind the cloud
(of disguise),
Began with the jewel (of speech) of a tongue (lustrous)
like the sword,
Saying:—“From the coming and the going of the king of
Írán and of Rúm
“Be all this land and clime fruitful (sharers of thy
sovereignty)!
“From (the capital of) Chín to the other parts of the
confines of Chín
“Be the land altogether at his command!
“Be not the world (all Chín) without the door of his
court!
“Be not the throne of the world without his shelter!
“Nukta” may signify—a point incapable of partition.
The mouth of lovely ones is, at the time of silence, small like a point (nukta), and nukta in arithmetic signifies—naught. Hence, nukta means—silence.
“In my charge are secret words,
“From (the thought of uttering) which my speech is
trembling.
“My sender saw reason of such sort,
“That the king should make the place void of the stranger.
“Of the confidential attendants, none should be—before
him (Sikandar);
“Save him (Sikandar), on whose religion be praise!
“If one person (save Sikandar) be there (concealed) in
secret,
“It is improper for thee to utter the concealed mystery
(my message).”
At the asking for privacy like that,—the king
Feared as to making privacy.
He ordered;—a foot-tether of gold,
They placed on the foot of the lofty cypress (the Khákán).
Verily, his wrist, with a golden cincture,
They drew within the chain of gold (that was about his
feet),
The palace void of the people then made
The confidential attendants, (who) also hastened to the
door.
In that palace of his alone remained the king himself;
Before him, a diamond sword placed.
To the sent one he said:—“The place is void;
“Unloose the knot of thy hidden words.”
At the king's order, the man of concealed secret (in
disguise)
Untied the knot from the concealed secret.
When he took up the veil from the surface of speech,
He took up its exordium with prayer,
Saying:—“As long as the verdure is springing in the
garden,
“As long as the red rose shines like the resplendent lamp,
“May thy face be kindled (ruddy) like the rose,
“The world learned (acquired) freshness from thee (the
gardener)!
“May the seal-ring (of command) of the sky be beneath
thy name!
“May every deed of fortune be to thy desire!
“My trust on that—if the monarch the slave
“Recognizes,—blessing may come to the work.
“If of the concealed secret (the disguise) there be no
knowledge,
“(I will unfold the mystery; for) better than truth is no
path to him.
“I am that messenger self-sent,
“Before that thou castest me down (as a captive), I (a
captive) have fallen (in obeisance).
“The Khákán, the king, the army-holder of Chín, am I,
“Who kiss the ground in the king's service.”
Through the boldness of his deed (in revealing himself),
Sikandar
Reckoned not his market (the revealing of himself) agreeable.
The Kháḳán's visit to Sikandar was as Sikandar's to Núshába.
See canto xxxviii. The Kháḳán compared Sikandar to Núshába and himself to Sikandar.
With harshness he expressed a harsh shout against him,
Saying:—“The surface of the brocade may be known
from the back.
“I recognize the sparrow from the hawk;
“Verily, the bladder of musk from the liver.
“But I preserve the shame and the honour (of those veiled);
“Of those concealed (usually women), I lift not up the
veil:
“What shamelessness prevailed so much,
“That it left (thee) not concealed with the screen (of
disguise)?
“What want of majesty sawest thou on the part of the
king of Rúm
“That thou thoughtest steel softer than wax?
“Fearedst thou not the force of my arm,
“That thou castest the dust (of contempt) into my balance
(the arm)?
“Although the young deer be bold,
“Best, that it turn the rein from the path of the lion.”
To him the Khákán of Chín thus replied,
Saying:—“O one worthy of a hundred thousand praises!
“I took shelter at this court for that reason
“That I observed no want of protection on the king's
part.
“When I, untaken (of myself), enter by the door (of the
enemy's house),
“No enemy takes my head.
Mixing raw musk with the liver of the deer, they sell the mixture when dried as pure musk.
“The black lion is malice-seeker as long as
“The boar shows (whets) his teeth (for battle) from afar:
“When teeth-plucking (in distress) he lowers his neck,
“The fierce lion plucks up from his own neck (the idea
of) his (the boar's) blood.
“Since with me the king's heart is not vexed,—
“From him, the lion's generosity is not far.
“The fear of the sword was mine as long as
“My sword was sharp of tooth (displaying the tooth, long
drawn):
“Since I have no quarrel with Sikandar,
“How have I the thought of the sharp sword?
“Moreover, I committed not first that treachery (of
invasion),
“That captivity should truly come upon me.
“Against me thou hast brought assault;
“For me to exercise hate with thee is infidelity.
“I took up enmity from the path (abandoned enmity);
“I came in this confidence to the king.
“Since I display much kindness;
“No one takes the head (life) of those kind.
“But if I also committed a very great crime,
“Humbling oneself is a very great apologist.
“The king's justice is a greater protector on that account,
“That he especially takes pity on the guiltless.
“He brings not to bonds the head of one shelter-asking;
“He keeps injury far from those quarter-asking.
“Dandán kunán,” or “kunán,” signifies—zarí kunán.
