As Afrasiyab felt a gust of cold breeze against his face he shouted, “O Amar, every one of our one hundred and seventy-five gods has arrived to hear you sing. Lords Sameri and Jamshed too, offer their praise.” Amar replied, “You must not allow any of them to leave the assembly.”
Heavily drugged, Afrasiyab rose and dancing from his throne holding Heyrat’s hand, but they soon fell unconscious onto their faces. The sorcerers in the court cuffed and buffeted each other and dropped senseless in the midst of altercation. Some spoke inanities, pulled moustaches and slapped each other’s faces. Yet others delivered a detailed account of their family and kin to those around them. In the end, everyone lost consciousness.
Amar drew his dagger and beheaded some twenty sorcerers and swept the assembly with the Net of Ilyas. A great din and racket rose as the sorcerers were killed. Clouds gathered in dark clusters, lightning flashed and magic spirits cried.
Amar stepped toward Afrasiyab and Heyrat to kill them. But the moment he approached the throne, the ground cleft and magic fairies clad in gold cloth and wearing pearl earrings emerged. They carried sprays and bowls filled with the essence of rose and musk. They put Afrasiyab’s head in their lap, sprayed his face, and said to him, “O Emperor, regain consciousness.”
As Afrasiyab opened his eyes, the magic fairies sank back into the earth. Amar hid himself among the sorcerers’ corpses disguised as a corpse, placing pieces of flesh dripping with blood on his face and neck.
When Afrasiyab looked around, he saw the whole assembly looted bare, all his courtiers fallen unconscious, and many sorcerers lying dead.
Afrasiyab looked up to the sky and made a sign, whereupon a rain cloud immediately materialized. It started raining and the raindrops restored the unconscious to their senses.
Heyrat said, “Emperor, witness how Amar has tricked us again.”
Afrasiyab replied, “There is no place where he can run and hide from me. I will have him captured in an instant.”
Afrasiyab exclaimed, “May all that is stolen reappear!” At these words, the thrones, chairs, cups, ewers, flowerpots and carpets reappeared as before. The assembly resumed and the sorcerers removed the corpses from the court.
Afrasiyab ascended the throne and consulted the Book of Sameri. He discovered that Amar lay disguised as a corpse among the slain sorcerers. The Book of Sameri advised Afrasiyab not to try to capture Amar himself; that he must return to the region of Batin because the next few hours were inauspicious for him. Once Afrasiyab learned this, he said to the sorcerers, “Do not carry away the corpses yet; Amar is hiding among the dead.”
In the meanwhile, Sarsar arrived there after hearing the news of Amar Ayyar’s capture. Afrasiyab said to her, “Go and look for Amar among the dead and take him prisoner. He lies among them disguised as a corpse.”
The sorcerers were engrossed by Sarsar’s doings as she started searching for Amar among the dead. Afrasiyab seated his magic double on the throne and disappeared without anyone noticing his absence or when the change occurred.
Sarsar finally found Amar. She jumped on his chest and tried to pinion him but Amar caught Sarsar’s neck with his legs in a scissors hold and executed a lock that toppled her over and brought him on top. He blew a powdered drug into Sarsar’s nose that made her unconscious. Carrying Sarsar in his arms Amar ran away.
As the sorcerers stood watching and marvelling at the scene, Heyrat cried, “Don’t stand idly and gawk! Catch him before he carries Sarsar away.”
The sorcerers ran at her orders but Amar managed to escape the Dome of Light. He sped like the wind and arrived in the City of Disregard.
Realizing that the city was full of sorcerers and they could easily capture him, Amar headed for the wilderness at the back of the Dome of Light and escaped toward the area used by Empress Heyrat as her private grounds. Seeing the trickster girls Saba Raftar and Shamima coming, Amar threw Sarsar into a cavern and, drawing his dagger, started fighting the trickster girls.
That part of the City of Disregard was a thoroughfare. One of Afrasiyab’s retainers, a sorcerer named Hoshiar the Cunning, who was on his way to the emperor’s court, passed there on his magic bird with his servants and attendants. Seeing the trickster girls fighting a stranger, he reckoned it must be Amar. As Hoshiar recited a spell to catch Amar, the trickster girls stopped him saying, “O Hoshiar, do not interfere in a fight between tricksters. Tricksters never seek a sorcerer’s help to catch an opponent.” Hoshiar said, “Talk some sense. One must destroy the enemy by any means.” As he began reciting an incantation, Amar put on the cape of invisibility and disappeared.
