Then Abdur Rahman said, “One last test remains in this matter. “There is a poplar tree that the perizads consider to match the height and dimensions of Ifrit. It is also a legend known all over Qaf that the one who brings down the poplar with one blow of the Aqrab-e Suleimani will be the one to dispatch Ifrit to Hell.”
Amir then went to this tree and, reciting the name of Allah, dealt one blow to its trunk, which sliced through the wood as if it were made of soap.
As the tree fell, Shahpal kissed Amir’s hand and arm and, embracing him with great joy, said, “O Hamza! Indeed you have been blessed by King Suleiman and for that reason you command such power and might.”
Amir replied, “Pray order your army to sally forth from Gulistan-e Irum and pitch their tents in the battlefield. Have the drums of war sounded!”
Ifrit received the tidings that Emperor Shahpal had sent for a man from the realm of Earth to assist him, and heard that this man had reached Qaf with great pomp, array, and acclaim, and that by dint of his help Shahpal had come to the battlefield and arrayed his troops to give fight. Ifrit roared with laughter upon hearing this news and then said, “How could there ever be a match between a human being and a dev? It is well, I suppose, that it brought Shahpal out of his hole!” He ordered his side to answer the drums of war, and commanded his armies to prepare for battle and carnage.
Emperor Shahpal ordered his army to beat the battle drums and the rumble of twelve hundred pairs of golden and silver drums rose like reverberations of thunder. In Ifrit’s camp the devs struck stones together, and by way of drumming thumped their asses. In short, the whole night the two camps engaged in clamoring and shouting. The next morning, Ifrit stepped into the battlefield with hundreds of thousands of devs.
When the devs beheld the Sahibqiran they indulged themselves in all manner of foolish capers and horseplay. Amir could not help but laugh watching their antics. He found them fatuous and, watching their unbridled horseplay, formed a low opinion of their shameless lot.
The first to seek combat was Ifrit’s father, Ahriman, who stood five hundred yards high. He stepped out of the ranks to confront Shahpal’s army, holding a box tree in his hands. He let out a war cry and bellowed, “Where is the Quake of Qaf, the Latter-day Suleiman who puts great store in his valor and gallantry? Let him come forward and face me so that I can make him taste death’s relish!”
Amir, descended into the battlefield without allowing the least fear or terror to find foothold in his heart. He bellowed “God is Great!” so lustily that the whole desert reverberated with the sound. Ahriman said, “O Quake of Qaf! You make a big squeak for one your size! Come deal me the great blow that you have!” The Sahibqiran replied, “Deal me a blow first, and then I shall return it!”
Ahriman replied: “How would all the devs judge me if I were to attack a diminutive being like you whose very creation is tainted with infirmity.”
Hamza said to this, “You got your fill when nature was distributing stature and height, and I got mine when it distributed power and might! Little do you know that I am your Angel of Death.” At this, Ahriman brought down the box tree on his opponent. Amir foiled the blow and, unsheathing the Aqrab-e Suleimani, said, “O vile creature! Now you cannot say that you were killed without due warning, for I am about to smear my shining sword with your foul blood.”
Even as he finished speaking those words, Amir struck a blow that cut that carrion-eater in two. Shahpal prostrated himself before God in gratitude and ordered the perizads to play festive music. Ifrit Dev heaved a searing sigh and said, “O human! You committed a terrible deed in killing a great warrior like my father. Witness what terrible calamity shall visit you!” He sent a dev of even more imposing stature than Ahriman to combat with the Sahibqiran. Amir Hamza dispatched him to Hell as well. In short, within no time Amir destroyed nine mighty devs who were the pride of Ifrit’s army, leaving their master confounded and baffled.
Then Ifrit shivered and groaned and immediately had drums sounded to announce the cessation of hostilities for the day. He had his father’s corpse carried away, and returned to his camp crying and wailing in ecstasies of grief and fear. Emperor Shahpal retired to Gulistan-e Irum and was most pleased by Amir’s valor and courage.
THE DASTAN CHANGES COURSE TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF KHVAJA AMAR AYYAR
Now hear a short account of the father of racers of the world, the King of Ayyars, Khvaja Amar bin Umayya Zamiri. When Bakhtiarak returned to his camp wounded by Amar’s hand, Hurmuz ordered that ladders be prepared to climb the fort walls on the day of the battle. It took four months before the ladders were ready. A day before the attack, Amar Ayyar managed to set them afire, destroying all of them.
