[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [Persian and Urdu literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.adab) › [Basatin al-uns](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.adab.basatin-al-uns) › 69 # Basatin al-uns 69 Basātīn al-uns 69 - **Language:** Persian ### [69](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.adab.basatin-al-uns.69) فصل > O you who seek high rank through evil treachery, / how can you hunt the Simurgh with a womb? > The traitor never attains his hopes in triumph, / nor does the ungrateful denier of favors succeed in his desire. > > \[image filename\] > > And like Solomon, he set foot upon the enduring throne of the kingdom, which for years had been cast to the wind and beyond the reach of his control; > and in the banquet of felicity, having drained to the brim the delightful goblet of gladness, he embraced with fidelity the bride > of fortune, who for a time had drawn the veil of opposition over her face. And he opened the doors of > bounty to the people of the world in gratitude for this tremendous blessing, so that it was verified to all that ingratitude > for blessings has an unpraiseworthy end, and the treacherous devourer of the unlawful is ever accompanied by an ill-omened destiny: > > If you turn against your benefactor, / even if you were the celestial sphere, you shall be overthrown. > Betraying the debt of bread and salt / breaks the neck of the fierce lion. > Whoever sows good reaps that which is not evil, / and the sower of evil finds it overturned upon the sower. > When the boon companion finished the tale, the king smiled. The boon companion asked the king the reason for his smile. > The king said: “From this delightful tale with its elaborate phrasing, cheerfulness has come over my mind, the army of sorrow > has turned to flight, and I have complete confidence in your clarity of mind and your foresight; the effects of these have continually been witnessed in your words > and deeds, and their outcomes in ordering difficult matters have become certain truth. But tell me: what relevance does > this tale have to the present circumstance?” The boon companion remained silent for a moment. When he saw that the excuse of feigned ignorance had little room > and its acceptance was leagues away, he said: “The relevance of this is not hidden from the luminous royal conscience, from whose light the sun > must seek illumination. The king pondered and reflected for a while in order to find the thread of this > affair and clarify the reality of this situation. After a moment, he turned to the boon companion and said: > > “By the promptings of physiognomy and the dictates of analogy, it appears that you harbor a suspicion of rebellion concerning this minister and the army commander, > and an inkling of their straying from the highway of obedience and the path of sincerity is conceived; for it is possible that > they have conquered the city of Sarandīp, brought under their control treasuries, wealth, jewels, elephants, and other rarities of land and > sea that have accumulated there for several thousand years and have never been dispersed by the hand of any king, > and by virtue of ‘Indeed, man transgresses when he sees himself self-sufficient,’ the demon of sedition and mischief > has made a dwelling and abode in their hearts, the wind of arrogance and pride has found a way into their brains, and they have > withdrawn their heads from the halter of obedience and their feet from the circle of servitude, and raised the banner of abandonment, opposition, and rebellion, whose inscription bears the verse: > > \[image filename\] > > ‘The penalty for those who wage war against God and His Messenger and strive upon earth to cause corruption is only that they be killed or crucified,’ > pitched the tent of obedience to passion and desire in the wilderness of rebellion and defiance, and, having acquired the accoutrements and > splendor of kingship, become inflated with pride like the lion on a royal banner.” The boon companion said: “This very thought has settled in my heart, > and this very reflection has taken hold of my mind. It may be that this inference has no foundation, and this suspicion > may not lead to certainty; yet it is incumbent upon sincere servants and well-wishers of the kingdom not to conceal by any means whatever > benefit or harm can be conceived regarding the interests of the realm, so that they may properly free themselves from the obligation of their debts of gratitude.” > The king said: “The likeness of such events can be imagined in the mirror of possibility, and > by the requirement of far-sighted intellect cannot be denied in every respect; but that minister and army commander are distinguished and > peerless among their peers and equals in the perfection of wisdom, correctness of judgment, abundance of sincerity, wealth of experience, and foresight; > and never has the dust of such an accusation settled upon the skirt of their days, nor has anything been observed from them > save the display of all kinds of commendable services and the demonstration of diverse kinds of distinguished duties of servitude. And every time > the gold of their fidelity has been weighed on the balance of testing and rubbed on the touchstone of discrimination, from the other courtiers, deficiency > and, by weight and fineness, has proved superior, complete, preponderant, and surpassing, this sort of treachery appears remote and strange from them, and > in this matter it is also not fitting to make a definitive judgment. 