The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)
Though up till then I had not committed the sin of wine-drinking[1192]
and known the cheering sensation of comfortable drunkenness, I was
inclined to drink wine and my heart was drawn to cross that stream
(_wāda_). I had had no inclination for wine in my childhood; I knew
nothing of its cheer and pleasure. If, as sometimes, my father pressed
wine on me, I excused myself; I did not commit the sin. After he
[Sidenote: Fol. 189b.] died, Khwāja Qāẓī's right guidance kept me
guiltless; as at that time I abstained from forbidden viands, what room
was there for the sin of wine? Later on when, with the young man's lusts
and at the prompting of sensual passion, desire for wine arose, there
was no-one to press it on me, no-one indeed aware of my leaning towards
it; so that, inclined for it though my heart was, it was difficult of
myself to do such a thing, one thitherto undone. It crossed my mind now,
when the Mīrzās were so pressing and when too we were in a town so
refined as Herī, "Where should I drink if not here? here where all the
chattels and utensils of luxury and comfort are gathered and in use." So
saying to myself, I resolved to drink wine; I determined to cross that
stream; but it occurred to me that as I had not taken wine in
Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā's house or from his hand, who was to me as an elder
brother, things might find way into his mind if I took wine in his
younger brother's house and from his hand. Having so said to myself, I
mentioned my doubt and difficulty. Said they, "Both the excuse and the
obstacle are reasonable," pressed me no more to drink then but settled
that when I was in company with both Mīrzās, I should drink under the
insistance of both.
Amongst the musicians present at this party were Ḥāfiẓ Ḥājī, [Sidenote:
Fol. 190.] Jalālu'd-dīn Maḥmūd the flautist, and Ghulām _shādī_'s
younger brother, Ghulām _bacha_ the Jews'-harpist. Ḥāfiẓ Ḥājī sang well,
as Herī people sing, quietly, delicately, and in tune. With Jahāngīr
Mīrzā was a Samarkandī singer Mīr Jān whose singing was always loud,
harsh and out-of-tune. The Mīrzā, having had enough, ordered him to
sing; he did so, loudly, harshly and without taste. Khurāsānīs have
quite refined manners; if, under this singing, one did stop his ears,
the face of another put question, not one could stop the singer, out of
consideration for the Mīrzā.
After the Evening Prayer we left the T̤arab-khāna for a new house in
Muz̤affar Mīrzā's winter-quarters. There Yūsuf-i-`alī danced in the
drunken time, and being, as he was, a master in music, danced well. The
party waxed very warm there. Muz̤affar Mīrzā gave me a sword-belt, a
lambskin surtout, and a grey _tīpūchāq_ (horse). Jānak recited in
Turkī. Two slaves of the Mīrzā's, known as Big-moon and Little-moon, did
offensive, drunken tricks in the drunken time. The party was warm till
night when those assembled scattered, I, however, staying the night in
that house.
Qāsim Beg getting to hear that I had been pressed to drink wine, sent
some-one to Ẕū'n-nūn Beg with advice for him and for Muz̤affar Mīrzā,
given in very plain words; the result was [Sidenote: Fol. 190b.] that
the Mīrzās entirely ceased to press wine upon me.
Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā, hearing that Muz̤affar M. had entertained me,
asked me to a party arranged in the Maqauwī-khāna of the World-adorning
Garden. He asked also some of my close circle[1193] and some of our
braves. Those about me could never drink (openly) on my own account; if
they ever did drink, they did it perhaps once in 40 days, with doorstrap
fast and under a hundred fears. Such as these were now invited; here too
they drank with a hundred precautions, sometimes calling off my
attention, sometimes making a screen of their hands, notwithstanding
that I had given them permission to follow common custom, because this
party was given by one standing to me as a father or elder brother.
People brought in weeping-willows....[1194]
At this party they set a roast goose before me but as I was no carver or
disjointer of birds, I left it alone. "Do you not like it?" inquired the
Mīrzā. Said I, "I am a poor carver." On this he at once disjointed the
bird and set it again before [Sidenote: Fol. 191.] me. In such matters
he had no match. At the end of the party he gave me an enamelled
waist-dagger, a _chār-qāb_,[1195] and a _tīpūchāq_.
