The Memoirs of Bābur 899.6
The Bābur-nāma in English (A. S. Beveridge) 899.6
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899.6.1
_r. His children._ His two sons did not live beyond infancy. He had five daughters, four by Qātāq Begīm.[207] Rābi`a-sulṯān Begīm, known as the Dark-eyed Begīm, was his eldest. The Mīrzā himself made her go forth to Sl. Maḥmūd Khān;[208] she had one child, a nice little boy, called Bābā Khān. The Aūzbegs killed him and several others of age as unripe as his when they martyred (his father) The Khān, in Khujand, (914 AH.-1508 AD.). At that time she fell to Jānī Beg Sulṯān (_Aūzbeg_). [Sidenote: Fol. 20.] Ṣāliḥa-sulṯān (Ṣalīqa) Begīm was his second daughter; people called her the Fair Begīm. Sl. Maḥmūd Mīrzā, after her father's death, took her for his eldest son, Sl. Mas`ūd Mīrzā and made the wedding feast (900 AH.). Later on she fell to the Kāshgharī with Shāh Begīm and Mihr-nigār Khānim. `Āyisha-sulṯān Begīm was the third. When I was five and went to Samarkand, they set her aside for me; in the guerilla times[209] she came to Khujand and I took her (905 AH.); her one little daughter, born after the second taking of Samarkand, went in a few days to God's mercy and she herself left me at the instigation of an older sister. Sulṯānīm Begīm was the fourth daughter; Sl. `Alī Mīrzā took her; then Tīmūr Sulṯān (_Aūzbeg_) took her and after him, Mahdī Sulṯān (_Aūzbeg_).
899.6.2
Ma`sūma-sulṯān Begīm was the youngest of Sl. Aḥmad Mīrzā's daughters. Her mother, Ḥabība-sulṯān Begīm, was of the Arghūns, a daughter of Sl. Ḥusain _Arghūn's_ brother. I saw her when I went to Khurāsān (912 AH.-1506 AD.), liked her, asked for her, had her brought to Kābul and took her (913 AH.-1507 AD.). She had one daughter and there and then, went to God's mercy, through the pains of the birth. Her name was at once given to her child. _s. His ladies and mistresses._ Mihr-nigār Khānīm was his first wife, set aside for him by his father, Sl. Abū-sa`īd Mīrzā. She was Yūnas Khān's eldest [Sidenote: Fol. 20b.] daughter and my mother's full-sister. Tarkhān Begīm of the Tarkhāns was another of his wives. Qātāq Begīm was another, the foster-sister of the Tarkhān Begīm just mentioned. Sl. Aḥmad Mīrzā took her _par amours_ (_`āshiqlār bīlā_): she was loved with passion and was very dominant. She drank wine. During the days of her ascendancy (_tīrīklīk_), he went to no other of his _ḥaram_; at last he took up a proper position (_aūlnūrdī_) and freed himself from his reproach.[210] Khān-zāda Begīm, of the Tīrmīẕ Khāns, was another. He had just taken her when I went, at five years old, to Samarkand; her face was still veiled and, as is the Turkī custom, they told me to uncover it.[211]
899.6.3
Laṯīf Begīm was another, a daughter's child of Aḥmad Ḥājī Beg _Dūldāī_ (_Barlās_). After the Mīrzā's death, Ḥamza Sl. took her and she had three sons by him. They with other sulṯāns' children, fell into my hands when I took Ḥiṣār (916 AH.-1510 AD.) after defeating Ḥamza Sulṯān and Tīmūr Sulṯān. I set all free. Ḥabība-sulṯān Begīm was another, a daughter of the brother of Sl. Ḥusain _Arghūn_. _t. His amīrs._ Jānī Beg _Dūldāī_ (_Barlās_) was a younger brother of Sl. Malik _Kāshgharī_. Sl. Abū-sa`īd Mīrzā gave him the Government of Samarkand and Sl. Aḥmad Mīrzā gave him the control of his own Gate.[212] He must have had singular habits and [Sidenote: Fol. 21.] manners;[213] many strange stories are told about him. One is this:—While he was Governor in Samarkand, an envoy came to him from the Aūzbegs renowned, as it would seem, for his strength. An Aūzbeg, is said to call a strong man a bull (_būkuh_). "Are you a _būkuh_?" said Jānī Beg to the envoy, "If you are, come, let's have a friendly wrestle together (_kūrāshālīng_)." Whatever objections the envoy raised, he refused to accept. They wrestled and Jānī Beg gave the fall. He was a brave man.
