The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)
so great and so brave, after resolving royally on these three movements,
just retired with nothing done!
Again,—he fought his son Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā in the Nīshīn-meadow, who
had come there with Ẕū'n-nūn's son, Shāh Beg (903 AH.). In that affair
were these curious coincidences:—The Mīrzā's force will have been small,
most of his men being in Astarābād; on the very day of the fight, one
force rejoined him coming back from Astarābād, and Sl. Mas`ūd Mīrzā
arrived to join Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā after letting Bāī-sunghar Mīrzā take
Ḥiṣār, and Ḥaidar Mīrzā came back from reconnoitring Badī`u'z-zamān
Mīrzā at Sabzawār.
(_d._) _His countries._
His country was Khurāsān, with Balkh to the east, Bistām and Damghān to
the west, Khwārizm to the north, Qandahār [Sidenote: Fol. 166.] and
Sīstān to the south. When he once had in his hands such a town as Herī,
his only affair, by day and by night, was with comfort and pleasure; nor
was there a man of his either who did not take his ease. It followed of
course that, as he no longer tolerated the hardships and fatigue of
conquest and soldiering, his retainers and his territories dwindled
instead of increasing right down to the time of his departure.[1012]
(_e._) _His children._
Fourteen sons and eleven daughters were born to him.[1013] The oldest of
all his children was Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā; (Bega Begīm) a daughter of
Sl. Sanjar of Marv, was his mother.
Shāh-i-gharīb Mīrzā was another; he had a stoop (_būkūrī_); though ill
to the eye, he was of good character; though weak of body, he was
powerful of pen. He even put a _dīwān_ together, using Gharbatī
(Lowliness) for his pen-name and writing both Turkī and Persian verse.
Here is a couplet of his:—
Seeing a peri-face as I passed, I became its fool;
Not knowing what was its name, where was its home.
For a time he was his father's Governor in Herī. He died before his
father, leaving no child.
Muz̤affar-i-ḥusain Mīrzā was another; he was his father's favourite son,
but though this favourite, had neither accomplishments nor character. It
was Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā's over-fondness for this son that led his other
sons into rebellion. The mother of Shāh-i-gharīb Mīrzā and of
Muz̤affar-i-ḥusain Mīrzā was [Sidenote: Fol. 166b.] Khadīja Begīm, a
former mistress of Sl. Abū-sa`īd Mīrzā by whom she had had a daughter
also, known as Āq (Fair) Begīm.
Two other sons were Abū'l-ḥusain Mīrzā and Kūpuk (var. Kīpik) Mīrzā
whose name was Muḥammad Muḥsin Mīrzā; their mother was Laṯīf-sulṯān
Āghācha.
Abū-turāb Mīrzā was another. From his early years he had an excellent
reputation. When the news of his father's increased illness[1014]
reached him and other news of other kinds also, he fled with his younger
brother Muḥammad-i-ḥusain Mīrzā into `Irāq,[1015] and there abandoned
soldiering to lead the darwish-life; nothing further has been heard
about him.[1016] His son Sohrāb was in my service when I took Ḥiṣār
after having beaten the sulṯāns led by Ḥamza Sl. and Mahdī Sl. (917
AH.-1511 AD.); he was blind of one eye and of wretchedly bad aspect; his
disposition matched even his ill-looks. Owing to some immoderate act
(_bī i`tidāl_), he could not stay with me, so went off. For some of his
immoderate doings, Nijm S̤ānī put him to death near Astarābād.[1017]
Muḥammad-i-ḥusain Mīrzā was another. He must have been shut up (_bund_)
with Shāh Ismā`īl at some place in `Irāq and have become his
disciple;[1018] he became a rank heretic later on and became this
although his father and brethren, older and younger, were all orthodox.
He died in Astarābād, still on the same wrong road, still with the same
absurd opinions. A good deal is heard about his courage and heroism, but
no deed of his stands out as worthy of record. He may have been
poetically-disposed; here is a couplet of his:—
Grimed with dust, from tracking what game dost thou come?
Steeped in sweat, from whose heart of flame dost thou come?
