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He is the last person you see, this strange and portionless Darwesh of the Shadows, and long after he has passed from your sight, you hear his monotonous cry: "Hazrat Shah Ali, Kalandar Hazrat Zar Zari zar Baksh, Hazrat Shah Gisu Daroz Khwajah Bande Nawaz Hazrat Lal Shahbaz ke nam sau rupai Hajjul Beit ka kharch dilwao!"
A celebrated Persian poet of Dilli; his odes are very elegant, and have great poetical genius; he was, as a Persian poet, inferior to none: he is the original author of this "Tale of the Four Darwesh." The author seems to use Dilli or Dihli indifferently for the northern metropolis of India, vulgarly called Delhi.
The Persian term darwesh, in a general sense, denotes a person who has adopted what by extreme courtesy is called a religious life, closely akin to the "mendicant friar" of the middle ages; i.e., a lazy, dirty, hypocrital vagabond, living upon the credulous public. The corresponding term in Arabic is Fakir; and in Hindi, Jogi.
The first Darwesh, sitting at his ease, began thus to relate the events of his travels: "Beloved of God, turn towards me, and hear this helpless one's narrative. Hear what has passed over my head with attentive ears, Hear how Providence has raised and depressed me. I am going to relate whatever misfortunes I have suffered; hear the whole narrative."
O Darweshes! I am come here to you, according to the advice of my heavenly Mentor; I firmly hope that each of us will gain the desires of his heart. These have been this pilgrim's adventures, which he hath related to you fully and entirely. The fourth Darwesh began with tears the relation of his adventures in the following manner:
I now commence my tale; pay attention to it, and be just to its merits. In the "Adventures of the Four Darwesh, " it is thus written, and the narrator has related, that formerly in the Empire of Rum there reigned a great king, in whom were innate justice equal to that of Naushirwan, and generosity like that of Hatim.
Here the first Darwesh addresses himself directly to the other three, who were his patient listeners. The jama is an Asiatic dress, something like a modern female gown, only much more full in the skirts. It is made of white cloth or muslin.
When the Darweshes perceived that the king was very kind to them, they said, "Well, as your majesty condescends to form amity with Darweshes, we both will also relate our adventures: be pleased to hear them." The third Darwesh, having sat down at his ease, began thus to relate the events of his travels.
It is the ordnary mode of sitting among the Turks. The dalk, or dilk, is a garment made of patches and shreds worn by darweshes; the epithet dolk-posh, "a dalk wearer," denotes a "darwesh," or "mendicant." Ispahan was once a fine city. In the time of the Chevalier Chardin, nearly two centuries ago, it was pronounced by that traveller to be the largest in the world.
The Mughal princes in the days of their splendour had guards of Kalmuc, or Kilmak, women for their seraglios; they were chosen for their size and courage, and were armed; other Tartar women were likewise taken, but they all went by the general name of Kilmakini. Here the first Darwesh resumes his address to his three companions.
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