I ordered that Landhoor be put in chains and led straight to jail, but no one found the courage to come forward, except for one vizier, who took a big dish of halva for Landhoor, and placed it before him. After Landhoor had eaten the halva, the vizier made him follow him into my presence.
Upon beholding me, Landhoor asked the vizier, “Who is this man, and what is his name?” The vizier said, “This here is your venerable uncle, who is the king and master of these lands!” Landhoor said, “And who was the king before him?” The vizier answered, “It was your father!” Then Landhoor said of me, “Then who is this man when I am the heir to the crown and throne?” The vizier said, “Indeed you are our lord and master.” Landhoor said, “Depose him then! I shall ascend the throne, and issue writs from today onward, and govern the kingdom.” The vizier said to me, “It would be expedient to oblige, and step down from the throne!” Then I stepped down from the throne, and Landhoor was enthroned.
After a while Landhoor asked for food, and the vizier laid out drugged food before him. Once Landhoor was unconscious, I ordered that Landhoor be put in irons from head to foot, and given into the charge of Aurang and Gaurang, the princes of Lakhnauti. They took Landhoor away and, after throwing him into the well of Lakhnauti, sealed its mouth.
For twenty-five years Landhoor remained imprisoned in that dark well. As Landhoor’s mother was the progeny of Prophet Shis, one day the sister of Aurang and Gaurang had a dream in which she saw a throne come down from the heavens with Prophet Shis seated on it. And after informing her of all the particulars about Landhoor, the prophet said to her, “I have made you and Landhoor a pair, and from him you will be borne of a child who will grow up to be the sun of glory!” She started from her dream, and went to the prison well carrying a salver of food.
The guards asked her, “Who are you, what have you brought, and whence do you come at this hour?” She said, “I have brought food for Landhoor and come to convey to him the annunciations of a saint.”
She climbed down the well and fed Landhoor, and filed away at his fetters with a rasp. After narrating her dream to Landhoor, she went away. Landhoor put the chain irons to his side, and released from that encumbrance after such a long while, fell asleep like a log. The guards wondered why they did not hear his wailing and lamentations, as Landhoor never was wont to let up his cries. When one of them went to investigate the matter, he found Landhoor sleeping peacefully with his feet outstretched, with the irons that chained him lying broken by his side.
Aurang and Gaurang were forthwith informed. They rushed to the well. As they made to take him unaware Landhoor woke up and pinned the two princes to the ground. Then Landhoor narrated to them their sister’s dream. The two princes rejoiced upon hearing these auspicious tidings, and led Landhoor out of the dark pit.
Landhoor ordered a war club to be made for him weighing one thousand and seven hundred Tabrizi maunds, and he mounted a giant elephant wielding that club. He began to make inquiries as to the way to the land of Ceylon. Aurang and Gaurang submitted to him with folded arms: “O Refuge of the World! Wait a while! You may march on Ceylon once you have enlisted an army!” When an intrepid army was raised, he advanced toward Ceylon and soon arrived at the fort of Ceylon.
I sent Jaipur at the head of a force of two hundred thousand to battle Landhoor. Then battle lines were drawn on both sides, and the two armies skirmished.
Jaipur observed that with each blow of Landhoor’s war club, scores of his champions were macerated. Jaipur retreated and fortified himself. Landhoor advanced to the gate of the fort and gave a mighty blow with his war club, which shattered the gate to pieces. The moment the gate fell, Landhoor entered the fort and indulged in wholesale carnage.
I saw no recourse left to me but to present myself before Landhoor and ask for mercy. Landhoor said, “With what intention do you bring this plea before me?” I said, “I rule this kingdom in trust for Naushervan the Just, the Emperor of the Seven Climes. He appoints the one who ascends the throne. Wait a while until a reply to my epistle has arrived from his court!” Landhoor said, “Remove yourself to some isle until your pleas and entreaties are answered, What do I care about Naushervan or yourself?
Helpless, I escaped from the city with my life, and Landhoor was enthroned. As I was duty bound to inform you, I have made my report. Now I leave it to the judgment of Your Highness. If Landhoor is not speedily routed as he deserves, he will not stop short of committing the gravest outrages against Your Highness!
After listening to this message the emperor sought Buzurjmehr’s counsel in private, and also sought the advice of his viziers and nobles.
