The Say of Haykar the Sage

By Good Press

This story revolves around Haykar the Sage, who is a Philosopher, the Wazir of Sankharib the Sovran, and the son of the wise man's sister Nadan the Fool. This story relates that during the days of Sankháríb the King, Lord of Asúr and Naynawah, there was a Sage, Haykár hight, Grand Wazir of that Sovran, a philosopher, and endowed with lore and rede and experience. Now he had interwedded with threescore wives and had no boy to tend, thus was unhappy. So one day he gathered together the experts, astrologers and wizards, and related to them his case and complained of the condition caused by his barrenness. He did what they bade and set corbans and victims before the images and craved their assistance, humbling himself with prayer and petition; withal they vouchsafed to him never a word of reply. So he fared forth in distress and disappointment and went his ways all disheartened. Then he returned in his humiliation to Almighty Allah and confided his secret unto Him and called for succour in the burning of his heart, and cried with a loud voice saying, "O God of Heaven and Earth, O Creator of all creatures, I beg Thee to vouchsafe unto me a son wherewith I may console my old age and who may become my heir, after being present at my death and closing my eyes and burying my body." Hereat came to a Voice from Heaven which said, "Since at first thou trustedst in graven images and offers to them victims, so shalt thou remains childless, lacking sons and daughters. However, get thee up and take to thee Nádán, thy sister's child; and, after taking this nephew to son, do thou inform him with thy learning and thy good breeding and thy sagesse, and demise to him that he inherits of thee after thy decease." Will the Sage adopt his nephew Nadan?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Good Press
• Release date: Apr 10, 2021
• ISBN: 4064066465001

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Anonymous

The Say of Haykar the Sage

Published by Good Press, 2022

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EAN 4064066465001

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[1]

In the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the Compassionate, the Eternal One, the Termless, the Timeless, and of Him aidance we await. And here we begin (with the assistance of Allah Almighty and his fair furtherance) to invite the Story of Haykar the Sage, the Philosopher, the Wazir of Sankharib[2] the Sovran, and of the son of the wise man's sister Nadan[3] the Fool.

They relate that during the days of Sankháríb the King, lord of Asúr[4] and Naynawah,[5] there was a Sage, Haykár hight, Grand Wazir of that Sovran and his chief secretary, and he was a grandee of abundant opulence and ampliest livelihood: ware was

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1 MS. pp. 140-182. Gauttier, vol. ii., pp. 313-353, Histoire du sage Heycar translated by M. Agoub: Weber, History of Sinkarib and his two Viziers (vol. ii. 53): the Vizier is therein called Hicar.2 This form of the P.N. is preferred by Prof. R. Hoerning in his Prisma des Sanherib, etc. Leipsic, 1878. The etymology is Sin akhi-irib = Sini (Lunus, or the Moon-God) increaseth brethren. The canon of Ptolemy fixes his accession at B.C. 702, the first year of Elibus or Belibus. For his victories over Babylonia, Palestine, Judæa, and Egypt see any Dictionary of the Bible, and Byron for the marvellous and puerile legend—The Assyrian came down as a wolf on the fold,which made him lose in one night 185,000 men, smitten by the Angel of the Lord (2 Kings xix. 35). Seated upon his throne before Lachish he is represented by a bas-relief as a truly noble and kingly figure.3 I presume that the author hereby means a fool, Pers. nádán. But in Assyrian story Nadan was = Nathan, King of the people of Pukudu, the Pekod of Jeremiah (i. 21)[a] and other prophets.4 In text always Atúr, the scriptural Asshur = Assyria, biblically derived from Asshur, son of Shem (Gen. x. 22), who was worshipped as the proto-deity. The capital was Niniveh. Weber has Nineveh and Thor, showing the spelling of his MS. According to the Arabs, Ashur had four sons; Iran (father of the Furs = Persians, the Kurd, or Ghozzi, the Daylams, and the Khazar), Nabít, Jarmúk, and Basíl. Ibn Khaldun (iii. 413), in his Universal History, opposes this opinion of Ibn Sa'id.5 i.e. Fish-town or town of Nin = Ninus, the founder. In mod. days Naynawah was the name of a port on the east bank of the Tigris; and moderns have unearthed the old city at Koyunjik, Nabi Yunas, and the Tall (mound of) Nimrud.

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WIKINOTE a sic! Typo for l = 50.

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he and wise, a philosopher, and endowed with lore and rede and experience. Now he had interwedded with threescore wives, for each and every of which he had builded in his palace her own bower; natheless he had not a boy to tend, and was he sore of sorrow therefor. So one day he gathered together the experts, astrologers and wizards, and related to them his case and complained of the condition caused by his barrenness. They made answer to him, Get thee within and do sacrifice to the Godheads and enquire of them and implore their favour when haply shall they vouchsafe unto thee boon of babe. He did whatso they bade and set corbans and victims before the images and craved their assistance, humbling himself with prayer and petition; withal they vouchsafed to him never a word of reply. So he fared forth in distress and disappointment and went his ways all disheartened. Then he returned in his humiliation to Almighty Allah[6] and confided his secret unto Him and called for succour in the burning of his heart, and cried with a loud voice saying, O God of Heaven and Earth, O Creator of all creatures, I beg Thee to vouchsafe unto me a son wherewith I may console my old age and who may become my heir, after being present at my death and closing my eyes and burying my body. Hereat came a Voice from Heaven which said, "Inasmuch