The darvesh replied, ‘They have related that a washerman was wont to be busy in his avocation on the bank of a certain river. Every day he saw there a Crane, which sat on the river’s bank, and used to catch the creatures that are found in the mud, and contenting himself therewith, went back to his nest. One day there came a swift-winged hawk, which made prey of a fat quail, and after eating part of it, left the rest and flew away. The Crane thought to himself, ‘This animal with such a puny body makes prey of large birds, and I of such a huge stature content myself with a trifle; and this state of things is evidently owing to my mean spirit. Why should not I too have a share of magnanimity? My advisable course is hereafter not to stoop to small matters, and not to cast the noose of my efforts save on the battlements of the highest heavens.
He then forsook the chace of worms, and was on the watch to pursue pigeons and quails. Now the washerman had from a distance observed the proceedings of the hawk and the quail. When he saw the amazement of the Crane, and how it gave up its own employment, he was astonished, and opened the eye of amusement. By the will of fate a pigeon appeared in that direction, and the Crane flying up made a stoop at it. The pigeon turning along the edge of the water, outstripped the Crane, which pouncing down behind, fell on the bank of the river, and his leg stuck in the mud. The more he tried to fly away, the more his foot sank in the thick mire, and his feathers and wings became more and more besmeared with the mud. The washerman came up and seized him, and set off home. In the way a friend met him and asked, ‘What’s this?’ The washerman replied, ‘This is a crane that wanted to hunt,’ and that wished to play the part of a hawk, and so destroyed itself.’
And I have adduced this story that thou mayest know that every one ought to attend to his own business and quit that which does not belong to him.’
When the old darvesh had cited this tale, the temptings of my covetousness increased, and refusing that speech access to the ear of attention, I persevered in the same idea. So I abandoned the business of a baker, and with the trifling capital I possessed purchased implements for farming, and having sown a quantity of grain, fastened the eye of expectation on the road of looking for the crop. In the meantime my means of subsisting myself and my family became straitened, because what I expended daily had been as regularly procured in the baker’s shop, and now it was necessary for me to wait a year expectant, until the profit should arrive. I said to myself, ‘Thou hast committed an error in not listening to the words of thy venerable seniors, and now thou art in distress for thy current expenses, and there is no channel by which income is obtainable. Thy best course is to get a sum by way of loan, and having re-opened thy baker’s shop, return to thy own business.
I then betook myself to one of the rich merchants of the city, and having taken up a sum on credit, I opened my shop a second time, and leaving one of my servants to superintend that business, I myself was busy with my farming. Now I started for the country to manage the cultivation, and anon I returned to the market to set off my shop. When two or three months had passed in this way, my servant swindled me, and not a particle either of stock or profit was left. At the same time a variety of misfortunes befell my crops. The tenth of what I had expended was not realised. I then went to the same neighbor, and detailed to him my case, and told him the circumstance of my taking two things in hand, and my losing by both. The aged darvesh laughed and said, ‘How like thy case is to that of the man of two kinds of hair, who gave up his beard to his wives!’ I asked, ‘How was that?’
The darvesh said, ‘They have related that a person had two wives, one old and the other young; and he himself had hair of two colors. Now he was fond of both his wives, and passed a day and a night in the apartment of each; and his habit was, when he entered the apartment of one of his wives, to put his head in her lap and go to sleep. One day he went to the room of the elderly wife, and, according to custom, put his head in her lap and went to sleep. The old lady gazed on his face and hair, and said to herself, ‘In the beard and whiskers of this person there are some black hairs; I can’t do better than pluck them out, that all his beard may appear white, and that young wife of his may not fancy him; so when he perceives that that wife is not fond of him but loathes him and has an aversion for him, the flame of his affection, too, will be quenched and he will remove his heart from her and will give himself up altogether to me.’ She then pulled out all the black hairs she could from his beard.
The next day that person was in the apartment of his young wife, and in his accustomed manner put his head in her lap and went to sleep. The young wife observed some white hairs in his beard, and thought to herself, ‘I must pluck out these white hairs that his whole beard may appear black, and when he sees himself with black hairs he will of course be disgusted with the society of his old wife, and will be attached to me. Thereupon she, too, pulled out as many white hairs as were required at the time. After some time had passed in this manner, one day that person stroked his beard with his hand; he found that the hairs were gone and that the harvest of his beard was scattered to the wind. At this he raised a cry of distress, but all his lamentation was vain. Now thy case is just similar. Part of thy capital and interest thou didst expend on thy baker’s shop, and part thou wastedst on thy farming business, and now when thou lookest about thee, thou hast neither baked bread in the oven of subsistence nor a stack obtained in the tillage-ground of life.
When I heard this story I perceived that what the old darvesh said was true, and that from this procedure I had got nothing but regret and remorse, and that all I possessed would not suffice to pay my debts. I looked upon it, therefore, as the best thing I could do in accordance with the direction, ‘Flight from what is insupportable is agreeable to the laws of Apostles,’ to fly from that city, which I accordingly did by night. I went on stage by stage, in terror and alarm, until I had traversed a long distance. After the lapse of a considerable interval, I heard that my children were dead and that my creditors had taken possession of my effects—under a valuation—in payment of my debts. Thus hopeless of returning to my country, I journey on from stage to stage and from one place to another: and I seek a solace for the pain of my heart, from every gentleman I meet with, and place the ointment of gratification on the wound of the fatigues of travel by interviews with men of God: till this moment, when the mirror of my heart has been purified from the rust of cares by the furbishing instrument of proximity to your honor, and the sharbat of my enjoyment has been prepared with the sweetness of the sugar-raining conversation of my lord.
This is a sample of my history, which I have narrated.’ The Devotee responded, ‘I have inhaled from thy words the perfume of sincerity, and my heart has borne testimony to the truth of thy discourse; and if during some days thou hast undergone the affliction of exile and the toils of travel, still thou hast gained good experience, and hast acquired perfect information of the manners and customs of divers nations, and mayest live hereafter in peace and tranquillity.
The Guest was pleased with his host, and the host, too, viewing the society of his guest as a piece of unexpected good fortune, shewed his satisfaction by his friendly unceremoniousness. Now the Devotee was one of the children of Israel, and knew the Hebrew language well; and though he was versed in most languages, and could converse in a majority of tongues, nevertheless, as the Hebrew was his mother-tongue, his fluency therein was conspicuous, and he always spoke in that tongue to his domestics. Although the European stranger was, in point of fact, ignorant of Hebrew, still he liked to hear the Devotee speak in it, and constantly besought him to do so. The latter, too, to gratify his Guest, and on account of his liking for the language, loosed the tongue of eloquence, and satisfied all that rhetoric could demand in speaking the Hebrew tongue well. Thus the Guest became a lover of the language, and from the excessive sweetness of the Devotee’s discourse, and the tastefulness of his conversation, he formed the desire of learning Hebrew from him.
Some days passed, and the veil of ceremony being removed from between them, their character of strangers was exchanged for that of united friends, and from the premises of acquaintance the conclusion of intimacy was obtained.
Then the Guest boldly commenced the praises of the Devotee, and said,
what ornament of discourse and embellishment of style is this? It is such that the eye of the reason of those of penetrating sight never saw more perfect eloquence, and the ear of the intelligence of those who can appreciate rhetoric never listened to more beautiful language.
I trust that thou wilt teach me this language, and I respectfully entreat that thou will not withhold from me instruction in this dialect; for, without previous introduction, thou hast fulfilled towards me all the dues of courtesy in treating me with honor and respect; and without the premission of the antecedents of friendship, thou hast been careful to display manifold attentions in thy hospitable reception of me. To-day, that the bond of our amity has been confirmed by means of our long intercourse, I am in hopes that thou wilt be pleased to shew kindness and link my request with acceptance, and draw on the page of my condition with eagerness and pleasure the writing of discipleship, in order that it may become a cause of the increase of the matters of mutual esteem, and that thus the daily portions of the commemoration of kindness and the fashion of gratitude may be observed.
The Devotee replied, ‘Why should I grudge or demur to do this? being as it is to raise a person from the abyss of ignorance to the pinnacle of knowledge, and to conduct a learner from the lowest place of the low of defective understanding to the rank of highest of the high of perfection. However, it occurs to me that between the Hebrew language and that of Europe there is an immense disagreement and huge difference. Forbid it! that in this study thy mind and intellect should be altogether wearied out on account of its being altogether incompetent to comprehend and recollect it. And in that case both my labor will be wasted and thy time lost.’ The Guest replied, ‘Whoever steps forward to acquire anything must undoubtedly prepare himself to undergo hardships, and he who turns his face in the direction of the K’abah541 of his wish, must not think of the suffering in the desert of toil.
And I am so much in earnest in this resolve, that if every hair on my head became a thorn I would not turn my face from this enterprise; and though every eyelash on my eyelids were changed into a lance I would not glance at any other business.
And all suffering that is endured in the pursuit of learning turns into enjoyment in the end, and the labor of the student is never thrown away. In this way that Hunter, by means of a slight inconvenience which he submitted to for the sake of learning, and by an insignificant service which he performed towards the wise, obtained complete affluence, and arrived from the narrow strait of want in the expanding plain of independence and abundance.’ The Devotee asked, ‘How was that?’
The Guest said, ‘They have related that a poor man was practising a hunter’s profession, and contenting himself with capturing birds and fishes, so passed his existence; and when employed in capturing fish, his whole frame became eyes, like a net; and when in pursuit of birds, he made a gin of every hair of his body.
One day he had set his net, and, with a thousand difficulties, had brought three birds into its vicinity, and he himself was sitting in a place of ambush, waiting until he could secure the neck of those hapless birds in the mesh of his snare. In the midst of this state he heard a noise of wrangling, and in fear lest the birds should, by reason of the sound, fly away, he issued from his ambuscade. He then beheld two students, who were disputing on a point of law, and their discourse had ended in quarreling. The Hunter besought them much, saying, ‘Do not make a noise, that these birds may not be scared away, and thus my labour lost.
They retorted, ‘If thou wilt give us a share in the game, to each of us a bird, we will consent to thy request, and will not indulge in strife and angry vociferation.’ The hunter replied, ‘Friends, I am a poor man with a family, and the food of several persons depends on these birds, and after you have carried off two birds, how shall I go home? and how shall I solace ten persons with one bird.’ They answered, ‘Thou art employed every day in this business, and it is a long time since we have met with this sport. It is altogether impossible that we should dispense with these birds. Either we will call out so that the birds will fly away, or thou shalt agree to give each of us a bird, so that we may take them for our lecturer to see, and give the other students of the college an entertainment.’ In vain the Hunter complained, saying, ‘Your professor did not knit my net, nor did the hands of the students twist my cord. I have not set my net in ground bequeathed for religious purposes; nor have I scattered grain as bait from the granaries of the college; nor am I bound by law to bestow upon you my game by way of thirds or two-thirds.’ All his words, however, had no effect; and at last he promised them the birds; which, having pulled the string, he caught in the net. Then he commenced his entreaties and lamentations again, saying, ‘Have pity upon me! and shorten the hand of covetousness from carrying off these birds.’ They replied, ‘Cease these words and fulfil the promise thou hast made.’ The hunter saw there was no alternative, and gave each of them a bird. He then said, ‘Since, forsooth, I have submitted to your annoyance, and have presented you with gifts and somewhat to conciliate your good-will, teach me the word about which you were disputing; perhaps some day it may be of use to me.’ They replied, ‘We were disputing about the word ‘hermaphrodite,’ and were contending as to the rights of inheritance of such a person.’ The hunter inquired, What is the meaning of the term ‘hermaphrodite?’ They answered, ‘In point of fact it means one who is neither male nor female.’ The Hunter stored up the word in his memory, and went home very much out of spirits, and related to his family the circumstances, and they contented themselves with a scant repast, and so passed the night. The next day, when the golden-pinioned bird of the sun came flying abroad from the nest of the horizon, and the silver-encrusted fishes of the stars, from dread of the cords of the solar rays, turned to flight on the expanse of heaven,
the old fisherman, having taken up his net, set off for the river’s side, and, with complete reliance on God, let down the net into the water. Fate decreed that a fish of beautiful form and exquisite shape should be taken; such that the armorer, water, had never reared one clad in scales like it, and the eyes of mermen543 never beheld in the expanse of waters an equal beauty543a;
The fisherman was amazed at its shaped and appearance, and thought to himself, ‘In all my life I never saw a fish like this, nor gazed upon so splendid a prize. My best course is to carry it alive to the Sulṭán as a free-will offering, and by such a service get myself a great name among my fellows.’ Hereupon, he cast the fish into a vessel of water, and set off for the king’s palace. It so befell that, by the Sulṭán’s command, they had made in the royal garden in front of the palace, where the king was wont to sit, a basin of marble and alabaster for a fountain, and had put in it various kinds of fishes.
And they had set afloat a skiff, shaped like a crescent, on the surface of that heaven-resembling reservoir.
Every day the monarch came to the brink of the basin to enjoy the sight, and was pleased with the sportive swimming of the fish and the movements of the vessel. At that same time, too,
when all at once the fisherman543b came in, and offered to the king’s inspection that beautiful and exquisite fish. The king was excessively pleased at the sight of the fish, and commanded them to give the Fisherman a thousand dínárs. One of the vazírs who held a rank, which allowed of his taking a liberty, and an office which permitted him to speak boldly, loosed the tongue of admonition and whispered to the king,
Fishermen are numerous and the sea is full of fish: if the king bestow a thousand dínárs for every fish, neither will the gold in the treasury suffice for it, nor will the revenues of the country be adequate. It is a settled thing, too, what the price of a fish ought to be, and how much one ought to give to a fisherman for a reward. A present ought to be proportionate to merit, and a reward suitable to the service done.
