Feeling relief from her ministrations, Amir Hamza opened his eyes and saw Aasman Peri earning great blessings in her labor of love. Amir rose and embraced her and kissed her upon witnessing such ardor and love on her part. He said to her, “O life of the Sahibqiran! I wonder about the reason for your presence.” Aasman Peri replied, “I arrived upon hearing the news of your victory. I have brought the happy tidings that the emperor himself is on his way here.”
Amir was most gratified to hear this. He seated that beauty beside him and showed her much affection. While he was still making love vows, the conveyance of Emperor Shahpal arrived there. Amir rose to his feet. The emperor stepped down from the throne to kiss Amir’s victorious hand and arm, and seated Amir on the throne by his side, and flew him back to Gulistan-e Irum. A most sumptuous royal assembly was arranged to celebrate the festivities on a grand scale.
Then the perizads began to dance and unburden their hearts with the strains of song and music. The emperor said to Abdur Rahman, “I recall you telling me that Hamza has the ability to couple with Aasman Peri, since he is superior to the whole race of human beings in all matters. I cannot think of any time more auspicious than the present for the occasion.”
Abdur Rahman got up and said to Amir, “The emperor has accepted you as his son-in-law!”
Amir replied, “I cannot accept this honor. If I married Aasman Peri, my return to the realm of Earth would be deferred. I would become occupied with her here in pursuit of pleasure seeking. The other qualm I have is that I promised Mehr-Nigar, the daughter of Emperor Naushervan, that until I married her, I would never even look at any woman with the eye of desire.”
Abdur Rahman then said, “O Sahibqiran! You made that promise on the realm of Earth and this is the realm of Qaf. Your actions here will not contravene your compacts there!” Amir asked, “How long will it be before you see me off and return me to Earth?” Abdur Rahman said, “O Sahibqiran, this is a promise made in the land of Qaf. Pray do not press me in this matter. One year from now I shall take you back to Earth!”
Amir saw no recourse except acquiescence. Emperor Shahpal busied himself with preparations for the wedding. The kings of the realms of Qaf joined that festive assembly.[?]
The news of Amir Hamza’s defeat of Ifrit and Maloona Jadu had spread all over Qaf. When it reached the ears of the dev Samandoon Hazar-Dast, he became angry and rueful, and a blaze of fury burned his heart to ashes. He said to himself, The emperor of Qaf sent for a human being called the Quake of Qaf and the Latter-day Suleiman from the realm of Earth, and had mighty devs such as Ifrit and his parents murdered. The Tilism-e Zarrin was destroyed and then the emperor himself conducted him to Gulistan-e Irum and betrothed his daughter to him. Now it is incumbent on me to avenge Ifrit’s blood! He dispatched his commander in chief, Sufaid Dev, a brave and intrepid warrior, along with four hundred devs, to speedily produce that human being before him.
Amir Hamza’s marriage to Aasman Peri was being celebrated when Sufaid Dev burst in upon the assembly along with his four hundred devs, and delivered Samandoon Hazar-Dast’s message. Greatly enraged by the speech of that vile creature, the Sahibqiran said, “O wretch deserving of beheading! Rein in your loose tongue! Go and tell your master that if he has a desire to meet Ifrit, he should come here himself and I will dispatch him to the same abode!”
Sufaid Dev said, “O dark-haired, white-toothed creature! Come with me as my commander has sent for you!” Sufaid Dev then extended his hand toward Amir. The Sahibqiran turned his mind to thoughts of God and, catching the dev’s arm, gave it such a violent tug that he fell to his knees. Then, drawing his dagger, Amir stabbed him in the breast with a powerful thrust from which the dev gave up the ghost with just one cry.13 The devs who had accompanied Sufaid Dev fled from there with their tails between their legs.
All the kings and nobles of Qaf applauded the Sahibqiran’s power. The Sahibqiran was led from the Court of Suleiman to the royal harem. All articles and accessories necessary for the festivities were amply provided. The Sahibqiran proceeded in the circle of the kings, nobles, perizads, and mace bearers of Qaf like the moon surrounded by clusters of stars. The bridegroom’s procession reached the bride’s house and Abdur Rahman tied the nuptial knot between Amir Hamza and Aasman Peri. Then the Sahibqiran entered the bedchamber. After the necessary rituals and ceremonies were finished, he took Aasman Peri in his embrace and took his pleasure of her. By the grace of God, that same night, his seed was planted in Aasman Peri’s womb, and by the work of God the union between the man made of clay and a peri whose essence was fire bore fruit. In the morning, Amir arrived in the court and a festive party was held in which the newlyweds cast off all inhibitions. In short, night after night the revelries continued for Amir Hamza.
