The Fourth New Year’s Feast after the Auspicious Accession.

The passing of the great star that illumines the world into the constellation of Aries took place on the night of Saturday, the 14th Ẕī-l-ḥijja, in Hijra 1017 (21st March, 1609), and New Year’s Day that made brilliant the world began with good auspices and rejoicing. On Friday, the 5th Muḥarram, in the year 1018, Ḥakīm ʿAlī died. He was an unrivalled physician; he had derived much profit from Arabic sciences. He had written a commentary on the Canon (of Avicenna) in the time of my revered father. He had greater diligence than understanding, just as his appearance was better than his disposition, and his acquirements better than his talents; on the whole he was bad-hearted, and of an evil spirit. On the 20th Ṣafar I dignified Mīrzā Bark͟hūrdār with the title of K͟hān ʿĀlam. They brought from the neighbourhood of Fatḥpūr a water-melon, greater than any I had ever seen. I ordered them to weigh it, and it came to 33 seers. On Monday, the 19th Rabīʿu-l-awwal, the feast of my annual lunar weighing was arranged in the palace of my revered mother; a part of the money was divided among the women who had assembled there on that day.

On Friday, the 13th, a certain idea came into my mind, and this rhymed g͟hazal was produced:—

“What shall I do, for the arrow of loss of thee has pierced my liver!

So that the (evil) eye not reaching me again may reach another?

Thou movest as if frenzied, and the world is frenzied for thee.

I burn rue lest thy eye should reach me.

I am frenzied at union with my friend, and in despair at her absence.

Alas for the grief that has o’erwhelmed me!

I’ve grown mad that I may rush on the pathway of meeting:

Woe for the time that brought me the news!

I hope that some spark of light may take effect.”