The king responded, ‘I have promised him a thousand dínárs; and how can it be admissible to break that promise?’ The vazír replied, ‘I have a scheme for this, so that your promise shall not be broken, and too much money not be lost either. My advice is, that you ask him whether this fish is male or female? If he says it is a male, we will tell him to bring a female, and he will receive a thousand dínárs. And if he says it is a female, we will say, ‘Bring a male and take thy gold.’ Of course he will be at a loss how to do this, and then having satisfied him with some trifle, we will acquire his goodwill.’ The king then turned to the Fisherman, and said, ‘Is this fish a male or a female?’ The old Fisher was a man of experience, and a cunning fellow. He guessed what the secret intention of the king and the vazír was by that question, and sent down the diver of thought into the sea of deliberation, to see how he could secure the pearl of an answer, which he could place on the tray of representation. At last that same word which the day before he had learned of the students flashed across his mind. He answered, ‘O king! asylum of the world! this fish is a hermaphrodite, that is to say, it is neither male nor female.’ The sulṭán was much pleased [at this rejoinder], rebuked the vazír for his scheme, and adding another thousand bestowed two thousand dínárs on the Fisherman, and made him one of his special favorites and counsellors.
And the lesson to be drawn from this story is, that the Fisherman by one word which he committed to memory, and through the two birds with which he obliged the students, obtained two thousand dínárs, and was honored with the sulṭan’s favor; wherefore no loss accrues from toil after learning, and from waiting on learned men. Moreover the wise have said,
The Devotee said, ‘Now that thou importunest me, and art resolved to traverse the road of inquiry in the desert of study with the step of labor, I, too, as far as is attainable, will impart instruction and communicate knowledge; and will not omit a particle in causing thee to understand questions and in making clear the rules.’ The Guest betook himself to that study, and passed a considerable time in learning the Hebrew language. His mind, however, was in no wise disposed to be a recipient of that tongue, and was altogether devoid of capacity for comprehending its subtleties. The more instruction he received, his skill in the practice of it became less; and, however much he planted the sapling of instruction in the garden of thought, the more the fruit of disappointment increased on the branch of hope.
One day the Devotee said to him, ‘Thou hast undertaken a difficult matter, and hast laid on thy mind a huge weight. Thy tongue will not speak fluently in this dialect, and thy intellect is not suited to this tongue. Relinquish this design, and set not thy foot in a plain which is not proper for thy equitation.
To give up the tongue of one’s progenitors, and to toil at a language and business opposite to that of one’s ancestors is far removed from the path of rectitude. The Guest replied, ‘Imitation of the dead in their errors and ignorance is the very extreme of servility and fatuity; and in this matter I will not imitate any one, nor will I quit the road of right investigation, for imitation is the noose of the torments of devils, and right investigation the guide of the paths of sincerity and truth. And the recondite saying, ‘Verily we found our fathers practising a religion,546 is a rebuke to the children of the play-ground of imitation that they should come from the perilous place of doubt into the stronghold of conviction, and gaze with the eye of certainty on the brilliancy of the light, ‘He directeth whom He pleaseth into the right way.’546a
The Devotee said, ‘I have done my duty in advising thee, and I fear that the end of this struggle will issue in regret, and now thou art able to speak in the European language, and can discourse in the dialect of thy wife and kindred. It is probable that if thou art continually repeating Hebrew phrases, the practice of this language will be hidden from thee, and thou wilt lose the other language too. Thus thy case will resemble that of the Crow that tried to learn the gait of the mountain-partridge and so forgot his own.’ The Guest asked, ‘How was that?’
The Devotee said, ‘They have related that one day a Crow was flying and saw a partridge, which was walking gracefully on the ground, and with that sweet step and graceful gait enchanted the heart of the looker-on.
The Crow was pleased with the gait of the partridge, and amazed at its symmetrical movements, and agility and elasticity. The desire of walking in the same manner fixed itself in his mind, and from the core of his heart, the insane longing to step proudly, after the same fascinating fashion, made its appearance. He forthwith girt his loins in attendance on the partridge, and abandoning sleep and food, gave himself up to that arduous occupation, and kept continually running in the traces of the partridge, and gazing on its progress.
One day the partridge said, ‘O crazy, black-faced one! I observe that thou art ever hovering about me, and art always watching my motions. What is it that thou dost want?’ The Crow replied, ‘O thou of graceful manners and sweet smiling face!
Know that having conceived a desire to learn thy gait, I have followed thy steps for a long time past, and wish to acquire thy manner of walking, in order that I may place the foot of pre-eminence on the crown of the head of my fellows.’ The partridge uttered a merry laugh, and said, ‘Alack! alack!
My walking gracefully is a thing implanted in me by nature, and thy style of going is equally a natural characteristic. Nothing can obliterate natural dispositions, and no pains can alter the inherent bent. My going is in one way, and thy mode of procedure is quite another.
Leave off this fancy and relinquish this idea.
The Crow replied, ‘The commencement forces.’ Since I have plunged into the affair, no idle stories shall make me give it up; and until I grasp my wished-for object, I will not turn back from this road.
So the unfortunate Crow for a long time ran after the partridge, and having failed to learn his method of going, forgot his own too, and could in nowise recover it.
And I have adduced this story in order that thou mayest know that thou hast undertaken a fruitless task, and art using unavailing efforts. And they have said that the most fatuous of creatures is he that plunges into a thing unfitted to his nature and unsuited to his degree; and this affair has, in point of fact, exactly the same character as thy leaving the baker’s business and embarking in agriculture, and in the end the clue of both things having escaped from thy hand, thou hast been left in the grief of exile and the calamity of friendlessnes.
The Guest would not meet the advice of the Devotee with acceptance, and in a short time forgot the language of his fathers, and failed to learn Hebrew.
This is the story of one who quits his own profession and undertakes a thing which does not suit him, and this chapter is closely connected with the caution and prudence requisite in kings. Thus every ruler who wishes to sway with a vigorous hand his kingdom, and to whom the tranquillity of his subjects, and the promotion of his friends, and the extermination of his enemies, are desirable objects, will think it right to give the minutest attention and consideration to these matters. Such a king will not suffer a worthless and naturally incompetent person to contest precedence with those of a noble and pure nature. For many low people fancy themselves rival competitors of the experienced cavaliers of the field of honor, and in the exercising ground of competition548 consider their own lagging carrion as equal in the race with the lightning-paced Buráḳ of the others’ spirit, while in point of fact, if they traveled by relays, they would not so much as come up with the dust that their more noble competitors raise.
Wherefore the observation of this precedence in the rules of administration is of the highest importance, and if, which God forbid! the difference of ranks disappear from among the rulers of men, and the lowest sit in the same scale with the mediocre, and these latter put themselves on an equality with the noblest; the awe of royalty is impaired, and interruption and disturbance appear in the royal administration of affairs. On this account former kings used to take care that men of low nature and origin should acquire learning and the art of writing, and know questions in accounts and numeration, because that should this custom come to prevail, that men of business should enter the circle of the great, while great men would be unable to transact the operations of men of business, the ill effects thereof would of course be all-pervading and widely spread. Thus the means of support of high and low would be absolutely interrupted, and in consequence of these circumstancies retardation would take place in affairs, and in the course of time the effect thereof would be apparent. Wherefore it behoves a sensible man to think it incumbent to preserve the sections of the admonitions of the wise, and the advice of the sage, in order that having reaped the advantage of their beneficial influence, the fruits of experience may be made available for his career in life, and his transactions may remain preserved and safe from the imputation of faultiness, and the brand of neglect.
Again the august king of kings turned to the illustrious sage, and in a style sweetly eloquent,
Thou hast narrated the story of one who having turned from the profession and language of his forefathers, betook himself to a thing unsuited to his condition and unconformable to his habits; and for whom, after that the object of his desire had been hid from the eye of his intention, return to his original business became impossible.
Now relate what are the most admirable qualities in kings, and which are most closely connected with the welfare of the State, and the continuance of fortune, and stability of affairs, and the conciliation of hearts? And I have seen in the Twelfth Precept that it behoves monarchs to make mildness the ornament of their career, and patience the principal of their dealings. Yet I am in doubt whether mildness be a preferable quality for kings, or generosity or valor? Do thou, with thy sagacity which solves difficulties, undo the knot of the string of this problem, and with thy judgment, which points out the right, elucidate in the best possible way the mystery of this question?’
Know that the most praiseworthy characteristic and approved quality, whence both the person of kings will inspire awe and be most respected, and whence, too, as well soldiers as other subjects, will be made to feel content, is mildness and good-nature. And from the verse, ‘If thou hadst been severe and hard-hearted, they had surely separated themselves from about thee,’551 and from the words, tending to virtue, of the Sulṭán of the throne of prophecy and the felicitous lord of the empire of glory (On him be the choicest benedictions of those who pray!) it is to be understood that happiness in this world and what we hope for in the next are the consequents of mildness and good-nature. Thus it is said,551a ‘Of the happiness of man is excellence of disposition, and the meek man is all but becoming a prophet.’ And as to these three qualities, of which the king is enamoured, it is better that he should know to which to give the preference. All three are requisite, but valor is not always required, and in a whole life there may be but once a necessity for its display. But generosity and mildness are always wanted; wherefore these too are better than valor. Again, the advantages of generosity are restricted to a certain class; and it is only a particular body of individuals who can share in the benefits of the royal bounty. On the other hand, small and great stand in need of mildness, and the blessings of good temper extend to high and low, the civilian and the soldier. Wherefore it follows, as a matter of course, that mildness is superior to the other virtue.
And a sage has said, ‘Were there between me and all mankind but a single hair, and all of them unanimously tried to break it, it would be impossible that it should break; because if they left it slack I would tighten it, and if they pulled it tight I would slacken it. In other words, the perfection of my mildness and scope of my forgiving nature are of such extent that I can live at peace with all mankind, and can put up with the vulgar and the learned, the innocent and the criminal.
And be it known, that gravity and composure are a more graceful ornament of kings, and meekness and endurance a better decoration for the rulers of the world [than generosity or courage], because the commands of princes are absolute as to the life and goods and landed property of mankind, and their directions to do or not to do a thing prevail without restriction over the lowest and the highest, and the mean and the great. Wherefore, if their dispositions are not adorned with mildness and conscientiousness, it is possible that by a single harsh act they may estrange the minds of a whole nation, and by a rash and precipitate deed chafe and displease the whole world, and thus many lives and possessions will fall into the place of destruction and alienation.
And if a king wash from the face of the age the dust of want with the water of generosity, or consume with the fire of valor the harvest of the life of the hostile; yet, if he have no share of the stock of mildness, he will, by a single act of tyranny, make turbid the fountain of bountifulness, and by one violent deed raise up a thousand mortal enemies. While, on the other hand, if he fall short in the matter of generosity, and be slack in the field of courage, he may still conciliate his people and his armies by courtesy and blandness, and by his mildness and amiability, and by these qualities bind men to loyalty and chain them to his service;
And together with mildness, a king must have a share, also, of dignified composure, for mildness without firmness is not devoid of fault. Thus if one endure many annoyances; and manifest, in the most extreme degree, the quality of patience, if it conclude in precipitancy and terminate in rash and inconsiderate action, all those instances of long-suffering will be wasted, and he will be unsuccessful.
It behoves a king, too, at the time of showing mildness, not to suffer himself to be swayed by his inclinations; and at the time of anger not to allow himself to listen to the tempter; for rage is a torch of the devil’s fire, and a branch, the fruit of which is chagrin and repentance. Mildness is one of the qualities of the prophets; and rage a canine passion and one of the temptations of the evil one. It is agreed, too, among men of profound wisdom and those possessed of true piety, that until a person has got the mastery over anger, he cannot reach the rank of the just. It is also written in the remarkable sayings of the wise, that they made representation to an eminent personage, saying, ‘Express in one word the various branches of a good moral nature, that it may be the easier to grasp it.’ He responded, ‘To forsake anger comprehends all virtuous qualities and excellent dispositions, and to allow wrath its free course, includes all reprehensible acts and disgraceful deeds.
And moreover it must be known that the requirement that a king has of a vazír who is able to give him perfect advice, and of a prudent and eminent counsellor, is in order that, if the pride of power and the haughtiness of regal sway should lead him aside from the path of mildness and clemency, his right-counselling vazír, having brought him back by advice to the path of rectitude, may cause him to tread firmly in the road of calmness and composure; and having by the antidote of admonition destroyed the tendency to swerve from justice, may bestow on him the quality of stability in the way of safety; that by the bestowal of the grace of the Creator, and the happy influence of mildness and composure, and the loyalty of the counsels and purity of the intentions of his fortune-bringing vazír, he may be successful and triumphant in all his affairs: and that in whatever direction he may turn, victory and conquest may be his companions and attendants, and fortune and success his aiders and assistants. And if on some occasion he should issue his commands in any affair in accordance with his passions, and in obedience to his deceitful lusts, and deliver a decree without reflection and sure thought, and not according to foresight and prudence, then by the clear judgment of such a faithful minister the evil of his injustice may be alleviated; and the remedy of the confusion, and reparation of the error may not remain in the area of impossibility, as was the case in the contest of the King of Hindústán with his tribe.’ The world-adorning king asked, ‘How was that?’
The Bráhman said, ‘They have related that in one of the countries of Hindústán there was a king by name Hílár, possessed of immense treasures and hidden stores and wealth and money without end.