Hurmuz then ordered his army commander Zura Zarah-Posh to charge the fort. Amar used deceit to kill him and inflicted heavy losses on Hurmuz’s army. Then Bakhtiarak counseled retreat and Hurmuz sent a report to Naushervan’s court.
The emperor sent the warrior Akhzar Fil-gosh with seventy thousand troops to aid Hurmuz. As well, he dispatched Mehr-Nigar’s childhood attendant Khvaja Nihal. It was his mission to use subterfuge to enter Amar’s graces, poison him at the first opportunity, and then throw open the castle gates to admit Hurmuz’s army.
OF KHVAJA NIHAL’S DEPARTURE FOR MECCA TO BRING BACK MEHR-NIGAR, AND OF HIS DYING AT AMAR’S HANDS
Narrators of sweet discourse have passed down that in three months’ time Akhzar Fil-gosh and Khvaja Nihal reached Hurmuz’s camp. When Amar got the news of their arrival he entered the enemy camp in disguise and learned of Khvaja Nihal’s secret mission to kill him. Amar then called on Khvaja Nihal without any disguise and deceived him with talk of his hardships in Hamza’s absence and his desire to pay allegiance to Naushervan. Khvaja Nihal believed him. Amar gave him drugged dates to eat, then killed him and took his place. When Hurmuz gave a feast in the honor of Akhzar Fil-gosh and the false Khvaja Nihal, Amar drugged the wine and, once everyone had fallen unconscious, he robbed the court and left, carrying Hurmuz in his zambil. He also left Bakhtiarak and Akhzar Fil-gosh together in a highly compromising state.
Back in his fort, Amar Ayyar took out Hurmuz from the zambil and secured a pledge of non-aggression from him until Hamza’s return from Qaf. When Akhzar Fil-gosh tried to attack Amar’s fort, Amar used Hurmuz as a hostage. When Hurmuz returned to his camp after his release, and announced his decision to cease warfare with Amar Ayyar, Akhzar Filgosh took exception to it, and called the prince a coward. While Hurmuz returned to Ctesiphon after an altercation with Akhzar Fil-gosh, the latter prepared to attack Amar’s fort. The night before the assault, Amar infiltrated Akhzar Fil-gosh’s pavilion and rendered him unconscious. Then Amar left him hanging upside down and naked, in a most degrading and shameful state from a post on a crossroads in his camp. Amar also left behind a message to reveal that he was the author of Akhzar Fil-gosh’s disgrace. After his soldiers freed Akhzar Fil-gosh, he could not bear his shame and killed himself. His men returned to Ctesiphon carrying his body.
Upon hearing of Hurmuz’s capitulation before Amar, Naushervan severely rebuked him but Buzurjmehr commended his actions since according to him, Hurmuz had refused to fight a lowly ayyar which was commensurate with the dignity of a prince. Naushervan had still not recovered from this reverse when Akhzar Fil-gosh’s corpse was brought before him, causing him even greater distress.
After the return of Akhzar Fil-gosh’s army, Amar Ayyar went to Mecca to offer thanks to God. Khvaja Abdul Muttalib advised him not to stay in Mecca lest the citizens of Mecca were made to bear Naushervan’s wrath for harboring him and his men. Aadi Madi-Karib suggested to Amar that they move to the castle of Tang-e Rawahil. However, Tang-e Rawahil was now under the rule of Humran Zarrin-Kamar, who was one of Naushervan’s commanders. Amar took on the disguise of Humran’s shepherd and went before him to report that a party of Arabs had attacked him and stolen his animals.
Upon hearing this, Humran went in pursuit of the raiders, convinced that they could only be Amar Ayyar
and his men. While he was away, Amar dressed Sultan Bakht Maghrebi as Humran who then led Amar’s army into the castle of Tang-e Rawahil. Amar secured control of the castle, and deputed his men to the defenses. When Humran returned to his castle after his fruitless pursuit, he was attacked by Amar’s men on guard. Realizing that he had been fooled by Amar, Humran returned to Naushervan’s court and narrated the account of his folly before the emperor.
Naushervan ordered Buzurjmehr to jointly lead a campaign against Amar with the princes Hurmuz and Faramuz and Zhopin Kaus of Zabul with a large army.
After leading an unsuccessful assault on Amar’s position at the advice of Bakhtiarak and suffering the loss of many men, Naushervan’s forces laid siege to the castle.
