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(3) A masnawi in praise of Nawab Asuf-ood-Dowlah, and regarding his way of hunting | |
[meter: - = = / - = = / - = = / - = ] | |
*old Urdu page 1*; *modern Urdu page 1*; *critical edition page 1* | |
1) At the top of the page, thus today at break of day, The pen in the hand of Sauda began to say, |
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2) He who is, at the present time, minister of India, Is a youth in resolution, and an old man in planning; |
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3) In the world he, whose name is Asuf-ood-dowlah, In dignity is like Solomon, and most magnificent; |
== That is to say, he had many attendants and followers. |
4) Where he waves* his sword, He regards a lion as a fox. |
== The Oordoo word means to balance a sword, or any weapon, ready to give a cut. |
5) Suddenly one day, for the purpose of hunting, He turned his steps towards the mountains; |
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6) He proceeded to the hunting ground in such a way, That he avoided every prey, |
== That is to say, he hid himself from their glance. |
*critical edition page 2* | |
7) And there remained not, except under his sword, To the deer, hogdeer, spotted deer, or ravine deer, any place (of refuge); |
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*old Urdu page 2* | |
8) The quadrupeds could obtain no safety, When he turned his attention to the nilgao; |
== Here meaning the nilgao; the poet has used the word "quadruped" to save tautology. |
9) When the cow of the earth saw no place of protection, She took refuge under his feet. |
== The cow on which the Hindoos suppose the earth to rest, is here referred to. |
10) Whether it was a wild buffalo, or a rhinoceros, Their bodies were turned into sieves by the arrows and balls. |
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11) Then all the carniverous animals in that desert Were caught by the foot in the noose of death; |
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12) And of all the foxes, wolves, and jackals, The hunting dogs were death to their lives. |
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13) Wherever he heard that there was a lion, He made no delay in reaching that place; |
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14) And however powerful a tiger there might be there, He flayed its skin, and filled it with straw. |
== This, amongst natives, is the sign of the greatest contempt. |
*modern Urdu page 2*; *critical edition page 3* | |
15) In the forests, he killed such a number of tigers, That they fell beyond the bounds of computation; |
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16) When he had cleared the deserts and wilds of tigers, Then, from his killing of tigers, such fear arose, |
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17) That, from dread of losing his life, his name changed he, Whose name was Sher Khan (the Lord of tigers). |
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18) When he had cleared the jungles of carniverous animals, Then he returned to his tent. |
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19) Great and small, beholding. remained astonished, When they saw the tigers, which were worked on the carpets, get up and run away from before him. |
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20) When this news reached from earth to heaven, Then the constellation Leo began to reflect about his own safety. |
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21) It was not only to land animals, that the world became difficult
to live in, But neither fish nor crocodiles escaped in the sea. |
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22) What shall I say regarding the state of the venomous animals? And yet how can I remain without relating it? |
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23) Wherever the water (edge) of his sword flowed, There neither the large serpent nor the dragon escaped; |
== The words"ab bahna" are used to imply that there arose a great flood, which made it difficult for these animals to live. |
*critical edition page 4* | |
24) When he was satisfied with hunting the grazmg animals, He left alive no birds from the pheasant to the quail. |
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25) In the sight of young and old, no flying creature Appeared in the air, except his arrows. |
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26) Whether he saw demons or rapacious animals there, Still he let them not off, regarding them as prey; |
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27) Moreover he brought back all the elephants that had run away from
there, And they all came, having become subservient to him. |
== Another translation of these two lines might be, "Moreover all the elephants, that he brought from there, all came having become subservient to him." |
28) Although all elephants are very lovely, And they are most desirable for riding purposes, |
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29) Still, amongst those elephants, there is one so beautiful, That my tongue becomes dumb in its praise; |
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30) Never has such an elephant, by the eyes of the world, Been seen under the nine heavens; |
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*old Urdu page 3* | |
31) It is so tall in stature, That every man of sense, on seeing it, begins to say, |
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32) "In my opinion this is not an elephant; This has become certain to me from seeing it, |
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*critical edition page 5* | |
33) When, for hundreds of miles around, there remained no sport, Then they* put it in chains, and dragged a mountain; |
== Meaning, his attendants. == Meaning, the elephant was so large that it resembled a mountain. |
34) There is not the least defect in its beauty; May God keep it removed from the evil eye! |
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35) May it remain till everlasting under your royal shadow (protection)!
May you always be watchful for its care! |
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