The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
History
The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)
Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
Babur, Emperor of Hindustan, 1483-1530; Mogul Empire
At length the jarring words of this fatherly and filial discussion went
so far that _his_ father against his father, and _his_ son against his
son drew armies out for Balkh and Astarābād.[329]
Up (from Harāt) to the Pul-i-chirāgh meadow, below Garzawān,[330] went
Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā; down (from Balkh) came [Sidenote: Fol. 41b.]
Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā. On the first day of Ramẓān (May 2nd.) Abū'l-muḥsin
Mīrzā advanced, leading some of his father's light troops. There was
nothing to call a battle; Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā was routed and of his
braves masses were made prisoner. Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā ordered that all
prisoners should be beheaded; this not here only but wherever he
defeated a rebel son, he ordered the heads of all prisoners to be struck
off. And why not? Right was with him. The (rebel) Mīrzās were so given
over to vice and social pleasure that even when a general so skilful and
experienced as their father was within half-a-day's journey of them, and
when before the blessed month of Ramẓān, one night only remained, they
busied themselves with wine and pleasure, without fear of their father,
without dread of God. Certain it is that those so lost (_yūtkān_) will
perish and that any hand can deal a blow at those thus going to
perdition (_aūtkān_). During the several years of Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā's
rule in Astarābād, his coterie and his following, his bare (_yālāng_)
braves even, were in full splendour[4] and adornment. He had many gold
and silver drinking cups [Sidenote: Fol. 42.] and utensils, much silken
plenishing and countless tīpūchāq horses. He now lost everything. He
hurled himself in his flight down a mountain track, leading to a
precipitous fall. He himself got down the fall, with great difficulty,
but many of his men perished there.[331]
After defeating Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā, Sl. Ḥusain Mīrzā moved on to
Balkh. It was in charge of Shaikh `Alī T̤aghāī; he, not able to defend
it, surrendered and made his submission. The Mīrzā gave Balkh to Ibrāhīm
Ḥusain Mīrzā, left Muḥammad Walī Beg and Shāh Ḥusain, the page, with him
and went back to Khurāsān.
Defeated and destitute, with his braves bare and his bare
foot-soldiers[332], Badī`u'z-zamān Mīrzā drew off to Khusrau Shāh in
Qūndūz. Khusrau Shāh, for his part, did him good service, such service
indeed, such kindness with horses and camels, tents and pavilions and
warlike equipment of all sorts, both for himself and those with him,
that eye-witnesses said between this and his former equipment the only
difference might be in the gold and silver vessels.
(_c. Dissension between Sl. Mas`ūd Mīrzā and Khusrau Shāh._)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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