'However, the walls have ears.' It is incumbent upon you not to allow the occurrence of this affair > to pass from the hiding place of your heart even to the door of your mouth, and, like musk in the pod and like a pearl > in the oyster shell, and fire in the flint, and the kernel in the almond, to keep it hidden and concealed; and just as you have constantly, > in guarding and concealing our secrets, brought the jewel of your nobility and the perfection of your intellect to the surface, > this time as well you must deem adherence to that same praiseworthy conduct and pleasing character necessary; for the disclosure of this matter will not be devoid > of inciting aversion and stirring up the dust of apprehension." The sovereign's deliberation and conversation with the boon-companion had reached this point > when a chamberlain entered hastily through the door and announced that the vizier, coming from Sarandīp in the garb of ascetics, > had entered upon the pilgrim-state of \[visiting\] the presence and had arrived at the gate. The sovereign became exceedingly anxious and distracted in mind, and in > this state remained perturbed and astonished, and said to the boon-companion: "The vizier is a wise man of sound counsel and an army commander > who marshals the host: > > He joined to sound deliberation the virtue of courage; / and none is honored except the brave man who exercises sound deliberation. > And never has his speech or deed been devoid of wisdom, empty of benefit, or far from a purpose; > and his arriving in this garb can, God willing, contain good and require improvement." > > The boon-companion said: "To leave the vizier outside in this unaccustomed attire seems far from prudence, for > most creatures look only to the external appearance of conditions, and if they witness something contrary to custom, in accordance with their own shallow > judgment they stir up corrupt conjectures, so that by this cause false rumors are spread in all quarters and directions, > and often it becomes the cause of the emergence of strife and the occurrence of calamities. But the class who are characterized by a sound method, firm deliberation, > perfect prudence, and comprehensive cunning, and whose fiery intellect, through correct deductions, makes known and reveals > the events and reports of tomorrow today, and in the foundations of whose reasoning no flaw finds a way in any manner, > are, like the moon and the sun, few in number and count; and corruption and the ruin of affairs can no more be expected from that class than the right arrangement of > interests can be expected from the common populace. Therefore, in every state, sovereigns must establish foundations for affairs > that encompass the order of the conditions of the common people, whose abundance—like the scarcity of the elite—is established and known by the decree of observation." > The sovereign ordered the vizier to be summoned. When he saw him, observing the side of respect and > honor toward him, he asked about the manner of discharging the affairs. The vizier said: > > "Rejoice in what you desire, for your fortune is obedient / and time is submissive to your command and humble. > The world, from the splendor and fortune of the commander of the world, / resembles the expanse of Iram and the garden of Paradise. > To whichever side you look, there is the display of victory; / to whichever side you lend an ear, there are tidings of security. > By the effect of the sovereign's ever-increasing prosperity and favorable fortune, the crescent-tipped finial of the victory-portending banners rubs its head > against the sky, and the sun-dagger of the army, numerous as the wandering planets, opens a new expanse and realm every day. At times, > from the hooves of steeds of swift wind, it raises dust from the encircling ocean, and at times from the bodies of enemies a watery sea of blood > it causes to flow upon the soil of the battlefield. The boundless ocean, from the heat of the sun of the water-like swords, like > the lips of adversaries, has become dry; and the surface of the revolving heaven, from the moisture of the wave of blood, has become wet like the eyes of the vile. And > from the day of our departure to this day, the kingdoms of Rūm and China and India, and great cities, and firm fortresses and strongholds > > have come under possession, and have