Khushḥāl Khān, Khattak: The Poems of Khushḥāl Khān, Kh

Since the gem is grown of less value than the kaurī shell *— There can be no jeweller, clear-sighted enough to distinguish them. Seeing, that wherever there may be beauty, there the heart is, To what degree shall Khushḥāl's self-denial and abnegation praise? XCII. It is false that aught of evil or misfortune proceedeth from the stars— All good and evil—weal and woe—emanate from the Almighty's decrees. If their colour be their excellence, whence is their fragrance? For flowers of paper are similar unto the flowers themselves. Fortune is like unto a child, in its disposition and its ways; For when the child giveth one any thing, it soon regretteth it again. When the world's prosperity turneth its face from the ignorant, At their words, and their proceedings, the wise become amazed. But when the wise man may not possess aught of its wealth, In the world's eyes, he is the same as a blockhead, or a fool. When possessed of power and influence, my words were as pearls; But now, I am satisfied if they be, even as corals, received. p. 243 Let us see what events will, hereafter, show their face; Though, in the meantime, the world will prate a deal thereon. As much as the love of wealth exceedeth, so much misery it bringeth; For they, who accumulate much of it, grow miserable indeed. I am that same Khushḥāl, but me they value not now; For ’tis of the Afghāns, that all these my complainings are.

For ’tis of the Afghāns, that all these my complainings are. XCIII. Wherever thou reclinest, that place a parterre of flowers becometh When thou in the mead roamest, the breast of the tulip is scarred. When the sable locks about thy fair face, the zephyr disheveleth, The fragrance of musk and amber is diffused in every brain. Since, in thy tresses, my heart is lost, show thou thy face to me; For in night's gloom, lost things are, with lighted lamp, sought for. Equal to that deliciousness, which I have, from thy lips, imbibed; Term me a liar if such, as luscious, be in the wine-cup found. Bear, O zephyr unto the nightingale, this message of mine— "The rose's fragrance or its trace, in this parterre, will, doubtless, be." For one moment, at least, sit thou with Khushḥāl in tranquillity, That his heart may, from its heavy sorrows, some slight solace find! XCIV. From the lustre of the internal, the exterior is clear and bright; But by intercourse with the base, there are a hundred ills. p. 244 Like the name of alchemy and of the phœnix, that we hear about, Than both of these, sincerity and fidelity are more rarely found. From the lips of the despicable thou hearest a thousand things; For when will they rest satisfied with a single harangue? Do ṇot allow thyself to be deceived by friends of the present day— Before thy face, they are for thee; but behind thee, back to back. Do thou, O Khushḥāl! call in that great physician's aid,

Do thou, O Khushḥāl! call in that great physician's aid, In the refulgence of whose face there 's perfect cure for thee! XCV. Account him a good man, who, in heart, is innocent and pure; For modesty and uprightness are manifest in him always. He, who may not possess these few qualities, is not a man; And whatever he wisheth let him do; for he is absolved from all. They who contend with the world, for the sake of worldly goods, Are like unto dogs, fighting and snarling, a mass of carrion upon. If a wise man be, in appearance unsightly, what mattereth it What though a homely scabbard hath been for a good blade made? In these matters, no one else hath any business or concern whatever; For ’tis the money-changer, that, distinguisheth the pure from the alloy. The jeweller will himself make them show their respective qualities, Though, in colour, the agate may be more pellucid than the ruby itself. I wander everywhere in search of friendship, and find it not: In what direction do they dwell, that know aught of faithfulness? p. 245 He will not be acquainted with the art of weaving velvet, Although the maker of mats is, also, among weavers accounted. Love hath not proceeded either from what is true, or what is futile; But manifold are the pilgrimages made to the idol of its shrine. Those charming ones have grown so numerous, that I fear them now I, Khushḥāl, that of my piety and godliness have boasted so much.