Farīdūn-i-ḥusain Mīrzā was another. He drew a very strong [Sidenote:
Fol. 167.] bow and shot a first-rate shaft; people say his cross-bow
(_kamān-i-guroha_) may have been 40 _bātmāns_.[1019] He himself was very
brave but he had no luck in war; he was beaten wherever he fought. He
and his younger brother Ibn-i-ḥusain Mīrzā were defeated at Rabāṯ-i-dūzd
(var. Dudūr) by Tīmūr Sl. and `Ubaid Sl. leading Shaibāq Khān's advance
(913 AH.?), but he had done good things there.[1020] In Dāmghān he and
Muḥammad-i-zamān Mīrzā[1021] fell into the hands of Shaibāq Khān who,
killing neither, let both go free. Farīdūn-i-ḥusain Mīrzā went later on
to Qalāt[1022] where Shāh Muḥammad _Diwāna_ had made himself fast; there
when the Aūzbegs took the place, he was captured and killed. The three
sons last-named were by Mīnglī Bībī Āghācha, Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā's Aūzbeg
mistress.
Ḥaidar Mīrzā was another; his mother Payānda-sulṯān Begīm was a daughter
of Sl. Abū-sa`īd Mīrzā. Ḥaidar Mīrzā was Governor of Balkh and Mashhad
for some time during his father's life. For him his father, when
besieging Ḥiṣār (901 AH.) took (Bega Begīm) a daughter of Sl. Maḥmūd
Mīrzā and Khān-zāda Begīm; this done, he rose from before Ḥiṣār. One
daughter only[1023] was born of that marriage; she was named Shād (Joy)
Begīm and given to `Ādil Sl.[1024] when she came to Kābul later on.
Ḥaidar Mīrzā departed from the world in his father's [Sidenote: Fol.
167b.] life-time.
Muḥammad Ma`ṣūm Mīrzā was another. He had Qandahār given to him and, as
was fitting with this, a daughter of Aūlūgh Beg Mīrzā, (Bega Begīm), was
set aside for him; when she went to Herī (902 AH.), Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā
made a splendid feast, setting up a great _chār-ṯāq_ for it.[1025]
Though Qandahār was given to Muḥ. Ma`ṣūm Mīrzā, he had neither power nor
influence there, since, if black were done, or if white were done, the
act was Shāh Beg _Arghūn's_. On this account the Mīrzā left Qandahār and
went into Khurāsān. He died before his father.
Farrukh-i-ḥusain Mīrzā was another. Brief life was granted to him; he
bade farewell to the world before his younger brother Ibrāhīm-i-ḥusain
Mīrzā.
Ibrāhīm-i-ḥusain Mīrzā was another. They say his disposition was not
bad; he died before his father from bibbing and bibbing Herī wines.
Ibn-i-ḥusain Mīrzā and Muḥ. Qāsim Mīrzā were others;[1026] their story
will follow. Pāpā Āghācha was the mother of the five sons last-named.
Of all the Mīrzā's daughters, Sulṯānīm Begīm was the oldest. She had no
brother or sister of the full-blood. Her mother, known as Chūlī (Desert)
Begīm, was a daughter of one of the Aẕāq begs. Sulṯānīm Begīm had great
acquaintance with words (_soz bīlūr aīdī_); she was never at fault for a
word. Her father sent her out[1027] to Sl. Wais Mīrzā, the middle son of
his own elder brother Bāī-qarā Mīrzā; she had a son and a daughter by
him; the daughter was sent out to Aīsān-qulī Sl. younger brother of
Yīlī-bārs of the Shabān sulṯāns;[1028] the son is that Muḥammad Sl.
Mīrzā to whom I have given the Qanauj district.[1029] At that same date
Sulṯānīm Begīm, when on her way with her grandson [Sidenote: Fol. 168.]