In the meanwhile, the sorcerers who had followed Amar from Afrasiyab’s court also arrived there. The trickster girls said to them, “Amar threw Sarsar in a cavern before our eyes.” The sorcerers headed there to rescue her.
Amar, who had not left the scene, jumped into the cavern. He produced a pasteboard dragon from his zambil and raised its head from the cavern’s mouth. The approaching sorcerers saw a dragon spewing fire and ran from it. They stopped at a safe distance and did not dare advance. From afar they recited spells to capture snakes, clapped, and made protective magic circles – none of which had any effect on the pasteboard dragon.
The sorcerers said to each other, “It’s a mighty and powerful dragon that will not be dispelled. What a pity that Sarsar should lose her life in this manner.”
To retrieve Sarsar from the cavern, they offered much gold and jewels to a companion of Hoshiar. His name was Hamnasheen and he was as peerless a sorcerer as he was impossibly old. As he advanced reciting an incantation, Amar pulled the dragon inside. Witnessing this, Hamnasheen thought the dragon had been dispelled by his spell. He boldly jumped into the cavern where Amar had laid a trap with his snare rope. Hamnasheen fell down entangled in it and Amar immediately drugged him with an egg of oblivion.
Amar again raised the dragon’s head at the mouth of the cavern. The sorcerers standing far away thought the dragon had killed Hamnasheen too. They started reciting incantations and spells again. In the meanwhile, Amar stripped Hamnasheen, threw him into the zambil, and put on his clothes. Disguised as Hamnasheen, he came out of the cavern pulling the dragon with a rope a few steps behind him. He called out to the sorcerers, “I found no trace of Sarsar or the dragon in the cavern.”
When the sorcerers saw the dragon creeping up on the false Hamnasheen, they cried, “The beast is upon you! Run for your life.” Hearing their cries, the false Hamnasheen left the dragon and ran toward his companions. He fell down unconscious beside Hoshiar. His teeth were clenched and his skin began turning blue. Hoshiar said to the trickster girls, “We cannot rescue Sarsar.”
The trickster girls got busy trying to rescue Sarsar themselves. Hoshiar took the false Hamnasheen on a conveyance to Afrasiyab’s court.
Hoshiar saluted Afrasiyab and approached the throne to give an account of Hamnasheen and their encounter with the dragon. Afrasiyab’s magic double, who had replaced the emperor, ordered that a physician be sent from the City of Disregard. Upon arrival, he gave the false Hamnasheen an antidote and put him on a bed in the courtyard for further treatment.
In the meanwhile, Sarsar returned to her senses inside the cavern and came out. On her way, she passed the false dragon and the sight of it shocked and terrified her. She ran for her life, never once looking back.
On the way to Afrasiyab’s court she met Saba Raftar and Shamima. When she asked them about Amar’s whereabouts they replied, “After throwing you into the cavern he put on his cape of invisibility and disappeared. We are sure he escaped.” Sarsar said, “It would be pointless to present ourselves in the emperor’s court now. It would earn us nothing but shame. Everyone would point a finger at us and say we were unable to capture Amar. Let us search for him in the wilderness.” With those words, the three trickster girls parted.
In the court of the Emperor of Hoshruba, the real Afrasiyab’s returned with his majestic entourage. He ascended his throne and everyone pai
d their respects. Afrasiyab said, “O my magic double, you may now leave!” The emperor’s magic double disappeared.
The sorcerers mistakenly imagined that they had been humiliated and drugged by Amar Ayyar earlier only because the real Afrasiyab had not been present in the court. Some said that it would have been impossible to drug the Emperor of Hoshruba. Others said nobody could claim to have seen the emperor, whose rank and station were secret; after serving him all their lives they had yet to differentiate between his many appearances and were unsure if they had ever set eyes on the real Afrasiyab.
Once the court was in session, the dancers presented themselves and revels started. Sorcerer Hoshiar gave an account of his companion Hamnasheen to Afrasiyab. The emperor said, “Congratulations on his deliverance. How is he now?” Hoshiar answered, “By the grace of Lord Sameri, he is well.” At that juncture, the false Hamnasheen, who pretended to have recovered his senses, rose from his bed, presented himself, and greeted the emperor.