(_l. Bābur sees the sights of Herī._)
Every day of the time I was in Herī I rode out to see a new sight; my
guide in these excursions was Yūsuf-i-`alī Kūkūldāsh; wherever we
dismounted, he set food before me. Except Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā's Almshouse,
not one famous spot, maybe, was left unseen in those 40 days.
I saw the Gāzur-gāh,[1196] `Alī-sher's Bāghcha (Little-garden), the
Paper-mortars,[1197] Takht-astāna (Royal-residence), Pul-i-gāh,
Kahad-stān,[1198] Naẕar-gāh-garden, Ni`matābād (Pleasure-place),
Gāzur-gāh Avenue, Sl. Aḥmad Mīrzā's Ḥaẕirat,[1199] Takht-i-safar,[1200]
Takht-i-nawā'ī, Takht-i-barkar, Takht-i-Ḥājī Beg, Takht-i-Bahā'u'd-dīn
`Umar, Takht-i-Shaikh Zainu'd-dīn, Maulānā `Abdu'r-raḥmān _Jāmī_'s
honoured shrine and tomb,[1201] Namāz-gāh-i-mukhtār,[1202] the
Fish-pond,[1203] Sāq-i-sulaimān,[1204] Bulūrī (Crystal) which
originally may have been Abū'l-walīd,[1205] Imām Fakhr,[1206]
Avenue-garden, Mīrzā's Colleges and tomb, Guhār-shād Begīm's College,
tomb,[1207] and Congregational Mosque, the Ravens'-garden, New-garden,
Zubaida-garden,[1208] Sl. Abū-sa`īd Mīrzā's White-house [Sidenote: Fol.
191b.] outside the `Iraq-gate, Pūrān,[1209] the Archer's-seat, Chargh
(hawk)-meadow, Amīr Wāḥid,[1210] Mālān-bridge,[1211] Khwāja-tāq,[1212]
White-garden, T̤arab-khāna, Bāgh-i-jahān-ārā, Kūshk,[1213]
Maqauwī-khāna, Lily-house, Twelve-towers, the great tank to the north of
Jahān-ārā and the four dwellings on its four sides, the five Fort-gates,
_viz._ the Malik, `Irāq, Fīrūzābād, Khūsh[1214] and Qībchāq Gates,
Chārsū, Shaikhu'l-islām's College, Maliks' Congregational Mosque,
Town-garden, Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā's College on the bank of the
Anjīl-canal, `Alī-sher Beg's dwellings where we resided and which people
call Unsīya (Ease), his tomb and mosque which they call Qudsīya (Holy),
his College and Almshouse which they call Khalāṣīya and Akhlāṣīya
(Freedom and Sincerity), his Hot-bath and Hospital which they call
Ṣafā'īya and Shafā'īya. All these I visited in that space of time.
(_m. Bābur engages Ma`ṣūma-sulṯān in marriage._)
It must have been before those throneless times[1215] that Ḥabība-sulṯān
Begīm, the mother of Sl. Aḥmad Mīrzā's youngest daughter Ma`ṣūma-sulṯān
Begīm, brought her daughter into Herī. One day when I was visiting my
Ākā, Ma`ṣūma-sulṯān Begīm came there with her mother and at once felt
arise in her a great inclination towards me. Private messengers having
been sent, my Ākā and my Yīnkā, as I used to call Pāyanda-sulṯān Begīm
[Sidenote: Fol. 192.] and Habība-sulṯān Begīm, settled between them that
the latter should bring her daughter after me to Kābul.[1216]
(_n. Bābur leaves Khurāsān._)
Very pressingly had Muḥ Barandūq Beg and Ẕū'n-nūn _Arghūn_ said, "Winter
here!" but they had given me no winter-quarters nor had they made any
winter-arrangements for me. Winter came on; snow fell on the mountains
between us and Kābul; anxiety grew about Kābul; no winter-quarters were
offered, no arrangements made! As we could not speak out, of necessity
we left Herī!