from Kābul to Hindūstān, went to God's mercy at Nīl-āb. Her various
people turned back, taking her bones; her grandson came on.[1030]
Four daughters were by Payānda-sulṯān Begīm. Āq Begīm, the oldest, was
sent out to Muḥammad Qāsim _Arlāt_, a grandson of Bega Begīm the younger
sister of Bābur Mīrzā;[1031] there was one daughter (_bīr gīna qīz_),
known as Qarā-gūz (Dark-eyed) Begīm, whom Nāṣir Mīrzā (_Mīrān-shāhī_)
took. Kīchīk Begīm was the second; for her Sl. Mas`ūd Mīrzā had great
desire but, try as he would, Payānda-sulṯān Begīm, having an aversion
for him, would not give her to him;[1032] she sent Kīchīk Begīm out
afterwards to Mullā Khwāja of the line of Sayyid Ātā.[1033] Her third
and fourth daughters Bega Begīm and Āghā Begīm, she gave to Bābur Mīrzā
and Murād Mīrzā the sons of her younger sister, Rābī`a-sulṯān
Begīm.[1034]
Two other daughters of the Mīrzā were by Mīnglī Bībī Āghācha. They gave
the elder one, Bairam-sulṯān Begīm to Sayyid `Abdu'l-lāh, one of the
sayyids of Andikhūd who was a grandson of Bāī-qarā Mīrzā[1035] through a
daughter. A son of this marriage, Sayyid Barka[1036] was in my service
when Samarkand was taken (917 AH.-1511 AD.); he went to Aūrganj later
and there made claim to rule; the Red-heads[1037] killed him in
Astarābād. Mīnglī Bībī's second daughter was Fāṯima-sulṯān Begīm; her
they gave to Yādgār(-i-farrukh) Mīrzā of Tīmūr Beg's line.[1038]
Three daughters[1039] were by Pāpā Āghācha. Of these the oldest,
Sulṯān-nizhād Begīm was made to go out to Iskandar Mīrzā, youngest son
of Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā's elder brother Bāī-qarā Mīrzā. The second,
(Sa`ādat-bakht, known as) Begīm Sulṯān, [Sidenote: Fol. 168b.] was given
to Sl. Mas`ūd Mīrzā after his blinding.[1040] By Sl. Mas`ūd Mīrzā she
had one daughter and one son. The daughter was brought up by Apāq Begīm
of Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā's _ḥaram_; from Herī she came to Kābul and was there
given to Sayyid Mīrzā Apāq.[1041] (Sa`ādat-bakht) Begīm Sulṯān after the
Aūzbeg killed her husband, set out for the _ka`ba_ with her son.[1042]
News has just come (_circa_ 934 AH.) that they have been heard of as in
Makka and that the boy is becoming a bit of a great personage.[1043]
Pāpā Āghācha's third daughter was given to a sayyid of Andikhūd,
generally known as Sayyid Mīrzā.[1044]
Another of the Mīrzā's daughters, `Āyisha-sulṯān Begīm, was by a
mistress, Zubaida Āghācha the grand-daughter of Ḥusain-i-Shaikh
Tīmūr.[1045] They gave her to Qāsim Sl. of the Shabān sulṯāns; she had
by him a son, named Qāsim-i-ḥusain Sl. who came to serve me in
Hindūstān, was in the Holy Battle with Rānā Sangā, and was given
Badāyūn.[1046] When Qāsim Sl. died, (his widow) `Āyisha-sulṯān Begīm was
taken by Būrān Sl. one of his relations,[1047] by whom she had a son,
named `Abdu'l-lāh Sl. now serving me and though young, not doing badly.
(_f. His wives and concubines._)
The wife he first took was Bega Sulṯān Begīm, a daughter of Sl. Sanjar
of Marv. She was the mother of Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā. She was very
cross-tempered and made the Mīrzā endure much wretchedness, until
driven at last to despair, he set himself [Sidenote: Fol. 169.] free by
divorcing her. What was he to do? Right was with him.[1048]
A bad wife in a good man's house
Makes this world already his hell.[1049]
God preserve every Musalmān from this misfortune! Would that not a
single cross or ill-tempered wife were left in the world!
Chūlī Begīm was another; she was a daughter of the Aẕāq begs and was the
mother of Sulṯānīm Begīm.
Shahr-bānū Begīm was another; she was Sl. Abū-sa`īd Mīrzā's daughter,
taken after Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā took the throne (873 AH.). When the Mīrzā's
other ladies got out of their litters and mounted horses, at the battle
of Chīkmān, Shahr-bānū Begīm, putting her trust in her younger brother
(Sl. Maḥmūd M.), did not leave her litter, did not mount a horse;[1050]
people told the Mīrzā of this, so he divorced her and took her younger
sister Payānda-sulṯān Begīm. When the Aūzbegs took Khurāsān (913 AH.),
Payānda-sulṯān Begīm went into `Irāq, and in `Irāq she died in great
misery.
Khadīja Begīm was another.[1051] She had been a mistress of Sl.
Abū-sa`īd Mīrzā and by him had had a daughter, Āq Begīm; after his
defeat (873 AH.-1468 AD.) she betook herself to Herī where Sl. Ḥusain
Mīrzā took her, made her a great favourite, and promoted her to the rank
of Begīm. Very dominant indeed she became later on; she it was wrought
Muḥ. Mūmin Mīrzā's death;[1052] she in chief it was caused Sl. Ḥusain
Mīrzā's sons to rebel against him. She took herself for a sensible woman
but was a silly chatterer, may also have been a heretic. Of her were
[Sidenote: Fol. 169b.] born Shāh-i-gharīb Mīrzā and Muz̤affar-i-ḥusain
Mīrzā.