However, Amir still counted the days and nights of his sojourn in Qaf, waiting for the year to be over so that he could return to the realm of men and enjoy once again the company of his near and dear ones.
Leaving the Sahibqiran thus busy in enumerating the years, months, days, and hours, I shall now give a few words regarding the Khusrau of India, King Landhoor bin Saadan. Let it be made clear that when King Landhoor took leave of Amir Hamza and boarded the ship, he was tearful at the prospect of separation from his friend. The next day Landhoor’s vessel crossed paths with Bahram’s ship and the two of them exchanged news. Upon learning that Amir Hamza had sent Bahram Gurd to his assistance, Landhoor was very gratified.
On the fifth day a storm brewed in the sea. For three whole days the raging sea tossed their ships about. It returned to calm on the fourth day. However, before long they learned that the ship carrying Bahram had gone missing.
Now hear of Bahram. His ship was driven away by the tempest and after traveling some distance it broke apart from the violence of the sea. Bahram caught hold of a wooden board and drifted upon it toward shore. He then set out on foot. One day, he saw a caravan of merchants encamped at some distance from him. Bahram feared that if someone in the caravan happened to recognize his identity, he would lose his honor in the eyes of men. He sat down far away from them under a tree.
Fate ordained that the leader of the caravan passed by the very spot where Bahram was sitting. He said to Bahram, “O youth, who are you and whence have you come?” Bahram replied, “I am a merchant. My ship capsized in the tempest and I await the decree of fate now to see what new hand it will deal me.” The leader of the caravan said to him, “Dear friend, I do not lack for riches. What I do not have, however, is a son and heir. I hereby declare you my son and give you the status of my heir. Come along with me and you shall never again see a hard day.”
Bahram went along with the man, who gave Bahram control of the entire trade. Bahram asked the merchant, “Where will you travel from here?” The man answered, “I will travel next to the land of Mando, which is the seat of governance of Malik Shuaib and is close to the land of Ceylon.” Bahram was glad to hear this and he thought that he would soon have occasion to meet Landhoor again.
After several days the caravan arrived in the land of Mando. The next day the merchant visited the baths with Bahram and they changed and went into the bazaar and saw a bow and a purse of gold coins lying on a small table. When Bahram asked the guards about the bow and the purse of gold, they answered, “This bow belongs to the commander in chief of our king’s forces, Zaigham. Because he finds himself unable to draw the bow, he has declared that anyone who is able to draw the bow can claim the purse of gold coins.”
Bahram said to a guard, “I would like to draw the bow, and display my strength!” The guard said, “A mere cotton merchant? What do you know about drawing bows and such?”
While Bahram was arguing with the guards, Naik Rai, Malik Shuaib’s vizier, happened to pass by with his entourage and allowed Bahram to draw the bow. Bahram picked up the bow and, securing the bow’s grip in his hand, pulled the bowstring to his ear and flexed it seven times. Everyone there cried out “Bravo” and “Well done” except for Zaigham’s servan
ts, who took offense at Bahram’s success. They began barking inanities at him and Bahram clouted some of them on their heads, causing their brains to flow from their noses. Naik Rai warned the rest and took Bahram to his house.
When Zaigham heard the news, he armed himself and headed for Naik Rai’s house. When he found Bahram, he drew his dagger and rushed at Bahram to kill him. But Bahram hit him on the head with such force that his brain flowed out of his nose. When this news reached Malik Shuaib, he immediately sent for his vizier Naik Rai along with Bahram and when Bahram presented himself, the king said to him acidly, “O contumacious man, how dare you kill my commander in chief?” Bahram answered, “O King, you must not keep such men as the commanders of your forces who depart from the world with just one blow of the fist!”
Bahram’s retort went straight to the king’s heart and pleased him immensely. Then and there he offered the robe and office of commander in chief to Bahram, and appointed him to that august post. Bahram then drew that bow a few times before the king and then ordered it to be placed on the same platform as before with a purse of gold, with the instructions that he should be notified if anyone was able to draw the bow. The king was convinced of Bahram’s rectitude. That very day he married his daughter to Bahram and made lavish arrangements for the nuptials as were demanded by the occasion. He also said to him, “I make you the lord of one half of my kingdom, and make you its absolute ruler. For two quarters of the day you may sit on the throne and administer the law and redress the needs of your subjects. For the other two quarters I shall rule, and administer all affairs.”