And he was distinguished from the princes of his time by a variety of illustrious actions, and was conspicuous among successful rulers by many glorious deeds. He had two sons, such that the bright sun borrowed splendor from their radiant countenances, and the shining moon moved distractedly in the field of the sky at the beauty of their cheeks, and the delicate grace of their faces. One with stature like an arrow drew towards himself, like the horns of a bow, the quadrigesimal fasters of the corners of pilgrimage,554 and the other, with ringlets like the chains of the demented, brought to the sick-bed of suffering the limbs of those who tore their hair. At sight of the symmetrical stature, delightful to the heart, of the one, the straight cypress had its foot plunged in clay through amazement; and from jealousy of the fascinating movements of the other, the mountain-partridge forgot its own gait.
And together with comeliness of form, they were also adorned with excellence of manners, and they decked the young plant of their beauty with the flowers of goodness and perfection. Their outward form was exceeding graceful, and their inner nature excessively enchanting.
They called one Suhail-i Yamaní, and the other Máh-i Khutaní,554a and their mother, ’Irán-dukht, was a ravishing beauty, in envy of whose delicate cheek the bride of the sun was hidden behind the veil of inquietude, and from shame at whose falling ringlets the curling hyacinth was writhing and in folds.
The king’s heart was excessively attached to this incomparable gem, and bound in affection to those two peerless sons: and without the sight of their beauty, the repose of his mind and the joy of his bosom were lost. Moreover he had a vazír whom they called Balár, and the meaning of this word in their language is ‘Auspicious face.’ And he was a sage illustrious for the solidity of his understanding, and famed and celebrated for the accuracy of his judgment. The proofs of his sagacity and experience, and the testimonies of his acuteness and attachment, were clearly displayed upon the face of his actions and the forehead of all he did; and the tokens of his sincerity and loyalty, and the happy influences of his special goodness and zeal to give satisfaction, were evident and conspicuous in his virtuous efforts and intense and glorious labors. The tongue of the age used to chant the praises of his perfection after this manner, and sought to attain the delineation of a trifling portion of the laudation due to his worth and greatness with these couplets,
And the king’s private secretary, whose name was Kamál, was a penman such that the planet Mercury555a would be unable to draw the bow of his description, and the celestial amanuensis could not, with the step of consideration, mount the ladders of his edifices. Thou wouldest say that his reed, clothed in elegance, was the magazine of the secrets of eloquence; and the noise of his pen, marked with ingenuity, was the dawning-place of the lights of rhetoric. Every pearl of reasoning which he perforated with the diamond of reflection was strung by the arranger of his penetrating intellect on the string of lucid words and elegant expressions; and every coin of truth that he weighed with the balance of deliberation, the broker of his right-judging thought submitted with perfect recommendation and complete description to the inspection of the purchasers of the bázár of subtlety.
And for his own especial riding the king had a white elephant, which was wont to hasten into the battle-field like the world-traversing wind, and to pierce with his rock-crushing tusks the bosom of stony-hearted mountains. Iron is ever hidden in mountains, but it, reversing the usual order of things, was a mountain hidden in iron; and hills are ever quiescent in one place, and destitute of pillars; but he, contrary to custom, was a moving mountain on four pillars.
He had also two other elephants of very majestic size, like the mountain Alvand556a in the hugeness of their limbs. With their trunks, like bats in the game of chaugán, they drove the heads of rebels like balls along the field, and with their column-resembling fore-feet they crushed the necks of the refractory. Their crystal-like tusks brought forth spouts of coral from the breasts of the king’s foes, and with their ivory pickaxes they displayed from the mines of the bodies of enemies heaps of rubies of Badakhshán.
Moreover he had two dromedaries which could traverse mountains and sandy plains, and which in one night could cross a whole clime, nay, in a single instant could measure with their feet a world. They shewed with their necks and ears the exact resemblance of a bow and arrow, and exhibited with their fore-feet and breasts the similitude of a mace and shield. At the time of running they made the surface of the earth appear like a shield, and when traveling they bore off with their feet, which resembled the bat in the game of chaugán, the ball of precedence from the swift-paced courser of the moon.
Besides these he had a fleet-paced, fiery steed, with silver hoofs and bridle of gold; which, when his reins were slackened, outstripped the world-traversing moon; nor could the earth-crossing north-wind come near the dust which it raised. Thus, so long as the bay courser of the sky has circled round the globe of earth, none had ever beheld the equal of that steed, and while piebald time has traversed the space of ages, no one had ever heard of such a horse.
And he had a sword adorned with jewels and embellished with precious pearls. One would have said that they had studded a blade of grass with drops of dew, or adorned a sheet of blue sky with royal pearls. The black marks of its original high temper, looked on its diamond blade, like the feet of ants, and on its blue-enameled surface the wings of flies were exhibited. It was not a sword, it was rather a cloud that showered blood or fiery-flashing lightning.
The king’s heart was wholly bound up with these things that have been mentioned, and he always boasted of superiority in all these possessions over the monarchs of all the countries of Hind. Now there were in his kingdom a number of Bráhmans, who regarded themselves as the followers of Brahmá, and acknowledged his prophet and chose to turn aside from the true faith and the right way, and caused people to stray in the waste of error and the gulf of ignorance. However much King Hílár557 bade them desist from misleading and deceiving his subjects, they, unheeding his rebuke, did not forsake that reprehensible habit. At last the affair came to this, that the king, through religious zeal and in defence of the faith, slew nearly twelve thousand of them. Their houses he gave up to be plundered, and their wives and children he led into captivity. But four hundred persons of the number who were adorned with the accomplishments of science, and were gifted with a variety of knowledge, he made to wait on the imperial throne. These, against their will, having girt the waist of service, traveled the road of obedience, and watched for an opportunity of revenge and a chance for wreaking their vengeance. One night the king was reposing557a on the couch of enjoyment, when he heard seven terrible voices. Through dread of these he awoke, and fell into thought and reflection. In the midst of this, sleep again overpowered him, and in a dream he beheld two red fishes, from the brightness of which the eyes were dazzled, stand on their tails and call to him, Bravo! Again he awoke and entered into a long train of thought, and then went to sleep once more. A second time he saw two ducks of various colors, and a large goose, which flew after him and at last alighted before him and began to utter benedictions. Again he awoke, and remaining bewildered at what had occurred, once more slumbered, and saw a green snake with yellow and white spots, winding about his leg; and that ugly serpent was twisting itself on that branch of sandal-wood. The king awoke in terror, and was sad at those strange spectacles which he had beheld in the curtain of fancy. Again the genius of sleep drawing him by degrees, bore him off to the world of dreams. This time he beheld that he was bathed from head to foot in blood, like a branch of coral, and, as it were, adorned from top to toe in rubies of Badakhshán and precious stones of a red color. The king awoke and began to be sorrowful, and wished to call to one of the officers of the seraglio,—suddenly, sleep overcame him, and he beheld that he was mounted on a swift white mule, which, like leaping lightning, crossed over mountains and yet was easy-paced as dear life itself. It seemed as if he turned the reins of his steed towards the east, and sped on alone. However much he looked about him, he saw none of his attendants, save two chamberlains,558 and these on foot. From dread of this occurrence, he started up from sleep once more; and then the sixth time relapsed into slumber. He then saw a fire which was kindled on the top of his head, and the flames of which encompassed all quarters. From beholding this circumstance he awoke again, terrified. The seventh time falling insensible from the wine of sleep, he saw a bird, which perched on his head and pecked the crown of it with its beak. This time the king uttered a shout, such that the attendants round about the royal chamber raised cries, and some of them rushed aghast to the foot of his bed. The king re-assured them and sent them away; and from dismay at those deadly dreams, he, like a serpent whose tail has been cut off, or a snake-bitten man, continued writhing in anguish, and kept saying to himself, ‘What strange variety of horrid sights was this which the pen of omnipotence caused to rise up! and what troops of calamity were these which poured forth one upon another!
Ah me! to whom can I reveal the nature of these occurrences? and what sage can I invoke to solve this difficulty? Whom can I make the confidant of these secrets? and with what person can I hazard the throw558a of relating this story?
In short, with a thousand sufferings he passed that night till the dawn of day, and was complaining of gloomy night for its tardy progress and its length, and exclaimed,
Thus he continued till the time when the cheek of bright morning began to shine from the curling ringlets of dark night, and the perfumed taper of the sun began to be visible in the expanse of the azure sky in place of the ambergris-hued tapestry of darkness.
As soon as the hand of Providence removed the veil of darkness from before the beauty of the world-illuminating day, and the monarch of the planets took his seat on the enameled throne of the sky, and conveyed to the ears of mortals the proclamation of justice-dispensing light,559 the king arose and summoned the Bráhmans, who were solvers of difficulties and perfect in the science of the interpretation of dreams. Then, without pondering on the consequences, he related to them, in the manner he had beheld them, all his dreams. The Bráhmans having heard these terrible circumstances, and seeing the marks of fear and dismay on the countenance of the king, replied, ‘These visions are portentous, and during the lapse of time no one has ever beheld dreams of such horror, nor has the ear of any interpreter of dreams listened to such an account as this. If the king will grant us permission we will consult together and refer to books which have been written on the art of interpreting visions, and will consider thereof with the most careful scrutiny. Then having represented the interpretation with accuracy, we will devise a plan for averting the injury and evil.
The king gave them permission, and they, issuing from his presence, held a private meeting; and from the foulness of their minds and the impurity of their thoughts, began to agitate the chain of revenge, and said to one another, ‘This cruel tyrant has but lately slain several thousands of our tribe, and given to the wind of spoliation our goods and wealth. To-day we have got hold of a clue, by means of which we may wreak560 our spite on him, and remedy and alleviate the distress of our affairs. And since he has made us his confidants in this matter, and has placed confidence in our interpretation and representation, we must not let slip the opportunity, nor make a long delay in exacting retaliation.
Our best course is to speak boldly in this matter and terrify him with the strongest threats, and say, ‘These visions are a proof that seven great perils, such that there is mortal danger in each, are to come. The means of averting these evils is as follows: that they should kill with the sword of high temper a number of the Pillars of the State and of the ministers of the king, and of those animals on which he is wont to ride, and pour their blood into a laver, and let the king sit for a time in that blood, and we will breathe spells over him, and will rub some of the blood upon his body. Afterwards having washed his person with pure water, we will anoint him with unguents, and will bring him back to his court safe and free from care.’560b Then after that, by this stratagem, we have destroyed his nearest attendants, in the lapse of time, when he is alone, we will settle his business. Thus, though during these days, the foot of our heart has been wounded by the thorn of his injuries, still there is hope that we shall pluck the rose of our desire with the hand of our wish, and we shall see our powerful enemy fallen as we could desire into a position of weakness.
Wherefore, thus perfidiously and traitorously having conspired together against their master, they went again to the king, and said,
It has been in a general way signified to the luminous mind of the king that the interpretation of these dreams exhibits nought but the assault of calamity, and pain, and woe, and trouble, and we have thought of a good way of averting the injurious effects of these occurrences. If the king will receive with the hearing of acceptance our words, which will be spoken with the truest desire for his welfare, and the purest intention to gratify him, the evil which is about to follow these dreams will assuredly be averted. But if he refuse to hearken to our directions he must be prepared for a great calamity; nay, even for the decline of his empire and the extinction of life itself.’ The king feared, and falling into the circle of dismay, his heart failed him, and he said, ‘Ye must declare the particulars of this advice, in order that in every way, which enters the range of possibility, exertion be made to remedy this. They, beholding the oven of deceit hot, shut into it the leaven of guile, and thus continued, ‘Those two fishes which stood on their tails are the sons of the king; and that serpent which wound round his leg is Irán-dukht, and those two colored ducks are the two elephants, and the large goose is the white elephant, and the swift mule is the easy-paced courser of the king, and the two chamberlains on foot are the dromedaries, and the fire that shone on the king’s head is the vazír Balár, and the bird which struck its beak into the king’s head is the secretary Kamál, and that blood with which the king’s body was besmeared is caused by the high-tempered sword which they smite on the king’s head and stain his body with. Now we have devised a remedy for the injurious effects of these dreams in the following manner: that they should slay with that sword both the king’s sons, and their mother, and the secretary, and vazír, and the elephants, and the horse, and the dromedaries, and having taken some of the blood of each, collect it in one place, and having broken the sword, bury it with the corpses of the slain under ground. Then we having mixed the blood with river-water will pour it into a laver, and causing the king to sit there, will repeat spells and benedictions, and afterwards write talismans with that blood on the forehead of the king, and smearing his shoulders and breast with that mixture of blood and water, will allow three hours to pass. Then we will wash with spring-water the king’s head, and having dried him, will make an unguent with olive oil, so that the pernicious effects will be altogether removed: and except this contrivance no help will avail.
When the king heard these words, the fire of regret consumed the goods of patience and composure, and the blast of dismay gave to the winds the stock of his endurance and mildness; and he said, ‘O foes with friendly faces! and O foolish men! death is better than this plan of yours, and to drink the beverage of fate preferable to this proposal full of mischief. When I shall have slain this group, some of which are precious to me as my own soul’ and all of whom are the pivot of the state and of its wealth, and the source of the ornament of my grandeur and renown, what enjoyment shall I have in life, and what advantage shall I reap from continuing to exist?
But perhaps ye have not heard the story of Sulaimán (on whom be peace!) and the Heron, and the purport of their conversation has not reached you?’ The Bráhmans humbly asked, ‘How was that?’
The king said, ‘I have heard that Sulaimán (the blessing and peace of God be upon our Prophet and upon him!) was a king whose reversed command was adorned with the honor of rapid execution. Jins,562 men, animals, and birds, bound the girdle of submission and obedience to him on the waist of their souls. The writer of destiny had ornamented the diploma of his kingly office with the signature, ‘Give me a kingdom which may not be obtained by any after me,’562a and the groom of omnipotence had placed the saddle of his authority on the east wind as his steed; so the verse, ‘It blew in the morning for a month, and in the evening for a month,’562b affords a description of his riding.