I, Khushḥāl, that of my piety and godliness have boasted so much. XCVI. All woman-kind are of intellect deficient; And the voluntary causes of all life's ills. Thou mayst be straight and even with them; But they are crooked and wayward with thee. Do them a thousand benefits and services; Yet, at a single word, their hearts sulky grow. They become poison unto thee, and kill thee— They, whom thou deemest a healing balm. They have no fidelity in their composition: They are, naturally, unto perfidiousness prone. Created, indeed, in the figure of mankind; But, in reality, with no humanity in them. They make thee out culpable, on a slight offence; But they cannot be wrong, however great their sins. p. 246 The more crossness borne, the more petulant they: The more whims brooked, the more capricious they grow. In all things, they are fickle, and changeable: Tame in tongue, * but untameable in heart. They are beautiful in person, from head to foot; But are like unto the wily serpent within. Say no more about them, O Khushḥāl! It would be better had they never .existed! XCVII. I am of those eyes of thine enamoured—look thou upon me! I am the Hindū slave of thy locks; but dispose not of me! With this form, and these charms, that thou possessest, It would be, indeed, wonderful, were any other born like thee. In grace and loveliness, there is no one equal unto thee— This is the pity, that thou art, wholly, pitiless and unkind.

This is the pity, that thou art, wholly, pitiless and unkind. Though I die of grief for thee, still thou turnest away from me: What! is the love of thine heart turned so dark for me? I will never abandon thy door, nor thy dwelling-place, Though thou mayest, without fire, cruelly, me consume. Shouldst thou inflict a thousand cruelties on me, imagine not, That the love of my heart will, towards thee, ever be changed. I am well off, sunk down contemptible, in the dust at thy door; But not so elsewhere, though I should upon a throne recline. p. 247 XCVIII. The mercy of the Almighty be upon Akorraey, * that selected Sarā’e † for his home! Since I have on the subject reflected, if thou believe me, ’tis, of all others, the spot. Its dark mountain-range of Hoddaey, ‡ runneth directly into the Tī-rāh country, And the Nīl-āb and Landdaey have, wonderfully, laid their heads at its feet. § The great high road of Hindūstān and Khurāsān, is made along their banks; And by Attak lieth its ford, which both kings and beggars hold in dread. p. 248 Every blessing of the earth, that can be called to mind, cometh to us thereby; And, as the country is rainy, who shall tell how beautiful is its spring? Whether it be the district of Suwāt, or Ashnagar, or whether Pes’hāwar, They have recourse unto it; and its abundance goeth forth to them all. There is game around, in every direction—sport for falcon, hawk, or hound:

There is game around, in every direction—sport for falcon, hawk, or hound: Hail! hail! Kālah-parrnī! * what heart-ravishing sport dost thou contain! The youth of Sarā’e are healthy and stout; active and agile, in every thing: Merry-eyed; white and red; and tall in stature are they, the eye unto. Whether it be son, or grand-son; whether family, or whether tribe, May the protection of the Almighty be extended to all who dwell therein! Fate, alas! hath taken him from it—can the arm of any one reach fate? Khushḥāl, hath not been severed from Sarā’e of his own accord—ah no! † 150:* These are the Afrīdī chiefs, who aided Khushḥāl in his wars with Aurangzeb. 150:† The name of a Pass leading from Peshāwar to Jalālābād. 150:‡ A small State, held by independent Afghān tribes, NẈ. of Peshāwar. 150:§ He had gone into the Yūsufzī country, to endeavour to persuade that tribe to assist the confederates. 150:§§ See note at page 139. 151:* The lofty mountain to the right of the Khaibar Pass, looking from Peshāwar, and giving name to another Pass, leading to Jalālābād. 151:† A parganah or division of the Peshāwar district, lying, as its name implies, between two rivers, the Landdaey and the Kabūl. 151:‡ A town of the Peshāwar district, on the northern bank of the Kabūl river. 152:* Aurangzeb dethroned his father Shāh Jahān, whom he confined in prison until his death, which took place seven years after.

