Indian Tales of The Great Ones/The Dove-Girl and the Prince

by Cornelia Sorabji

The Dove-Girl and the Prince

There was once a Persian Prince of noble birth who lost all his money: so he left his country and came to India, bringing with him his wife and three children.

"It will not", he said, "be so hard to be poor in a strange country."

He travelled with a great many other people, all coming through the snow mountains and passes, and wild bleak places of Afghanistan. The women rode on camels, slung in cages on either side of the driver; and most of their luggage also was carried in this way. The men walked, and the journey took a weary long time for man and beast. The travellers halted to cook their food, and they halted again to sleep by great watch-fires, till the dawn-star told them that it was time to go on once more.

One day a baby was born to the wife of the Persian, and he was very cross. "It is only a girl," he said, "and no use at all." So when no one was looking he laid it on the grass by the roadside, and meant to go away and leave it there to die.

Now it happened that a great man known at the Court of the Emperor Akbar, was also travelling with the pilgrims for safety; for there were many robbers in those days, and only if a man travelled with a crowd of people in what was called a Caravan, could he be safe.

And the great man saw the poor little baby lying alone on the grass, and, as it seemed to belong to no one, he said he would take it for his own. And he looked about among the

The second dove also flew happily away

women in the Caravan for a nurse.

And the baby's mother came forward and said: "Please let me be nurse." So the baby had its own mother after all to care for it.

Now the great man from Akbar's Court was so kind that the woman told him all her story, and he asked to see her husband and her sons, and sent them all to the Emperor himself for protection. So it came to pass that the man from Persia got work and honour at the Emperor's Court.

And the baby born by the roadside grew very beautiful, and was called Mihr-un-Nisa, which means "the Sun of Womankind". She lived near the Palace, and would go with the women into the Palace gardens, whenever the great Fairs took place, where the zenana women sold their lovely work and embroideries.

And at one of these Fairs, Prince Salim, the Emperor's son, lost his way in an empty part of the garden, where he could see no one but a small girl at play. He had in his hands his two favourite doves, and, wanting to fly kites with the boys at the fair, he told the little girl, who was our "Sun of Womankind", to hold the doves till he should return. "Take care," he said; "don't let them fly."

When he came back Mihr-un-Nisa had only one dove in her hands.

"Where is the other?" said Prince Salim.

"I let it fly," said Mihr-un-Nisa.

And, "How did you do that, stupid-one?" said the Prince angrily.

"Just so, my Prince," said Mihr-un-Nisa, opening her other hand, from which the second dove also flew happily away.

She looked so beautiful in her naughtiness that the Prince fell in love with her that minute. And many years afterwards, when he became Emperor, he married her, and changed her name to Nŭr Mahal, "the Light of the Palace". And again, for she seemed more beautiful still to him every day, he changed it to Nŭr Jehan, "the Light of the World".

And her lovely face is still to be seen painted on ivory and vellum among the treasures of the ancient city of Delhi.