The Memoirs of Bābur 925.4.7

925.4.7

Thinking I had been drinking _`araq_ Muḥammadī and Gadāī had said to one another, "Let's do befitting service," lifted a pitcher of _`araq_ up to one another in turn on their horses, and came in saying with wonderful joviality and heartiness and speaking together, "Through this dark night have we come carrying this pitcher in turns!" Later on when they knew that the party was (now) meant to be otherwise and the hilarity to differ, that is to say, that [there would be that] of the _ma'jūn_ band and that of the drinkers, they were much disturbed because never does a _ma'jūn_ party go well with a drinking-party. Said I, "Don't upset the party! Let those who wish to drink _`araq_, drink _`araq_; let those who wish to eat _ma'jūn_, eat _ma'jūn_. Let no-one on either side make talk or allusion to the other." Some drank _`araq_, some ate _ma'jūn_, and for a time the party went on quite politely. Bābā Jān the _qabūz_-player had not been of our party (in the boat); we invited him when we reached the tents. He asked to drink _`araq_. We invited Tardī Muḥammad _Qībchāq_ also and made him a comrade of the drinkers. A _ma'jūn_ party never goes well with an _`araq_ or a wine-party; the drinkers began to make wild talk and chatter from all sides, mostly in allusion to _ma'jūn_ and _ma'jūnīs_. Bābā Jān even, when drunk, said many wild things. The drinkers soon made Tardī Khān mad-drunk, by giving him one full bowl after another. Try as we did [Sidenote: Fol.