Page:Babur-nama Vol 1.djvu/116

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46 FARGHANA

He had a taste for poetry and put a diw1n^ together but his verse is flat and insipid, — not to compose is better than to compose verse such as his. He was not firm in the Faith and held his Highness Khwaja 'Ubaidu'l-lah {Ahrari) in slight esteem. He had no heart (yuruk) and was somewhat scant in modesty, — several of his impudent buffoons used to do their filthy and abominable acts in his full Court, in all men's sight. He spoke badly, there was no understanding him at first.

d. His battles.

He fought two battles, both with SI. Husain Mirza {Bdi- qara). The first was in Astarabad; here he was defeated. The second was at Chikman (Sarai),2 near Andikhud; here also he was defeated. He went twice to Kafiristan, on the Fol. 26<). south of Badakhshan, and made Holy War; for this reason they wrote him SI. Mahmud Ghazi in the headings of his. public papers.

e. His countries,

SI. Ab3-sa'id Mirza gave him Astarabad.^ After the 'Iraq disaster (i.e., his father's death,) he went into Khurasan. At that time, Qambar-'ali Beg, the governor of Hisar, by SI. Abu- sa'id Mirza'3 orders, had mobilized the Hindustan^ army and was following him into 'Iraq ; he joined SI. Mahmiid Mirza in Khurasan but the Khurasanis, hearing of SI. Husain Mirza's approach, rose suddenly and drove them out of the country.. On this SI. Mahmud Mirza went to his elder brother, Si. Ahmad Mirza in Samarkand. A few months later Sayyid Badr and Khusrau Shah and some braves under Ahmad

1 i.e. " a collection of poems in the alphabetical order of the various end rhymes." (Steingass.)

2 At this battle Daulat-shah was present, Cf. Browne's D.S, for Astarabad p. 523 and for Andikhud p. 532. For this and all other references to D.S.. and H.S. I am indebted to my husband.

3 The following dates will help out Babur's brief narrative. Mahm'ud at. 7, was given Astarabad in 864 AD. (1459-60 AD.) ; it was lost to Husain at Jauz-wilayat and Mabmud went into Khurasan in 865 AH. ; he was restored by his father in 866 AH. ; on his father's death (873 AH.- 1469 AD.) he fled to Harat, thence to Samarkand and from there was taken to Hisar at. 16. Cf. D'Herbelot s.n. Abu-sa'ad ; H.S. i, 209 ; Browne's D.S. p. 522.

4 Presumably the " Hindustan the Less " of Clavijo (Markham p. 3 and p. 113), approx. Qambar — 'ali's districts. Clavijo includes Tirmiz under the. name.