تحفة النظار في غرايب الامصار وعجايب الاسفار 13.23: ذكر وفاة بنتي وما فعلوا في ذلك.

13.23.1

ولما كان بعد شهر ونصف من مقدمنا توفيت بنت لي سنها دون السنة ، فاتصل خبر وفاتها بالوزير فأمر أن تدفن في زاوية بناها خارج دروازة بالم بقرب مقبرة هنالك لشيخنا ابراهيم القونوي، فدفناها بها، وكتب بخبرها إلى السلطان فأتاه الجواب في عشى اليوم الثاني، وكان بين متصيد السلطان وبين الحضرة مسيرة عشرة ايام.

A month and a half after our arrival, a daughter of mine less than a year old died. News of her death reached the vizier, and he ordered that she be buried in a hospice he had built outside the Pālam gate, near a cemetery there belonging to our shaykh Ibrāhīm al-Qūnawī, and we buried her there. He wrote news of it to the Sultan, and the reply came to him on the evening of the second day, though between the Sultan's hunting ground and the capital was a journey of ten days.

During this time, and in the absence of the Emperor, a daughter of mine happened to die, which the Vizier communicated to him. The Emperor’s distance from Dehli was that of ten stages; nevertheless, the Vizier had an answer from him on the morning of the day, on which the funeral was to take place. His orders were, that what was usually done on the death of any of the children of the nobility, should be done now. On the third day, therefore, the Vizier came with the judges and nobles, who spread a carpet and made the necessary preparations, consisting of incense, rose-water, readers of the koran, and panegyrists. When I proceeded with the funeral, I expected nothing of this; but upon seeing their company I was much gratified. The Vizier, on this occasion, occupied the station of the Emperor, defraying every expense, and distributing victuals to the poor, and others; and giving money to the readers, according to the order which he had received from the Emperor. After this, the Emperor’s mother sent for the mother of the child, and gave her dresses and ornaments, exceeding one thousand dinars in value. She also gave her a thousand dinars in money, and dismissed her on the second day. During the absence of the Emperor, the Vizier shewed me the greatest kindness, on the part of himself, as well as on that of his master. Soon after, the news of the Emperor’s approach was received, stating that he was within seven miles of Dehli, and ordering the Vizier to come and meet him.

13.23.2

وعادتهم أن يخرجوا إلى قبر الميت صبيحة الثالث من دفنه ويفرشون جوانب القبر بالبسط وثياب الحرير ويجعلون على القبر الأزاهير، وهي لا تنقطع هنالك في فصل من

It is their custom to go out to the grave of the dead person on the morning of the third day after burial, spread the sides of the grave with carpets and silk cloths, and place flowers on the grave; there they never cease in any season

13.23.3

الفصول كالياسمين وقل شبه ، وهي زهر أصفر، وريبول وهو ابيض، والنسرين وهو على صنفين أبيض واصفر، ويجعلون أغصان النارنج والليمون بثمارها، وان لم يكن فيها ثمار علقوا منها حبات بالخيوط، ويصبون على القبر الفواكه اليابسة، وجوز النارجيل، ويجتمع الناس ويؤتى بالمصاحف فيقرءون القرآن فإذا ختموه أتوا بماء الجلاب فسقوه الناس، ثم يصب عليهم ماء الورد صبا ويعطون التنبول وينصرفون.

of the year, such as jasmine and gul shabbu, which is a yellow flower, and raybūl, which is white, and the eglantine, which is of two kinds, white and yellow. They place branches of orange and lemon with their fruit, and if they have no fruit they hang some on them with threads. They pour dried fruit and coconuts over the grave. The people gather, copies of the Qurʾān are brought, and they recite the Qurʾān; when they have completed it they bring julep water and give the people to drink. Then rose-water is poured liberally over them, they are given betel, and they depart.

13.23.4

ولما كان صبيحة الثالث من دفن البنت خرجت عند الصبح على العادة وأعددت ما تيسر من ذلك كله، فوجدت الوزير قد أمر بترتيب ذلك، وأمر بسراجة فضربت على القبر، وجاء الحاجب شمس الدين الفوشنجي الذي تلقانا بالسند، والقاضي نظام الدين الكرواني، وجملة من كبار اهل المدينة ولم آت إلا والقوم المذكورون قد اخذوا مجالسهم والحاجب بين أيديهم وهم يقرءون القرآن، فقعدت مع أصحابي بمقربة من القبر فلما فرغوا من القراءة، قرأ القراء بأصوات حسان ثم قام القاضي فقرأ رثاء في البنت المتوفاة وثناء على السلطان، وعند ذكر اسمه قام الناس جميعا قياما فخدموا ثم جلسوا ودعا القاضي دعاء حسنا.

On the morning of the third day after the girl's burial I went out at dawn according to the custom, having prepared what I could of all those things, and found that the vizier had ordered all this to be arranged and had ordered an enclosure-screen (sarācha) to be pitched over the grave. The chamberlain Shams al-Dīn al-Fūshanjī, who had met us in Sind, came, together with the qāḍī Niẓām al-Dīn al-Karwānī and a number of the leading people of the city. When I arrived, the people mentioned had already taken their seats, with the chamberlain before them, and they were reciting the Qurʾān. I sat with my companions near the grave. When they had finished the recitation, the Qurʾān-readers recited in beautiful voices; then the qāḍī stood and read an elegy on the deceased girl and a eulogy of the Sultan, and at the mention of his name all the people rose to their feet and made obeisance, then sat down, and the qāḍī offered a fine prayer.

13.23.5

ثم اخذ الحاجب واصحابه براميل ماء الورد فصبوه على الناس ثم داروا عليهم بأقداح شربة النبات ثم فرقوا عليهم التنبول، ثم أتي بإحدى عشرة خلعة لي ولأصحابي، ثم ركب الحاجب وركبنا معه إلى دار السلطان فخدمنا للسرير على العادة وانصرفت إلى منزلي، فما وصلت الا وقد جاء الطعام من دار المخدومة جهان ما ملأ الدار ودور أصحابي وأكلوا جميعا وأكل المساكين وفضلت الأقراص والحلواء والنبات فأقامت بقاياها إياما، وكان فعل ذلك كله بامر السلطان.

Then the chamberlain and his companions took casks of rosewater and poured it over the people, then went round among them with cups of sugar-syrup, then distributed betel to them. Then eleven robes of honour were brought for me and my companions. Then the chamberlain rode, and we rode with him to the Sultan's palace, where we made obeisance to the throne according to custom, and I went back to my house. I had hardly arrived when food came from the palace of al-Makhdūma Jahān, enough to fill my house and the houses of my companions; they all ate, the poor ate, and there were loaves, sweetmeats and sugar-candy left over, whose remains lasted for days. All of this was done by order of the Sultan.

13.23.6

وبعد ايام جاء الفتيان من دار المخدومة جهان بالدولة وهي المحفة التي يحمل فيها النساء ويركبها الرجال أيضا وهي شبه السرير سطحها من ضفائر الحرير أو القطن وعليها عود شبه الذي على البوجات عندنا معوج من القصب الهندي المغلوق، ويحملها ثمانية رجال في نوبتين: يستريح أربعة ويحمل أربعة، وهذه الدول بالهند كالحمير بديار مصر، عليها يتصرف أكثر الناس، فمن كان له عبيد حملوه ومن لم يكن له عبيد اكترى رجالا يحملونه، وبالبلد منهم جماعة يسيرة يقفون في الأسواق، وعند باب السلطان وعند ابواب الناس للكراء وتكون دول النساء مغشاة بغشاء حرير، وكذلك كانت هذه الدولة التي اتى الفتيان بها من دار ام السلطان فحملوا فيها جاريتي التي هي ام البنت المتوفاة، وبعثت أنا معها عن هدية جارية تركية، فأقامت الجارية ام البنت عندهم ليلة وجاءت في اليوم الثاني وقد

Some days later the eunuchs came from the palace of al-Makhdūma Jahān with the dawla, which is the litter in which women are carried, and which men also ride in. It resembles a couch; its surface is of plaited silk or cotton, and over it is a pole like the one over the būjāt among us, curved, of solid Indian cane. It is carried by eight men in two shifts: four rest while four carry. These litters are in Hind like donkeys in Egypt: most people get about in them. Whoever has slaves is carried by them, and whoever has no slaves hires men to carry him. There is a small number of these in the city who stand in the markets, at the Sultan's gate and at people's doors for hire. The women's litters are covered with a silk covering, and such was this litter which the eunuchs brought from the palace of the Sultan's mother. They carried in it my slave-girl, the mother of the deceased girl, and I sent with her a Turkish slave-girl as a gift. The slave-girl, the girl's mother, stayed with them one night and came back the next day, they having

13.23.7

اعطوها الف دينار دراهم وأساور ذهب مرصعة وتهليلا من الذهب مرصعا أيضا وقميص كتان مزركشا بالذهب وخلعة حرير مذهبة وتختا بأثواب، ولما جاءت بذلك كله أعطيته لأصحابي، وللتجار الذين لهم علي الدين محافظة على نفسي وصونا لعرضي لأن المخبرين يكتبون إلى السلطان بجميع أحوالي.

given her a thousand dinars in dirhams, gold bracelets set with jewels, a gold tahlīl [amulet case] also set with jewels, a linen shift embroidered with gold, a gilded silk robe of honour, and a chest of garments. When she came with all that, I gave it to my companions and to the merchants to whom I owed debts, to protect myself and guard my reputation, because the informants write to the Sultan about all my affairs.