Now hear a few words regarding Landhoor, the Khusrau of India, and hear an account of that king of lofty eminence who arrived in Ceylon and dropped his ships’ anchors. Along with his army he came ashore and after resting for a few days he headed for the fort of Sabir and Sabur.
OF THE ARRIVAL OF KING LANDHOOR BIN SAADAN, THE KHUSRAU OF INDIA, AT THE GATES OF THE FORT OF SABIR AND SABUR
The narrator relates that Jaipur had been left behind by Landhoor on the throne of India when he went to Ctesiphon with the Sahibqiran, and had been named his vice-regent in charge of all administration and defenses. He had been forced to seek refuge in a fortress after suffering reverses at the hands of Malik Siraj, Firoz Turk, Ajrook Khwarzami, and Muhlil Sagsar. All those imprisoned in the fort had become weary of their lives on account of the siege. In the end, the army said to Jaipur, “If you were to order us, we would march out to encounter the enemy and either kill them or die fighting so that our suffering might end in some manner.” Jaipur said to them, “I shall do as you ask.” That very instant he sent a messenger to the enemy camp to say that if they were to remove their armies from the gates of his fort, his army would then arrange itself for a final encounter.
Malik Siraj and his accomplices assented to the request and the two forces arrayed against each other.
Before anyone else, Muhlil Sagsar urged his rhinoceros forward into the arena to do battle and slaughter the foe. From the other camp Jaipur spurred on his mount to answer the challenge. No one had yet dealt a blow or raised his arms against the adversary when a great dark cloud rose on the horizon and seventy gleaming standards emerged over a force of seventy thousand. Marching ahead of those standards was Landhoor on his she-elephant Maimoona.
Landhoor killed Muhlil Sagsar and two of his renowned champions, Maghlub Fil-Zor and Haras Fil-Dandan. A large number of the enemy forces were also killed by Landhoor.
King Landhoor entered his court regaled by the sound of festive music. However, Malik Siraj’s daughter snared Landhoor by deceit when he was diverting himself in the forest afterward. She put him in a chest and threw him into the sea. It was picked up by a merchant ship and sold to a trader who was a follower of the True Faith. Upon learning of Landhoor’s identity, he promised to conduct him to Ceylon in safety. When the ship arrived in Mando, Landhoor went ashore and found the bow and purse of gold coins put there by Bahram. Landhoor also showed his might with the bow and was taken before Bahram and united with his friend. Malik Shuaib finally learned of Bahram’s true identity. He ordered a feast in Landhoor’s and Bahram’s honor. Afterward, Landhoor and Bahram gathered an army and headed for Ceylon.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE EVENTS THAT PASSED WITH THE SAHIBQIRAN, THE CONQUEROR OF THE WORLD, THE QUAKE OF QAF, THE LATTER-DAY SULEIMAN, AMIR HAMZA THE MAGNIFICENT
The narrators of past legends thus continue their tale: When the year neared completion and the days of gestation were over, a girl whose visage was as resplendent as the sun was born from the womb of Aasman Peri, and everyone was greatly taken with her charm and beauty.
The emperor was most pleased at the news of her birth. However, the Sahibqiran was extremely unhappy and apprehensive. Upon learning this the emperor said to him, “O Amir, it was the will of God that it should be so, and nobody is to blame for this event! It is not an occasion for you to be sad!”
Abdur Rahman said, “O Sahibqiran, this girl shall prove very fortunate and will overpower all the rebellious devs of Qaf. She will earn the title of the Sahibqiran of Qaf.” Amir’s sadness was dispelled upon hearing these words. The emperor celebrated the birth of his granddaughter for several months.
One day when the girl was six months old the Sahibqiran said to the emperor, “I have carried out all that you asked me to do. Now pray return me to the realm of Earth and honor your promise to me!” The emperor answered, “O Sahibqiran! Indeed I am most indebted to you and have no objection in granting you leave to depart but the fort of Simin, which is to the north of Qaf, has been taken over by two malicious devs, Kharchal and Kharpal, who lead a force of ten thousand devs. As that is my ancestral castle, I hope that you will liberate the fort from their hold before you leave. If not, we will be most happy to acquiesce to your pleasure.”
Amir replied, “I am bound to obey your wishes.” The emperor sent for a throne for Amir Hamza. Then Amir seated himself on the throne and took command over ten thousand intrepid devs. The Sahibqiran then set out from there on his new adventure. At a distance of some five kos from the castle of Simin, Amir saw a vast field and ordered the devs to descend there.