Buzurjmehr said, “First, order Gustham to advance on Ceylon. Then announce before the whole court that you will pledge the troth of Princess Mehr-Nigar to the one who brings Landhoor back a prisoner to Your Majesty. In my view there is no Sassanid warrior who will undertake to bring Landhoor’s head. But Hamza is ever enamored of renown and honor, and it is certain that he will make this pledge. And this plan is also not without ingenuity in that, should Hamza be killed in the undertaking, you will be saved from humiliation; and should he prevail against Landhoor, all of the lands of India will fall to your lot!”
Upon hearing Buzurjmehr’s thoughtful opinion and counsel, the emperor rejoiced in his heart. And that very moment he sent a precept by a camel rider to Gustham, who was in hiding in Zabul. Through this messenger, he ordered Gustham to proceed to Ceylon with his forty thousand troops and bring back Landhoor’s head, in order that his past misdemeanors might be pardoned.
The next day in the court, the emperor said, “O renowned warriors and champions of time! The Khusrau of India has raised the flag of rebellion and foments sedition against me. Whoever among you will bring me his head, I shall adopt him as son, and he shall be proclaimed my kin. The head of the Khusrau of India would be considered the jointure of Mehr-Nigar.”
No one came forward to accept this undertaking, thinking in their hearts that it was well-nigh impossible to escape with one’s life from the Indian Ocean, and even should one survive it, nobody would find the courage to fight such a powerful enemy.
But Sahibqiran rose from his seat and spoke thus: “Should you order this faithful servant, he will produce the Khusrau of India before you in person! Should I be killed in the undertaking, I shall become a sacrifice of Your Majesty!”
The emperor rose from his throne and embraced Amir, and said, “O Abul-Ala! How could you have laid claim to the august station you hold if you did not have such courage and valiancy!” Having said this, the emperor conferred a royal robe of honor on Amir, and ordered thirty ships carrying a thousand men each to be furnished for the campaign.
Amir Hamza ordered his troops to march that very day and to wait for him in Basra. Then he sent for Amar, and said to him, “O Amar, if I could have had a glimpse of the princess before I left, I would have left with a pacified heart!”
Amar said, “Write a note to Buzurjmehr, for such an arrangement could only be made by the intercession of the nobles. He would be the one to consult in this matter!”
Hamza therefore wrote a note to Buzurjmehr with his own hand, and Amar took it to Buzurjmehr’s place.
Buzurjmehr took Amar along before the emperor, and said to him, “From Ctesiphon to the dominion of India, Hamza will be proclaimed your son-in-law. But what is to be said about such a relationship when not even a drop of sherbet was imbibed to celebrate it?”
Naushervan said, “Indeed there is no harm in what you suggest.”
Then Khvaja Buzurjmehr said, “It would be improper to hold the ceremony in the men’s quarters, in the absence of Her Highness the Empress!” Naushervan said to Buzurjmehr, “You may accompany Hamza into the palace. Instruct them to perform all the rituals of engagement, and to feast Hamza after the drinks and inform him that we will keep Mehr-Nigar for him in trust.” Buzurjmehr went into the palace without Amir, and conveyed all that the emperor had just said to Empress Mehr-Angez.
When B
akhtak received these tidings he said in his heart, If Hamza goes inside the palace, it is certain that he will view Princess Mehr-Nigar. I should go there, too, so that he is denied even a glimpse of the princess! Directly Bakhtak mounted a mule and rode to the palace gates.
When he saw Bakhtak coming, Hamza said to Amar, “One must somehow ward off this bird of ill omen at this time! I will give you two hundred tomans and other rewards besides if this is so arranged!” Amar replied to Hamza in the language of ayyars, “You may go forth and enjoy yourself at the palace without the least worry. I shall deal with him presently!”
The moment Hamza left, Amar stopped Bakhtak by catching hold of his mule’s reins, and said to him, “O Khvaja Bakhtak, I am headed for India, and God alone knows whether I shall return safe and sound or whether my grave shall be made there! Here is your promissory note of five hundred tomans: Please make good on the payment!” Bakhtak responded, “At the moment I am accompanying Hamza on an assignment, and proceeding in the cortege of your master. And you make yourself an obstacle. Go lodge your complaint in the royal court of appeals. I shall make the payment duly if the debt is proven against me!”
