Second raid on the Turkmān Hazāras - Ẓahīr-ud-Dīn Muhammad Bābur

They saw the blackness of the foe;
Stood idle-handed and amazed
I arriving, went swift that way,
Pressed on with shout, "Move on! move on!"
I wanted to hurry my men on,
To make them stand up to the foe.
With a "Hurry up!" to my men,
I went on to the front.
Not a man gave ear to my words.
I had no armour nor horse-mail nor arms,
I had but my arrows and quiver.
I went, the rest, maybe all of them, stood,
Stood still as if slain by the foe!
Your servant you take that you may have use
Of his arms, of his life, the whole time
Not that the servant stand still
While the beg makes advance to the front
Not that the servant take rest
While his beg is making the rounds.
From no such a servant will come
Speed, or use in your Gate, or zest for your food.
At last I charged forward myself,
Herding the foe up the hill;
Seeing me go, my men also moved.
Leaving their terrors behind.
With me they swift spread over the slope,
Moving on without heed to the shaft;
Sometimes on foot, mounted sometimes.
Boldly we ever moved on.
Still from the hill poured the shafts.
Our strength seen, the foe took to flight.
We got out on the hill; we drove the Hazāras,
Drove them like deer by valley and ridge;
We shot those wretches like deer;
We shared out the booty in goods and in sheep;
The Turkmān Hazāras' kinsfolk we took;
We made captive their people of sorts;
We laid hands on their men of renown;
Their wives and their children we took.

---

Ẓahīr-ud-Dīn Muhammad Bābur (1483 – 1530) Uzbekistan
Translated by Annette Susannah Beveridge
Source: The Bābur-nāma in English Translated by Annette Susannah Beveridge, Luzac & Co., 1922