The Nāṣirī Generations 61.2

61.2

The envoy of Sultan Mas'ud perceived Da'ud, who had spread his felt saddle-cloth under him, seated on the ground, with his saddle placed on one side of him. Sometimes he would rest his head upon the saddle, and stretch himself out [on the felt] on the ground, and then again he would sit up, and support himself resting on his elbow. His quiver of arrows was placed near him, and at times he would draw forth an arrow from the quiver, and he would sharpen the head of the arrow, and then again he would smooth out the feathers of it. The envoy of the Sultan, having concluded his message, asked for an answer. Da’ud replied: — "What was this Mu'azzin calling out about 'Thou givest,’ 'Thou givest'? Write that down.” A scribe accordingly wrote down this verse on paper: — "Possessor of all power. Thou givest dominion unto whom Thou wilt, and Thou takest away dominion from whom Thou wilt; Thou exaltest whom Thou wilt, and Thou humblest whom Thou wilt,” &c., and gave it to the envoy. When the envoy reached the presence of Sultan Mas’ud, and made known to him the condition and mode of life of Da’ud, and placed before him the verse in reply to his message, he understood that the period of the sovereignty of the Mahmudi dynasty over the territory of Khurasan had come to an end, and, in his heart, he relinquished all hope of holding it.