Amar cried, “I would move the royal court if I did not find it in my power to extract my debt myself. You are warned not to take a step forward without first clearing my debt.”
Riled upon hearing these words, Bakhtak said to his slaves, “Move Amar aside! Push him away from before my mule!”
In one leap Amar mounted the mule behind Bakhtak. Drawing his dagger and pressing it into Bakhtak’s side, he said, “I will bring you to your final rewards before your time if you so wish, and pile up your entrails right here!” Bakhtak was terrified and made fervent pleas to Amar, who then let him go, but first clouted his head with the dagger’s hilt so that blood issued out.
Bakhtak rushed before the emperor drenched in blood to complain about Amar. Displeased at this spectacle, Naushervan sent for Amar, and asked him, “What harm did you receive at Bakhtak’s hand that you perpetrated this felony against him?”
Amar replied, “Your Honor, I, your slave, have a duly signed and sealed promissory note for five hundred tomans against Bakhtak, but he dithers in making good the payment! I asked him to kindly redeem this promissory note. But he became angry at my words, and ordered his slaves to use violence to throw me out and drive me away from before him. I then became vexed and clouted him with my dagger’s hilt, so that his crown swelled up a little.” Then Amar produced the promissory note from his pocket, and laid it before the emperor, seeking justice.
The emperor said to Bakhtak, “Your high-handedness is now proved beyond a shadow of the doubt. Yet you have the cheek to present yourself before me as the aggrieved party! Make haste to pay the money due on the promissory note to Amar, or else you will be held guilty and thrown into the mire of ignominy upon failing to make good the payment!” Bakhtak was obliged to bring every last bit of money from the treasurer that very moment. Then, while he returned home moaning and groaning, Amar headed for the emperor’s quarters in the harem to join Hamza.
While Amar was thus entangled, Hamza and Muqbil had entered the palace and arrived in the royal gallery. Empress Mehr-Angez seated Hamza on a throne in the gallery, and called for all the paraphernalia of festive revelry to be set up. The empress herself sat in the annex with Princess Mehr-Nigar. The festive assembly began in a most regal manner and sherbet was soon served, with the company drinking it in rounds.
When Amar reached the gallery’s threshold and made to enter, the porter barred his way with his staff, and said to him, “Who might you be that you dare to enter the palace in this impetuous manner, and set foot on the royal threshold without permission?” Covering his eyes with his hands, Amar fell to the floor crying and rolling, and screaming all the while, “Confound you, Porter, that you have poked out my eyes and blinded me, depriving me of my sight!” At this, the porter was dumbfounded and began pleading with Amar profusely.
When Empress Mehr-Angez heard the noise, she said to her attendants, “See what the row is all about, and who is crying at the gates!” Upon discerning Amar’s voice, Hamza himself ran out in great trepidation with Buzurjmehr at his heels. They found Amar on the floor, rolling around with his eyes covered, exhibiting signs of great suffering. Hamza said, “O Amar, open your eyes and tell me if, God forbid, some harm has come to your eyes. Khvaja Buzurjmehr will treat you and prescribe some cure!” But Amar would not open his eyes, and said nothing but “Gone are my eyes, alas, gone!”
Finally Hamza forced Amar’s hands from his face, and saw that his eyes twinkled like stars and showed no sign of having come to any harm. Hamza then said, “O Amar! Why did you make Khvaja and myself come rushing to no purpose with this prank and roguery of yours—and also distressed the empress?”
Amar replied, “I swear by your life that the porter had raised his staff to hit me, and had I been hit, it is a foregone conclusion that my eyes once wounded would have lost their sight!” Hamza and Khvaja Buzurjmehr laughed out loud at this, and brought Amar into the palace.
Hamza was seated on a throne and was served sherbet according to the royal custom, and shouts of “Congratulations!” and “Salutations!” rose to the skies. The companions and confidantes of Princess Mehr-Nigar began frolicking and making merry. Then Empress Mehr-Angez said, “O Sahibqiran, we shall hold Princess Mehr-Nigar in trust for you. When you return triumphant and victorious from India, she will be married to you!”
Amar exchanged glances with Buzurjmehr at this speech, and addressed the empress thus, “While we head for India and wager our lives at the orders of the emperor, you deny us even a glimpse of the princess. If God returns us alive and triumphant with our mission accomplished, there is no knowing to whom Hamza will be married off! We know not whether the emperor’s daughter is dark or fair, lean or plump! If we were allowed a glance of her now, we will not be sold into some deception later. Indeed, we shall not set foot out of doors before we have been granted a view of Princess Mehr-Nigar!”
