The Memoirs of Bābur 935.4
The Bābur-nāma in English (A. S. Beveridge) 935.4
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- English
935.4.1
"Again:—On Tuesday the 11th of the month (_Nov. 23rd_) came the false rumour that the Balkhīs had invited and were fetching Qurbān[2356] into Balkh." "Again:—Kāmrān and the Kābul begs have orders to join thee; this done, move on Ḥiṣār, Samarkand, Herī or to whatever side favours fortune. Mayst thou, by God's grace, crush foes and take lands to the joy of friends and the down-casting of adversaries! Thank God! now is your time to risk life and slash swords.[2357] Neglect not the work chance has brought; slothful life in retirement befits not sovereign rule:— (_Persian_) He grips the world who hastens; Empire yokes not with delay; All else, confronting marriage, stops, Save only sovereignty.[2358] "If through God's grace, the Balkh and Ḥiṣār countries be won and held, put men of thine in Ḥiṣār, Kāmrān's men in Balkh. Should Samarkand also be won, there make thy seat. Ḥiṣār, [Sidenote: Fol. 349.] God willing, I shall make a crown-domain. Should Kāmrān regard Balkh as small, represent the matter to me; please God! I will make its defects good at once out of those other countries." "Again:—As thou knowest, the rule has always been that when thou hadst six parts, Kāmrān had five; this having been constant, make no change."
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"Again:—Live well with thy younger brother. Elders must bear the burden![2359] I have the hope that thou, for thy part, wilt keep on good terms with him; he, who has grown up an active and excellent youth, should not fail, for his part, in loyal duty to thee."[2360] "Again:—Words from thee are somewhat few; no person has [Sidenote: Fol. 349b.] come from thee for two or three years past; the man I sent to thee (Beg Muḥammad _ta`alluqchī_) came back in something over a year; is this not so?" "Again:—As for the "retirement", "retirement", spoken of in thy letters,—retirement is a fault for sovereignty; as the honoured (Sa`dī) says:—[2361] (_Persian_) If thy foot be fettered, choose to be resigned; If thou ride alone, take thou thine own head. "No bondage equals that of sovereignty; retirement matches not with rule."
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"Again:—Thou hast written me a letter, as I ordered thee to do; but why not have read it over? If thou hadst thought of reading it, thou couldst not have done it, and, unable thyself to read it, wouldst certainly have made alteration in it. Though by taking trouble it can be read, it is very puzzling, and who ever saw an enigma in prose?[2362] Thy spelling, though not bad, is not quite correct; thou writest _iltafāt_ with _ṯā_ (_iltafāṯ_) and _qūlinj_ with _yā_ (_qīlinj_?).[2363] Although thy letter can be read if every sort of pains be taken, yet it cannot be quite understood because of that obscure wording of thine. Thy remissness in letter-writing seems to be due to the thing which makes thee obscure, that is to say, to elaboration. In future write without elaboration; use plain, clear words. So will thy trouble and thy reader's be less." "Again:—Thou art now to go on a great business;[2364] take counsel with prudent and experienced begs, and act as they say. If thou seek to pleasure me, give up sitting alone and avoiding society. Summon thy younger brother and the begs twice daily to thy presence, not leaving their coming to choice; be the business what it may, take counsel and settle every word and act in agreement with those well-wishers."
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"Again:—Khwāja Kalān has long had with me the house-friend's intimacy; have thou as much and even more with him. [Sidenote: Fol. 350.] If, God willing, the work becomes less in those parts, so that thou wilt not need Kāmrān, let him leave disciplined men in Balkh and come to my presence." "Again:—Seeing that there have been such victories, and such conquests, since Kābul has been held, I take it to be well-omened; I have made it a crown-domain; let no one of you covet it." "Again:—Thou hast done well (_yakhshī qīlīb sīn_); thou hast won the heart of Sl. Wais;[2365] get him to thy presence; act by his counsel, for he knows business." "Until there is a good muster of the army, do not move out." "Bīān Shaikh is well-apprized of word-of-mouth matters, and will inform thee of them. These things said, I salute thee and am longing to see thee."— The above was written on Thursday the 13th of the first Rabi` (_Nov. 26th_). To the same purport and with my own hand, I wrote also to Kāmrān and Khwāja Kalān, and sent off the letters (by Bīān Shaikh). (_Here the record fails from Rabī` 15th to 19th._) (_y. Plans of campaign._) (_Dec. 2nd_) On Wednesday the 19th of the month (_Rabī` I._) the mīrzās, sulṯāns, Turk and Hind amīrs were summoned for counsel, and left the matter at this:—That this year the army must move in some direction;
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that `Askarī should go in advance towards the East, be joined by the sulṯāns and amīrs from beyond Gang (Ganges), and march in whatever direction favoured fortune. These particulars having been written down, Ghīāṣu'd-dīn the [Sidenote: Fol. 350b.] armourer was given rendezvous for 16 days,[2366] and sent galloping off, on Saturday the 22nd of the month, to the amīrs of the East headed by Sl. Junaid _Barlās_. His word-of-mouth message was, that `Askarī was being sent on before the fighting apparatus, culverin, cart and matchlock, was ready; that it was the royal order for the sulṯāns and amīrs of the far side of Gang to muster in `Askarī's presence, and, after consultation with well-wishers on that side, to move in whatever direction, God willing! might favour fortune; that if there should be work needing me, please God! I would get to horse as soon as the person gone with the (16 days) tryst (_mī`ād_) had returned; that explicit representation should be made as to whether the Bengali (Nas̤rat Shāh) were friendly and single-minded; that, if nothing needed my presence in those parts, I should not make stay, but should move elsewhere at once;[2367] and that after consulting with well-wishers, they were to take `Askarī with them, and, God willing! settle matters on that side. (_Here the record of 5 days is wanting._) (_z. `Askarī receives the insignia and rank of a royal commander._)
