The Book of Akbar 306: CHAPTER I.
The Akbarnama (H. Beveridge), vols. I–II 306
- Language
- English
CHAPTER I.
306.1
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MERCIFUL, THE COMPASSIONATE. The chain of arrangements in Creation’s workshop, which is a truth-showing exhibition of evidence, and an illustration of self-existent power, needs to be linked to the sway of a lofty soul which may, by help of the Divine arm, sustain the burden of the universe, and can, by the strength of its perfect intelligence, supply both substance and system to the work of the terrene and terrestrials. The splendour of glory streams from his fortune’s forehead; the lightning of sublimity shines from the tablet of his actions; the beam of justice’s balance is steadied by his potent arm; the institutes of sovereignty’s forum receive lustre and currency from his care and consideration. Ingots of fine gold, which are the coins of heaven’s treasury, receive their perfect assay from his true die, and night-gleaming jewels, which are polished stellar orbs, behold greatness by being set in his tiara. The parterres of the Caliphate are watered by the stream of his scimitar, and the hexagonal earth irradiated by his banner’s Crescent. The echo of his dread drums o’erpowers the roar of the world’s calamities; the gleaming ensign of his greatness lightens up the dark, dust-stained world. He lays the dust of discord by the water of his world-opening sword, and quenches calamity’s lightning by the cloud of his sphere-shading umbrella.
306.2
The portico of his gate is the compass of the wanderers in the desert of longing, and his threshold becomes the prostration-precinct of the goal of the stiffnecked ones of pride's antechambers. His genius was compressed for the repair of the ruined abode of hearts; his nature was formed from birth for the knitting together of the community of souls. Love for him hath its home in the innermost chambers of the hearts of one and all; invocations to him repose on the tongues of high and low. Nay, the orders of plants, which are stationary shewers-forth of glory, were made verdant and juicy from the fountains of his bounty, and received growth from the vernal breezes of his liberality. Even the genera of inorganic substances, which remain steadfast in one place, received abundant favour from the impress of his justice, and attained to noble destinies from his grace. Verse. Not only do living beings attain peace, pleasure, and glory, From the faith and the justice of the crowned, By justice's spring, grass grows out of stone, Grass becomes a sprout, and the sprout a fruit-bearing tree. The glory of justice gives such an impress on earth That dust turns stone, and stone turns silver and gold.
306.3
As the sacred personality of this nursling of fortune's parterre was a shining and a glorious proof of this, and claimed as of right the sublime dignity, and as the good news of dominion and auspiciousness shone forth from the beginning of the morn of his birth, and as musky, world-cheering perfumes reached the olfactory nerves of the wise of heart from his opening years, and world-ruling greatness streamed from the tablet of his brow, and the glory of world-conquest shot from his far-seeing eyes, and the note of enthronement appeared in his mode of sitting, and the writings on the seal of sovereignty were read in the lines of his hand, and as the moment of time arrived which the heavens had been expecting for so many cycles, and as the revolution, which the stars had sought during so many conjunctions, became manifest, the marshallers of the world's progress raised a shout of joy, and the messengers of good tidings to celestials and terrestrials loosed the tongue of ecstasy with the news of peace and safety. Verse. Fortune’s jewel is on thy signet, Thine is the world’s imperial cycle, Heaven’s ear opens to the beat of thy drum, The throne is thy foot-kissing follower, Thy sublime crown rests on the head of hearts, Proclaim thine own khutba, for thine is the Caliphate.