152:* Aurangzeb dethroned his father Shāh Jahān, whom he confined in prison until his death, which took place seven years after. 152:† The Yūsufzīs who would not aid. 153:* A small district of Afghānistān, of which Jalālābād, famous for its defence by Sir Robert Sale, is the chief town. 153:† The fifth month of the Afghān year, so called. 153:‡ According to the Abjad system of the Arabs and other Muḥammadans, of computing numbers by letters, the word (ghafū) is equivalent to the year h. 1086 (a.d. 1675.) 153:§ Cause the bud to open its leaves. 154:* One of the three great divisions into which the whole Afghān nation is divided, and in which the Khattak tribe is included. 154:† See the Introductory Chapter, page xix., on the word "Alasto." 155:* Kasrā, or Cyrus, King of Persia, is the model of a just king; and Hujāj bin Yūsuf, Governor of Khurāsān, under the Khalīfah, Æabd-ul-Malik, the conception of a perfect tyrant. 158:* The fabulous mountain, the boundary of the world, and surrounding the horizon on all sides. 159:* Bū-Lḥab and Bū-Jhal, the former the uncle, and the latter the cousin of Muḥammad, were his greatest enemies and opposers in the propagation of his new faith. Æumar, the second Khalīfah after Muḥammad, is called Fārūḳ, The Distinguisher. 160:* Gabr is the name given to Fire-worshippers, or Pārsīs. 161:* The elephant is in the habit of sprinkling himself with dust, to drive insects away; but here it is to indicate sorrow.

161:* The elephant is in the habit of sprinkling himself with dust, to drive insects away; but here it is to indicate sorrow. 163:* Ṣult̤ān Muezz-ud-dīn Sanjar was the son of Malik Shāh, sixth monarch of the race of Seljūk, and for upwards of twenty years Governor of Khurāsān. His life is remarkable for the vicissitudes he suffered, having once been confined for four years in an iron cage, by the Guzzian tribe of Turkomāns, but subsequently escaped. He died the 25th of Rubbīah-ul-awal, a.h. 552, after a reign of forty-one years, paramount sovereign of Persia, and in the 73rd of his age. With him the grandeur of the race of Seljuk terminated. He has been equally praised for his piety and modesty of disposition, and for his benevolence, and the love of his people; for his respect for, and his encouragement of learning and learned men; and for his zeal and exertions to promote the advancement of his religion. 164:* For an account of Shahdād and his garden of Iram, see note at page 81. 164:† Ibid. 164:‡ Mir-bāz Khān, a connexion of Khushḥāl's; who was a worshipper of the wealth of the Mughals. 167:* Ḳārūn, son of Yeshar, the uncle of Moses, and identical with Korah of the Scriptures, who, at the complaint of Moses, against whom he had brought a false accusation, was swallowed by the earth, at the command of the Almighty. 168:* Referring to the Muḥammadan account of the creation, for which see Sale's edition of the Ḳur’ān.

168:* Referring to the Muḥammadan account of the creation, for which see Sale's edition of the Ḳur’ān. 169:* A person who acts as go-between of the parents in cases of marriage or betrothal. 169:† The rue-plant was anciently regarded as an infallible antidote against poison, pestilence, and the devil. It is much used in exorcisms, and has been extravagantly eulogized and extolled by all writers, from Hippocrates to Bœrhaave. By the Afghāns, the herb and its seeds are used as fumigations, to ward off the evil-eye. 171:* See note at page 15. 171:† A belt, or cord more particularly, worn round the middle by the Eastern Christians and Jews, and also by the Persian Magi. It was introduced a.d. 859, by the Khalīfāh Mutawakkil, to distinguish them from Muḥammadans. 172:* This appears to refer to some of the poet's wives, who bore him disobedient sons. 173:* Two undutiful sons of the poet, particularly Bahrām. 173:† The species of parrot here referred to we should term paroquet in this country. Green is the mourning colour in Muḥammadan countries. 175:* A kind of Darwesh or devotee, who goes about almost naked. 175:† It is usual with young females to wear a clove in the nostril, to keep open the orifice pierced for the insertion of the nose jewel, on marriage. 175:‡ A black mole. 175:§ See note at page 48. 175:§§ See note at page 137. 177:* Lit. "The father of ignorance," an uncle of Muḥammad's. See also note at page 159.