One day one of the cherubs of the oratories of the angelic world came to see him, and presented to him a cup full of the water of life, and said, ‘The Creator of all! May His greatness be glorified and His power magnified!’ has given thee free choice, and has said, ‘Quaff, if thou wilt, this cup; and, till the end of time, be free from tasting the beverage, ‘Every soul shall taste of death.’562c And if thou wishest, quickly lift up thy foot, and from the corner of the prison of humanity, betake thyself to the pure garden and expansive air of divinity.’ Sulaimán (On him be peace!) reflected within himself, that the coin of life is a stock with which it is possible to secure in the bázár of the resurrection abundant profit; and that the space of existence is a field, in which can be sown the seed of happiness in both worlds and the plant of eternal felicity.
Wherefore, in every point of view, one ought to choose the continuance563 of existence rather than the allurements of extinction and annihilation; and, for the two or three days that the reins of delay are in the hand of option, exertion ought to be used to secure the favor of the Almighty.
Again he reflected, saying, ‘The chiefs of the Genii and of men are present, and the leaders of the beasts and birds. I must consult with them, and whatever their unanimous opinion may be, that I must propose to myself as my rule in this matter.’ He then took counsel with all the fairies, and men, and birds, and all the animals, as to drinking the beverage of life. All bade him drink it, and were comforted and glad at his life being perpetuated, in which, too, the welfare of the inhabitants of the world would be included.
Sulaimán said, ‘Is there any one of all my subjects that is absent from this assembly?’ They replied, ‘Yes! the Heron has not come to this meeting, and is not informed of this consultation.’ Sulaimán (On him be peace!) sent the horse to summon him, but the Heron declined to come. Again he commanded the dog, saying, ‘Go! and bring the Heron.’ The dog came to the Heron, who acquiescing in his words, presented himself before Sulaimán. Sulaimán said, ‘I wish to consult thee, but before I tell thee the subject, solve a difficulty I have.’ The Heron expressed his inability, and said,
Thy slave has not power to solve any difficulty, nor does he deserve that such a king, as thou, should honor him by consulting him. It is not, however, strange that the great of lofty station should inquire into the circumstances of their humble subjects.
If my lord, pre-eminent for the dignity of the prophetic office, will favor me with a declaration of that difficulty, that which passes through my feeble mind shall be represented.’ Sulaimán (On him be peace!) rejoined, ‘After man, the most noble animal is the horse, and the basest of animals is the dog. What is the meaning of this, that thou wouldest not come at the summons of the most noble animal, and didst accept the invitation of the meanest?’ The Heron replied, ‘Although the beauty of nobility is outwardly apparent in the horse, and the most perfect gifts are luminously and evidently displayed in him, yet he has not fed in the mead of faithfulness, nor drunk one drop from the fountain of gratitude.
And notwithstanding that the dog is notorious for his baseness, and well-known for his impurity, still he has eaten the morsel of constancy, and habituated himself to the custom of gratitude.
And I, in accepting the invitation of my lord, who is the fountain of fidelity and the confluence of all truth and sincerity, did not listen to the words of an unfaithful animal, but gave heed to the address of a faithful one.’ Sulaimán (On him be peace!) approved of this reply, and disclosed to him the question as to drinking the water of life. The Heron said, ‘Wilt thou drink that water alone, or wilt thou give a part thereof to thy friends and kinsmen also?’ Sulaimán (On him be peace!) said, ‘They have sent it specially for me, nor have they granted a portion of it to others.’ The Heron replied, ‘O Prophet of God! how may this be, that thou shouldest continue alive and every one of thy friends and companions and children, and of those who are attached to thee, perish before thee? I cannot imagine that there could be enjoyment in such a life, nor can I suppose that there could be happiness in an existence which would be an incessant scene of separation.
Sulaimán (On him be peace!) applauded what he said, and declining the envenomed draught of separation, sent back the water of life untasted to the place whence they had brought it.
And I have cited this story to show that without this group of beings I do not wish for life, and see no difference betwixt my own death and their extinction. Moreover, as a matter of course, every kingdom verges to decay, and every monarch is on the brink565 of departure and migration; and, in the end, this perilous journey must be traveled by all; and in this fearful catacomb,565a for the sake of two or three days’ transitory existence, why should I take steps towards so perilous and grave a measure? and why, with my own hand, lay waste the foundation of my greatness, and the basis of my enjoyment? Can ye not devise some other scheme? and contrive in a more simple manner a remedy for this misfortune?
The Bráhmans answered, ‘May the king live long! the words of truth are bitter, and faithful counsel appears harsh. We are amazed at the State-enlightening judgment of the king, in that he esteems the lives of others as equally precious with his own life and person, and for their preservation surrenders his precious existence and his hereditary kingdom! He ought to listen to the advice of his well-wishers, and to repose confidence in the words of the disinterested, and to consider his own person and his broad dominions as an equivalent for all losses. It behoves him therefore without hesitation or change of purpose to enter upon this affair, which will be a cause of universal joy, and of tranquillity to high and low. It is certain too that a wise man is attached to others for his own sake; and it is not hidden from the king that it is with a hundred toils that man arrives at sovereign power, and the keys of the treasures of dominion are acquired only by infinite exertion. To decide then on relinquishing the high estate of life, and to abandon the throne of glory and good-fortune appears far removed from the path of good sense. And so long as the king himself lives, he will not want for wives and offspring, and as long as his kingdom is stable, there will be no deficiency nor scarcity of articles of convenience and luxury, or of clever and faithful servants.
When the king heard these statements, and saw the determination with which they delivered these words, he was very sad, and went from the hall of audience into his private apartments, and from the dais of his palace set his face towards the retirement of the house of sorrows.
Then, having placed the face of supplication on the ground, he let loose the water of regret from his eyes, and his heart being roasted with the fire of despair, he gave the harvest of patience and composure to the wind of spoliation, and said, ‘This cloud of mischief, which rains down the shower of calamity, whence has it made its appearance? and this troop of griefs, which has made spoil of the goods of life alone, by what channel has it found its way to invade me?
How forsooth can one call the death of beloved ones a matter of small importance?566 and what enjoyment can one derive from life without [seeing] the beauty of sons and spouses? and of what use will my kingdom be to me without my sons, who are the light of my eyes, and the fruit of my heart, and who are my solace in the present life, and my hope after treading the path of death?
And Irán-dukht (from the well of whose chin the fountain of the radiant sun is but a drop, and the dawning light of the bright moon but a glimmer from the reflection of her brilliant face; whose cheek is like the time of happy fortune, fresh and joyous, and whose locks, like the nights of adversity, are dark and raveled;
possesses the power of fascinating by her society, and of exhilarating the soul by her companionship; and without her what fruition can I have in life? And if my vazír Balár (whose luminous judgment is a light-increasing sun in every night of emergency, and the ray of the taper of whose intellect is a gloom-dispelling light in the darkness of every critical event;
were not before the throne of my glory, how would the building up of the State, and the lustre of administration, and the plenishing of the treasuries, and the acquisition of desired objects, be possible? And when the page of the counsels of the secretary Kamál (of whose fingers the sublime limner of the sky is a pupil, and of the tray of whose eloquence Mercury of elegant style is but a crumb-eater; whose words delight the heart like a string of pearls, and whose handwriting, like scattered gems, increases joy;
is withdrawn from our sight, how can the affairs of the provinces and the events of the neighboring country be known? or by what device will information be obtained as to the circumstances of our enemies and the intentions of our foes? And whenever the line of extinction is drawn through the volume of the life of these two faithful counsellors and efficient officers, which are to the frame of the kingdom like helping hands567 and watchful eyes, of course the benefits of their advice and the results of their ability will be cut off from the State. Then, supposing this to be the case, the lustre of affairs and arrangement of matters will belong to the class of impossibilities. Again, without the white elephant (whose body shines like the lunar orb, and who is beautiful and swift as the revolving sky;
how could I advance to meet the foe? Moreover, without those two other567a elephants (which, in the ranks of war, like tumultuous floods, bear down the enemy; and, like a whirlwind, carry off men from amid the battle;
how, in the day of conflict, shall I break through the hostile ranks? and how, in the moment of strife, shall I overturn the army of my opponents? And if, too, I had no longer any rapid dromedaries (at the time of whose speeding forth, the courier of the east wind is unable to distinguish, even from a distance, the dust of their footsteps; and the messenger of the northern breeze cannot frame the notion of being able to accompany the pulverized atoms which their passage stirs up;
how shall I obtain information as to what passes around? and by what conveyance transmit the imperial commands through the kingdom? So, without that fleet steed, of rapid pace and steely sinews, and lightning movements, and dazzling speed (which would kindle in the heart of the Rakhsh of Rustam the brightness of the lightning of the fire of calamity; and the nimbleness of whose motions would make the rose-colored tears [of envy] roll from the eyes of the Shabdíz of Khusrau,
how could I hope to spread the carpet of enjoyment? and in what manner could I carry off the ball of hilarity from the plain of mirth with the bat of pleasure? Lastly, without the sharp sword (which is of the form of water, so that the fire of sedition is quenched by the water of its terror, and is fiery in its dealings, so that the honor568 of the State is sustained by the awe it inspires;
what impression shall I make in war? And when I am left destitute of these instruments and with my own hand render useless a number of my supporters, what enjoyment can I reap from my kingdom? and what relish can I derive from life? And in truth,
To be brief, the king dived for a while day and night, in the ocean of reflection, yet found not the gem of counsel by which he could grasp the clue of hope. The mention of the king’s reveries was spread among the Pillars of the State, and the abstraction of the monarch became known to all the favorites of the imperial court. The vazír Balár bethought himself, ‘If I am the first to endeavor to lay bare this matter, and before a hint is given me from the king, if I open the subject, it will be far removed from due respect and reverence. While, on the other hand, if I choose to be supine and adopt a course of hesitation and delay, it will not be comformable to sincere and marked attachment.’ He therefore went to Irán-dukht and after offering the usual salutations, began to utter benedictions, and said,
It is not unknown to thy sublime mind, that from the day when I obtained the honor of insertion on the string of the attendants of this court—whose pomp resembles that of heaven,—to this moment, the king has concealed nothing from me, and has not thought it right to enter upon affairs, either small or great, without consulting me. Yesterday he once or twice summoned the Bráhmans and conferred with them; and to-day he continues in private and sits thoughtful and dejected. Now thou art the queen of the time and the partner of the affections of the prince; and the people, and soldiers, next to the king’s favor, look hopefully to thy bounty; while thy commands, after the mandate of the king, are regarded by them as second in the management of affairs.569 It is advisable that thou shouldest go to the king, and, having learned the state of the case, favor me with information regarding it, that we may engage with all despatch, in such measures as may appear salutary. For the Bráhmans are perfidious and malevolent, and I fear lest by their deceptions they may induce him to steps which will result in regret and repentance; while after an event has taken place, remorse and contrition are unavailing.
Irán-dukht replied, ‘Reproofs have passed between me and the king, and some angry hints have been thrown out. I am ashamed while this is the case, to intrude on the king’s privacy and to loose my tongue to ask an explanation.’ The vazír rejoined, ‘O queen of the world! Reproof is the offering of dear friends,—chiding is a cause of the stability of friendship’s basis, and a reason of the permanence of the foundation of attachment and cordiality.
On this occasion thou must put aside this lovers’ quarrel, for since the king is overwhelmed with anxiety, and long and painful excogitation has made him sad, his servants and attendants ought not to show such boldness [as to intrude], and save thyself, none can open this door with the key of advice. Moreover, I have repeatedly heard the king say, ‘Whenever Irán-dukht comes to me—though I be sad—I appear joyful, and am freed, by her auspicious presence, from the fetters of grief and despondency.’ Go, then, and discover this affair, and thus569a confer a vast favor on all the royal retinue in court.’ Irán-dukht then approached the king, performed the usual obeisance, and said,
What is the reason of thy gloom, and the cause of thy anxiety? and if any thing has reached thy ears from the Bráhmans, it is right thou shouldest acquaint thy slaves, in order that, aiding therein, they may perform the services due from them.’ The king replied, ‘It is not proper to ask a question as to a thing which is of such a nature, that if an answer be given it will prove painful to the mind, [for it is said,] ‘Do not ask about things, which, if told to you, would annoy you.’’ Irán-dukht answered, ‘If this suffering is to fall on the body of the king’s dependants, it matters not, for the safety of the royal person is a remedy for all calamities.
And if (which heaven forfend!) the thing has reference to the precious person of your Majesty, even then, too, let us not give way to perplexity, nor on any account sit down desponding; but let us show manly determination (for ‘firm purpose is of the purposes of kings,’) in company with the qualities of patience and composure. For complaining does but augment suffering, and impatience makes our enemies happy and joyous, and our friends vexed and chagrined. And in whatever befalls man, when he has recourse to the strongest handle570 patience, in the end the face of his desired object appears; and we may justly regard that as the best of objects in which the favor of God is not lost.
And it befits the king, when an affair of importance arises, and a critical event occurs, not to suffer the means of remedy and mode of averting it to remain uncertain or concealed from his perfect penetration and abundant sagacity; especially as there is no deficiency of power and ability; and the means of dispelling despondency and of removing care and solicitude are ready and prepared.
The king said, ‘If of what the Bráhmans pointed out to me, they were to whisper a single letter in the ear of a mountain, its sides, like that of the glorious570a mountain Sinai, would be rent asunder, and the description, ‘And the mountains shall be dashed in pieces,570b would be shown to apply to it; and if they were to give a hint of it to the bright day, sadness would turn it to the color of gloomy night, and the sign, Darkness one over the other,571 would be manifest in it.