306.4
The Sultan of the spheres (the sun) had reached the auspicious House of Pisces, and had bent his sublime aspect towards his House of Exaltation, in order that he might make the four-pillared throne of Aries radiant with the auspicious Accession, and might refresh the dust-stained denizens of earth’s domain by universal plenty. A canopy of trees threw a shade over the parterre which made the throne-chamber; and King Rose (Khusrau-i-Gul) sat on an emerald throne, wearing a diadem composed of the hundred-leaved rose, set with jacinths and rubies; and sweet voiced birds, like the heralds of an imperial accession, with scarves of long feathers (shahpar) on their bodies, and ermine robes on their bosoms, raised high the khutba of joy from many-pillared arboreal pulpits. The cypress and pine, who stood in respect’s antechamber, bowed their heads in reverence, and the box-tree and juniper, who were feeble and needy seniors, put on the dress and the airs of youth. Glorious tulips and aromatic plants donned parti-coloured robes, and the young tulips and dog-roses could not for joy contain themselves in their vestments. The sound of the drums of thunder, set upon the heads of elephant-clouds, made uproar throughout the seven climes, and the pearl-dropping voice of early spring emitted a general invitation to the four quarters of the universe. The winds of enduring bounty began to issue from the blow-holes of benevolence, and the flower gardens of the Divine Caliphate blossomed anew.
306.5
Meanwhile the moon was bending the brow of supplication in adoration and thanksgiving, and was gathering light by the hand of Cassiopeia, and the Polestar was anointing the two eyes of the Calves with white antimony from a pencil of golden rays. Astronomical observers, and heaven-conjoined interpreters of the Almagest, who watched the influential constellations with the astrolabe of science, cast the horoscope of world-sway from the pages of celestial tables. Assuredly there was help of glorious grace; and union of the hosts of fortune and dominion. Hemistich. In an hour adored by the heavens. In the Idgah of heart-expanding Kalanar. Hemistich. May it ever be the goal of Fortune. A great feast and great assemblage, such as might move the envy of celestial writers, were organised. Masnavi. A heart-delighting feast was prepared ’Twas decked both without and within In front of that verdant kiosk They spread a carpet wide as a parade-ground, Screens tipped with ornaments Were drawn round the banquet hall. The covering of the ground from end to end Was silk of Tartary and Chinese brocade. From the number of gold-threaded awnings The air was like a screen inlaid with gold. They inclosed the sky in pure gold For a blue veil becometh not a feast.
306.6
The fumes of the banquet’s far-reaching scents Mado heaven like a ball of musk. The palace-grandees rose up. They dressed a throne in bridal fashion For now would the virgin of empire Be wed to the Shah, the Prince Fortunatus; Two worlds were conjoined; And made fast by an eternal bond, Time thus sang strain upon strain, “O Fortune! dally with dominion’s throne. A king seats himself thereon From whom the throne shall gain fixity He sitteth in the royal seat With whom Fortune will take shelter. At that place, in a felicitous hour (darsā‘at faiz ashā‘at), to wit, near noon of Friday, which was according to visibility the second of Rabī’-aṣ-ṣānī 963 of the lunar year (14th February, 1556), but by calculation, the middle of the third (15th February), 10 Isfandarmaz of the Jalālī year 477, 15 Tīr of the Yazdajirdī year 925, 14 Shabāt of the Rūmī (Syro-Macedonian), year 1867, that glory of his lofty lineage put on his person a golden robe, and on his head a dark (mushkīn) tiara, and sate with good auspices and prestige on the dais of sovereignty and the throne of the Caliphate. Congratulatory shouts arose from the six sides of the world, and the heaven-resembling pulpit was exalted by the proclamation (khuṭba) of fortune, and the stairs of exaltation were made venerable by praises and sublimities.
306.7
Verse. God now placed on the head of the world’s Khedive A burden heretofore laid on the top of heaven, On him whose nature had such might, The burden of two worlds could be laid. When the world’s burden reaches a world-king He lays it on his head with thankfulness. Though to outward sense the preacher was descending step by step, in reality he was ascending by gradations. When his speech became ear-enchaining by the holy titles, and his tongue grew pearl-strewing by the glorious name, gratulatory shouts arose from right and left, and there were cries of unlimited submission and surrender. The dressers belonging to the royal manufactories threw a golden robe over the preacher’s shoulders and enveloped him in gold. The treasurers of the Court of the Caliphate scattered gold and jewels right and left. Verse. They flung on one side gold, and on the other, jewels, They scattered jewels in trays, and gold in bucklers. On the same day the rescript of sovereignty was exalted by the titles of H.M. the Shahinshah, and a world-pervading proclamation was adorned by the signet of the Lord of the Earth. All that world-enlightening day, which in truth was New Year’s day for the springtime of realm and religion, the coinage of sovereignty was being impressed by the noble name in fortune’s Mint and the various denominations of coins attained perfection by his just assayment.