been subdued and acquired; the friends of the realm, like the cloud, have seized the skirt of the highest sphere, > and the enemies of the kingdom, like drops of rain, are hidden beneath the dust of annihilation; the various flowers of victories > smile from the radiant thorn-field of the champions of vast pomp, and the nightingale of victory sings in the meadow of the coats of mail of the rank-breaking warriors of > perfect awe. And after the opening of the gates of great victories, the sea-surging army and thunder-roaring host encamped > on the shore of the sea that surrounds the kingdom of Sarandīp. And by virtue of what is written in the reliable books > of the sages—which are the mine of useful teachings and the treasury of counsels, and which past sultans and former rulers, in laying > the foundations of the realm and strengthening the pillars of sovereignty, made their guide and leader, and deemed the following of its ordinances > among obligatory duties, and whose effects in elevating the degrees of sovereignty, expanding the territories of the kingdom, > governing the realms, and uprooting and extirpating enemies of vast pomp and abundant equipment have been manifested with all facility, swiftness, > and goodness—a sovereign must be adorned and embellished with the resolution of sound judgment, an illuminated conscience, > the virtue of enemy-\[crushing\] bravery, and army-shattering courage; and as long as attracting benefits > and repelling harms is made easy by the help of knot-resolving judgment, he should not draw the blood-drinking sword from the scabbard; and as long as the desire > of hearts, in whole or in part, is set right by the aid of the tongue's blade, he should not put the blade's tongue to work, so that the renown of his perfect > sagacity and excess of acumen may, like a tongue, fall into mouths, and the tongues of the people of the world may become eloquent in the mouth with the mention of his fine discernment, > and so that the servants of abundant sincere devotion may also make this principle their guide and leader in discharging the important affairs of state, > and conduct the affairs of sovereignty in this very manner; and the masters of experience have ever > placed sound judgment before the sword and accounted excellence of deliberation higher in rank than abundance of bravery: > "Deliberation comes before the bravery of the brave; / it is the first, and that is the second quality. > When the two are united in a resolute soul, / it attains every station of high renown." > Upon this basis, the agreement so occurred that at first the path of sending messages was pursued, and envoys of eloquent > discourse and ambassadors of sound deliberation were sent to the king of Sarandīp, so that if, before accepting warfare and > combat, he should draw the collar of servitude around his neck, remove the cap of recalcitrance, rebelliousness, and pride from his head, and like > an arrow bind the belt of obedience about his waist, and sheathe the dagger of opposition and malice, then that is the desired aim; and if not, then from that > > \[he must be\] brought out from that mountain-like fortress by the blow of the lustrous sword just as fire is brought out from stone, and by the impact of the mountain-crushing mace, > the gem of his existence will be shattered like glass upon stone." > > The king of Sarandīp received the envoys with utmost honor and respect, and to provide an answer he requested an opportunity and delay of a few days, > and sent the envoys back. An inquiry was made of the envoys regarding the news of that city, and an investigation into > the temperament of the inhabitants of that land, the nature of army arrangements, and the management of state affairs by the king of Sarandīp. > They reported what they had witnessed, along with another piece of news that is extremely rare and exceedingly wondrous. > they did. > > The king asked: "What is it?" The minister said: "In the house of the king of Sarandīp there is a daughter whom > he acquired at the time of the subjection of the king of China, who in beauty is a plague to the soul and in delicacy an intoxication to the world. > Her night-colored, trailing tresses give aid in length to the night of Resurrection; her soul-reviving face in the perfection of > beauty exacts compensation from the full moon of the fourteenth night; the ruby rose gains color from envy of her spring-like cheek; > the hundred-petaled rose turns yellow like jasmine from shame before the freshness of her cheek, under her signet-ring. > > "In his face is an intercessor that effaces its misdeeds from hearts, / comely wherever he is present." > All is freshness and beauty, coquetry and grace; > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.adab.basatin-al-uns~en-mt.69) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.adab.basatin-al-uns.69](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.adab.basatin-al-uns.69) · Pramāṇa