Do thou, too, importune me not as to this, nor be over instant in investigating it; for neither have I the power to tell it, nor thou fortitude to listen to it.’ Again Irán-dukht urged him exceedingly to tell; and the king, to gratify her, having made known somewhat of what was hidden in his breast said, ‘In one of these nights I saw a thing, and alarmed by the horror of it, I disclosed it to the Bráhmans to explain and interpret it; and those accursed ones viewed it as expedient that men should slay thee, together with thy two blessed and noble sons, and the pure-minded vazír, and the eloquent secretary, and the white man-destroying elephant, and the other gigantic army-crushing elephants, and the waste-traversing, thorn-eating dromedaries, and the steed of fair paces, with the high-tempered sword, in order that the calamitous effects of that dream might be averted.’ When Irán-dukht heard these words, the sigh571a of grief rose from the fire-temple of her heart to the aperture of her brain, and she was near shedding drops of regret from the fountain of her eyes. However, inasmuch as she was wise and discreet, she swallowed that life-dissolving grief, and with heart unmoved, said,
The king ought not to be sorrowful on this account, for of what use are the lives of his slaves, if they are not devoted to his advantage? As long as his august person is safe, and the position of his authority fixed, he will not want for wives and children, nor will his servants and royal equipment decrease. But when the ill effects of the dream are averted, and the royal mind is freed from this sorrow, the king must not place confidence in this perfidious sect; and if they exhort the king to slay a number of individuals, he must not take this step without reflection; for the shedding of blood is a grave matter, and to subvert the foundations of the existence of a living being is a troublous thing; and if, (we take refuge from it with God!) the blood should turn out to be wrongfully spilt, the end thereof will be disastrous, and its punishment enduring torment; and repentance and regret, and remorse and anguish, will be then unavailing; for to recall the past and to restore the dead to life is beyond the circle of human ability.
The king must understand that the Bráhmans are not friendly to him, and though they have dived into science and learned some problems as far as they have, still the sages of the faith are unanimous on this point, that one of an evil and accursed nature cannot derive beauty from any ornament, and that neither learning nor wealth can bestow on him the adornment of good faith and benevolence. For the impurity of a dog is unchanged, though they throw a chain of gold round his neck; and the filthiness of a hog will not be altered into cleanliness, though they were to encase his teeth with the same precious metal; and the subtle saying, ‘Like an ass that carries books,’ confirms the truth of this
And knowledge is like a sword with which all may be slain. Those who are pure of mind and of unsullied natures, put to death with that sword the lusts and appetites, than which man has no worse enemy. Some on the other hand, who are devoid of spirit and of impure dispositions, afflict with that same sword the understanding and the spirit through which alone man is ennobled. Thus, they turn what ought to be an instrument for repelling their foes, into an implement for injuring their friends. And that perfect sage572a alludes to this, where he says,
And their object in this interpretation is, to secure an opportunity for revenge, and that the wounds which have been inflicted on their hearts by the royal chastisement should, by this guileful artifice on which they have imposed the name of salutary regulation, be salved over. They will first remove out of their way your sons, which are like the king himself, and are the counterparts of the gracious Sháh, in order that the king may be left without an heir. Next they would take away the united nobles, who are the Pillars of the State, and on whose ability depends the populousness of these realms, and the plenishment of the treasuries, that the people may become turbulent573 and the army dispirited. They would destroy, too, the other means of empire, such as the elephants and camels, horse and weapons, that the king might be left alone and helpless. For my own part I, this poor slave, am of no account; and many like me are to be found in the service of the king; but [let me say] that when they find the king isolated, this vengeful purpose will in the lapse of time be manifest, and that which they have for years concealed in their minds, they will bring from volition to execution. And hitherto they could but contemplate this with impotence and perplexity, but when, having obtained full power, they get the reins of option into their hands, their purpose is to excite tumults in the kingdom, and set open the gates of mischief. For in case the king destroys his followers, both the soldiers will become dejected and the people suspicious; and when the civilians and the military are of two hearts and ten tongues, this becomes a cause of triumph and exaltation to foes, and, supposing this to be the case, territory and wealth depart from the grasp, and soul and life fall into imminent peril. And kings ought not to be careless of the deceits and artifices of their enemies;
Yet, notwithstanding all this, if in what the Bráhmans have deemed advisable, there is any relief573b or relaxation of anxiety to the king, of course it is not fit that there should be any delay; but if there be room for postponement, one measure of caution may yet be adopted, which at the king’s command, I will utter.’ The king gave the required permission, and said, ‘What thou sayest is in my belief clear of all suspicion of doubt, and will assuredly be acceptable and listened to with attention.’ Irán-dukht continued, ‘The sage Kárídún, who is the founder of the pedestals of eminent qualities, and the traveler of the roads of virtue and excellence, and who is gifted with a disposition, which is a storehouse of the precious things of spirituality and wisdom, and endued with an intellect, which is a mine of the mysteries of special manifestations and merit.574
has at this time made choice of a retirement in a cave in the mountain Khaẓrá,574a and continually observes the recitation of faith in the unity of God and abnegation of self. Though, by origin, he is related to the Bráhmans, yet in sincerity, and uprightness, and good faith, and rectitude, he has the pre-eminence over them. His sight is more perfect as to the issue of affairs, and his right-aiming counsel is more comprehensive of the propulsion of calamity and accident. If the king’s judgment acquiesce, this sage must be honored by being made a confidant, and the circumstances of the dream and the interpretation of the Bráhmans must be communicated to him. There is no doubt that he will truly instruct the king as to every particular thereof, and will not withhold any circumstance of the explanation of what is at present hidden. If his interpretation correspond with that of the Bráhmans, all doubt will be extinguished, and it will be right to execute the same resolve; and if his directions are contrary, the luminous mind of the king will decide between right and wrong, and will discriminate sound advice from perfidy.’ This speech pleased the king, and he immediately mounted his horse and went to the sage Kárídún, and having obtained the felicity of an interview with the divine sage, who was a gathering-place of endless virtues, he performed the required respectful salutations. The sage, too, fulfilled the courtesies due, and said,
What is the cause of the procession of the fortune-attended train hither? Hadst thou conveyed thy mandate, I myself would have attended at the court, for it is in accordance with what is right that servants should attend to minister.
And, moreover, one may see on the royal face the marks of disturbance, and the traces of grief are physiognomically discernible on the august countenance. The king must state the case, and recount the cause of his sadness. The king narrated in full detail the circumstances of the vision, and the interpretation of the Bráhmans. Kárídún shook the head of astonishment, and having bitten the finger of amazement, said, ‘The king has committed an error in this, for this secret was not to be disclosed to that sect, and this story ought not to have been related to that body of men.
And let it not remain hidden from the royal mind, that these perfidious advisers are not suitable interpreters of these things, because they have neither reason to guide them, nor their faith rightly planted. Now the king’s happiness ought to be augmented by these dreams, and he ought, as a thank-offering, to bestow on deserving objects an infinite abundance of alms; for the proofs of happiness and the testimonies of honor and exaltation are manifest and clear on the pages of the explanations of these events. Every moment, events which are to occur will be in accordance with his wish; and every hour the affairs of his glory and greatness will be in order of arrangement.
And I will at this very time, fully deliver the interpretation of every thing that has occurred, and repel with the shield of wisdom, the arrow of the artifices of those counsellors.
First, those two red fishes which stood on their tails, are ambassadors, who will come from Sarándíp and who will present to the king two strong elephants with four hundred raṭls575 of red rubies, in envy of whose color the heart of the pomegranate will be filled with blood; and the body of fire, in jealousy of their rays, will hide itself in the secret chamber of the stone. And those two ducks and the goose, which flew after the king and alighted in front of him, are two horses and a mule which the King of Delhi will send to his Majesty as a present; and those two steeds will have voices of thunder, the fiery spirit of lightning, keen sagacity, and unflagging energy.
And that mule is a carrier, fleet as the wind—spirited as fire, such that it passes swift as lightning over roads and narrow gorges; and like the thunderbolt, with the wound of its hoof brings fire out of stone.
And that snake which twisted round the king’s foot, is a sword of fiery efficacy and of high temper, which in the day of battle showers from the fountain of its blue water a torrent of liquid rubies, and scatters o’er its diamond-colored surface, particles of carnelion and coral sand.
And that blood with which the king found himself stained, is a scarlet robe ornamented with gems which they will bring as an offering to the royal wardrobe from the imperial city Ghaznah. And that white mule on which the king was mounted, is a white elephant which the Sulṭán of Bíjánagar is sending for the royal service, and the king will enjoy the pleasure of exercise on that elephant. It will be huge as a cloud, and, in the ranks of war, will make its emerald-colored trunk like a lustrous ruby with the blood of the brave; and with its dragon-taming tusk,576 which is united to a mountain of iron, it destroys a whole world in an instant of time.
And that which blazed like fire on the august forehead of the king, is a crown which the King of Sailán576b is sending as a gift; which is such a diadem that the ornament of its circlet may vie with the highest region of the blue-colored heaven; and by the radiance it showers, it will make every hair of the sovereign that wears it a string of jewels.
And the bird, which struck its beak on the King’s head, betokens that some slight disaster is to be looked for, but the consequences are not so important or injurious. The utmost of it is, that the king will for some days avert his face from a dear friend and an affectionate companion; and the conclusion of it will be beneficial and fortunate. This is an account of the interpretation of the visions of the king, and in that he saw them at seven successive times, this shows that envoys will arrive on seven distinct occasions with the presents of princes to his august court; and the king will be gratified and delighted by the receipt of those valuables, and the acquisition of those precious things. Moreover, he will be rendered felicitous by the stability of his good-fortune and the continuance of life; and it behoves the emperor of the world hereafter not to make worthless persons the confidants of his secrets; nor until he has tested the wisdom of a man, to consult with him in an affair of importance.
And it is the very essence of wisdom to regard it as a sacred duty to shun altogether the society of audacious, impure, base, and unprincipled men; and not to arrange the precious jewel of one’s own self on the string of men fatuous, of mean spirit, and accursed nature.
When the king had heard this discourse, he immediately made repeated prostrations in thankfulness, and expressed his acknowledgments to that auspicious-minded old man, who, like the Messiah, had given to his lifeless heart unbounded happiness; and said, ‘The divine favor has bestowed on me the aid of success, and guided me to your highness wise and joy-bestowing, so that by the happy influences of the blessed spirit of your holiness, the difficulties of distress have been exchanged for the advantages of tranquillity.
Praise be to God! a praise, lasting and eternal!’ Then the king, with glad heart, bestowed the honor of his alighting on the settled abode of his greatness; and for seven days, in succession, envoys arrived with gifts and offerings, and in the same manner as the perfect sage had announced conveyed to the place of representation, the purport of the messages with which they were charged. On the seventh day, the king summoned to a private audience his sons, and the vazír Balár, and Irán-dukht, and his secretary, and said, ‘I committed a strange fault in disclosing my dream to my enemies; and had not the mercy of God been a bar to their artifices, and the counsel of Irán-dukht not opened the hand of remedy, the directions of those accursed ones would, in the end, have achieved my destruction, and that of all my kin and retainers. And whoever is befriended by the Divine Felicity, and supported by the Eternal Power, he will assuredly hold dear friendly advice, and enter upon affairs with deliberation and reflection; and cautiously avoiding a disastrous result, will take care not to quit the place of prudence and spot of vigilance. And they have said,
He then issued his commands, that as the minds of those his beloved, owing to such circumstances, could not be clear from grief, it was fitting that these presents should be divided among them, and that a special share should be given to Irán-dukht, who, by the delivery of her sentiments, had remedied this affair. The vazír Balár said, ‘Thy slaves are for this, viz., to make themselves the shields of calamity in emergencies, and thus not to withhold their lives and spirits;
And if by the assistance of fortune and the succor of felicitous destiny, service of this nature and the fulfilment of this duty be attainable, and it become possible to lay down one’s wealth and life in the path of the service of one’s benefactor, a reward and gifts are not to be looked for, nor are presents and requital to be expected. However, the Queen of the Age has exerted herself much in this matter, wherefore of these gifts the crown adorned with jewels, or the scarlet robe ornamented with gems befits her; and the king ought to present her with whichever she chooses to accept.’ The king commanded them to carry both of these things into a private chamber, and he, himself, with the vazír Balár, entered. Now there was in the haram, another damsel whom they used to call Bazm Afrúz.578 She possessed a form such that the sun of the east from shame on her account, veiled his face with the curtain, ‘Until the sun is hidden by the veil of night,’578a and the fresh rose-leaf, through the diffidence it occasioned, retired into concealment behind its verdant screen.
The king was warmly attached to her, and although Irán-dukht was, by her beauty and piquancy, a mischief to the whole world; and by her grace and elegance, a cause of agitation to the age; still the king used to give Bazm Afrúz a turn with her, and was one night out of every two in the chamber of the former. This day the king commanded them to call Bazm Afrúz, and they brought the crown and the robe, and the royal mandate was issued that whichever Irán-dukht chose, the other should fall to Bazm Afrúz. Irán-dukht was more inclined towards the crown, and that golden constellation with gems for stars pleased her most. Feeling disposed towards this, she looked towards the vazír Balár to see that he approved of her choice. Balár signaled with his eyes towards the robe, and in the midst of his glance the king looked towards him. Irán-dukht saw that that interchange of looks was observed, and she snatched up the crown in order that the king might not discover their consultation; and Balár kept his eyes just as they were, that the king might not observe the signal. And for forty years after that he waited at court, whenever he approached the king he preserved the same strabism, lest the king’s suspicion should become certainty. Thus, but for the cleverness of the vazír and the queen’s own shrewdness both would have lost their lives.
And when Irán-dukht had had her wishes crowned by accepting the diadem, Bazm Afrúz also was rendered happy579 by choosing the scarlet robe. Now, according to the custom aforesaid, the king passed one night with her and one night with Irán-dukht. And it happened that one night, when it was the turn of Irán-dukht, the king, in accordance with the stipulation, went to Irán-dukht’s chamber, who with a face lit up with joy and enchanting locks,
had set her golden crown on her head, and holding in her hands a golden dish filled with rice, presented herself before the king. He ate a morsel from the dish, and allocating himself in propinquity to her, illumined the eye of his heart with surveying her beauty. At this moment Bazm Afrúz passed by them clothed in the scarlet robe, with cheeks like a blossoming rose and a face like the moon when two weeks old.
When the king beheld her he drew back his hand from the food and an overpowering inclination of his mind towards her, and a sincere longing for her society, removed the rein of self-possession from the grasp of his power, and detached the guiding-strings of repression from the hand of choice. Approaching Bazm Afrúz, therefore, he loosed his tongue in eulogy and applause,
By thus coming thou hast opened the doors of joy in my breast, and by this graceful approach thou hast given to the winds the harvest of my patience and composure.
He then said to Irán-dukht, ‘This crown which thou hast taken is worthy the head of Bazm Afrúz, and in choosing it thou hast turned from the path of right-dealing to the region of error.’ The jealousy of love seized the skirt of Irán-dukht, and the flame of the fire of jealousy fell in the chafing-dish of her breast. At these words she blushed, and like one distraught, dashed the plate of rice upside down on the head of the king, and besmeared therewith the royal face and hair. Thus the interpretation of the dream which the Sage had given, by the occurrence of that contretemps, turned out true. The fire of the king’s wrath was kindled. He called the vazír Balár, and told him the hasty act of which she had been guilty and said, ‘Take this foolish woman from my presence and cut off her head,580 in order that she may know that such as she are not of such importance that they should dare to do such audacious things, and we pardon them.’ Balár led the queen out and thought to himself, ‘In this matter it is not right to be precipitate, for this woman is peerless in eloquence and wit, and has no equal in sagacity and intelligence; and the king will not rest without seeing her, and by the blessing of her pure spirit and the auspicious influence of her clear judgment, a number of persons have been saved from the whirlpool of destruction. It is possible that the king will deny that he authorised such haste, and irrespective581 of the king’s displeasure, precipitation in such matters does not appear advisable. I have no better course therefore than to base this transaction on deliberation, in order that I may not be ashamed when questions are put, and answers given thereupon.
I must pause, then, two or three days. If the king evinces repentance, at least the opportunity of remedying the affair will not have gone by. But if he is obstinately bent on putting her to death, and urgent for it, there will be no difficulty in slaying her. Moreover, by this delay I secure three positive advantages; first, the merit of preserving an individual; secondly, the acquisition of the king’s favor if he repent of her execution; thirdly, the gratitude of all the people of the realm for preserving to them such a queen as she is, whose beneficence is communicated to all, and the marks of whose good works are widely and completely diffused.’ He then conveyed her to his own house with a number of confidential attendants, who used to perform the service of the king’s seraglio; and he commanded them saying, ‘Take charge of her with the utmost caution, and consider the utmost care obligatory as to the respect and deference to be shewn to her.’ He then himself, with his sabre stained with blood and with downcast head like the mournful, entered the king’s chamber and said, ‘I have performed the king’s command, and have punished and chastised that disrespectful one, who had set her foot on the carpet of audacity.’ The king’s anger was upon the whole somewhat appeased, and the tumultuous billows of the ocean of wrath were calmed. When he heard these words, and recalled the thought of her beauty and perfections, and her good sense and judgment, he was excessively sorrowful. Yet he was ashamed to shew signs of irresolution, and to give an urgent command and one for the infraction of it close together, for it is self-evident that conflicting orders are attended with numerous disadvantages. He then began to reproach himself, and said, ‘This is thy581b fault in that thou hast set clemency and long-suffering on one side, and, for a slight offence, which, in point of fact, might have been forgiven, hast exposed to destruction thine own mistress. Thou oughtest not for a fault so trivial to have issued such an order, but to have assuaged the fire of wrath with the water of forgiveness.
However, when the vazír perceived the signs of penitence on the countenance of the king, he said, ‘The king ought not to be pensive, for the arrow which has leapt from the string cannot be brought back, nor can the slain person be resuscitated either by strength or gold, and to give way to unavailing regret renders the body emaciated and the heart sad, and nought can be gained thereby but the distress of friends and the gratification of foes. Every one, too, who hears that the king issued an order, and repented immediately it was carried into execution, will become distrustful of the firmness and steady determination of his majesty. But it behoved the king to have been more gentle in this matter, and to have avoided harshness and severity; and like the Letter-possessing King, to have mastered his resentment, so that there would have been no room for repentance. But, if his command is given, I will recount to him a story. The king replied, ‘Of course narrate how that was.’
The right-counseling vazír said, ‘They have related that in the capital of Yaman there was a king of a bright spirit, of an old judgment, and young fortune. The eye of the swift-revolving heaven, in the long intervals of its journeys, had never seen on the sky of empire a sun like him; and the ear of time, which tests mankind, had, in the space of ages, never heard of a governor who possessed his qualities.
Now this king was fond of hunting. One day, in a hunting-ground, he galloped his steed joyously to left and right, and threw around him on every side the gaze of vigilance. In those environs he saw no quarry, either animal or bird, nor did he behold a single creature which was fit to be the prey of a king. The monarch looked about him astonished at these circumstances. Fate decreed that a poor wood-cutter, from excessive want and poverty had put on a garment made of deer-skin, and had cut down a quantity of brambles in that jungle; and, being excessively fatigued by that labor had reclined against the side of a rock. The king’s sight fell on him from a distance, and imagining it was a deer, he directed a heart-piercing arrow against it.
In short, when the king came up to the quarry and beheld the man with his breast transfixed, and his heart full of blood, he was sorely grieved and distressed, and began to tear the face of repentance with the nail of self-reproach; and being afflicted at that rashness and precipitation which had caused him this regret and contrition, he made many excuses to the wood-cutter, and, for salve-money, bestowed on him a thousand dínárs of red gold. Downcast he then turned his reins towards his capital, and condescended to alight at the door of the hermitage of a pious recluse, who was celebrated in that city for his sanctity and holiness, nay, was renowned and famous all over the world for his guidance and spiritual directions. He then begged of the holy man a piece of advice, which might augment his dignity in this world, and in that to come be a cloak to offences. The pious man, by way of exposition and gracious explanation, said, ‘O king! a quality which ensures happiness in this world, and felicity in the world to come, is the controlling angry feelings, and at the time when wrath is about to overpower us, to make choice of mildness.
The king said, ‘I know that the taste of the bitter beverage of long-suffering is much relished by the palate of reason, but in the time of anger I cannot make mildness ruler over my passions; and at the moment when they are inflamed, I cannot bring myself under control.’ The pious man replied, ‘I will write three letters, and do thou deliver them into the hand of a select officer, and a confidential and faithful person; in order that, when he beholds the marks of an alteration of temper on thy countenance, and perceives the fire of thy anger and inconsiderateness to be kindled, he may read one of them to thee. It is probable that when the lesson it inculcates is made evident thy mind will be soothed. And if he finds that the flame of thy rage has not been quenched by the water of that admonition, let him call in the aid of the second; and if the rebellious spirit is untamed by that also, let him show the third letter to thee. I am in hopes that the misfortune of that harshness will thus be exchanged for tenderness and kindness; and when the darkness of resentment is dispelled, assuredly the rays of clemency and gentleness will replace it.
The king was pleased with these words, and the recluse having written three letters, gave them to one of the king’s attendants. The meaning of the first letter was, ‘While thou still retainest the power do not place the reins of choice in the grasp of the possession of thy passions, for they will plunge thee into the whirlpool of everlasting destruction.’ The contents of the second letter were, ‘In the time of wrath be merciful to those in thy power, in order that in the hour of retribution thy superiors may be merciful to thee.’ And the substance of the third writing was, ‘In issuing thy commands, do not overstep the bounds of the law, and under no circumstances abandon what is just.
The king took leave of the devotee, and returned to his capital; and continually, in the assembly where he issued his commands, especially in the moment of his wrath, they recited to him these three letters; and, for the reliance which he placed in them, they called him the ‘Letter-possessing King.’ Now this monarch had a concubine, of fair face and pleasing manners, in stature like the cypress, moon-cheeked, ruby-lipped, silver-chinned, partridge-gaited, parrot-speeched,
The intoxicated narcissus was enamoured of her love-sick eye, and the agate of Yaman had its heart crimsoned with blood at her sweet vermilion lips. The beauties of the region of Cathay were captives in the fetters of her curling tresses; and the coquettes of Kashmír had their hearts chained by affection for the links of her ringlets full of windings and curls,
The beauty of her condition derived lustre from the mole of modesty; and the bride-chamber of her beauty was adorned with the ornament of chastity and continence. The king’s heart was so attached to her good qualities, that he withdrew himself from the society of his royal lady, and from dalliance with his other female slaves. The king’s bride, from jealousy of him, was always shedding the tears of poignant regret; and in order to get rid of the damsel, through resentment and envy, stirred up all kinds of stratagems. In short, she disclosed her vexation to the tire-woman of the seraglio, and asked her aid in killing the king, and removing the girl. The tire-woman answered, ‘Inform me what thing the king so admires in the damsel, and what part of her it is that he gazes on most?’ The queen replied, ‘It has been observed, when they have been sleeping together, that it is her apple-like chin, which, from its excessive clearness, thou wouldest say is a fruit suspended near the water of life; or a soft quince, which the hand of Omnipotence has placed upon the citron of her throat, upon which he bestows many kisses, and expresses by his gestures
The tire-woman rejoined, ‘I have found out an easy way to remove the king with all despatch. Our advisable course is for thee to give me some deadly poison, that I may mix it with indigo, and go to the apartment of the damsel, and make a mole with it somewhere about her chin and throat. So when the king, in a state of inebriety, applies his lips to it, he will die on the spot, and thou wilt be quit of this distress.’ The queen was delighted at these words, and got ready for her what she wanted, and the tire-woman, in the manner described, compounded an artful mixture, and having placed it in a casket of guile, went to the girl’s chamber, and with black artifice placed a mole on the chin of that moon, and thus lodged dark-visaged Hárút585 on the brink of the water of Bábal.
Now the king had a slave who possessed the entrée into the seraglio. It so happened that he overheard behind a curtain the conversation of the queen and the tire-woman, and saw with his own eyes the latter go to the chamber of the slave-girl, and put the mole on her cheek. The call of loyalty and gra-titude impelled him to acquaint the girl with that deceit. He could however find no opportunity, and the king, too, was in a state of intoxication, and it was noways possible to make known to him that secret. At length the king, according to his familar and wonted custom, entered the apartment of the girl, and from excessive intoxication fell asleep. As, however, grateful affection laid hold of the skirt of the slave, he softly approached the pillow of the damsel, and with the corner of his sleeve wiped away the mark of the indigo from her chin. Meanwhile the king awoke, and beheld the slave with his hand extended to the girl’s chin. The heat of jealousy placed him on the fire of wrath, and with his diamond-like sword he made at the slave. The latter ran out from the private chamber, and the king issued in pursuit of him with his scymitar drawn. A confidential officer was standing there, and held the letters in his hand. When he beheld the king incensed, he advanced and displayed one letter. The ocean of the king’s fury, however, was not calmed thereby. He then uttered the contents of the second, yet the fire of mischief was not quenched. But when the third letter reached the place of representation, the king allowed himself to be somewhat composed and calmed, and swallowed the bitter draught of anger. He then called the slave kindly to him and said, ‘Why didst thou do this bold deed?’ The slave truthfully detailed the circumstances; whereupon the king called his bride, and exerted himself to an extraordinary degree in inquiry into that treason, and examining into that deceit. The queen denied the facts, and said, ‘The slave lies, and I have often noticed this abandoned and worthless wretch doing similar things to the girl. But I was ashamed on the king’s account to make known his impudence. Besides it might possibly have been supposed that I was calumniating them through jealousy. Now, Praise be to God! the king has seen it with his own eyes. To admit of any pause therefore in destroying the traitor is injurious to the royal character for justice, and when anger takes place in its proper season, it is doubtless many degrees better than clemency.
The king looked towards the slave, who said, ‘O king! prosperous, and the means of the tranquillity of the age! it is possible that the remains of this powder may still be in the tire-woman’s box. If the royal order be issued for her attendance, perhaps this doubt will altogether be removed.’ The king commanded, and they brought the tire-woman and her box into the presence, and gave her a little of that indigo powder to eat. The instant she swallowed it she died; and when the true state of the case was thus made known to the king he imprisoned the queen, and gave the slave a writing of liberation, and committed to his charge the government of some districts of that kingdom. So that world-protecting monarch, inasmuch as he adorned the face of his own proceedings, with the ornament of clemency, was saved from being harmed by the tire-woman; and by the blessing of his gracious endurance, escaped the injury of that black deed; and a secret of such peril was made known to him, and he was enabled to discern between friend and foe.
And I have adduced this story that in the mirror of the clear judgment of the king, this beautiful idea may shew itself, that kings ought in no affair to act precipitately, nor without reflection and due thought, to order anything to be put in execution.
The king said, ‘I have erred in giving this order, and the words passed my lips in a moment of anger. At least, then, thou oughtest, as befits the character of prudent counsellors, to have observed, therein, due deliberation. And it is strange that thou shouldest have chosen to be so precipitate and put to death such a peerless lady.’ The vazír replied, ‘For one woman the king ought not to suffer his august mind to be so troubled that he may not be kept back from the enjoyment of intercourse with the other servants of his seraglio.
When, from the tenor of the vazír’s words, the king understood that Irán-dukht had been slain, a sigh issued from his bosom, and falling into the whirlpool of grief, he was saying to himself,
Alas! for the beauty of the flower-garden of youth, which, like the rose’s promise, has been short-lived: and alack! for that plant of the garden of pro-sperity, which by the calamity of the autumn of separation has shed its leaves.
He then turned to his vazír and said, ‘I am filled with grief at the death of Irán-dukht.’ The vazir replied, ‘Three persons are always the prisoners of grief, and fettered by woe. The first, is he who expends his energies in doing ill. The second, is he who does not do good when he has the power. The third, is he who acts without reflection, and whose conduct, being of this nature, issues in remorse.’ The king said, ‘O Balár! thou didst not pause in putting Irán-dukht to death, and by the trouble thou tookest to no good purpose, she perished.’ The vazír replied, ‘The labor of three persons is vain: first, that of a person who clothes himself in white, and practices the trade of a glass-blower; next that of a washerman, who with costly garments stands in the water and washes clothes; thirdly, that of a merchant, who secures a good wife, and having left her at home chooses to take a long journey. And I did not exert myself to secure her death; I did but obey the king’s command, and in this matter it is your majesty on whom censure rightly falls; since, though his prudence does not fall short in noticing the issues of affairs, and his visual faculty comprehensively surveys the terminations of things, still in this mandate his penetrating sagacity failed to discern, and his right aiming foresight missed the deliberation due.
The king responded, ‘Cease these words and bethink thyself of this, that a longing to behold her keeps me sad, and I know not how to prepare a cure for this sorrow.’ The vazír replied, ‘The hand of remedy reaches not to the skirt of this business, and in this transaction regret is unavailing; and whoever plunges into a thing without reflection, and undertakes a matter in which repentance is of no use, will meet with what that Pigeon met with.’ The king demanded, ‘How was that?’
The vazír said, ‘They have related that a pair of Pigeons had collected some grains of corn in the beginning of summer, and stored them up in a retired place as a hoard for winter. Now that corn was moist, and when summer drew to a close, the heat of the atmosphere had had such an effect upon the corn, that it dried up and appeared less than it did at first. During these days the male Pigeon was absent from home. When he came back and observed that the corn appeared to be less in quantity, he began to reproach his partner, and said, ‘We had laid up this grain for our food in winter, that when the cold became excessive, and from the quantity of snow no corn was to be found on the fields, we might support ourselves with this. At this time, when pickings are to be met with in mountain and plain, why hast thou eaten our supplies? and why hast thou swerved from the path of prudence? Hast thou not heard, pray, that the sages have said,
The female Pigeon said, ‘I have eaten none of this grain nor have I used any of it in any way whatever.’ As the male Pigeon saw that the grain had decreased, he did not believe her denial, and pecked her till she died. Afterwards in the winter when the rain fell incessantly, and the marks of dampness were evident on door and wall, the grain imbibed moisture and returned to its former state. The male Pigeon then discovered what had been the cause of the apparent loss, and began to lament and to bewail his separation from his affectionate partner. Thus he wept bitterly and said, ‘Grievous is this absence of my friend, and more grievous still that repentance is unavailing.
And the moral of this story is, that it behoves a wise man not to be precipitate in inflicting punishment, lest, like the Pigeon, he suffer from the anguish of separation.’ The king said, ‘If I was hasty in word, thou, too, didst show precipitation in deed, and hast plunged me into this distress.’ The vazír replied, ‘Three persons plunge themselves into distress. One, is he who is careless of himself in battle, so that he receives a severe wound. The second, is he who has no heir, and amasses wealth by unlawful means, which will be dissipated by accidents, and bring him punishment in the end. And the third, is the old man who ties the marriage-knot with a profligate and youthful wife, and sets his heart upon her; while that wife every day prays to God for his death, and disagrees with him.’ The king rejoined, ‘From this deed one may derive proof of thy rashness.’ The vazír replied, ‘Rashness is shewn in the conduct of two persons. One, is he who deposits his money with strangers. The other, is he who makes a fool arbiter between himself and his adversary. And I have not chosen to act precipitately in this affair. The utmost that I have done is to seek to obey the king in executing his commands.’ The king replied, ‘I am much grieved for Irán-dukht.’ The vazír answered, ‘It is fitting to grieve for five kinds of women. The first, is she who has a beneficent nature and a noble mind, and graceful form and perfect chastity. The second, is she who is wise and long-suffering, and sincere and attached. The third, is she who chooses the advisable course in everything, and who is kind whether absent or present. The fourth, is she who makes agreement and submission her under and upper garment in good and bad, in welfare and adversity. The fifth, is she who is of fortunate presage and happy augury, and the blessing of whose footstep is manifest to her husband; and Irán-dukht was adorned with all these virtues. If the king evinces grief for her loss it will be but what is right; for without a faithful partner, there is neither enjoyment in life nor happiness in existence.
The king said, ‘O Balár! thou art bold in thy language, and dost overstep the bounds of respect; and I am of opinion that it is necessary to remove to a distance from thee.’ The vazír replied, ‘Distance is desirable from two persons. One, is he who regards good and bad as equal, and imagines that future rewards and punishments do not exist. The other, is he who outwardly preserves himself pure from things prohibited by law, and inwardly from interdicted pastimes.’ The king answered, ‘Do we appear vile in thy sight, that thou thinkest fit to dare to utter these words?’ The vazír replied, ‘The great appear contemptible in the eyes of three classes of persons. The first, is the impudent servant, who, in season and out of season, in sitting down and getting up, and at supper and breakfast, takes his place with his master; and whose master, too, jokes with him, and relishes his ribaldry. The second, is the villain domestic, who has the control of his master’s goods, and opens the hand of embezzlement thereupon, so that in a short time his wealth surpasses that of his master, and he thinks himself the better of the two. The third, is the servant who, without deserving it, has confidence reposed in him, and, becoming acquainted with the secrets of his master, is puffed up with that honor.’ The king said, ‘I have tried thee, and thou wert better untried.’ The vazír replied, ‘Eight persons cannot be tried save in eight positions: the brave man in battle, and the farmer in cultivation, and great men in the hour of anger, and the merchant in the time of reckoning, and a friend in the season of need, and men of a generous nature in the time of adversity, and the pious man in storing up the rewards of the final state, and the learned man in the moment of discourse and discussion.’ In short, how much soever the king continued making displeased rejoinders to the vazír, so much the more did the latter give back answers sharper than the points of darts dipped in venom; and placing on his tongue591 words in keenness like a sword of diamond, kept uttering them; and the king, patiently submitting to them, perseveringly swallowed those bitter draughts.
At length, the vazír loosed the tongue of eulogy, and said, ‘May the shade of the glory of the king, the shadow of God, be perpetuated over the faces of mankind, and may the sun of his grandeur continue to shine from the pinnacle of exaltation and the summit of greatness! I, thy slave, who with the steps of boldness have traversed the plain of audacity, and have ventured to chagrin your exalted majesty with the abundance of my galling remarks, have done so to test your nature, endowed with amiable qualities; and thanks be to God Most High! that if any one seeks for the king’s like, and would trace out one resembling him,
What a noble nature is this, adorned with the beauty of mildness and virtue! and how precious is this character which is beautified with the ornament of patience, and composure, and amiability! And assuredly greatness is restricted to such a person, and the name of nobility belongs solely to the like of one so glorious.
The king said, ‘O Balár! thou knowest well that I have based the affairs of my empire on clemency and compassion, and laid the substructure of my rule on tenderness and forbearance. And if sometimes directions have been isued for the correction of a party who, from arrogance, evinces a refractory spirit, and of those who enter avowedly and openly into a position of contest and strife, this is done to preserve the respect due to the government, and to keep in order the regulations of the empire. Otherwise the expanse of the ocean of my lofty spirit is not so limited as that it should roll the waves of anger on the excitation of such words as these.
The vazír said, ‘A commandment of that nature is rare, and [it is said], ‘The rare is like the non-existent,’ and [the king’s] mildness has remedied it this day, for in no history have they recorded that a fortunate monarch and a powerful ruler with a sharp sword and potent will, has been seated on the throne of his greatness; while an offending servant, standing in his lowly position, has uttered disrespectful words; and, stepping beyond his place, has given his tongue free license. What, in such a case, could prevent the due chastisement being enforced, save vast clemency and perfect pity?
The king responded, ‘When a slave acknowledges his crime and sees with his own eyes the trace of guilt on the pages of his own conduct, of course he will be in a position to be excused; and the beneficent man has no alternative but to accept an apology.
The vazír answered, ‘O king! I confess my guilt, and my offence is that I have thought it permissible to postpone the execution of the king’s mandate, and have delayed to put Irán-dukht to death, and pausing through fear of this terror-exciting word, and through dread of this rebukeful address, have avoided precipitation in slaying her. Now it is for the king to order and command.
As soon as the king heard these words, the signs of delight and exultation, and the evidence of joy and gladness were evident on his august countenance. He erected to the summit of the highest heavens the banner of the performance of the praises of God; and, having performed the prostrations of infinite thanksgivings, he raised his joyful shouts beyond the top of the ethereal sky and said,
He then continued, ‘I was left in amazement in that thou continuedst to speak in such wise as to lead me to the belief that Irán-dukht was slain; yet I well knew thy sincere attachment and judiciousness, and could not but think that thou wouldest delay the execution of that order.’ The vazír replied, ‘My rejoinders were made in order that I might thoroughly understand the king’s purpose, and see whether he repented of that order or not. If I had found your majesty still bent on her death, I should have secretly hastened the despatch of that affair. Since, however, the king’s mind is more inclined to suffer her to live, I have made known my fault and offered my excuses for the delay.’ The king responded, ‘Thy caution and prudence are the more conspicious to me in this affair, and my confidence in thy sagacity and discernment has been augmented; and I have accepted the service which thou hast done, and the fruits thereof will reach thee with the utmost speed. Thou must now, this instant, proceed to Irán-dukht, make known all the circumstances and convey to her many excuses, and respectfully request, in the best way possible, that she will come hither, which alone will be a key to the gates of the acquisition of our desires and the capital of joyful union and delight.
Balár came out from the king’s presence and conveyed to Irán-dukht the good news of her safety and the happy tidings of her being about to meet her royal lover.
Irán-dukht, obeying the royal mandate, hastened to wait on the king; and having performed the requisite obeisance, loosed the tongue of gratitude and thankfulness. The king said, ‘Thou must ascribe this obligation to Balár, seeing that he fulfilled all that prudence could require, and paused in executing this purpose.’ Balár said, ‘I had the most complete confidence in the perfect clemency and compassion of your imperial majesty, and the excess of your benevolence and infinite mercy; and my consideration sprang thence into existence; otherwise, how could a slave venture to delay in executing the command of the sulṭán?’ The king replied, ‘O Balár! be of stout heart, for thy hand has free scope in my dominions, and thy command has obtained equal weight with my own, and there shall be no opposition to whatever thou mayest say or do in loosing and binding, and commanding and prohibiting.’ Balár answered, ‘Your majesty’s former favors and bounteous acts outstrip all our services, and could I obtain a life of a thousand years’ duration, I could not return thanks for one in a thousand of those bounties.
But the prayer of your slaves is this, that hereafter your majesty will not evince precipitation in your acts, that the purity of the conclusion may be free from the obscuration of repentance.’ The king responded, ‘We have deigned to listen to this counsel with the ear of acceptance; and for the future we will not issue a mandate without consultation and asking approval.’594 He then bestowed on the vazír and Irán-dukht, robes of honor of great value, and having moved joyfully forth from the dark cell of separation into the bride-chamber of union, he set in bright array the assembly of mirth.
A beautiful cupbearer poured from a silver goblet pure wine to be quaffed594a by the gay companions, and the delicious liquid irrigated the plant of enjoyment on the rivulet of their bosoms.
Sweet-voiced minstrels with harmonious concert of every kind of stringed instrument were bringing the bird of the heart into a state of fluttering excitement, and the melodies of song were inviting to the banquet of mirth and joy. The delicate trills of the harp imitated the warblings of the bird of a thousand songs, and the ravishing and tender tones of the lute effaced the rust from the mirror of the breasts of the intoxicated.
The remainder of the day and all the night they spent in festivity.
the king gave a public levée and sate on the throne of justice, and the vazír Balár, having performed the required obeisance, demanded on his own behalf and as representative of the wife and children of the king, justice on the Bráhmans, and recounted the interpretation of the dreams as they had delivered595 it in the manner aforesaid. Wherefore the king’s command was condescendingly uttered, that they should summon the sage Kárídún into the presence, and the king committed to his decision the punishment of the Bráhmans. At the suggestion of Kárídún, they impaled some of them, and casting the majority under the feet of elephants, crushed them to an equality with the dust of the road; and the sage said, ‘This is the punishment of traitors and the chastisement of the perfidious.
After getting rid of his enemies, the king committed to his vazír the government of his kingdom, and yielding himself up to the delights of love with Irán-dukht, he fully satisfied the requirements of pleasure.
