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
The Samarkandīs, fancying that our move from the one ground to the other
meant, 'He has given it up,' came out, soldiers and townsmen in alliance
(through the Turquoise Gate), as far as the Mīrzā's Bridge and, through
the Shaikh-zāda's Gate, as far as Muḥammad Chap's. We ordered our braves
to arm and ride out; they were strongly attacked from both sides, from
Muḥammad Chap's Bridge and from the Mīrzā's, but God brought it right!
our foes were beaten. Begs of the best and the boldest of braves our men
unhorsed and brought in. Amongst them Ḥāfiẓ _Dūldāī's_ (son) Muḥammad
_Mīskin_[339] was taken, after his index-finger had been struck off;
Muḥammad Qāsim _Nabīra_ also was unhorsed and brought in by his own
younger brother, Ḥasan _Nabīra_.[340] There were many other such
soldiers and known men. Of the town-rabble, were brought in Diwāna, the
tunic-weaver and _Kālqāshūq_,[341] headlong leaders both, in brawl and
tumult; they [Sidenote: Fol. 43b.] were ordered to death with torture in
blood-retaliation for our foot-soldiers, killed at the Lovers'
Cave.[342] This was a complete reverse for the Samarkandīs; they came
out no more even when our men used to go to the very edge of the ditch
and bring back their slaves and slave-women.
The Sun entered the Balance and cold descended on us.[343] I therefore
summoned the begs admitted to counsel and it was decided, after
discussion, that although the towns-people were so enfeebled that, by
God's grace, we should take Samarkand, it might be to-day, it might be
to-morrow, still, rather than suffer from cold in the open, we ought to
rise from near it and go for winter-quarters into some fort, and that,
even if we had to leave those quarters later on, this would be done
without further trouble. As Khwāja Dīdār seemed a suitable fort, we
marched there and having dismounted in the meadow lying before it, went
in, fixed on sites for the winter-houses and covered shelters,[344] left
overseers and inspectors of the work and returned to our camp in the
meadow. There we lay during the few days before the winter-houses were
finished.
Meantime Bāī-sunghar Mīrzā had sent again and again to ask help from
Shaibānī Khān. On the morning of the very day on which, our quarters
being ready, we had moved into Khwāja Dīdār, the Khān, having ridden
light from Turkistān, [Sidenote: Fol. 44.] stood over against our
camping-ground. Our men were not all at hand; some, for winter-quarters,
had gone to Khwāja Rabāṯī, some to Kabud, some to Shīrāz. None-the-less,
we formed up those there were and rode out. Shaibānī Khān made no stand
but drew off towards Samarkand. He went right up to the fort but because
the affair had not gone as Bāī-sunghar Mīrzā wished, did not get a good
reception. He therefore turned back for Turkistān a few days later, in
disappointment, with nothing done.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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