The Memoirs of Bābur 911.8.5

911.8.5

one was an air known as _Nuh-rang_ (Nine modulations), and having both the theme (_tūkānash_) and the variation (_yīla_) on the note called _rāst_(?). Banā'i was `Alī-sher Beg's rival; it will have been on this account he was so much ill-treated. When at last he could bear it no longer, he went into Aẕarbāījān and `Irāq to the presence of Ya'qūb Beg; he did not remain however in those parts after Ya`qūb Beg's death (896 AH.-1491 AD.) but went back to Herī, just the same with his jokes and retorts. Here is one of them:—`Alī-sher at a chess-party in stretching his leg touched Banā'i on the hinder-parts and said jestingly, "It is the sad nuisance of Herī that a man can't stretch his leg without its touching a poet's backside." "Nor draw it up again," retorted Banā'i.[1141] In the end the upshot of his jesting was that he had to leave Herī again; he went then to Samarkand.[1142] A great many good new things used to be made for `Alī-sher Beg, so whenever any-one produced a novelty, he called it `Alī-sher's in order to give it credit and vogue.[1143] Some things were called after him in compliment _e.g._ because when he had ear-ache, he wrapped his head up in one of the blue triangular kerchiefs women tie over their heads in winter, that kerchief was called `Alī-sher's comforter. Then again, Banā'i when he had decided to leave Herī, ordered a quite new kind of pad for his ass and [Sidenote: Fol. 180b.] dubbed it `Alī-sher's.