Untitled

AVICENNA'S FLIGHT FROM KHWARAZN*
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Next day Khjvarazmshah accorded Husayn ibn 'AH ibn
Mika'il'an audience, and heaped on him all sort of favours.
"'1 have read the letter," said he, "and have acquainted myself with ^
its contents and with the King's command. Abu 'All and Abu
Sahl are gone, but Ab,u Nasr, Abu Rayhan and Abu'l-Khayr
are making their prepcJratiqns to appear at [Mahmud's] court."
So in a little while he provided their outfit, and despatched them
in the company of Khwaja Husayn ibn 'All ibn Mi'ka'il. And in
due course they came into the presence of Sultan Yami'nu'd-
Dawla Mahmud at Balkh, and there joined his court.
Now it was Abu 'All [ibn Si'na] whom the King chiefly
desired. He commanded Abu Nasr-i-'Arraq, who was a painter,
to draw his portrait' on paper, (YA) and then ordered other artists
to make forty copies of the, portrait, and these he despatched
with prgclamations in all directions, and made /demand of the
neighbouring rulers, saying, "There is a man after this likeness,
whom they call Abu 'Ah' ibn Si'na. Seek him out and send him
So me."
Now when Abu 'Ah' and Abu Sahl departed from Khwarazmshah
with Abu'l- Husayn as-Suhayli"s man, they so wrought that
ere morning they had travelled fifteen parasangs. When it was
morning they alighted at a place where there were wells, and
Abu 'Ah' took up an astrological table to see under what
Ascendant they had started on their journey. When he had
examined it he turned to Abu Sahl and said, "Judging by this
Ascendant under which we started, we shall lose our way and
experience grievous hardships." Said Abu Sahl, " We acquiesce
in God's decree. Indeed I know that I shall not come safely
through this journey, for during these two days the passage/>f
the degree of my Ascendant 1 falls in Capricorn, which is the sector,
so that no hope remains to me. Henceforth only the intercourse
of souls will exist between us." So they rode on.
,Abu 'Ah' relates that on the fourth day a wind arose and
stirred up the dusfr, so that the world was darkened. They lost
their way, for the wind had obliterated the tracks. When the wind
lulled, their guide was more astray than themselves; and, in the
heat of the desert of Khwarazm/ Abu Sahl-i-Masihi, through lack
of water and thirst, passed away to the World of Eternity, while
the guide and Abu 'A\i,
after experiencing a thousand hardships,
reached Baward. There the guide turned back, while Abu 'Ah'
went to Tus, and finally arrived at Ni'shapur.
"There he found a number of persons who were seeking for
Abu 'All. Filled with anxiety, he alighted in a quiet spot, where
he ab*ode several days, and thence he turned his face towards
uMm.
1 The term tasyir is explained at p. Vf. of Van Vloten's ed. of the Mafdtihti 'l-
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