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(_Dec. 12th_) On Saturday the 29th of the first Rabī`, `Askarī was made to put on a jewelled dagger and belt, and a royal dress of honour, was presented with flag, horse-tail standard, [Sidenote: Fol. 351.] drum, a set (6-8) of _tīpūchāq_ (horses), 10 elephants, a string of camels, one of mules, royal plenishing, and royal utensils. Moreover he was ordered to take his seat at the head of a _Dīwān_. On his mullā and two guardians were bestowed jackets having buttons[2368]; on his other servants, three sets of nine coats. (_aa. Bābur visits one of his officers._) (_Dec. 13th_) On Sunday the last day of the month (_Rabī` I. 30th_)[2369] I went to Sl. Muḥammad _Bakhshī's_ house. After spreading a carpet, he brought gifts. His offering in money and goods was more than 2 _laks_.[2370] When food and offering had been set out, we went into another room where sitting, we ate _ma`jūn_. We came away at the 3rd watch (midnight?), crossed the water, and went to the private house. (_bb. The Āgra-Kābul road measured._)
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(_Dec. 17th_) On Thursday the 4th of the latter Rabī`, it was settled that Chīqmāq Beg with Shāhī _ṯamghāchī's_[2371] clerkship, should measure the road between Āgra and Kābul. At every 9th _kuroh_ (_cir._ 18m.), a tower was to be erected 12 _qārīs_ high[2372] and having a _chār-dara_[2373] on the top; at every 18th _kuroh_ (_cir._ 36m.),[2374] 6 post-horses were to be kept fastened; and arrangement was to be made for the payment of post-masters and grooms, and for horse-corn. The order was, "If the place where the horses are fastened up,[2375] be near a crown-domain, let those there provide for the matters mentioned; if not, let the cost be charged on the beg in whose _pargana_ the post-house may be." Chīqmāq Beg got out of Āgra with Shāhī on that same day. [Sidenote: Fol. 351b.] (_Author's note on the kuroh._) These _kurohs_ were established in relation to the _mīl_, in the way mentioned in the _Mubīn_:—[2376] (_Turkī_) Four thousand paces (_qadam_) are one _mīl_; Know that Hind people call this a _kuroh_; The pace (_qadam_) they say is a _qārī_ and a half (36 in.); Know that each _qārī_ (24 in.) is six hand-breadths (_tūtām_) That each _tūtām_ is four fingers (_aīlīk_), Each _aīlīk_, six barley-corns. Know this knowledge.[2377] The measuring-cord (_ṯanāb_)[2378] was fixed at 40 _qārī_, each being the one-and-a-half _qārī_ mentioned above, that is to say, each is 9 hand-breadths. (_cc. A feast._) (_Dec.
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18th_) On Saturday the 6th of the month (Rabī` II.) there was a feast[2379] at which were present Qīzīl-bāsh (Red-head), and Aūzbeg, and Hindū envoys.[2380] The Qīzīl-bāsh envoys sat under an awning placed some 70-80 _qārīs_[2381] on my right, of the begs Yūnas-i-`alī being ordered to sit with them. On my left the Aūzbeg envoys sat in the same way, of the begs `Abdu'l-lāh being ordered to sit with them. I sat on the north side of a newly-erected octagonal pavilion (_tālār_) covered in with _khas_[2382]. Five or six _qārīs_ on my right sat Tūkhtā-būgha Sl. and `Askarī, with Khwāja `Abdu'sh-shahīd and Khwāja Kalān, descendants of his Reverence the Khwāja,[2383] and Khwāja Chishtī (var. Ḥusainī), and Khalīfa, together with the _ḥāfiẕes_ and _mullās_ dependent on the Khwājas who had come from Samarkand. Five or six _qārīs_ on my left sat Muḥammad-i-zamān M. and Tāng-ātmīsh Sl.[2384] [Sidenote: Fol. 352.] and Sayyid Rafī`, Sayyid Rūmī, Shaikh Abū'l-fatḥ, Shaikh Jamālī, Shaikh Shihābu'd-dīn _`Arab_ and Sayyid Daknī (var.Zaknī, Ruknī). Before food all the sulṯāns, khāns, grandees, and amīrs brought gifts[2385] of red, of white, of black,[2386] of cloth and various other goods. They poured the red and white on a carpet I had ordered spread, and side by side with the gold and silver piled plenishing, white cotton piece-cloth and purses (_badra_) of money.
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While the gifts were being brought and before food, fierce camels and fierce elephants[2387] were set to fight on an island opposite,[2388] so too a few rams; thereafter wrestlers grappled. After the chief of the food had been set out, Khwāja `Abdu'sh-shahīd and Khwāja Kalān were made to put on surtouts (_jabbah_) of fine muslin,[2389] spotted with gold-embroidery, and suitable dresses of honour, and those headed by Mullā Farrūkh and _Ḥāfiẕ_[2390] had jackets put on them. On Kūchūm Khān's envoy[2391] and on Ḥasan _Chalabi's_ younger brother[2392] were bestowed silken head-wear (_bāshlīq_) and gold-embroidered surtouts of fine muslin, with suitable dresses of honour. Gold-embroidered jackets and silk coats were presented to the envoys of Abū-sa`īd Sl. (_Aūzbeg_), of Mihr-bān Khānīm and her son Pulād Sl., and of Shāh Ḥasan [Sidenote: Fol. 352b.] (_Arghūn_). The two Khwājas and the two chief envoys, that is to say Kūchūm Khān's retainer and Ḥasan _Chalabī's_ younger brother, were presented with a silver stone's weight of gold and a gold stone's weight of silver.