When Afrasiyab asked him how he felt, the false Hamnasheen replied, “By the grace of Lord Sameri and Your Excellency’s honor, I am now fully recovered.”
Afrasiyab offered him a seat in the court where he sat down to watch the dance recital. But before long he found fault with the singer and began criticising her art, commenting, “She is not on the beat! There, her voice trembled! There, she gasped for breath! There, her voice quivered! See how she sings against the accompaniment! Now she lisps; she is completely unharmonious.”
Hearing this, Afrasiyab said, “O Hamnasheen, you seem to know a great deal about singing!” The false Hamnasheen replied, “By Your Majesty’s grace, I have witnessed many celebrated recitals. I am an authority on many arts – not only the art of the song – all because I live in the time of an august emperor like Your Excellency.”
Afrasiyab said, “Very well, sing something for us.”
The false Hamnasheen saluted the emperor humbly, sat down and started singing a ghazal.
Afrasiyab was greatly pleased by the false Hamnasheen’s singing and conferred a robe of honor on him. The false Hamnasheen said, “I know a spell to illuminate a candle in whose light one can see the court of Indra in all its glory and watch fairies dancing. I discovered this spell in my grandfather’s book; he had learned it in Bengal.” Afrasiyab enthusiastically said, “O Hamnasheen, light that candle without delay so that we can witness this marvellous magic.” He answered, “Please send for five sers of lard and equal amounts of pitch and butter.”
At Afrasiyab’s order, the requisite materials were produced. The false Hamnasheen screened himself off from others and made a large torch with the material provided and added large amounts of drug into it. Then he lit up the candle in the center of the court and its smoke started filling the palace. The false Hamnasheen said, “All of you must stare at the flame, and shortly you will witness the fairies dancing.” Then he sat aside and began mumbling, pretending to recite a spell.
Everyone in the court, including Afrasiyab and Heyrat, stared at the flame. In the crowded assembly people leaned over each other to watch the spectacle and see what marvel would transpire. After a while, the smoke from the drug filled their nostrils and addled their brains. They started calling out, “It’s true, fairies are dancing in the flame.” Others said, “Regard Indra giving audience.” Some others started dancing themselves. Finally, everyone, including Afrasiyab and Heyrat, fell unconscious to the floor.
The false Hamnasheen beheaded another twenty sorcerers and swept through the palace with the Net of Ilyas, stealing all the furniture with which the court had been refurnished.
Loud noises rose again and pandemonium broke out. The magic spirits of the murdered sorcerers called out their names one last time, dust storms rose and whirlwinds circled around.
Amar drew his dagger and stepped toward Afrasiyab intenting to behead him. The ground cleft suddenly as before and magic fairies emerged. Amar quickly put on his cape of invisibility and left the Dome of Light. The magic fairies restored Afrasiyab to consciousness by spraying his face with the essence of rose and keora then returned to the earth and the ground closed upon them.
Seeing his court in disarray, Afrasiyab summoned a magic rain cloud whose shower restored everyone to their senses and extinguished the drug candle Amar had lit. At the emperor’s command, the whole palace was again appointed with furniture.
Everyone sat on their thrones and stations and continued to marvel at Amar’s audacity and cunning.
Afrasiyab said disingenuously, “There’s no doubt that Amar is the favored one of Lord Laqa. He cannot be killed by any means. He spoke the truth when he said he would kill all against whom Lord Laqa sent him. I am certain he will carry out his mission.”
Then Afrasiyab turned to Heyrat and said, “However, I am myself under Lord Laqa’s orders to kill Amar. Therefore, I request my empress to go forth and battle Mahrukh Magic-Eye while I contemplate some further strategy. It would be unwise to send for Amar Ayyar to be brought here.”
Empress Heyrat mounted a magic peacock and returned to her camp in the region of Zahir, with her moon-faced attendants.
After Amar escaped from the Dome of Light it occurred to him that once before when he had tried to escape he ended up wandering on the banks of the River of Flowing Blood; if he tried again he would not find a way from there to his camp.