306.8
Quatrain. When the coin was adorned with the Shah’s name The moon’s worth was lessened in the eyes of the stars The dinar was lighted up by a rosy face The dirham was adorned by a white one. From time to time they poured from trays silver and gold into the lap of the world’s hope, and cast varied presents into the bosom of the universe. The blare of the trumpets of joy and gladness burst forth, the drums of rejoicing beat high. Sovereignty laid the foundations of her dwelling-place. The Caliphate reached the goal of safety. The quadrangular throne of the assembly received elevation. The tiara was exalted by everlasting ascendancy. The signet-ring received a glorious motto. The o’ershadowing umbrella of dominion was opened out over the horizons. The refulgent standard received a lofty light. The lucky ball of the Kaukaba came into the crook of the Caugān. The sword reposed in the closet of the sheath. The dagger rested from brandishing. The bow was relieved from the world’s tension. The arrow was respited from the transfixing of (lit., the sewing-up) the livers of foes. Loftily seated Reason, which in its ascendancy had o’erpassed the sky, thus spake to the preacher of sovereignty’s pulpit. Verse. I hold the khutba-adorning roll of his praises I’ve searched high and low for a reading-desk. My priceless jewel is fit for a king’s treasury But not a jewel which can be bought for gold.
306.9
The world, a deer which had o’erleapt the snares of mighty hunters of the forest (i.e., former kings), became his Fortune’s prey and exultingly sang— Verse. When my star has tied me to his Fortune’s saddle-straps How can any think me worthless game. Fortune, sovereignty’s potent generalissimo gratefully recited her honours. Verse. ’Taken up from earth (Khāk) I am grown a great Khāqān, Drawn above the sky I’m a great ruler (Dārā-i-Akbar) By his presence I am revered in public and in private, And am strong inwardly and outwardly by his prestige, From his bounty is this my rose-garden irrigated, From his banquet is this my brimming bowl. Dominion the variegated one of the world’s picture-gallery became all of one colour (i.e., harmonious or unanimous) and spake thus: Verse. My cheek is freed from the stain of particolour, I’m a white diamond and a red ruby, The beauteous garden of the king is my carpet The atr of his holy spirit is the smoke in my censer Whilst my speech’s jewel is heaven’s earring I’ll laud his throne and invoke his diadem. The sky girt with a baldric of stars came dancing and cried: Verse. I wear the girdle of service and the torque of slavery, In his presence let me not have other gem or jewel My troops are victorious o’er hosts of foes Because I’m of the clan of the slaves of the conquering Lord. Felicity (Sa‘ādat), the wellwisher of sovereignty’s mansion described himself thus: Verse.
306.10
Each morn his threshold is my altar From joy in the glorious sun I face eastwards Perchance the key of grace may reach my pocket With chain on foot I’m as a door on the threshold. All the Signors and Sirdars (sīrān wu sirdārān), all the generals and generalissimos (sipahkashān wu sipahsālārān), and the other pillars of empire and eyes of sovereignty, gave their allegiance to that lofty-lineaged one from the bottom of their hearts and with a sincere conscience, and ratified the compact and league by an oath to God. Bairām Khān Khān-khānān I‘tizād-i-daulat qāhira (the stay of victorious dominion), became by sublime favour Vakīl-as-salṭanat. The binding and loosing of the affairs of the Caliphate, the gathering and despatching of the armies of victory, were committed to his plenteous science and the strong hand of his fidelity. The other territory-adorning officers and grandees of Caghatai lineage, whether those who had the bliss of serving in the Presence, or were stationed in the provinces or on the borders to hold territories or to subdue them, received, one and all, special marks of attention in addition to their being distinguished by royal favours, in accordance with their position and merits.