“If I came to this court,
“I came by the leave of the king's justice.
“For the world-king is a just ruler;
“God is on that account his ally in every matter.”
By that smooth speech of sweet tongue,
He unloosed the knot (of vexation) from the heart of the
lord of the marches.
To him he said:—“Thou hast well come; be happy!
“Be free from the bond of captivity.
“As to what was thy reckoning (idea) in this coming,
“It is necessary to show why the rudeness occurred?”
The shelter-seeker said:—“O world-shelter!
“From thee I hold not concealed my own need.
“I came to thy court on that account
“That I might behold thy pleasure (in what it lies) and
thy path (of justice):
“In this coming, what the king's object is,
“And what the beginning and the end of this movement
may be.
“If from time the power be mine,
“I may make the king prosperous as to his design.
“If that desire be not gained by my hand,
“Verily, the arrow falls far from my aim.
“I kiss the ground in petitioning;
“The king may perhaps become far from hostility.
“Since I withhold not my life from the Khusrau,
“Why is it necessary to lay the hand on the arrow or the
sword?
“When the jewel comes with ease to the hand,
“Why is it necessary with difficulty to cut the stone?
“The design, which in peace becomes whole (accomplished),—
“Why is it necessary to give the rein to war?
“If thou desire the throne of Chín and the crown of
Fúr,—
“This slave is not far from order-bearing.
“And if thou pass from respect to me,
“(If) thou give me the place of my father (the grave),
“I am become the accepter of the seal (of command) of
thy name;
“I am become thy slave, unpurchased with dirams:
“A loss it is not, that in the king's country
“A well-wishing slave should be added.
“As regards Chín, be not girt with the coat of malice;
“To thy coat (of empire) say:—A fold (a province) be
not.
“For the curl of (my) slaves (each) a territory in value,—
“Deliver (the country of Chín) to a slave of Chín like me.
“How is the moon's face captive to a fold?
“The arch of the king's eye-brow far from frown,—
best.”
The monarch said:—“O one of approved judgment!
“The matter which thou askedst I will perform (answer).
Fúr was either tributary to the Khákán of Chín; or Fúrán stands for Faghfúr, a title of the Khákán's.
77This country of Chín is as a single fold (chín) of thy garment of empire, the diminishing of which by one fold (a province) is no injury.
“I led the army to the confines of Chín on that account,
“That I might bring the land to the hand of the king of
Irán:
“Might bring to the dust the enemy's head;
“Might make the world pure of the strange religion (of
infidelity):
“In every territory, for order-accepting,
“Might appoint separately an order-bearer.
“Since thou—without the assault of my sword,
“Placedest in surrender thy head beneath me,
“I will give throne-loftiness to thy head;
“Will give thee prosperity as regards thy crown.
“Will neither desire from thee crown, or territory, or
throne;
“Nor exercise with thee severity in these matters:
“But on the condition that from thy own country
“Thou presentest to me the revenue of seven years:
“When thou bringest me the tolls of seven years,
“The tolls of other years become lawful to thee.”
The listener prepared artifice;
He returned a yet more agreeable reply,
Saying:—“Since the lord of the crown desires from me
“Tribute of seven years at an age like this,
“Best, that he should give me compensation for my
property;
“Should give me the order of life for seven years.”
To the world-seeker this delightful reply
Was pleasing, and his brain became warm (with love).
In some copies Túrán is read for Irán.
He said to him:—“The revenue of the country for six
years
“I give as thy reward (for coming to me)—O sensible
man!
“Since I behold thee clever and sensible,
“I make sufficiency with one year's tribute from thee.”
When the chief of the Turkáns (the Khákán), from the
chief of the time (Sikandar),
Became by that happiness of victorious fortune,
He swept the dust of the court with the point of his eyelashes
(his hands being fettered);
After dust-sweeping, he spake to the king,
Saying:—“Although the king his own word
“Will perform—may his power be from God!—
“First, for such protection—for me,
“A true order from the Khusrau's hand is necessary.
“That when I present the tribute of one year
“The king will not move me from my place (Chín).
“I will place the king's writing like the amulet of the
arm;
“Will preserve it for my own head's sake.
“Will also give to the king the covenant as regards (my
rising for) blood-shedding,
“That I will not travel the road save in loyalty.”
As to this their treaty many an oath passed,
That no one (neither) should strive as to disloyalty:
They should not seek malice; should keep love fresh;
Until the heavens cease from motion.
The second line refers to a move at chess.
101See canto lii. couplet 41.
The king ordered that the guards of the entrance
Should make this fettered one (the Khákán) free
From the fetter of gold; should establish his rank higher;
Should place the crown of jewels on his head.
When the Khákán's business with the Kaysar (Sikandar)
became with ceremony arranged,
He returned to his own camp.
Proudly moving, and laughing, and rejoicing,
The drum of joy beating,—he came to (the camp of) Chín.
“Ba sáz shudan” signifies—ba sáz pardákhta shudan.
“Ḳayṣar” (pl. ḳayáșirat) was the title of the kings of Rúm.