The Story of a King and his Faithful Hawk
A hawk loses his life over trying to warn his owner about a danger caused by a dead dragon From a manuscript of Anvar-i Suhayli (The Lights of Canopus), by Husayn b. ‘Ali al-Wa‘iz al-Kashifi Copied by Na‘im Muhammad al-Husayni al-Tabrizi Paintings attributed to Sadiqi Beg Iran, dated 13 Safar 1002 AH / November 8, 1593
has always been an intimately close one. To this day, falcons and hawks may be considered part of the extended family in many royal families, cared for with the greatest affection and love. The birds in turn have a special bond with their owners on whom their lives depend, a fact that is poignantly explored in this miniature painting. Its story goes like this: once upon a time, a king and his beloved hawk went hunting. In pursuit of a deer, the two get separated from the royal entourage and find themselves lost in a wasteland, with no water anywhere to quench the king’s increasing thirst. Eventually, the king spots water trickling
A hawk loses his life over trying to warn his owner about a danger caused by a dead dragon From a manuscript of Anvar-i Suhayli (The Lights of Canopus), by Husayn b. ‘Ali al-Wa‘iz al-Kashifi Copied by Na‘im Muhammad al-Husayni al-Tabrizi Paintings attributed to Sadiqi Beg Iran, dated 13 Safar 1002 AH / November 8, 1593
from a hill nearby and readies his cup to collect the falling drops. But his hawk immediately flaps its wings and tips the cup over. The king, irritated by this move, tries again, but the hawk flaps even more agitatedly and causes the cup to break. The relationship between princes and their hunting birds At this point, the king - maddened with thirst - hurls the hawk on the ground and kills it. A moment later, one of the king's attendants arrives and immediately offers up water to relieve the king’s thirst. The king, however, longs for the pure liquid trickling from the hill and asks his retainer to climb up to the top to fill a cup at the source. The retainer obeys and comes back with terrible news:
right next to the spring, a dead dragon is decomposing, adding poisonous liquids to the spring water dripping down the hill. Now the king remorsefully realizes that his bird had loved him so much that it tried to save his life— and through that his kingdom—and instead, lost its life due to the lack of self-restraint and wise reflection on the part of his master.
Written by Special Guest Contributor: Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis, Director and CEO at the Aga Khan Museum, Toronto. In each issue, we feature a special treasure from the Aga Khan Museum, one that tells a story, captures a moment and inspires
conversation.