899.6.4
Aḥmad Ḥājī (_Dūldāī Barlās_) was another, a son of Sl. Malik _Kāshgharī_. Sl. Abū-sa`īd Mīrzā gave him the Government of Hīrī (Harāt) for a time but sent him when his uncle, Jānī Beg died, to Samarkand with his uncle's appointments. He was pleasant-natured and brave. Wafā'ī was his pen-name and he put together a dīwān in verse not bad. This couplet is his: "I am drunk, Inspector, to-day keep your hand off me, "Inspect me on the day you catch me sober." Mīr `Alī-sher Nāwā'ī when he went from Hīrī to Samarkand, was with Aḥmad Ḥājī Beg but he went back to Hīrī when Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā (Bāī-qarā) became supreme (873 AH.-1460 AD.) and he there received exceeding favour. [Sidenote: Fol. 21b.] Aḥmad Ḥājī Beg kept and rode excellent _tīpūchāqs_,[214] mostly of his own breeding. Brave he was but his power to command did not match his courage; he was careless and what was necessary in his affairs, his retainers and followers put through. He fell into Sl. `Alī Mīrzā's hands when the Mīrzā defeated Bāī-sunghar Mīrzā in Bukhārā (901 AH.), and was then put to a dishonourable death on the charge of the blood of Darwesh Muḥammad Tarkhān.[215]
899.6.5
Darwesh Muḥammad Tarkhān (_Arghūn_) was another, the son of Aūrdū-būghā Tarkhān and full-brother of the mother of Sl. Aḥmad Mīrzā and Sl. Maḥmūd Mīrzā.[216] Of all begs in Sl. Aḥmad Mīrzā's presence, he was the greatest and most honoured. He was an orthodox Believer, kindly and darwesh-like, and was a constant transcriber of the Qu'rān.[217] He played chess often and well, thoroughly understood the science of fowling and flew his birds admirably. He died in the height of his greatness, with a bad name, during the troubles between Sl. `Alī Mīrzā and Bāī-sunghar Mīrzā.[218]
899.6.6
`Abdu'l-`alī Tarkhān was another, a near relation of Darwesh Muḥammad Tarkhān, possessor also of his younger sister,[219] that is to say, Bāqī Tarkhān's mother. Though both by the Mughūl rule (_tūrā_) and by his rank, Darwesh Muḥammad Tarkhān was the superior of `Abdu'l-`alī Tarkhān, this Pharoah regarded him not at all. For some years he had the Government of Bukhārā. His retainers were reckoned at [Sidenote: Fol. 22.] 3,000 and he kept them well and handsomely. His gifts (_bakhshīsh_), his visits of enquiry (_purshīsh_), his public audience (_dīwān_), his work-shops (_dast-gāh_), his open-table (_shīlān_) and his assemblies (_majlis_) were all like a king's. He was a strict disciplinarian, a tyrannical, vicious, self-infatuated person. Shaibānī Khān, though not his retainer, was with him for a time; most of the lesser (Shaibān) sulṯāns did themselves take service with him. This same `Abdu'l-`alī Tarkhān was the cause of Shaibānī Khān's rise to such a height and of the downfall of such ancient dynasties.[220]
899.6.7
Sayyid Yūsuf, the Grey Wolfer[221] was another; his grandfather will have come from the Mughūl horde; his father was favoured by Aūlūgh Beg Mīrzā (_Shāhrukhī_). His judgment and counsel were excellent; he had courage too. He played well on the guitar (_qūbuz_). He was with me when I first went to Kābul; I shewed him great favour and in truth he was worthy of favour. I left him in Kābul the first year the army rode out for Hindūstān; at that time he went to God's mercy.[222] Darwesh Beg was another; he was of the line of Aīku-tīmūr Beg,[223] a favourite of Tīmūr Beg. He was a disciple of his Highness Khwāja `Ubaidu'l-lāh (_Aḥrārī_), had knowledge of the science of music, played several instruments and was naturally [Sidenote: Fol. 22b.] disposed to poetry. He was drowned in the Chīr at the time of Sl. Aḥmad Mīrzā's discomfiture. Muḥammad Mazīd Tarkhān was another, a younger full-brother of Darwesh Muḥ. Tarkhān. He was Governor in Turkistān for some years till Shaibānī Khān took it from him. His judgment and counsel were excellent; he was an unscrupulous and vicious person. The second and third times I took Samarkand, he came to my presence and each time I shewed him very great favour. He died in the fight at Kūl-i-malik (918 AH.-1512 AD.).
899.6.8
Bāqī Tarkhān was another, the son of `Abdu'l-`alī Tarkhān and Sl. Aḥmad Mīrzā's aunt. When his father died, they gave him Bukhārā. He grew in greatness under Sl. `Alī Mīrzā, his retainers numbering 5 or 6,000. He was neither obedient nor very submissive to Sl. `Alī Mīrzā. He fought Shaibānī Khān at Dabūsī (905 AH.) and was crushed; by the help of this defeat, Shaibānī Khān went and took Bukhārā. He was very fond of hawking; they say he kept 700 birds. His manners and habits were not such as may be told;[224] he grew up with a Mīrzā's state and splendour. Because his father had shewn favour to Shaibānī Khān, he went to the Khān's presence, but that inhuman ingrate made him no sort of return in favour and kindness. [Sidenote: Fol. 23.] He left the world at Akhsī, in misery and wretchedness. Sl. Ḥusain _Arghūn_ was another. He was known as Qarā-kūlī because he had held the Qarā-kūl government for a time. His judgment and counsel were excellent; he was long in my presence also.