"Luqman had a narrow hut,
Like the hollow of a flute or the bosom of a harp.
A noodle put the question to him--
'What is this house--two feet and a span?'
Hotly and with tears the sage replied--
'Ample for him who has to die.'"
On Wednesday, the 14th, I again went to visit the Gosa'in and bade
him good-bye. Undoubtedly parting from him weighed upon my mind, that
desires the truth. On Thursday the 15th, I marched and pitched near
Brindaban. At this stage my fortunate son Sultan Parwiz took leave
of me for Allahabad, and went to his jagir. I had intended that he
should accompany me on this expedition, but as he had already shown
symptoms of distress, I could not avoid letting him go. I presented
him with a tipchaq horse, a waist dagger with a veined (jauhar-dar)
walrus-tooth (hilt), and a sword and special shield. I hope he will
come again soon, and have the good fortune of my presence. As the
period of Khusrau's imprisonment had been a long one, it seemed to
me that to keep him longer in confinement and deprive him of the good
fortune of waiting on me, would be wanting in kindness. I accordingly
sent [237] for him and bade him salute me. Once again the marks of
his offences were washed with the pure water of forgiveness, and the
dust of disgrace and humiliation was rubbed off his brow. I hope that
the blessing of pleasing me, and the grace of service may be his lot.
On Friday, the 16th, I gave leave to Mukhlis K., whom I had sent for
to take up the duties of diwan to Shah Parwiz, and I gave him the rank
he had [238] had in Bengal--viz., 2,000 with 700 horse. On Saturday
I halted. At this stage Sayyid Nizam s. Mir Miran Sadr Jahan, who
was faujdar of Kanauj, waited upon me, and presented two elephants,
and some hawks. I accepted one elephant and a pair of hawks. On
Sunday, the 18th, we marched. At this time the King of Persia had
sent with Pari Beg Mir Shikar (chief huntsman) one falcon (shunqar)
of good colour. There was another which had been given to the Khan
`Alam. This one was sent along with the Shahi falcon (i.e., the one
intended for Jahangir), and it died on the road. The Shahi falcon, too,
got mauled by a cat owing to the carelessness of the Mir Shikar. Though
it was brought to Court, it did not live more than a week. What can
I write [239] of the beauty and colour of this falcon? There were
many beautiful black markings on each wing, and back, and sides. As
it was something out of the common, I ordered Ustad Mansur, who has
the title of Nadiru-l-`asr (wonder of the age) to paint and preserve
[240] its likeness. I gave the Mir Shikar Rs. 2,000 and dismissed him.
In my father's reign (the light of God be his testimony!) the weight
of the seer was 30 dams. [241] About this time it came into my mind:
"Why should I act contrary to his rules?" It would be better to have
it still of 30 dams. One day Gosa'in Jadrup said that in the book of
the Vedas, which the lords of his faith had written, the weight of
the sir was 36 dams. "As from the coincidences of the hidden world
your order has fallen in with what is laid down in our book, if it
be fixed at 36 dams, it will be well." It was ordered that hereafter
throughout the whole territory it should be 36 dams.
On Monday, the 19th, I marched. A horse and dress of honour were
given to Raja Bhao Singh, who had been ordered to the support of
the army of the Deccan. From this day, till Wednesday, the 28th,
I made successive marches. On Thursday, the 29th, Delhi, the abode
of blessings, was adorned by the alighting of the army of good
fortune. At first I hastened with my children and the ladies on a
visit to the enlightened shrine of Humayun (may the lights of God
be his testimony!), and having made our offerings there, went off
to circumambulate the blessed mausoleum of the king of holy men
(Shaikh Nizamu-d-din Chishti), and strengthened my courage, and at
the end of the day alighted at the palace, which had been got ready
in Salimgarh. On Friday, the 30th, I halted. As they had at this
time preserved the hunting-place of the pargana of Palam, according
to order, it was represented that a great number of antelope had
collected there. Accordingly, on the 1st of the Divine month of Azar
I started to hunt [242] with cheetahs. At the end of the day, during
the hunt, much hail fell of the size of apples, and made the air very
cold. On this day three antelope were caught. On Sunday, the 2nd,
I hunted 46 antelope, and on Monday, the 3rd, 24 antelope were caught
with cheetahs. My son Shah-Jahan killed two antelope with his gun. On
Tuesday, the 4th, five antelope were caught. On Wednesday, the 5th,
27 antelope were caught. On Thursday, the 6th, Sayyid Bahwa Bukhari,
who was in charge of the government of Delhi, made an offering of
three elephants and eighteen horses, and other things. One elephant
and other things were accepted, and I gave the rest to him. Hashim of
Khost, faujdar of some parganas in Mewat, had the honour of kissing the
threshold. I employed myself within the limits of Palam until Thursday,
the 13th, in hunting with cheetahs. In the space of twelve days 426
antelopes were caught, and I returned to Delhi. I had heard, when in
attendance on my father, that it is impossible for an antelope that has
escaped from the grasp of a cheetah to live, although it has not been
injured by its claws. In this hunt I, in order to ascertain the fact,
released several antelopes of handsome appearance and strong bodies,
before they had received any wounds from teeth or claws, and ordered
them to be kept in my presence, and that they should be taken the
greatest care of. For a whole day and night they remained at ease in
their natural conditions: on the second day a change was observed, and
they threw about their legs as if they were drunk, without any reason,
and fell down and rose up. However much tiryaq-i-faruqi (preparation
of opium) and other suitable medicines were administered to them,
they had no effect, and when one watch had passed in this condition,
they died.