Amar disguised himself as a sorcerer and walked around the City of Disregard. In one place he heard some sorcerers talking. One said, “Amar is a veritable scourge. He fooled the emperor a second time and escaped.” Another said, “He won’t be able to escape because the River of Flowing Blood will bar his way.” A third sorcerer said, “This land has forty doors. He will reach the region of Zahir only if he takes the eastern door.” Finally, yet another sorcerer said, “You speak as if an accomplished trickster like Amar would not know the exit.”
Amar Ayyar then headed for the eastern door of the city. He arrived at the outer limits and saw a magnificent gate guarded by thousands of sorcerers. As he was already in a sorcerer’s disguise, he sprinted through the gate. When the gatekeepers asked his destination, Amar replied, “I am in Empress Heyrat’s service and go in pursuit of Amar Ayyar. I cannot delay my errand to reply to your questions and invite the royal ire.”
Amar cleared the gate and headed onwards. After traveling some distance, he saw the River of Flowing Blood and Empress Heyrat’s encampment. Amar continued on and traveled a little distance before he finally saw Mahrukh Magic-Eye’s camp and entered it.
Everyone who saw Amar ran to embrace him. A warm and noisy welcome followed the cries of “Amar has arrived!” All the commanders of the army, who had prayed for his safety and well being, came out of the royal court. Bahar, Mahrukh, Mahjabeen and Nafarman all embraced Amar and made gold offerings as a sacrifice to ward off any harm from befalling him. All of them proceeded to the royal pavilion and drums were struck in celebration. Amar sat on his station and recounted his adventures in Afrasiyab’s court. The whole court laughed uproariously at his exploits.
In the meanwhile, Empress Heyrat also joined her forces as drumbeats announced her arrival. Her commanders received her and she ascended her throne. Before long, she was occupied with planning for battle.
SORCERESS HASINA MAGIC-BEAUTY
Now hear of sorceress Princess Hasina, who departed in aid of Laqa toward Mount Agate. Leading an army of sorcerers and flying on her magic throne, she arrived at her destination after a few days’ journey and entered the fortress of Mount Agate.
Laqa was giving audience and watching a dance recital when red clouds appeared in the sky, heralding the approach of sorcerers. Bakhtiarak and King Suleiman Amber-Hair rose to welcome the arriving party. Soon Hasina’s army of sorcerers descended, along with their beautiful commander. She had augmented her beauty and comely face with magic and everyone who saw her was greatly impressed by her charming looks. Laqa’s commanders welcomed her and conducted her into the court. Bakhtiarak arranged for the army of
sorcerers to be camped opposite Amir Hamza’s camp.
Upon entering the court, Princess Hasina prostrated herself before Laqa, who said, “Since you bowed your head you will receive the bounty of my grace.”
Hasina rose and sat on a throne while Laqa conferred a robe of honor on her. Hasina asked, “O my lord, who are these accursed creatures who have the temerity to consider themselves your equals?” Laqa said, “That is a very long tale that the devil designate of my court could tell for he knows it well.”
As Hasina turned to Bakhtiarak, he gave her the whole account, from Amir Hamza’s advent to the present. At the end, Bakhtiarak said, “O Hasina, you can witness an example of Amir Hamza’s ravages even in the tilism itself. Amar Ayyar and Prince Asad are still at large; even the Emperor of Hoshruba has been unable to capture them.”
Princess Hasina said, “Order the drums of war to be struck in my name. In no time I will wipe the entire camp of rebels out of existence.”
Bakhtiarak sniggered at her words and said, “You have just arrived. I suggest you see the sights of this world awhile. Death will soon find you and nothing will remain.” Hasina replied, “You see spears and lances even in a carafe of urine.”99 Bakhtiarak answered, “I spoke thus because one trickster alone caused such mayhem upon entering the tilism; here you will have to contend with one hundred and eighty thousand tricksters. While only Prince Asad went into the tilism, his father and grandfather have been putting up an unremitting fight. These recalcitrant creatures of Lord Laqa cheat death at every opportunity.” Hasina replied, “I will succeed by the grace of Lord Laqa. At my hands, you will soon see the rebels come to a bad end.”
Hasina rested a few days to recover from the travails of her journey and was given a feast by King Suleiman Amber-Hair. Dance recitals and revels continued. Finally, during an afternoon audience, Hasina said to Laqa, “Tonight the battle drums should be beaten in my name. Tomorrow morning I will destroy the enemy.”
Hoshruba Page 36