This is the story of the excellence of mildness and composure, and their superiority to the other qualities and habits of kings and princes; and let it not remain hid from the intelligent, that the advantage to be derived from the recital of this narrative, is the admonition of the readers and warning to the hearers, to make the experience of those who have preceded them, and the directions of the wise, a pattern for their own proceedings; and to base their religious and worldly affairs, and the substructures of their transactions of to-day and to-morrow on the rules of wisdom, and the pedestal of prudence; and to turn from impetuosity and rashness towards gravity and calmness. And whoever is distinguished by the eternal favor, assuredly the head of his spirit will be adorned with the diadem of courtesy, and the shoulder of his pre-eminence will be decked with the scarf of clemency; for courtesy and clemency make an enemy a friend, and exalt a friend to the position of a kinsman.
I feel very doubtful of the meaning of the first two lines of this verse. Readings differ very considerably, yet none seem good, I have translated very freely. The literal version would, I apprehend, be, ‘The cloud runs, because it is thirsty, to the blue sea; it bows not its head to moisture. They are live-hearted who fly upward: from the effect of spirit they fly upward.’
↩The reader must pardon the bad rhyme of these verses, as the rhyming words are intended to express the jingle of sar gashtah and sar rishtah.
↩The black temple at Makkah. Study is here compared to the wearisome and dangerous pilgrimage of the Ḥajj.
↩What the khár-i maghailán may exactly be, I do not know. The Dictionary merely says, ‘a thorn different from the acacia.’ It is probably the same thorn, exceedingly sharp and strong, called in Africa the ‘Wait a bit’ thorn.
↩Such I suppose to be the meaning of mardum-i ábí, though the word does not occur in the Dictionary.
↩L’ubatí, lit., ‘doll,’ ‘plaything.’
↩The word ṣaiyád is rather a difficult one to translate, as the class so designated are at once fishermen, hunters, and fowlers. So the old man in the present story. It seems odd to call him a fowler when fishing, and a fisherman when catching birds.
↩Here is an equivoque on sar sabz, ‘fortunate head,’ and sar zanish, ‘reproof.’
↩Pishíz, ‘a fish scale;’ also ‘a small coin.’
↩This I take to be the meaning of ṣaff-i niá’lat. It is well known that Orientals on entering a room leave their shoes or slippers. Some of the lowest domestics are left to take care of these, and form the outside of the company, which goes on by regular ranks till the upper centre is reached, where the chief personage is.
↩Ḳur’án, Fl. xliii. 21; Mar. 22; Sale, p. 362, l. 14: ‘And they say, If the Merciful had pleased, we had not worshipped them. They have no knowledge herein: they only utter a vain lie. Have we given them a book of revelations before this; and do they keep the same in their custody? But they say, Verily we found our fathers practising a religion; and we are guided in their footsteps.’
↩Ḳur’án, Fl. ii. 136; Mar. 143; Sale, p. 16, l. 15: ‘The foolish men will say, what hath turned them from their Keblah, towards which they formerly prayed? Say, Unto God belongeth the east and the west: he directeth whom he pleaseth into the right way.’
↩Lit., ‘He, who beyond the curtain of imitation has sprung.’
↩ I confess myself quite unable to translate these lines. I have no idea what
Lit., ‘Where art thou and where are we?’
↩This is the 1st line of the 5th Ode of Ḥáfiz, p. 36, lithographed edition.
↩I am doubtful of this meaning of kafáf.
↩One MS., for bidurr ú l’al, reads bidaur-i l’al, ‘in the circulation of the wine.’
↩Kur’án, Fl. iii. 153, Mar. 160; Sale, p. 50, l. 14: ‘And as to the mercy granted unto the disobedient from God, thou, O Muḥammad! hast been mild towards them? but if thou hadst been severe and hard-hearted, they had surely separated themselves from about thee.’ See also p. 2 of this translation, note 7, where this verse is quoted, and where by a misprint the page of Sale is given as 30 for 50.
↩Lit., ‘as he said.’
↩That is, ‘of those who came to see him.’
↩That is, ‘Canopus of Arabia,’ and ‘Moon of Tátary.’
↩This idea is evidently borrowed from the Hindú notion that Vṛihaspatih, ‘the planet Jupiter,’ is the preceptor of the Gods. So Mercury is here called fate’s registrar.
↩Here is an unretainable equivoque. Tír means ‘arrow,’ as well as ‘the planet Mercury.’
↩Lit., ‘Large as a shield.’
↩A high mountain near Hamadán.
↩The editions have here, by a typographical error, Hilár for Hílár, which, as will be seen by the beginning of the story, was the king’s name.
↩For the mashghúl búd, one MS. reads khuftah búd, which I should prefer, as more applicable to sleep.
↩Farrásh, lit., ‘carpet-spreaders.’
↩Nard, lit. ‘dice,’ ‘draughts.’
↩When the king mounts his throne in public, the crier announces that the royal court is opened for the administration of Justice. In the same way, light is dispensed when the sun takes his seat on the throne of the sky. Such is the comparison.
↩The phrase in Persian is kínah báz tawáním khwást, lit., ‘we may ask back our spite.’
↩Lit., ‘bring smoke (or a sigh) out of him.’
↩The reading of the editions, báz ravím, is clearly incorrect, and I would substitute that of a MS., barím, ‘we will bring.’ For these words are part of the Bráhmans’ speech to the king, who was not interested in their safe return, but in his own.’
↩Genii.
↩Ḳur’án, Fl. xxxviii, 34; Mar. 37; Sale, p. 341, l. 31: ‘We also tried Solomon; and placed on his throne a counterfeit body. Afterwards he turned unto God, and said, O Lord forgive me, and give me a kingdom, which may not be obtained by any after me; for thou art the giver of kingdoms.’
↩Ḳur’an, xxxiv. 11; Sale, p. 322, l. 30: ‘And we made the wind subject unto Solomon: it blew in the morning for a month, and in the evening for a month.’
↩Ḳur’án xxi. 36; Sale p. 245, l. 17: ‘We have not granted unto any man before thee eternal permanency in this world: if thou die therefore, will they be immortal? Every soul shall taste of death: and we will prove you with evil, and with good, for a trial of you; and unto us shall ye return.’
↩Nashá ‘growing,’ also ‘an agreeable smell.’
↩Observe this somewhat rare sense of sharaf.
↩That is, ‘the world.’ The words are laḥd-i khuftaní, ‘grave in which we must sleep.’
↩Or it may be, ‘How can one easily give the word for the death of those we hold dear?’
↩I read with the MSS., dast-gír, for the dast-gírá of the editions.
↩I do not know the exact meaning of pishízah applied to an elephant. The word properly signifies ‘the scale of a fish.’
↩An equivoque is intended, as ábrú is lit., ‘water of the face.’
↩Bar ’allíyín, ‘in excelsis.’
↩Rúḥ-i amín, ‘the faithful Spirit.’
↩Lit., ‘loosing and binding.’
↩Mutawajjih may perhaps be translated, ‘by attending to our request.’
↩’Urwatu’l wuṣḳa, a proverbial expression, signifying, the dictionaries tell us, ‘genuine religion,’ but here, ‘the best course.’ I have thought it best to translate the phrase literally.
↩I know not if the epithet tajallí is applied especially to Sinai, in that the glory of the Lord appeared there, as it is said, Exodus, xix. 18: ‘And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire;’ or, simply.
↩Ḳur’án, lvi. 5; Sale, p. 394, l. 18: ‘When the inevitable day of judgment shall suddenly come… When the earth shall be shaken with a violent shock; and the mountains shall be dashed in pieces, and shall become as dust scattered abroad.’
↩Ḳur’án, Fl. xxiv. 40; Mar. 41; Sale, p. 269, l. 1: ‘But as to the unbelievers, their works are like the vapour in a plain, which the thirsty traveller thinketh to be water, nntil, when he cometh thereto, he findeth it to be nothing; but he findeth God with him, and he will fully pay him his account; and God is swift in taking an account: or as the darkness in a deep sea, covered by waves riding on waves, above which are clouds, being additions of darkness one over the other; when one stretcheth forth his hand, he is far from seeing it.’
↩Or, ‘smoke.’
↩Lit., ‘When learning knocks on the body it is a snake.’ The only merit I can discover in these lines is the play on the words yárí, ‘a friend,’ and márí, ‘a snake.’ This merit, such as it is, seems to me altogether to vanish in the reading of the editions, which exhibit bárí bavad in the first line, which would be therefore, ‘When learning strikes the heart it is a load.’ I read, therefore, with the MSS., yárí.
↩Maulaví Rúmí.
↩The reading of the editions here is evidently incorrect. Literally translated it signifies, ‘Better than that a base man should not come to learning in the hand,’ i.e., ‘be acquired by learning,’ which is obviously reversing matters, for the learning is to come to the man, not the man to the learning; nor is there any difference in the Persian idiom and our own in expressing such an idea. A MSS. reads bih kih árad’ilm ná kas rá bidast, whence I conjecture the true reading to be, bih kih árad’ilm-rá ná kas bidast.
↩These impracticable lines literally translated are, ‘Learning artifices, burnt livers, Learnt shameful deeds and tricks.’
↩Dilír, ‘bold,’ ‘audacious.’ Might not dil-gír, ‘dejected,’ be a better reading?
↩Lit., ‘Within he knocks on the door of ill faith.’ I have put the nominative to ‘breathe’ in the plural for the sake of the verse.
↩I read with the MSS. farákhí. I can make no sense of the farjí of the editions.
↩A rare sense of ḳadam.
↩That is, ‘green.’ The word also signifies ‘heaven.’
↩Raṭl is, says the Dictionary, a pound of twelve ounces.
↩The printed edition here correctly reads bi-dandán instead of the meaningless bidán of the lithographed edition, and of some MSS.
↩Extravagance of metaphor can no further go. The first line seems to me corrupt, but I find no variety of readings.
↩Ceylon. But we have had the King of Sarándíp, i.e. Ceylon, sending two elephants and four hundred raṭls of rubies before. This, however, is a trifle to interpreters of dreams.
↩Muḳann’a, the Veiled Prophet of Khurásán, of whom Moore has sung so well. He was a thaumaturgist who raised an appearance like the moon from a well at Nakhshah. He flourished A.H. 163.
↩That is, The river murmurs and frets when it encounters stones, sticks, or other obstacles.
↩‘Lighting up the banquet.’
↩Ḳur’án, Fl. xxxviii. 31; Mar. 34; Sale, p. 341, l. 27: ‘When the horses, standing on three feet, and touching the ground with the edge of the fourth foot, and swift in the course, were set in parade before him in the evening, he said, ‘Verily I have loved the love of earthly good above the remembrance of my Lord; and have spent the time in viewing these horses, until the sun is hidden by the veil of night: bring the horses back unto me.’ Solomon is the person here spoken of; he is said to have forgotten the time of evening prayer in looking at these steeds.
↩Here are two untranslateable puns: sar afrází yáftan, ‘to be exalted,’ ‘to be successful,’ might mean, if literally translated, ‘to obtain an ornament for the head;’ and surkh rúí shudan, ‘to be honored,’ means literally, ‘to be red-faced,’ which of course the lady would be from the reflection of the scarlet robe. In such puerilities and insipidities do Persian writers delight.
↩Lit., ‘strike the neck.’
↩I think I may assign this sense to ḳiṭ’a-i nazar.
↩Dastár bandán ‘wearers of turbans,’ that is, ‘great men or learned doctors.’
↩In the Persian the pronoun here changes from the second to the first person, a change which would be awkward, if not ungrammatical, in English.
↩Here dúd is again ambiguous, signifying both ‘smoke,’ and ‘sigh.’
↩The first line seems to intend a play on words, on sh’ulah, ‘flame,’ and gharḳ, ‘immersion in water;’ dar ávardan is ‘to bring forth,’ ‘to produce.’ The arrow then produced ‘immersion’ in the body. The conceit is most forced.
↩See Sale’s Ḳur’án, p. 12, l. 22, ‘But the devils believed not; they taught men sorcery, and that which was sent down to the two angels at Babel, Harût and Marût.’ On this passage Sale has the following note (t):—‘Some say only that these were two magicians, or angels sent by God to teach men magic and to tempt them. But others tell a longer fable; that the angels expressing their surprise at the wickedness of the sons of Adam, after prophets had been sent to them with divine commissions, God bid them choose two out of their own number to be sent down to be judges on earth. Whereupon they pitched upon Harût and Marût, who executed their office with integrity for some time, till Zohara, or the planet Venus, descended, and appeared before them in the shape of a beautiful woman bringing a complaint against her husband (though others say she was a real woman). As soon as they saw her, they fell in love with her, and endeavoured to prevail on her to satisfy their desires; but she flew up again to heaven, whither the two angels also returned, but were not admitted. However, on the intercession of a certain pious man, they were allowed to choose whether they would be punished in this life or in the other; whereupon they chose the former, and now suffer punishment accordingly in Babel, where they are to remain till the day of judgment. They add, that if a man has a fancy to learn magic, he may go to them and hear their voice, but cannot see them.—This story Mohammed took directly from the Persian Magi, who mention two rebellious angels of the same names, now hung up by their feet with their heads downwards in the territory of Babel. And the Jews have something like this of the angel Shambozai, who, having debauched himself with women, repented, and by way of penance hung himself up between heaven and earth.’
↩Nárvan or Nárwun is, perhaps, the pomegranate, or a species of cherry.
↩Lit., ‘breath.’
↩The lithographed edition omits this second couplet.
↩Lit., ‘upon thy road.’
↩Istijázat seems an unusually strong word for a despot to use. It signifies ‘asking leave.’
↩Lit., ‘into the palate.’
↩For bar namṭ-i maẕkúr taḳrír kardah búdand, one MS. reads ghalaṭ taḳrír kardah búdand, ‘as they had wrongly interpreted.’
↩Yár-i ghár, a name of Abú-bakr, who was with Muḥammad when he lay hid in the cave during his flight. Hence, any intimate companion.
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