On this day the bad news arrived that the eldest son of Shah Parwiz had
died at Agra. As he was somewhat grown-up, [243] and was very attached
and affectionate towards his father, the latter was exceedingly grieved
and wounded at heart at this event, and great bewilderment and weakness
manifested themselves in him. In order to console and please him, I
sent him gracious letters, and covered over the deadly wound of his
heart with the balm of affection and kindness. I hope that God, the
great and glorious, may grant him patience and resignation, for in
this kind of calamities there can be no better driver away of grief
than endurance and resignation.
On Friday, the 14th, at the request of Aqa [244] Aqayan, I went to
her house. On account of her previous service and her hereditary
attachment to this illustrious family, when the late king made me
a married man, he took her from my sister Shah-zada Khanam, and
placed her in charge of my Zanana. It is 33 years from that date
that she has been in my service, and I esteem her greatly, for she
has served me with sincerity. In no journey or expedition had she
of her own will remained absent from attendance on me. When she felt
her increasing age, she requested me to order her to remain at Delhi,
and to spend the remainder of her life in prayer for me, for she had
no longer the power to move about, and found it a great hardship and
trouble to come and go (as she used). One of her felicities was that
she was of the same age [245] as `Arsh-ashyani (Akbar). In brief,
with a view to giving her rest, I ordered her to remain at Delhi,
and in that place she had made for herself a garden, a saray, and
a tomb, in the constructing which she has employed herself for some
time past. In short, to please this ancient servitor, I went to her
house, and strictly ordered Sayyid Bahwa, the governor of the city,
to serve and guard her in such a manner that no dust from any road
of vexation might settle on the hem of her contentment.
On this day Raja Kishan Das was promoted to the mansab of 2,000
personal and 300 horse, original and increased. As Sayyid Bahwa [246]
had performed satisfactorily the duties of faujdar of Delhi, and the
people of the place were much pleased with his excellent conduct,
according to previous custom, the protection and administration of
the city of Delhi and the faujdarship of the surrounding country
were entrusted to him, and he was promoted to the mansab of 1,000
personal and 600 horse, original and increased, and he was presented
with an elephant, and allowed to take leave. On Saturday, the 15th,
I honoured Mirza Wali with the mansab of 2,000 and 1,000 horse,
and presenting him with a standard and an elephant, appointed him to
the Deccan. Shaikh `Abdu-l-Haqq Dihlawi, [247] who was a pious and
estimable man, had the good fortune to pay his respects to me. He had
composed a book containing the biographies of the Shaikhs of India,
and produced it to me. He had endured some hardships, and for a long
time had lived in Delhi in seclusion, and the practice of reliance on
God, and of asceticism. He is a very worthy man, and his company is
not without pleasure (for me). Bestowing various kinds of kindnesses
on him, I dismissed him.
On Sunday, the 16th, I marched from Delhi, and on Friday, the 21st,
halted in the pargana of Kairana. [248] This pargana is the native
place of Muqarrab K. Its climate is equable and its soil good. Muqarrab
had made buildings and gardens there. As I had often heard praise
of his garden, I wished much to see it. On Saturday, the 22nd,
I and my ladies were much pleased in going round it. Truly, it is
a very fine and enjoyable garden. Within a masonry (pukhta, pucca)
wall, flower-beds have been laid out to the extent of 140 bighas. In
the middle of the garden he has constructed a pond, in length 220
yards, and in breadth 200 yards. In the middle of the pond is a
mah-tab terrace (for use in moonlight) 22 yards square. There is no
kind of tree belonging to a warm or cold climate that is not to be
found in it. Of fruit-bearing trees belonging to Persia I saw green
pistachio-trees, and cypresses of graceful form, such as I have never
seen before. I ordered the cypresses to be counted, and they came to
300. All round the pond suitable buildings have been begun and are
in progress.