Amar busied himself in finding another safe fort where he could move his army. He came upon the fort of Kurgistan, which was jointly ruled by two brothers, Sohrab and Darab. Amar deceived Sohrab into believing that he was ready to marry off Princess Mehr-Nigar to Sohrab since he resembled Amir Hamza, and that the princess, too, had given her consent. Sohrab offered Amar and his camp shelter in the fort of Kurgistan. Darab was also fooled by Amar’s seemingly earnest statements and it was ordered that Amar be allowed to enter the fort at any hour with his army. When Sohrab insisted on accompanying Amar Ayyar to bring Mehr-Nigar into Kurgistan, Amar thought of a scheme to get rid of him and enlisted Buzurjmehr’s help.
Amar then went and told Sohrab that Buzurjmehr had arrived from Ctesiphon to take away Mehr-Nigar and that he needed armed help to safeguard the princess from Naushervan’s army. With Amar’s counsel, Sohrab decided to make a night assault on Buzurjmehr’s forces. However, as pre-arranged between Amar and Buzurjmehr, the latter had emptied his camp. When Sohrab attacked, he found the camp empty and soon thereafter was ambushed by Naushervan’s army and taken captive.
While Sohrab was sent to the emperor as a prisoner, Amar led his army into the fort of Kurgistan and secured its control. Darab converted to the True Faith.
Finding that Amar Ayyar had again fooled him, Hurmuz wrote a note to the emperor, apprising him of the circumstances, and sent it to Ctesiphon with Buzurjmehr.
Enraged by his constant humiliation at Amar’s hands, Naushervan next sent the warrior Qaran Fil-Gardan on the campaign against Amar.
OF QARAN FIL-GARDAN’S DEPARTURE TO CHASTISE AMAR, AND OF HIS BEING KILLED AT THE HANDS OF THE NAQABDAR10
The narrator has related that when Qaran Fil-Gardan arrived in Hurmuz’s camp, he derided the prince’s efforts against Amar, and vowed to take the fort of Kurgistan speedily.
Initially unsuccessful, Qaran Fil-Gardan managed to reach the gates of Kurgistan and was about to break them down when Naqabdar Naranji-Posh, a rider whose face was covered by an orange veil, came to Amar Ayyar’s aid with forty thousand troops. He killed Qaran Fil-Gardan and routed his army. Then the mysterious Naqabdar went away with his army without revealing his identity to Amar Ayyar.
Now Amar decided to play a trick on Hurmuz. By the miraculous power of the zambil, he turned himself into a forty-yard-tall giant. Pretending to be Sa’ad Zulmati, a messenger from Qaf, he went to Hurmuz’s camp and announced that Hamza had been killed in Qaf at the hands of Ifrit Dev and Emperor Shahpal had sent Hamza’s bones in a lionskin sack to Earth for the burial. When Hurmuz, Zhopin, and Bakhtiarak heard the noise of lamentations rising from Amar’s camp, which Amar had orchestrated as a part of his plan, they believed the news.
Not long afterwards, Amar presented himself before Zhopin and told him that he had received the news of Hamza’s death from the perizads and he was willing to surrender Mehr-Nigar to Zhopin. Bakhtiarak warned him not to believe Amar’s words but Zhopin ignored his advice. He invited Amar and his companions to his camp and arranged a feast for them. After having their fill Amar and his companions returned to their fort after telling Zhopin to prepare for his nuptials with Mehr-Nigar. Amar also took a good quantity of gold from Zhopin to prepare for the wedding, which he spent on stockpiling food in his fort, and strengthening its defenses. When Zhopin did not hear from Amar after seven days and sent his ayyar to inquire the reason for the delay, Amar sent him back a curt reply that he was loath to have any commerce with Zhopin for the next six months. Zhopin realized that Amar had made a fool of him but could do little.
Next, Amar set fire to a nearby forest in such a manner that the direction of Zhopin’s camp was the only exit for the wild beasts fleeing the fire. As the animals stampeded through Zhopin’s camp in the darkness of the night, his army took them for night raiders and in their confusion fought and killed one another all night long. The following night Amar made a night raid on Zhopin’s camp. Aadi Madi-Karib confused the enemy further by sounding the war cries of Landhoor.
A few hours before morning, Amar received intelligence that Zhopin’s brothers were on their way with a vast army to aid Zhopin. Amar had it proclaimed that the approaching army was a force led by Bahram Gurd. Hearing this, Zhopin and Hurmuz’s men turned tail despite Bakhtiarak’s warnings that it could be another deception orchestrated by Amar Ayyar.
