The Book of Akbar 184: Receipt of the news of the auspicious birth of his Majesty THE KING OF KINGS, BY HIS MAJESTY JAHANBANI JANNAT-ASHYANI, AND OTHER DETAILS.

184

At this time, when the hoping eyes of the watchers of the night of expectation were opened and the door of hopelessness was closed for the world, the exaltation-point (sharaf) of the birth of his Majesty, the king of kings and shadow of God, displayed its countenance. As has already been stated, that nursling of Divine light emerged from the womb of concealment into the world of manifestation on the night of Sunday, 5th Rajab, 949 (15th October, 1542), in order that all the sorrows of mortals might end in everlasting joy; that the sorrow-pelted heart of his Majesty Jahanbani might receive the balm of assuagement; that the perturbed outer world might assume kosmos and the rent-spiritual world be composed; that the spectators of Divine power (i.e., the angels) might rejoice over the spectacle of the accomplished fact and the expectants of the spiritual and temporal world have their desire satisfied; that to Wisdom there should come a master, to Justice a gracious father, to Perception a wise friend, to Law a righteous king, to Love an acute appreciator; that universal peace might have a wise daysman; that an adorner of the outward and a shewer-forth of the inward might appear. God be praised that in adequate correspondence with hope, there shone a dawn of union after a dark night of distraction, and that a morning of joy succeeded an evening of gloom. The desire of celestials was accomplished, the glory of terrestrials revealed. When this darkness-destroying refulgence and universe-lighting flash came from holy heaven and unveiled itself in that land of roses,’ swift messengers hastened to convey the good news. While they were yet on the way, the heart of his Majesty Jahanbani,—for his far-seeing eye was on the watch on account of the secret intimation,—became a thousand hearts from the life-giving good news. He prostrated himself in thanksgiving to Providence who had made fortune’s rose bloom in the thorn-brake of misfortune, and had in the emptiness of failure, cast thousands of fruitions into his bosom. Within and without, there was a feast of joy, and all addressed themselves to enjoyment. The noble and the humble, the rich and poor, the small and great, opened the hand of rejoicing, and beat the feet of delight in that feast of fortune, and secured endless favours. An account of this sublime feast, which was the celestial ‘Id and the world’s New Year, and of the arrival of the honoured cradle of his Majesty, the king of kings, at his Majesty Jahanbani’s sublime camp, and of other occurrences which are the adorning frontispiece of this auspicious rescript and the illuminated border of this mandate of fortune, has been incorporated in the beginning of this lofty-titled volume; for this real Pinacothek, wherein are depicted the wondrous events, noble deeds and glorious victories of his Majesty, the king of kings, is fashioned in accord with the initiative of the exaltation-point (sharaf) of the holy nativity, and whatever else has been traced by the pen of supplication is but ancillary to this and but a diluent or vehicle of the