On the pretext of finding winter-quarters, we got out of the town on the
7th day of the month of Sha`bān (Dec. 24th 1506 AD.), and went to near
Bādghīs. Such were our slowness and our tarryings that the Ramẓān-moon
was seen a few marches only beyond the Langar of Mir Ghiyāṣ.[1217] Of
our braves who were absent on various affairs, some joined us, some
followed us into Kābul 20 days or a month later, some stayed in Herī and
took service with the Mīrzās. One of these last was Sayyidīm `Alī the
gate-ward, who became Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā's retainer. To no servant of
Khusrau Shāh had I shewn so much favour as to him; he had been given
Ghaznī when Jahāngīr Mīrzā abandoned it, and in it when he came away
with the army, had left his younger brother Dost-i-anjū (?) Shaikh.
There were in truth [Sidenote: Fol. 192b.] no better men amongst Khusrau
Shāh's retainers than this man Sayyidīm `Alī the gate-ward and
Muḥibb-i-`alī the armourer. Sayyidīm was of excellent nature and
manners, a bold swordsman, a singularly competent and methodical man.
His house was never without company and assembly; he was greatly
generous, had wit and charm, a variety of talk and story, and was a
sweet-natured, good-humoured, ingenious, fun-loving person. His fault
was that he practised vice and pederasty. He may have swerved from the
Faith; may also have been a hypocrite in his dealings; some of what
seemed double-dealing people attributed to his jokes, but, still, there
must have been a something![1218] When Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā had let
Shaibāq Khān take Herī and had gone to Shāh Beg (_Arghūn_), he had
Sayyidīm `Alī thrown into the Harmand because of his double-dealing
words spoken between the Mīrzā and Shāh Beg. Muḥibb-i-`alī's story will
come into the narrative of events hereafter to be written.
(_o. A perilous mountain-journey._)
From the Langar of Mīr Ghiyās̤ we had ourselves guided past the
border-villages of Gharjistān to Chach-charān.[1219] From the almshouse
to Gharjistān was an unbroken sheet of snow; it was deeper further on;
near Chach-charān itself it was above the horses' knees. Chach-charān
depended on Ẕū'n-nūn _Arghūn_; his retainer Mīr Jān-aīrdī was in it now;
from him we took, on payment, the whole of Ẕū'n-nūn Beg's store of
provisions. A march or two further on, the snow was very deep, being
above [Sidenote: Fol. 193.] the stirrup, indeed in many places the
horses' feet did not touch the ground.
We had consulted at the Langar of Mīr Ghiyās̤ which road to take for
return to Kābul; most of us agreed in saying, "It is winter, the
mountain-road is difficult and dangerous; the Qandahār road, though a
little longer, is safe and easy." Qāsim Beg said, "That road is long;
you will go by this one." As he made much dispute, we took the
mountain-road.
Our guide was a Pashāī named Pīr Sulṯān (Old sultan?). Whether it was
through old age, whether from want of heart, whether because of the deep
snow, he lost the road and could not guide us. As we were on this route
under the insistance of Qāsim Beg, he and his sons, for his name's sake,
dismounted, trampled the snow down, found the road again and took the
lead. One day the snow was so deep and the way so uncertain that we
could not go on; there being no help for it, back we turned, dismounted
where there was fuel, picked out 60 or 70 good men and sent them down
the valley in our tracks to fetch any one soever of the Hazāra,
wintering in the valley-bottom, who might shew us the road. That place
could not be left till our men returned three or four days later. They
brought no [Sidenote: Fol. 193b.] guide; once more we sent Sulṯān
_Pashāī_ ahead and, putting our trust in God, again took the road by
which we had come back from where it was lost. Much misery and hardship
were endured in those few days, more than at any time of my life. In
that stress I composed the following opening couplet:—
Is there one cruel turn of Fortune's wheel unseen of me?
Is there a pang, a grief my wounded heart has missed?
We went on for nearly a week, trampling down the snow and not getting
forward more than two or three miles a day. I was one of the
snow-stampers, with 10 or 15 of my household, Qāsim Beg, his sons
Tīngrī-bīrdī and Qaṃbar-i-`alī and two or three of their retainers.
These mentioned used to go forward for 7 or 8 yards, stamping the snow
down and at each step sinking to the waist or the breast. After a few