On Monday, the 24th, Khanjar K., in whose charge is the Fort
of Ahmadnagar, was promoted to the mansab of 2,500 personal and
1,600 horse. On Wednesday, the 26th, the Giver of Bounties gave my
son Shah-Jahan a son by the daughter of Asaf Khan. He presented an
offering of 1,000 muhars, and begged for a name for him. I gave him
the name of Umid-bakhsh (bestower of hope). I hope his advent [249]
may be auspicious to this State. On Thursday, the 27th, I halted. In
these few days I was delighted with hawking the jarz [250] (bustard
or florican) and tugh-dari (also a kind of bustard). I ordered
the jarz-i-bur (the red bustard?) to be weighed. It came to 2 1/4
Jahangiri sirs, and the variegated (ablaq) one to 2 1/8 sirs. The large
tugh-dari was 1/4 sir heavier than the jarz-i-bur. On Thursday, the
5th of the Divine month of Day, I left the boat at Akbarpur, and the
victorious army then marched by land. From Agra to this halting-place,
which is situated within two koss of the pargana of Buriya, [251] is
by river 123 koss or 91 koss by road. I did it in 34 marches and 17
halts. In addition to this I delayed a week in leaving the city, and
12 days in sporting in Palam: altogether (I took) 70 days. On this day
Jahangir Quli K. came from Bihar, and had the good fortune to pay his
respects. He presented 100 muhars and Rs. 100. From the last Thursday
to Wednesday, the 11th, I marched every day. On Thursday, the 12th,
I was pleased with going round to see the garden of Sirhind. It is one
of the old gardens, and has old trees in it. It has not the freshness
it formerly had, but it is still valuable. Khwaja Waisi, who is well
acquainted with agriculture and buildings, was appointed the karori
of Sirhind for the purpose of keeping the garden in order. I had sent
him off from Agra before I marched from the capital, and he had put
it somewhat in order. I strictly enjoined him again that he should
remove all the old trees that had no freshness in them, and put in
fresh plants, to clean up the `irqbandi [252] (it is `iraq-bandi
in the text. The word does not occur in the B.M. MS. but is in the
I.O. MS.), and repair the old buildings, and erect other buildings in
the shape of baths, etc., in fitting places. On this date Dust Beg,
who was one of the auxiliaries of `Abdu-llah K., was promoted to the
mansab of 700 personal and 50 horse, Muzaffar Husain, s. Wazir K.,
to that of 600 personal and 300 horse. Shaikh Qasim was sent to duty
in the Deccan. On Thursday, the 19th, at the request of my auspicious
son Shah-Jahan, I went to his house. On account of the birth of the son
that God Almighty had bestowed on him a grand entertainment was given,
and he presented offerings. Among these was a short, broad sword [253]
(shamshir-i-nimcha), which was of Venetian workmanship. The hilt and
fastenings were made of a sapphire [254] cut in Europe: in short, it
had been beautifully made. Another offering was an elephant which the
Raja of Baglana had presented to my son in Burhanpur. As that elephant
was handsome and well-behaved, it was ordered to be included among
the private elephants. The value of the offerings that were accepted
was Rs. 130,000, and he offered about Rs. 4,000 to his mothers and
benefactors. On this day Sayyid Bayazid Bukhari, faujdar of Bhakkar,
sent as an offering a rang (ibex), which he had brought from the
hills when it was small and brought up in his house. It pleased
me greatly. Of mar-khur and hill sheep I have seen many brought
up in the house, but I never saw a rang (tame). I ordered them to
keep it with the Barbary goats, in order that they might pair and
produce young ones. Without doubt, it is not allied to the mar-khur
or the quchqar. Sayyid Bayazid was raised to the mansab of 1,000
personal and 700 horse. On Monday, the 23rd, having honoured Muqim
K. with a robe of honour, a horse, an elephant, and jewelled khapwa,
I appointed him to Bihar. On Sunday, the 29th, a feast was prepared
for my auspicious son Shah-Jahan on the bank of the Biya (Beas),
and on the same day Raja Bikramajit, who was employed in the siege of
Kangra, came to Court, by order, to represent certain requirements,
and had the good fortune to kiss the threshold. On Monday, the 30th,
my son Shah-Jahan took ten days' leave, and hastened to Lahore in
order to see the palace buildings lately erected. Raja Bikramajit
was presented with a special dagger, a robe of honour, and a horse,
and returned to duty on the siege of Kangra. On Wednesday, the 2nd
of the Divine month of Bahman, the garden of Kalanaur was honoured
by my halting there. At this place my father had ascended the throne.
When the news of the speedy arrival of Khan `Alam reached the Court,
every day I sent one of my servants to meet him. I loaded him with all
kinds of favours and kindnesses, and added to his rank and dignity,
and I decked the headings of the farmans sent to him with an impromptu
hemistich or couplet suitable to the occasion, and so filled him
with favours. Once I sent him some Jahangiri (otto of roses), and
this opening verse came on my tongue: