التاريخ اليميني 19.33

19.33

When the Sultan's banner had turned away from him, Khalaf ibn Aḥmad had entrusted to his son Ṭāhir the administration of Sijistān and committed its affairs to him, preferring him over himself and giving him the bride of kingship before its time, so as to secure her in his possession before he would deserve her by inheritance—hinting thereby to the Sultan that he had resigned from kingship, turned to asceticism, and exchanged the humility of worship for the loftiness of rule, so that by the affair passing out of his hands he might cut off the Sultan's hope of attacking and reaping him. But when time had stretched over what he had entrusted, the signs of ingratitude spoke in [Ṭāhir's] choices, and the molars of filial disobedience showed through the folds of his doings. So [Khalaf] kept treating him kindly and humouring him until he blinded him to what he intended for him. Then he feigned illness in the aforementioned fortress and summoned his son to receive his testament and take over the hidden deposits. [Ṭāhir] was heedless of the secret of the scheme and of the punishment and reprisal being planned, and he came as Ṭarafa ibn al-ʿAbd came to the hyena's two choices: a blow on the neck or the cutting of the jugular.