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SECOND DISCOURSE. ON
Now* at a reception the* King chanced' to say, " Call Nizami."
Said the Amir 'Amid S'afiyyu'd-Di'n, " Is Nizami here ? "
f "They
answered "Yes." But he supposed that it was Nizami-Mum'n 1
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" When
"Ah," said he, "a fine poet and a man of wide fame !
the messenger arrived to fumtnon me, I put on my shoes, and, as
I entered, did and sat down in
obeisance^ my place. When the
wine had gone round "
several times, Amir 'Amid said, Nizami
has not come." " He is come," replied the King ; "see, he is seated
over there." " I am not speaking of this Nizami,'' answered Amir
'Amid, "that Nizami of whom I speak is another one, and as for
this one, I do not even know him." Thereupon I saw that the
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King was vexed he at once ; turned, to me and said, I there
somewhere else another Nizamf besides the?" "Yes, Sire," I
answered, "there are two other Nizam's, one of Samarqand, whom
they call Nizami-i-Muniri, and one of Nishapur, whom they call
Nizami'-i-Atmn ; while me they call Nizam i-i-'Arudi." " Art thou
better, or they ? " demanded he. Then Amir 'Amid perceived
that he had made an unfortunate remark and that the King was,
annoyed. "Sire," said he, "those two Nizamis are quarrelsome
fellows, apt to break up and spoil social gatherings by their
quarrelsomeness." " Wait," said the King jestingly, " till you see
this one drain five bumpers of strong wine 2 and break up the
meeting: but of these three Nizamis which is the best poet?"
" Of those two," said the Amir 'Amid, " I have personal know-
ledge, having seen them, while this one I have not previously
seen, nor have I heard his poetry. If he will compose a couple of
verses on this subject which we have been discussing, so that I
may see his talents and hear his verse, I will tell you which of
these three is best."
Ttien the King turned to me, saying, " Now, O Nizami, do not
shame us, (r) and when thou speakest say what 'Amid desires."
Now at that time, when I was in the service of this sovereign,
I possessed a prolific talent and a brilliant genius, and the favours
knd gifts of the King had stimulated me to such a point that my
improvisations came fluent as running water sc? I took ; up a pen,
and, ere the wine-cup had gone twice round, composed these five
couplets :
L--S
J^aw (jJ 3j^> ji 33
JL> .L.'U^i j,-fc.ao !
1 The reading of this nisba is very doubtful in all three texts, both here and lower.
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In some it appears to read Minbari.
2 The correct reading, si-yaki, is that given in the text, not sang), >Vhich mojt of
the MSS. have. It is wine reduced by evaporation to one-third of its original bulk ;
in Arabic it is similarly called mulhallath. See the Anjuman-drdyi-Ndsirf, s.v.
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