CANTO L.

THE LETTER OF THE KHÁKÁN OF CHÍN TO SIKANDAR.

The Lord, friendless (without partner), yet Friend of all!
Of Himself alive, and alive-keeper of all!

The world-creator, God, the work-performer;
The powerful executor, yet the powerless-cherisher!

The drawer forth of the standard (of loftiness) of the resplendent ones of the sky (the stars);
The drawer of the pen (effacer) of the demon of dark face (the night):

The motion-giver to the compass, motion-possessing (the sky);
The rest-giver to the point place-occupying (the earth):

The conspicuous-maker of whatever becomes conspicuous;
The arriver of whatever will arrive (every existing thing).

Of the speaker, or the silent, or the intelligent, or the distraught,—
To none, is power as to His secrets.

From none, aught save adoration comes;
Absolute lordship is His only.

After praise of the world-creator,
By whom the sky and earth became conspicuous,

He urged speech in excuse to the monarch,
Saying:—“May praise be to thee from the Omnipotent!

“Já-gír” signifies—já-gírauda, place-seizer, &c.

“From every king who appears to the world,
“Creation (the world) gave to thy hand the key.

“Thou hast made thy dwelling from sea (in the west) to sea (in the east);
“Over Írán and Túrán, power is thine.

“When thou becamest disengaged from (conquering) the compass of the west,
“Thou castedst the standard (of victory) on the line of the east.

“Thou seizedst the whole world, high and low;
“Yet thy heart became not sated of foreign (land).

“Draw back the rein, for the dragon (of death) is on the path;
“The tale (of wars with kings) is long, and the night (of life) is short.

“Thou art Sikandar, the King of Irán and of Rúm;
“I am the work-orderer in this land and clime.

“Many ear-pierced (beringed) ones (slaves) like me are thine;
“Strive not with severity for the bloodshed of one like me.

“I and thou are of dust, and the dust of the earth;
“Verily, best that man be dusty (humble).

“Only as far as the dust (of the grave) is every sovereignty;
“In the dust (of the grave), none is better than another.

“When they cast the drop into the river,
“From it, they recognize not again the drop.

“In the mint of this stone-place, thy presence,
“Consider a great bounty for my country.

“With every favour,—the man, God-recognizing,
“Increases his thanks to God.

“When God increased grace to me (by thy coming),
“How is it improper to perform thanks to God?

“As long as I live I will make the resolution of thanks to God,
“For better than this the wise man has nothing.

“From some lords of mystery (understanding the secret of thy conquests) I have heard
“That, wherever thou bringest the army,

“Thou sendest some persons of the people of Rúm
“To the merchants of that land and clime (that thou hast resolved to take),

“For that reason that they may purchase whatever food they may find;
“The food which appears—hot or cold (all kinds),

“They burn and pour at once into the well;
“They preserve no reverence for wealth.

“When the store of that city becomes empty,
“Thou, like the dragon, placest thy head there.

“Thou takest that soil through its poverty,—
“Like fire which subdues wax.

“I have come to meet thee, for that reason
“That I may turn this indigence (the emptying of the stores) from my own city.

“Although by practising deceit and sorcery
“It is impossible to make Chín void of food,

“Pesh baz ámadan.” See canto xlviii. couplet 39.

“Yet concord,—better than conflict and contest;
“For this (conflict) brings the stain of sorrow; that (concord), water and colour.

“Make not ruined the bark of the people of Chín;
“For thy bark (of life) will also fall (founder) in the water.

“Be not strong of heart (fearless of retribution) though thy hand be strong,
“For God's decree is higher than sovereignty.

“It is not the part of a wise man that, through impetuous judgment,
“He should make contest with the Lord of power.

“(Perfect) like wisdom, thou art of the world the one come to work (matured),
“By thy order,—every work, good or bad.

“Who is of use to none,—that one,
“Of him the reckoner (of the renowned ones) takes no account.

“By principle (justice and liberality), world-sovereignty is thine,
“For command and divine pomp are thine.

“Of everything, the foundation (principle) should be correct;
“For injury is in defective foundations (principles).

“To make—gold from silver, cornelian from crystal,
“Is to cause fruit to ripen by force (in a hot house).

Otherwise:—

Make not ruined the wealth of the people of Chín;
For thy wealth will also fall into the water (of the torrent of vicissitudes of life).

“In the house he ripens the (unripe) market-apple;
“But it is pleasant to the teeth of none.

“Thee, God created for the sake of justice;
“Tyranny appears not from the just king.

“Assist not oppressors (thy army that has overrun the world);
“For they will one day ask thee of this administration.

“When one of good judgment makes his judgment bad,
“He practises destruction against his own prosperity.

“When the world sometimes revolves out of its (proper) motion, (which is)—
“Hot in the hot season, cold in the cold season,—

“Seek not safety (health) in that season of heat and cold,
“In which it (the world) turns its face away from its own custom (cold in the summer, hot in the winter).

“Thus, best that every season of the seasons of the year
“Should, by its own intrinsic qualities, display its nature.

“The spring should show its nature from that spring-produced;
“The summer should produce the decree of summer.

“Whatever is not by deliberation of work,—
“Against it, the revolution of Time turns (and destroys).

“Sikandar is renowned for justice;
“And if not,—each one of us is Sikandar.

“Think not that conflict comes not from me;
“I bring forth the dust (of destruction) of the mountain at the time of rising up (to battle).

The summer here means—the month Tír (June), when the sun is in Cancer, and the first month of the autumn (kharíf)-harvest.

“When they place the throne of ivory on the backs of elephants,
“They bring me tribute from Hindústán.