177:* Lit. "The father of ignorance," an uncle of Muḥammad's. See also note at page 159. 178:* A kind of dish made from flesh and rice, to which are added raisins and almonds, etc. 179:* Aurangzeb, son of the Emperor Shāh Jahān. 179:† Literally, house-born slaves; but here the term applies to the trusty chiefs and followers of Shāh Jahān, who was dethroned by Aurangzeb. 181:* "A want of occupation is not rest; A mind quite vacant, is a mind distress’d."—Cowper. 181:† Written on the poet's return from Suwāt, where he had gone to endeavour to induce the Yūsufzīs to join the confederacy against Aurangzeb. 182:* A skinner or tanner is looked upon with great contempt by the Afghāns. 183:* Sama’h signifies a plain in the Afghān language, and is the name given to that tract of country, lying between the Kabūl river, near its junction with the Indus, and the mountains bounding Suwāt on the south. 183:† Referring to the unhappy end of the Emperor Shāh Jahān, dethroned and imprisoned by Aurangzeb his son. 186:* See note at page 74. 187:* Under the two names of Irān and Turān, from whence the people are termed Irānī and Turānī, Eastern authors comprehend all the higher Asia, except China and India. Irān, which is the Eastern name for the Persian Empire, includes all that immense tract of country, lying between the Oxus or Bākhtrus on the north, the Arabian sea on the south, and the Tigris on the west. The region beyond the Oxus is Turān or Scythia, or Turkomānia. In some instances, Irānī and Turānī include all mankind, in the same manner as Greek and Barbarian—Jew and Gentile—Arab and Ajam.

187:† All the different tribes here mentioned are not Afghāns, but are either located in Afghānistān or border on the Afghān country. The Panjābīs and Sikhs not being mentioned, would indicate that in Khushḥāl's days they were not recognised as separate people, but included amongst Hindūstānīs. 189:* A black-eyed virgin of the Muḥammadan Paradise. 191:* Reading over the sūra or chapter of the Ḳur’ān, entitled "kul huwa-l-lah," by way of benediction, and to preserve one's self from evil and misfortune. 191:† A religious mendicant or devotee. 191:‡ That is to say, an impossible thing. 193:* An old fortress and village on the west bank of the Indus, facing Attak. 193:† The town of Sarā’e, belonging to the Khattak tribe of Afghāns, lies amongst the hills to the west of Attak, and not far from the west bank of the Sind or Indus. It is one of the chief towns of the tribe, and was the birthplace of the poet, and most of his ancestors are here buried; but Khushḥāl himself was buried at a different place. See notice preceding his poems. 194:* Abā-Sind, signifying "the father of rivers," is the Afghān name for the Indus. The Landdaey-Sind, or "little river," is that known as the river of Kabūl, after its junction with the Suwāt (the ancient Suastus), until it joins the Indus a little above Attak. 194:† Hind, or Hindūstān. 195:* This poem was written by one of Khushḥāl's wives, the mother of Ashraf, himself a poet, who died in exile in Southern India. It would almost appear to be a reply to the poem preceding, which was written by Khushḥāl, whilst in exile in India.

195:* This poem was written by one of Khushḥāl's wives, the mother of Ashraf, himself a poet, who died in exile in Southern India. It would almost appear to be a reply to the poem preceding, which was written by Khushḥāl, whilst in exile in India. 195:† The leaves of a tree (Lawsonia inermis) from which a bright orange red colour is extracted, and with which the Muḥammadan people of Asia dye the hands and feet on festive occasions. 195:‡ Used to give a bright red colour to the lips; but the bark of the walnut-tree seems to be the favourite substance for the purpose among the Afghān females now-a-days. 195:§ The play on the words in these two last lines are nearly lost in translation; for instead of inserting her own name, the writer uses her husband's, which signifies 'happy.' To have inserted her own name would have been considered indelicate. 197:* Afrīt—one of the most fierce and cruel of the genii, or demons, of Oriental tales. 197:† Pattāns, another name for the Afghāns. 197:‡ The Afghān Emperors of India, of the Lūdī tribe, were Sult̤āns Bahlol, Sikandar, and Ibrahīm, who reigned from a.d. 1450 to 1526, when Bābar conquered Hindūstān. His son, Humāyūn, was again dethroned by Sher Shāh, an Afghān of the tribe of Sūr, in a.d. 1540. To him succeeded Salīm Shāh, his son, whose son, Muḥammad Shāh, was dethroned by Humāyūn, the previous Emperor, and father of Akbar, in 1556. 198:* A kind of cloth or gauze, which is said to be rent by exposure to the moonlight; and, hence, is represented by Oriental poets as enamoured of the moon.

198:* A kind of cloth or gauze, which is said to be rent by exposure to the moonlight; and, hence, is represented by Oriental poets as enamoured of the moon. 199:* See note at page 29. 199:† A tribe of Afghāns, dwelling in the hills to the west and south of Peshāwar, who are about the most uncivilized of the Afghāns. 199:‡ The celebrated saint of the Afghāns, and great antagonist of Pīr Roshān, the founder of the Roshānīān sect of schismatics. He changed the name of Pīr Roshān, signifying, "Saint of Light," into Pīr Tārīk, or "Saint of Darkness." 199:§ Bāyazīd Ansārī, who took the name of Pīr Roshān, as above stated. For further accounts of this man, see page 51. 199:§§ The red carnelian caskets refer to the gums, and the pearls are the teeth in them. 199:** The eye is compared to the narcissus, and white roses to a clear complexion. 200:* Æsop. 200:† Solomon. 201:* Hujāj, the Governor of Khurāsān under the Khalīfahs of the house of Omeyah, and a notorious tyrant. 201:† A Persian monarch, celebrated throughout the East for his justice and equity, hence he is known as "Noshīrwān the Just." It was during his reign that Muḥammad was born. 203:* The letter ا (alif), from its form, is adopted to denote straightness of stature. 203:† See Poem XCVIII., third note. 203:‡ The name of a pass or defile, leading into the Tī-rāh country, held by the Afrīdī tribe of Afghāns. 204:* The rubies signify the lips, and the pearls the teeth.

204:* The rubies signify the lips, and the pearls the teeth. 206:* See page 142. 207:* Mummy—the substance with which Egyptian mummies are preserved, a medicine held in great estimation in Oriental countries for wounds and fractures. 207:† A celebrated Arabian poet, famous for his eloquence. 207:‡ The name of an Arab, celebrated throughout the East for his liberality and munificence. 208:* The letter ا (alif) is an emblem of the Almighty—the One and Only. 208:† Attar of roses. 209:* The family of the Khattak tribe in which the chieftainship was, and still is hereditary. 209:† See note at page 193. 210:* The long curls of the hair of the Afghān females, often reaching below the waist, are compared to black snakes. See note at page 136. 212:* A crier, who summons the Faithful to prayer, by proclamation from the minaret of a mosque. 212:† The name of a small district to the west of Peshāwar, and south of the Khaibar Pass. 212:‡ Two of the three independent tribes of the Khaibarīs, altogether about 120,000 souls, who hold the Khaibar Pass. They are the most uncouth and uncivilized of the Afghān tribes. 213:* See Introductory Remarks, for an account of the Ṣūfis and their tenets. 213:† Long and wide sleeves are worn in the East. 215:* This was written during his wars with the Mughals. 217:* Jahangir Shāh, signifying "the world-conquering king," is the title assumed by the fourth Mughal Emperor of India, and son of Akbar. Nūr Maḥāl, "the light of the ḥaram," is the name of his favourite queen.