The news of Hamza’s arrival reached Kharpal and Kharchal and they arrayed themselves opposite Amir Hamza’s camp with a force of twenty thousand devs. Amir observed two devs of most singular appearance standing some distance from the enemy ranks. One of them had ears like an ass, and the other had the face and features of that beast. Amir learned that they were the commanders of the enemy forces, Kharchal and Kharpal in person.
Kharchal entered the arena wielding a box tree and called out, “Where is the slayer of Ifrit and the murderer of Ahriman? Come forward and demonstrate your valor, so that I may avenge the death of the devs of Qaf!” When Amir stepped out to meet him, Kharchal laughed uproariously and said, “Surely I would not ruin my reputation by attacking a puny creature like yourself!”
Amir replied, “It was with this small stature that I prevailed over those of mighty stature, like Ahriman and Ifrit, and sent them into the sleep of death. Your death is as truly written on my sword as it is in your destiny!”
Kharchal was infuriated by this, and dealt a blow to the Sahibqiran with the trunk of the box tree. Amir foiled this blow and countered with a thrust of the Aqrab-e Suleimani and Kharchal stretched himself on the bed of death.
When Kharpal saw his brother lying dead, he rushed at Amir. Amir foiled his attack and, securing a hold on him by his cummerbund, forced the dev to the ground. Amir Hamza then drew his dagger with the intention to kill Kharpal who cried out, “If you spare my life, I will pledge obedience to you for the rest of my life!” The Sahibqiran then stood up from the dev’s chest once he had secured Kharpal’s word, and asked him, “O Kharpal, would you carry me back to Earth and take that duty upon yourself?” The dev answered, “I would do so with the greatest pleasure, but pray rest a while in the castle of Simin. Then I will carry you wherever you command me to!”
Amir dispatched four
devs to Shahpal to convey news of the victory to him, and himself sojourned in the fortress of Simin.
One day Amir fell asleep in a summerhouse. When Kharpal saw that deep slumber had wrapped the Sahibqiran in its arms, he decided that it would prove an easy task to kill him. He picked up the Aqrab-e Suleimani from Amir’s side and unsheathed it and dealt Amir a blow. It is proverbial that no one can kill the man who is in the protection of God: The sword struck instead one of the room’s arches and, by chance, Amir also turned over at the same moment. Thinking that the Sahibqiran had awakened, Kharpal sheathed the sword and fled in terror. The circumstances appeared ominous to the Sahibqiran when he awoke. Not a single soul was around, nor could he find the Aqrab-e Suleimani anywhere. He assembled the devs and said, “Where is Kharpal?” They answered, “He is in the Bayaban-e Mina, but no other dev can gain admittance there to find the way to him.” However much Amir pleaded with the devs to carry him to the Bayaban-e Mina, none of them would consent. Amir therefore gave them leave to depart and set out on foot by himself.
On the seventh day he arrived in the Bayaban-e Mina, where he beheld a mountain. At the foot of the mountain, in the middle of the fields, there was a crystalline platform on which Kharpal lay in deep slumber like his fortune and the Aqrab-e Suleimani lay beside him like an omen of death. The Sahibqiran secured the Aqrab-e Suleimani. Then Amir bellowed so mightily that the whole mountain shook. Kharpal awoke to this and attempted to escape, but Amir stepped forward and dealt a blow of the Aqrab-e Suleimani to his waist. Kharpal fell to the ground in two like a withered poplar. After killing him, the Sahibqiran rested on the same platform.
In the meanwhile, the devs returned to Shahpal and after they had given him a detailed account, Shahpal became troubled and said to Khvaja Abdur Rahman, “We must hastily get news of the Sahibqiran and hurry to his aid.” Khvaja mounted a throne and set out in search of Amir Hamza. After several days’ journey, he finally arrived in the Bayaban-e Mina. There he beheld the corpse of Kharpal lying in two pieces. Abdur Rahman saluted Amir, kissed his hand and arm, and conveyed to him the emperor’s message. Then Abdur Rahman returned to Gulistan-e Irum with Amir Hamza. The emperor embraced the Sahibqiran, showed him many tokens of kindness, and said, “Let six months pass and then I shall certainly send you back to the realm of Earth.” Amir returned to his chamber and sat there counting the days, while trying to restrain his yearning to return to his world.
The Adventures of Amir Hamza Page 32