Empress Mehr-Angez laughed at Amar’s speech, and said, “Now that the princess is become your honor, you are free to view her whenever you may desire!” Then she said to Khvaja Buzurjmehr, “O Khvaja, pray bring Amir inside and let him view the princess!”
Buzurjmehr stepped forward with Hamza, who made obeisance upon beholding Empress Mehr-Angez, and made an offering himself, too. Princess Mehr-Nigar sat by the empress’s side with her head lowered. Upon beholding the princess, Hamza was beside himself with joy and rejoiced exceedingly.
Buzurjmehr said to Princess Mehr-Nigar, “Hamza is about to embark on a journey of great length. Pray confer some memento on him that keeps him engrossed with your memory! Mehr-Nigar took an emerald ring from her finger and gave it to Hamza, who put it on. Then exchanging for it the ring from his finger, he said to Princess Mehr-Nigar, “Take this as a memento from me, so that it may always remain with you, in order that you shall never become forgetful of me but instead think of me often!”
Then Amar submitted before Empress Mehr-Angez with folded arms, saying, “God willing, when Hamza is married to Princess Mehr-Nigar, the nanny’s daughter, too, nolens volens, shall be married to me! Therefore, have some memento conferred on me, too, and request that respected nanny to serve me the sherbet of nuptials with her hands!” Then Empress Mehr-Angez said to Fitna Bano, “You, too, must give Amar some memento of yourself!” She gave Amar a scent box worth several hundred tomans. Empress Mehr-Angez said, “Now, O Fitna Bano, receive from Amar a memento for yourself!” Amar put a date and two walnuts into Fitna Bano’s palm, and said, “Here! Keep them with you, and safeguard them well!” At this new caper of Amar’s all those present collapsed in a fit of laughter.
When Hamza took his leave from these revelries and went to present himself before the emperor, Khvaja Buzurjmehr said to Amar, “My son, proceed to the camp of the faithful, and I shall escort Hamza myself, so that he is seen off by the emperor and granted a robe of honor!”
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nbsp; While Amar headed off to perform the task, Buzurjmehr seated Hamza and Muqbil in his house, and then went before the emperor and reported that Empress Mehr-Angez, too, had accepted Amir Hamza as her son-in-law with open arms, and had invested him with the robe of the son-in-law. Then Buzurjmehr took Amir and Muqbil to his office and after imparting some instructions to Amir regarding the mission, served sherbet to him. Upon drinking this, Hamza fell unconscious immediately. Buzurjmehr cut open Hamza’s side, and after planting the Shah Mohra55 inside him, sutured up the wound and rubbed it with the salve of Daud.56 Witnessing this, Muqbil asked, “What was that physic, O venerated Buzurjmehr?” He replied, “A man scheming to work Hamza’s death (may such be his enemies’ fate!) will poison him in India, and for that poison this is the sole antidote! But you must not divulge this secret to Amar, until you are beaten with his hand first!” Buzurjmehr then dribbled a few drops of some liquid into Hamza’s mouth, whereupon he immediately came to his senses. And as the wound had completely healed by then, he never discovered a thing.
In the meanwhile Amar also returned from his errand, and Buzurjmehr bade them all adieu. Hamza arrived in his camp and soon rode out to the sea in the manner becoming a commander. Arriving at the port with his triumphant army, Hamza boarded the ships with his thirty thousand men, and made ready to sail.
At this point, Amar got off the ship, calling up to Hamza, “As yours truly is most frightened of jinns, magic, and water, I will not sail for India, but will head for Mecca instead, where I will pray for your victory before the True Triumphant One. Hamza said, “O Amar, I would not force you into an undertaking that is not in accordance with your pleasure, but do wait a while so that I may write you a note for my father!”
Amar went aboard to Hamza, who wrote out a letter, handed it to Amar, and then said: “Come, Brother, let’s embrace once, for God alone knows when we shall meet again!” Tears filled Amar’s eyes at these words. Then Hamza caught Amar in his embrace and said, “Dearest friend! How could I bear separation from you in this campaign when you have never left my side in the most trying of times!”
The Adventures of Amir Hamza Page 16