217:* Jahangir Shāh, signifying "the world-conquering king," is the title assumed by the fourth Mughal Emperor of India, and son of Akbar. Nūr Maḥāl, "the light of the ḥaram," is the name of his favourite queen. 217:† Antimony, used in Oriental countries to increase the blackness of the eyes, by applying it to the lids. See "Lane's Modern Egyptians." 217:‡ The reed or pipe is an emblem of slightness and weakness, and the utterer of plaintive sounds. 219:* The black-eyed virgins of the Muḥammadan Paradise. 220:* See first note at p. 183. 220:† Khatā or Khatay, the northern part of China, or Chinese Tārtary, famous for its musk and pretty damsels. 221:* The Hindū women boldly and fearlessly mount the funeral pyre of their deceased husbands, for what they consider honour's sake. 222:* China and Chinese Tartary, famous for beautiful women. 223:* The patriarch Jacob. 223:† Referring to the scanty garments of the women of India. 223:‡ Indian husbands chastise their wives with a shoe for very trivial matters. 223:§ In a contemptuous sense, as sold unto gold and infidelity. 224:* There is a good deal of foppery manifested in the East regarding the tail or termination of the turban, which hangs behind. 225:* The poet's name signifies 'happy;' hence the play upon the word here, which would lose by translation. 226:* This would appear to refer to the dark red tulip. 226:† The hyacinth or spikenard is compared to the dark locks, and the lily or jasmine to the fairness of the face of the beloved one.

226:† The hyacinth or spikenard is compared to the dark locks, and the lily or jasmine to the fairness of the face of the beloved one. 226:‡ See note at page 221. 227:* An earthly paradise, a fabulous garden in Arabia. 227:† See note at page 137. 228:* As before stated, the name of the poet signifies 'happy;' hence, "where the heart has become happy," is the meaning above. 229:* "Balæām (Balaam), son of Beor, who, being requested by his nation to curse Moses and the children of Israel, refused at first, saving, "How can I curse those whom the angels protect?" But afterwards he was prevailed upon by gifts; and he had no sooner done what they wished, than he began to put out his tongue like a dog, and it hung down upon his breast."—Al Beidāwī, Jalāl-ud-dīn, Al Zamakhshārī. 230:* Musk here signifies 'youth,' when the hair is of the colour of musk; and camphor, 'old age,' when the hair turns silvery. 231:* Referring to the nib of a pen. 234:* The faithless and insincere. 235:* This poem appears to have reference to the coldness of the poet's confederates in the war with the Mughals, and to the trouble Khushḥāl had with his sons. 235:† The name of the ancestor of one of the great divisions of the Afghāns, including some of the western tribes, and also the Yūsufzīs of the north-eastern parts of Afghānistān, who refused assistance to Khushḥāl and his confederates, in their wars with Aurangzeb.

235:† The name of the ancestor of one of the great divisions of the Afghāns, including some of the western tribes, and also the Yūsufzīs of the north-eastern parts of Afghānistān, who refused assistance to Khushḥāl and his confederates, in their wars with Aurangzeb. 235:‡ Damghār is the name of a small town in Suwāt. 239:* Ascetics and darweshes carry a club or staff. 240:* The Emperor Aurangzeb, finding that Khushḥāl and his brother confederates could not be subdued with the sword, tried gold and diplomacy, to which the most of them succumbed. See page 144. 241:* See Khushḥāl, Poem I., 'An Ode to Spring,' stanza 17. 242:* Cypræa moneta. 246:* Not always, at least, as far as the tongues of most Englishwomen go. 247:* Akorraey is the name of Khushḥāl's great-grandfather, who conquered from the Wurakzī tribe, the country now held by the Khattaks. There is a town also named after this chief, between Attak and Peshāwar. 247:† See note at page 193. 247:‡ The high mountain facing Attak, and a little lower down than the village of Khairābād on the same side, which rises up directly from the Indus, is mount Hoddaey, which gives its name to the whole range, reaching as far as Tī-rāh, a district lying about south-east from Pes’hāwar. The Bārā river rises in Tī-rāh, which is beyond the Khaibar Pass, and is inhabited by Afghāns of the Afrīdī and Tī-rāh tribes. 247:§ The Nīl-āb, or Blue-water, is one of the names of the Indus, which washes the base of Hoddaey. A few miles further up is the Landdaey, in Pushto signifying the Less or Little, a name given to the river of Kabūl, which joins the Indus a few miles above Attak, a town on the east bank of the Indus, on the high-road between India and Khurāsān.

248:* Kālah-parrnī is the name of an extensive forest in the Khattak country, once famous for its game. 248:† This poem was written during the poet's exile in India; and Sarā’e was his place of birth.