OF THE ARRIVAL OF ZHOPIN’S BROTHERS JAHANDAR KABULI AND JAHANGIR KABULI AT NAUSHERVAN’S ORDERS TO ASSIST HURMUZ AND FARAMURZ
The nimble scribes of fancy inform us that the army of the infidels lost its nerve and was in full retreat. After some time, when they learned that it was in fact an army that had come to their aid, they bitterly lamented their error.
Jahandar and Jahangir then sallied forth to attack the fort of Kurgistan. Before they could break down its gates, however, Naqabdar Naranji-Posh arrived to Amar’s aid and routed Jahandar’s and Jahangir’s army.
Soon the provisions ran out in Amar’s fort and Darab suggested that they move to the fort of Nestan, which was ruled by Quful Nestani.
Amar managed to enter the fort of Nestan and after rendering Quful Nestani unconscious, he put him into his zambil and took his place. The next day he announced in the court that Mehr-Nigar had pledged him her love and he had invited her into the fort with her entourage. To deceive Zhopin, Amar had arranged for palanquins hiding wild beasts to be sent out in plain view of Zhopin’s camp in one direction, while Mehr-Nigar and Amar’s army left from the back door of the castle for Nestan.
Zhopin was deceived and followed a palanquin carrying an animal. Upon discovering that there was a bear inside, he realized how he had been duped. He followed Mehr-Nigar’s procession and caught up with her before she could reach the fort of Nestan. Repulsed by his advances Mehr-Nigar assaulted him, and as he turned his back and fled, one of the arrows shot by Mehr-Nigar got lodged in his derriere.
Amar Ayyar took Quful Nestani from his zambil and persuaded him to convert to the True Faith.
Amar now disguised himself as a surgeon and arrived at Zhopin’s pavilion. He was taken to Zhopin and asked to minister to his wound. Amar Ayyar made Zhopin undergo many tortures in the name of surgery and, after leaving him in a worse condition than before, Amar headed out after looting his pavilion. When Naushervan sent aid in gold and riches with Hakim Majdak for the princes, Amar intercepted him, and stole that hoard as well.
Upon finding out that it was Amar who had deceived them the princes raged against him but found that there was little they could do.
OF IFRIT DEV SEEKING REFUGE IN TILISM-E SHEHRISTAN-E ZARRIN AT THE COUNSEL OF HIS MOTHER, MALOONA JADU
Before I resume the narration of the events mentioned above, let me give a few sentences to relate an account of the Quake of Qaf, the Latter-day Suleiman, the World Conqueror, the Lord of the Auspicious Planetary Conjunction, Abul-Ala, Amir Hamza.
Emperor Shahpal ordered a week of festivities in honor of the Sahibqiran. On the eighth day of festivities the Sahibqiran said to Shahpal, “Your Majesty, Ifrit’s intentions remain uncertain. Your Honor should take precedence and imprint your awe and dread on his heart. I came here on the promise of an eighteen-day sojourn. That period is long past, and God knows what became of my relatives and dear ones.”
Shahpal
ordered the war drums to be beaten. This was the Music Band of Suleiman whose report reached even far-off places that lay a distance of three days’ journey from there.
Ifrit himself was not too far away from there. Upon hearing the war drums and their thunderous, cacophonous noise, he became agitated and his senses were thrown into disarray. He said to his accomplices, “I am still in mourning for my father. While my heart has yet to find solace and comfort from this terrible loss, Hamza has already sounded war drums. I am sure he is my slayer.” Then Ifrit broke into sobs and washed his face with tears of anguish.
He dispatched a swift dev to fetch his mother, Maloona Jadu, a matchless sorceress. Immediately upon receiving these tidings, she arrived flying like a whirlwind. Ifrit fell upon her neck crying loudly. Giving her a detailed account of the Sahibqiran, he informed her of all the occult details about him. She replied, “Indeed, this human who has arrived to assist Shahpal is your sworn enemy. It would be best for you to retire to the tilism11 I have created in Shehristan-e Zarrin. We will settle our account with Shahpal once that human being has returned to the realm of men!”
Along with his accursed mother, Ifrit departed forthwith for the tilism of Shehristan-e Zarrin. Many of his warriors went their own way; many others consulted together and decided to present themselves before Emperor Shahpal and repent.
Upon hearing these happy tidings the emperor bestowed gold and jewels to Amir Hamza as the sacrifice for his life and the favorable news that Ifrit’s army had come to pledge obedience to him gave him great joy. The celebrations continued for many days on a grand scale. After the revelries had ended, Amir Hamza said to Emperor Shahpal, “Kindly give me leave to depart, and send me back, as many obligations have been lying in abeyance and await my return.”
The Adventures of Amir Hamza Page 30