“I bring beneath me (as a steed) the raging lion;
“I pitch (in confusion) the vault of the lofty sky on Leo.

“But with (notwithstanding) my sovereignty and renown,
“I am not bent on seeking contest with thee.

“If thou made this inroad on that account,
“That I might, like slaves, use supplication before thee,

“I will place my head (in obeisance) on the ground at thy court;
“Not (only) I,—all the potentates of Chín.

“For every wish which thou mayst bring into conception (regarding me),
“I accept thanks (am grateful) in accepting thy order,

“In this matter (of accepting thy order) is no reproach;
“As to guest-worshipping, mine is no help.”

An answer, good and heart-cherishing as this,
They entrusted to the messenger, so that he went back.

When the kiug of lion-force read through the letter,
He became more patient as to hunting the wild ass (the Khákán).

From the assault of the king, the army-holder of Chín
Was not safe,—from morning till evening-time.

“Khar pushta” signifies—pushta,e kalán; falak-i-nuhum.

The couplet may be:—

I bring low the raging lion;
I dash (in confusion) the vault of the sky on the lion (the earth).

The second line may be:—

(a) I dash (in confusion) the ninth heaven on the seventh heaven.

(b) I pitch my litter on Leo.

On a day of days, when the sun
Was exceedingly resplendent over dust and water,

The army-holder of Chín, from the height of sense and judgment,
Made a project with a guide.

One world-experienced was his minister,
From his judgment the resplendent world full of splendour.

The calculation (the idea) which the Khákán used to cast up (in his mind),
He (the Khákán) used to make his own work at his (the minister's) order.

In that matter (of grief at Sikandar's coming) he sought an opinion from that one work-understanding,
Who possessed correct judgment in affairs,

Saying:—“Of this matter how hast thou the design?
“How may I give a turn to the torment (of grief) of the sphere?

“What pawn of love or of hate shall I array,
“For this frown (of grief) that has come upon the eyebrow (the country) of Chín?

“If I prepare for war,—the enemy is strong;
“On his head is the crown of Kay Khusrau.

“And if I display courtesy in (the state of) his waging war,
“I make my weakness evident to the people.

If dáram be read for dárí in the first line, and gosh-pech for pech pech in the second, the couplet will be:—

How may I arrange this sovereignty?
How may I give chastisement to (and put far this grief all-embracing as) the sphere?

“The purpose of this monarch,—I know not
“What it is—for crossing this territory.”

The auspicious vazír to the Khákán of Chín spoke,
Saying:—“Of advice no help is mine:

“I reflect on the animosity of thy judgment,
“Lest thy animosity should become thy ruler.

“Pride is thine as to treasure and army;
“Thy becoming weak (being defeated) is far from work (a thing possible to be):

“Has come,—a world-possessor strong like this;
“Against him, close not the door of friendship:

“In every place to which he came,—he took the country;
“At this business it is improper to be astonished.

“This (world-seizing), what thoughtest thou—that it is mere playing at work?
“Verily, this is the quintessence of working at work.

“Of this sort (world-seizing), is divine work;
“Hostility (with Sikandar) is striving with God (who aids Sikandar).

“It is possible—neither to strike the sword on the sun,
“Nor to make ruined the mountain Alburz.

“Meet Sikandar; if not, the lofty sky
“Will bring injury to those injuring power (God-given):

Otherwise:—

This (speech of mine), what thoughtest thou,—that it is mere pastime?
Verily, this is the subtlety (of counsel) for thy action.

The second line may be:—

Will bring injury to those inclining to power (God-given; and wishing that they too may possess this power).

“It is possible—neither to overthrow good fortune,
“Nor to exercise enmity with the prosperous (whom the sky assists).

“O one of good fortune! wrestle not with the prosperous one,
“For it is hard to overthrow the prosperous.

“When the prosperous one binds his girdle (for war with thee),—bring thy shoes (and go in his service);
“It is improper to strike a blow upon the awl.

“Be content with him for a month, more or less;
“For here the stranger remains not long.

“Strike not at first the stone on the glass-ware (abandon not peace);
“For when it breaks,—tardily it becomes sound.

“A (picture of the) rose that thou paintest on the house-pillar,—
“The picture of the rose falls away (by lapse of time); but the mark remains in its place.

“Of wounds, soundness is by (the granulation of) the blood;
“But the wound-place brings not forth a hair.

“In that, strive that that black dragon
“May in peace obtain the path to this soil.

“The curse (of God) reached Chín on that day,
“When this dragon arrived at the door of Chín.

“Think not that from the azure vault
“A garment comes without blueness (mourning) to man.

The first line may be:—

When the prosperous one binds his girdle (for war with thee), bring (humbly) his shoes.

“The music of the world is discordant (to the temperament);
“The defect is in the silk (the cord of the harp), not in the harper.

“If thou wilt display harmony in this note (the world),
“Best,—that thou show friendship to (bring forth) the concordant note.”

When in this matter the prince of Chín
Saw no help in the struggle (of warfare) from the sky,

Of those remedies—of which choice was his,—
The observance of homage (to Sikandar) came to his estimation.

On that he was resolved, that he would bring his head to the road (proceed),
Would go, according to the custom of ambassadors, to the king:

Would behold the king's administration;
Verily, the chiefs of the court.

Every distress is from Time, not from 'Umar and Zayd.

The second line may be:—

(a) The defect is in the harp silk string. evil men men of the world, not in the harper God the world

(b) The defect is in the harp silk string (of the sky),—no; in the harper (man).

If in the world thou desire to pass life in safety,—bring forth the concordant note and express not the discordant.

Produce well-doing; be far from ill-doing.