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EARLY STRUGGLES OF M,u'izzi (
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Mahmud, who, seeing 1/im thus magnificently equipped, legarded
him with the same regard, and his afifai/s reached such a pitch
of' prosperity that twenty servants girt with silver girdles rode
behind him. ,
, ANECDOTE XW.
In the year A.M. 519 (A-.D. 1116-11*7) the King of Islam,
Sanjar the son of Malikshah the Saljuq (may God prolong his
existence and continue his exaltation to the heights !), chanced
to be encamped at the spring season within the marches of Tus,
in the plain of Turuq 1 where he , remained for two months. There
I, in hojpes of obtaining some favour, joined his Court from Herat,
having then, in the" nothing way of equipment (**) or provision.
I composed a qasida and we/it to Mu'izzi the Poet-laureate, to
seek an opening through him. Having looked at my poem, he
tested me in several ways, and I satisfied his expeptations. He
then behaved in the most generous manner* and deemed it his
duty to act in the way befitting so great a man.
One day I expressed in his presence a hope that fortune
would be more favourable to me, and complained of my luck.
He encouraged me, saying, " Thou hast laboured hard to acquire
this science, and hast fully mastered it : surely this will have its
effect. My own case was precisely similar and ; good poetry has
never yet been wasted. Thou hast a goodly share in this art:
thy verse is even and melodious, and is still improving. Wait
and see the advantages which thou wilt reap from this science.
For though Fortune should at first be grudging, matters will
eventually turn out as thou wishest.
" My father Burhanf, the Poet-laureate (may God be merciful to
him !) passed away from this transitory to that eternal world jn the
town of Qazwin in the early part of the reign of Malikshah, en-
trusting me to the King in this verse, since then become famous 2 :
*
" J amfitting^ but I leave a son behind me,
And csmmend him to my God and to my King."
1 This is place not mentioned in the geographies, but the Editor (p. \1A of the
notes) believt5 it to be identical with the niydern Turuq, a large village distant two
parasangs from Mashhad on the road to Tihran.
2 This verse, to which aje added several others, is commonly ascribed to the
Nizamu'1-Mulk, e.g. by Dawlatshah (p. o^ of my edition). Apart from the improbabilfty
that one who lay dying of a mortal wound would be in the mood to
c6mpose "verses, we learn from this anecdote that the Nizamu'1-Mulk "had no opinion
of poets because he had no skill in their art." The verse which gives his age as 94 at
the time of his death, when he was in reality some fifteen or twenty years younger
(borrv4o8/ 1 01 7 'assassinated 485/1092), is alone enough to discredit the legend, while
the authority of the Chahdr Maqdla, of which the author derived his information
directly'from Mu^izzi, the son of Burhani, is far superior to any other source of the
story* Compare my Lit. Hist, of Persia, vol. ii, pp. 188-193, and the Persian notes,
pp. i1\ \1V