The Third New Year’s Feast from my Accession.

On Thursday, the 2nd Ẕī-l-ḥijja, corresponding with the 1st Farwardīn (19th March, 1608), the Sun, which enlightens and heats the world with its splendour, changed from the constellation of Pisces to the joyful mansion of Aries, the abode of pleasure and rejoicing. It gave the world fresh brightness, and being aided by the Spring clothed those who had been plundered by the cold season, and tyrannised over by the Autumn, with the robes of honour of the New Year and the garments of emerald green, and gave them compensation and recuperation.

“Again to Not-Being came the world’s lord’s order,

‘Restore what thou hast devoured.’”

“If the world-illuminator had a son,

There would be no night; it would be always day;

For when his gold-crowned head was hidden

His son would display his tiara peak.

Thanks that after such a father

Such a son sits in his place.

For from the demise of that king

No one made black robes for mourning.”

On this day a female antelope in milk was brought that allowed itself to be milked with ease, and gave every day four seers of milk. I had never seen or heard of anything of the kind before. The milk of the antelope, of the cow, and the buffalo in no way differs. They say it is of great use in asthma. On the 11th of the month Rāja Mān Singh asked for leave to complete the army of the Deccan to which he had been appointed, as well as to visit Amber, his native place. I gave him a male elephant of my own called Hus͟hyār-mast, and gave him leave. On Monday, the 12th, as it was the anniversary of the death of the late king Akbar, in addition to the expenses of that entertainment, which are fixed separately, I sent 4,000 rupees more to be divided among the faqirs and dervishes who are present in the enlightened mausoleum of the venerated one. On that day I exalted ʿAbdu-llah, the son of K͟hān Aʿz̤am, with the title of Sarfarāz K͟hān, and ʿAbdu-r-Raḥīm, son of Qāsim K͟hān, with that of Tarbiyat K͟hān. On Tuesday, the 13th, I sent for K͟husrau’s daughter, and saw a child so like her father as no one can remember to have seen. The astrologers used to say that her advent would not be auspicious to her father, but would be auspicious to me. At last it became known that they had augured rightly. They said that I should see her after three years. I saw her when she had passed this age. On the 21st of the month K͟hānk͟hānān determined to clear out the province of the Nizāmu-l-mulk, into which, after the death of the late king Akbar, some disturbances had found their way, and stated in writing that “If I do not complete this service in the course of two years, I shall be guilty (of a fault), on the condition that in addition to the force that had been allotted to that Subah 12,000 more horse with 1,000,000 rupees should be sent with me.” I ordered that materials for the army and the treasure should be quickly prepared, and he should be despatched. On the 26th Muk͟hliṣ K͟hān, bakhshi of the ahadis, was appointed bakhshi of the Subah of the Deccan, and I bestowed his place on Ibrāhīm Ḥusain K͟hān, the Mīr Baḥr. On the 1st Rajab, Pīs͟hrau K͟hān and Kamāl K͟hān, who belonged to the servants who were in constant attendance on me (rū-s͟hinās), died. S͟hāh Tahmāsp had given Pīs͟hrau K͟hān as a slave to my grandfather, and he was called Saʿādat. When he was promoted in the service of the late king Akbar to the daroghahship and superintendence of the farrās͟hk͟hāna (carpet department), he obtained the title of Pīs͟hrau. He was so well acquainted with this service that one might say it was a garment they had sewn on the stature of his capacity. When he was 90 years old he was quicker than lads of 14. He had the good fortune to serve my grandfather, my father, and me. Until he breathed his last he was never for a moment without the intoxication of wine.