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'<br />
SULTAN MAHMUD AND,AYAZ ', 37<br />
ANECDOTE XIV.<br />
The love borne by Sultan Yamtnttd-Dawla Mahmud to<br />
the Turk is well-known and famous. 'It is related tha't Ayaz was<br />
not remarkably handsome, but was of sweet expression and olive><br />
complexion, symmetrically 1<br />
formed, graceful in his movements,<br />
sensible and deliberate in action, and mightily endowed with all<br />
the arts of pleasing, in which respect, indeed, he had few rivals in<br />
his time. Now all these are qualities wh^ch excite love and give<br />
permanence to friendship.<br />
Noiv Sultan Yammu'd-Dawla Mahmud was a pious and Godfearing<br />
maif, and he wrestled much with his love for Ayaz so that<br />
he should not diverge by so'much as a single step from the Path<br />
of the Law and the Way of Honour. One night, however, at a<br />
carousal, when the wine had begun to affect him*and love to stir<br />
within him, he looked at the curls of Ayaz/and saw, as it were,<br />
ambergris rolling over the face of the moon, hyacinths twisted<br />
about the visage of the sun, ringlet upon ringlet like a coat of<br />
mail ; link upon link like a chain ; in every ringlet a thousand<br />
hearts and under every lock a hundred thousand souls. There-<br />
upon love plucked the reins of self-restraint from the hands of<br />
his endurance, and lover-like he drew him to himself. But the<br />
watchman of " Hath not God forbidden you to transgress against<br />
Hirh^f" thrust forth his head from the collar of the Law, stood<br />
before Sultan [Mahmud] Yaminu'd-Dawla, and said, "O Mahmud,<br />
mingte not sin with love, nor mix the false with the true, for such<br />
a slip will raise the Realm of Love in revolt against thee, and<br />
like (r) thy first father thou wilt fall from Love's Paradise, and<br />
remain afflicted in the world of Sin." The ear of his fortunafe<br />
nature being quick to hear, he hearkened to this announcement,<br />
"<br />
and the tongue of his /aith cried from his innermost soul, We<br />
believe and we affirm" But he feared lest the army of his self-<br />
co'ntrol might be to withstand the hosts of<br />
livable Ayaz's locks, so,<br />
drawing a knife, he placed it in the hands of Ayaz, bidding him<br />
take it and cut ofi'his curls. Aydz took the knife from his hands<br />
with an obeisance, and, having enquired where he should sunder<br />
them, was bidden to cut them *in the middle. He therefore<br />
doubled back his locks to get the measurement, executed the<br />
king's command, and laid the two tresses before Mahmud.<br />
It is said that this ready obedience became a fresh cause of love;<br />
and M'ahmud called tor gold and jewels and gave to Ayaz beyond<br />
his usual wont and custom, after which he fell into a drunken<br />
sleejp.<br />
*<br />
1 Here ancWiA the next sentence I have preferred the alternative reading of the<br />
MSis. to the printed text, which has " We believe and -we affirm " in this place, and<br />
omits these and the preceding eleven words below.